Şehzade Ömer Faruk
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Şehzade Ömer Faruk Efendi (; also Ömer Faruk Osmanoğlu; 27 February 1898 – 28 March 1969) was an Ottoman prince, the son of the last caliph of Muslim world
Abdulmejid II ʻAbd al-Majīd (ALA-LC romanization of , ), also spelled as Abd ul Majid, Abd ul-Majid, Abd ol Majid, Abd ol-Majid, and Abdolmajid, is a Muslim male given name and, in modern usage, surname. It is built from the Arabic words '' ʻabd'' and ''al-Maj ...
and his first consort
Şehsuvar Hanım Şehsuvar Hanım (; 2 May 1881 – 1945; meaning "intrepid heroine"), called also Şehsuvar Kadın, was the first consort of Abdulmejid II, the last Caliph of the Ottoman Caliphate. Life Of Turkish and Ubykh people, Ubykh origin, Şehsuvar Han ...
. He was also the son-in-law of Sultan
Mehmed VI Mehmed VI Vahideddin ( ''Meḥmed-i sâdis'' or ''Vaḥîdü'd-Dîn''; or /; 14 January 1861 – 16 May 1926), also known as ''Şahbaba'' () among the Osmanoğlu family, was the last sultan of the Ottoman Empire and the penultimate Ottoman Cal ...
of the Ottoman Empire because he married his younger daughter Rukiye Sabiha Sultan.


Early life

Şehzade Ömer Faruk Efendi was born on 27 February 1898 in Ortaköy Palace. His father was
Abdulmejid II ʻAbd al-Majīd (ALA-LC romanization of , ), also spelled as Abd ul Majid, Abd ul-Majid, Abd ol Majid, Abd ol-Majid, and Abdolmajid, is a Muslim male given name and, in modern usage, surname. It is built from the Arabic words '' ʻabd'' and ''al-Maj ...
, son of Sultan
Abdulaziz Abdulaziz (; ; 8 February 18304 June 1876) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 25 June 1861 to 30 May 1876, when he was overthrown in a government coup. He was a son of Sultan Mahmud II and succeeded his brother Abdulmejid I in 1861. Ab ...
and
Hayranidil Kadın Hayranidil Kadın (; 2 November 1846 – 26 November 1895) was a consort of Sultan Abdulaziz of the Ottoman Empire, and the mother of last caliph of the Ottoman Empire Abdulmejid II. Life Of Abkhazian origin, Hayranıdil Kadın w ...
, and his mother was his first consort
Şehsuvar Hanım Şehsuvar Hanım (; 2 May 1881 – 1945; meaning "intrepid heroine"), called also Şehsuvar Kadın, was the first consort of Abdulmejid II, the last Caliph of the Ottoman Caliphate. Life Of Turkish and Ubykh people, Ubykh origin, Şehsuvar Han ...
. He had a younger half-sister
Dürrüşehvar Sultan Hatice Hayriye Ayşe Dürrüşehvar Sultan (; 26 January 1914 – 7 February 2006), after marriage named Durru Shehvar Durdana Begum Sahiba, Princess of Berar; was an Ottoman princess by birth and an Indian princess by marriage. She was the on ...
.


