SULTAN MEHMED VAHDEDDIN

(1861- 1926 )

Vahdedin was of medium height and weak but strong. He had a good education by the famous erudites.

The Ottoman Empire was living his worst days at his accession. In the First World War,. though the Turks defeated the enemy forces at their own fronts, they lost the war. The pacifications of Mondros and Sevres were made under heaviest conditions. It has been said by some people that , Mehmed Vahdedin seeing that the Great Ottoman Empire was in serious danger held up a top secret meeting and advised the capable officers of his time that 'they should go to Anatolia and instigated people not to yield and to defend against the enemy powers. The National Rise broke out in Anatolia. The National Assembly was formed. The new Parliament abrogated the imperial system and accepted the republican form of government.
As a matter of fact, Islambol was under military invasion. The Sultan, Mehmed Vahdedin, had neither military nor executive power, nor
authority. He abandoned Istanbul, and then Turkey after the monarchy had been annulled and also be­cause the criticisms against the Ottoman Family had reached the climax. The year was 1922 at the time of that abandonment of the last member and the last Sultan of the Ottoman Dynasty that had lasted six hundred and fourty-one years, and at the same time the one hundredth Caliph of the Mussulmans. He visited many places in &rope and he was offered by most of them to reside in their own countries; however, he was never an instrument of the confidential objectives of any countries. In the end, he came to a decision to live in the city of San Remo in Italy for the rest of his life, and he remained there fill he departed. He led a miserable life, and expired on the 15 th of May, 1926. His body was not allowed to be brought to Turkey: and, since he was in debts before he died, his coffin was distrained. Then the President of Syria claimed ownership of the corpse and he was brought to Syria. There his body was buried in the yard of the Mosque of Sultan Selim in Damascus. He was 65 years old at the time of his departure. The graveyard in which he was buried was made a park. Today it is not known where his grave is (May Allah have mercy upon his soul!)

The Grand Muftis of that last Padishah were as follows:
Mousa Kazim Effendi, Daghistanee Omer Houlousi Effendi, Khaideree-zade Ibrahim Effendi. Mustafa Sabri Effendi, Durreezade Abdoullah Effendi and Medenee Mehmed Effendi.

His Grand-Viziers were Talat Pasha, Izzet Pasha, Akhmed Tevfik Pasha, Damad Ferid Pasha, Ali Riza Pasha, Houlousi Salih Pasha and Tevfik Pasha.
His mere son was Muhammed Ertoughroul Effendi; and his three dauhters were Roukiye Sultana, Sabiha Sultana and Fatima Oulviye Sultana.