Education

Ömer Faruk attended the
Galatasaray High School Galatasaray High School (, ), established in Istanbul in 1481, is the oldest and Selective school, highly selective high school in Turkey. It is also the second-oldest Turkish educational institution after Istanbul University, which was establi ...
. His father, Abdulmejid spoke French, and had a connection to the school through his close friend and relative
Şehzade Ibrahim Tevfik Şehzade Ibrahim Tevfik Efendi (; 6November 1874 – 31 December 1931) was an Ottoman prince, the son of Şehzade Mehmed Burhaneddin, and grandson of Sultan Abdulmejid I. Early life Şehzade Ibrahim Tevfik was born on 6 November 1874 in the Dolm ...
. Ömer Faruk's application was prepared by Salih Keramet Bey, son Ottoman poet Nigar Hanım, who had given private lessons to the prince. Ömer Faruk attended the school for a few years, until it was decided that he should have more serious vocational training, and at the age of eleven he was sent to Europe. He was to have a military education, as was common for princes at the time. He attended the school created by Empress
Maria Theresa Maria Theresa (Maria Theresia Walburga Amalia Christina; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was the ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position suo jure, in her own right. She was the ...
in Vienna in 1751, known as the
Theresian Military Academy The Theresian Military Academy (, TherMilAk) is a military academy in Austria, where the Austrian Armed Forces train their officers. Founded in 1751, the academy is located in the castle of Wiener Neustadt in Lower Austria. History The Th ...
. Ömer Faruk spoke English, German, and French with a German accent. His German was as good as his Turkish. After a visit to the Chamber of the Blessed Mantle in the
Topkapı Palace The Topkapı Palace (; ), or the Seraglio, is a large museum and library in the east of the Fatih List of districts of Istanbul, district of Istanbul in Turkey. From the 1460s to the completion of Dolmabahçe Palace in 1856, it served as the ad ...
, where lengthy prayers were said, he made his way to Vienna. Salih Keramet Bey accompanied him, and settled him into the academy. He spent several years there, undergoing military training that also included extracurricular courses in basket-weaving, carpentry, masonry, construction works, metalworking, and other manual skills. But for more rigorous, iron-fisted, and disciplined training, Ömer Faruk was transferred from Vienna to Potsdam Military Academy in Prussia. The transfer was the idea of
Enver Pasha İsmâil Enver (; ; 23 November 1881 – 4 August 1922), better known as Enver Pasha, was an Ottoman Empire, Ottoman Turkish people, Turkish military officer, revolutionary, and Istanbul trials of 1919–1920, convicted war criminal who was a p ...
, the
Young Turk The Young Turks (, also ''Genç Türkler'') formed as a constitutionalist broad opposition-movement in the late Ottoman Empire against the absolutist régime of Sultan Abdul Hamid II (). The most powerful organization of the movement, a ...
Ottoman War Minister. Enver Pasha thought young princes should receive a military education, and for this purpose he allocated the Palace of Ihlamur as the Princes School. It became compulsory for all princes below the age of fifteen to attend this school. Here, besides their military training, they were taught literature, history, religion, mathematics, and geometry. Ömer Faruk and
Abdulmejid I ʻAbd al-Majīd (ALA-LC romanization of , ), also spelled as Abd ul Majid, Abd ul-Majid, Abd ol Majid, Abd ol-Majid, and Abdolmajid, is a Muslim male given name and, in modern usage, surname. It is built from the Arabic words '' ʻabd'' and ''al-Maj ...
's grandson Şehzade Mehmed Şerefeddin, the brother of Enver Pasha's wife, Naciye Sultan, were transferred to Germany for military training. The
Ministry of War Ministry of War may refer to: * Ministry of War (imperial China) ( 600–1912) * Chinese Republic Ministry of War (1912–1946) * Ministry of War (Kingdom of Bavaria) (1808–1919) * Ministry of War (Brazil) (1815–1999) * Ministry of War (Esto ...
issued a decree for the education of the two princes.


Military career

Ömer Faruk graduated from the Prussian Military Academy in Potsdam as a professional Prussian officer. His demeanour reflected his strict German education, and until his death he remained a severe soldier but only in appearance, as deep down he was a romantic at heart, and he never gave up his Ottoman habits. During the
First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, Ömer Faruk fought for the Germans. The prince was sent to Galicia, and from there to Verdun, where he was assigned to the battlefield and where the battles with the French were quite bloody. He fought like a professional soldier, and Kaiser
Wilhelm II Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia from 1888 until Abdication of Wilhelm II, his abdication in 1918, which marked the end of the German Empire as well as th ...
granted him first the Red Eagle medal, then the
Iron Cross The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...
of the First Degree. The Kaiser sent a golden cigarette case, as well as a signed photograph of himself together with the medal. When the Germans lost the
Battle of Verdun The Battle of Verdun ( ; ) was fought from 21 February to 18 December 1916 on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front in French Third Republic, France. The battle was the longest of the First World War and took place on the hills north ...
, Ömer Faruk returned to
Potsdam Potsdam () is the capital and largest city of the Germany, German States of Germany, state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the Havel, River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream of B ...
, where he was appointed to the German emperor's First Foot Guards Regiment. The two requirements for enrollment in this regiment were that one must belong to one of the most aristocratic families in Germany and be taller than 1.9 meters. Every Prussian prince was registered as an officer in this regiment from the age of ten, but those short in height would not take part in the parades. The prince was accepted into the regiment despite being only 1.85 meters tall. He was the shortest among his colleagues, yet he took part in all the parades in front of the kaiser. By 1918, he was serving as honorary aide-de-camp to Sultan
Mehmed VI Mehmed VI Vahideddin ( ''Meḥmed-i sâdis'' or ''Vaḥîdü'd-Dîn''; or /; 14 January 1861 – 16 May 1926), also known as ''Şahbaba'' () among the Osmanoğlu family, was the last sultan of the Ottoman Empire and the penultimate Ottoman Cal ...
. He was also serving as first lieutenant in the infantry of the Ottoman army and saw action in the
Caucasus campaign The Caucasus campaign comprised armed conflicts between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire, later including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus, the German Empire, the Central Caspian Dict ...
and the
Sinai and Palestine campaign The Sinai and Palestine campaign was part of the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I, taking place between January 1915 and October 1918. The British Empire, the French Third Republic, and the Kingdom of Italy fought alongside the Arab Revol ...
. During the
Turkish War of Independence , strength1 = May 1919: 35,000November 1920: 86,000Turkish General Staff, ''Türk İstiklal Harbinde Batı Cephesi'', Edition II, Part 2, Ankara 1999, p. 225August 1922: 271,000Celâl Erikan, Rıdvan Akın: ''Kurtuluş Savaşı tarih ...
, he attempted to defect to the nationalist movement after his
father A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. A biological fat ...
's residence (
Dolmabahçe Palace Dolmabahçe Palace ( ) is a 19th-century imperial palace located in Istanbul, Turkey, along the European shore of the Bosporus, which served as the main administrative center of the Ottoman Empire from 1856 to 1887 and from 1909 to 1922. Histor ...
) was put under siege, and according to his wife
Sabiha Sultan Rukiye Sabiha Sultan (; "''charm''" and "''morning''" or "''beautiful''"; after 1952 Sabiha Osmanoğlu; 19 March 1894 – 26 August 1971) was an Ottoman Empire, Ottoman princess, the third and last daughter of Sultan Mehmed VI and his first wife ...
knew of Mustafa Kemal's invitation to Abdul Mejid to be the face of the nationalists. Hearing his father demure from the invitation, Faruk's patriotism made him angry and he declared, "Then I will go and fight under Mustafa Kemal's command like a private." When his daughter Neslişah Sultan was just two months old, on 26 April 1921 he smuggled himself, with the help of Yümni Guresin, aboard a steamer and landed at
İnebolu İnebolu is a town and district of the Kastamonu Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey. It is from Istanbul by road and north of Kastamonu. It is a typical Black Sea port town with many fine examples of traditional domestic architecture. It ...
, after which he received a telegram from
Mustafa Kemal Mustafa () is one of the names of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and the name means "chosen, selected, appointed, preferred", used as an Arabic given name and surname. Mustafa is a common name in the Muslim world. Given name Moustafa * Moustafa A ...
rebuffing his defection and ordering him back to the capital, as he did not want members of the imperial family being involved in the conflict. Sabiha delivered his defection letter to her father, Mehmed VI, who wasn't surprised of his defection. Faruk returned to the capital and faced no punishment. He developed severe
claustrophobia Claustrophobia is a fear of confined spaces. It is triggered by many situations or stimuli, including elevators, especially when crowded to capacity, windowless rooms, and hotel rooms with closed doors and sealed windows. Even bedrooms with a l ...
after the attempt, as he was hidden in a small iron compartment in the ship for several hours, and contemplated suicide with the pistol he took during a British inspection of the ship.Years later, he learned the true reason his service was rejected by Ankara was due to the possibility of him being a British spy. Even though Kemal would expel the Osmanoğlu family, Faruk had no hard feelings for Mustafa Kemal. Abroad, he framed and hung Kemal's rejection telegram to him in a prominent place in his apartment.


Personal life

In 1919, a prospective bride was proposed for Faruk. Emine Dürriye Hanım was the daughter of Mahmud Muhtar Pasha and his wife, the Egyptian princess Nimetullah, the daughter of Khedive
Isma'il Pasha Isma'il Pasha ( ; 25 November 1830 or 31 December 1830 – 2 March 1895), also known as Ismail the Magnificent, was the Khedive of Egypt and ruler of Sudan from 1863 to 1879, when he was removed at the behest of Great Britain and France. Shari ...
. Mahmud Mukhtar himself proposed the marriage. However, Faruk declined the proposal. Between 1919 and 1924, he served as president of the Fenerbahçe Sports Club.


First marriage

Ömer Faruk and
Sabiha Sultan Rukiye Sabiha Sultan (; "''charm''" and "''morning''" or "''beautiful''"; after 1952 Sabiha Osmanoğlu; 19 March 1894 – 26 August 1971) was an Ottoman Empire, Ottoman princess, the third and last daughter of Sultan Mehmed VI and his first wife ...
, the daughter of Mehmed VI Vahdeddin and Nazikeda Kadın, were in love with each other. When Abdulmejid asked Sabiha's hand in marriage for his son, Mehmed flatly refused because between the descendants of
Abdülmecid I Abdülmecid I (, ; 25 April 182325 June 1861) was the 31st sultan of the Ottoman Empire. He succeeded his father Mahmud II on 2 July 1839. His reign was notable for the rise of nationalist movements within the empire's territories. Abdülmecid's ...
as Mehmed VI and those of
Abdülaziz Abdulaziz (; ; 8 February 18304 June 1876) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 25 June 1861 to 30 May 1876, when he was 1876 Ottoman coup d'état, overthrown in a government coup. He was a son of Sultan Mahmud II and succeeded his brother ...
as Abdülmecid II there were disagreements, due to the controversial deposition and death of Abdülaziz: Abdülaziz's family believed that he was killed in a plot hatched in favor of sons of Abdülmecid I (
Murad V Murad V (; ; 21 September 1840 – 29 August 1904) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 30 May to 31 August 1876. The son of Abdulmejid I, he supported the conversion of the government to a constitutional monarchy. His uncle Abdulaziz ...
,
Abdülhamid II Abdulhamid II or Abdul Hamid II (; ; 21 September 184210 February 1918) was the 34th sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1876 to 1909, and the last sultan to exert effective control over the fracturing state. He oversaw a period of decline wit ...
,
Mehmed V Mehmed V Reşâd (; or ; 2 November 1844 – 3 July 1918) was the penultimate List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire, sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1909 to 1918. Mehmed V reigned as a Constitutional monarchy, constitutional monarch. He had ...
, Mehmed VI). His mother Şehsuvar, called on Sabiha's mother Nazikeda Kadın, and succeeded in convincing her. The marriage took place on 20 April 1920, in the pavilion of the sacred relics,
Topkapı Palace The Topkapı Palace (; ), or the Seraglio, is a large museum and library in the east of the Fatih List of districts of Istanbul, district of Istanbul in Turkey. From the 1460s to the completion of Dolmabahçe Palace in 1856, it served as the ad ...
. The marriage was performed by Şeyhülislam Hayrizade Ibrahim Efendi. Sabiha Sultan's deputy was Başkatip Ali Fuad Bey, and Ömer Faruk's deputy was Ömer Yaver Pasha. Faruk's witnesses were İsmail Hakkı Pasha and Mehmed VI's chamberlain Naci (Eldeniz). The wedding reception took place at the
Yıldız Palace Yıldız Palace (, ) is a vast complex of former imperial Ottoman Empire, Ottoman pavilions and villas in Beşiktaş, Istanbul, Turkey, built in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was used as a residence by the List of sultans of the Ottoman ...
. In May 1920, ten days after their wedding, Faruk and Sabiha moved to a mansion in Rumelihisarı gifted to them by Sultan Vahdeddin, the Zeki Pasha Palace. In October of the same year, the Sultan bought two houses for his daughters in Nişantaşı. The mansions were known as the Twin Palaces. He gave one house to Ulviye Sultan, and the other to Sabiha. Faruk and Sabiha decided to live in Nişantaşı during the winter and Rumelihisarı in the summer.


Issue and exile

The couple's eldest daughter, Fatma Neslişah Sultan was born on 2 February 1921 in the Nişantaşı Palace. She was followed two years later by Zehra Hanzade Sultan, born on 12 September 1923 in the Dolmabahçe Palace. At the exile of the imperial family in March 1924, Ömer Faruk and his wife and daughters and his parents firstly settled in
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
, when Faruk and his father were when they received the sentence of exile. Later they moved to
Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one millionNecla Hibetullah Sultan was born on 16 May 1926. In 1930,
Şehzade Ibrahim Tevfik Şehzade Ibrahim Tevfik Efendi (; 6November 1874 – 31 December 1931) was an Ottoman prince, the son of Şehzade Mehmed Burhaneddin, and grandson of Sultan Abdulmejid I. Early life Şehzade Ibrahim Tevfik was born on 6 November 1874 in the Dolm ...
, now penniless, and his family, came to live in
Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one millionFevziye Sultan in with his cousin Sabiha and Ömer Faruk, where he died in 1931. Fevziye came back to live with her mother. Sabiha's mother also used to come for a stay at
Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one millionŞehzade Mehmed Ertuğrul, her stepson, whenever he came back from
Grasse Grasse (; Provençal dialect, Provençal in classical norm or in Mistralian norm ; traditional ) is the only Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur Re ...
. In 1938, they moved to
Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...
when Nazikeda died. In 1940, he attended the wedding of her daughter, Neslişah Sultan and Prince Mohamed Abdel Moneim, son of Egypt's last
khedive Khedive ( ; ; ) was an honorific title of Classical Persian origin used for the sultans and grand viziers of the Ottoman Empire, but most famously for the Khedive of Egypt, viceroy of Egypt from 1805 to 1914.Adam Mestyan"Khedive" ''Encyclopaedi ...
Abbas Hilmi II Abbas Helmy II (also known as ''ʿAbbās Ḥilmī Pāshā'', ; 14 July 1874 – 19 December 1944) was the last Khedive of Egypt and the Sudan, ruling from 8January 1892 to 19 December 1914. In 1914, after the Ottoman Empire joined the Cent ...
. His two other daughters, Hanzade Sultan, and Necla Sultan also married Egyptian princes, Mehmed Ali Ibrahim in 1940, and Amr Ibrahim in 1943 respectively.


Divorce and second marriage

Ömer Faruk developed an increased interest in his cousin Mihrişah Sultan, the daughter of crown prince
Şehzade Yusuf Izzeddin Şehzade Yusuf Izzeddin Efendi (; ; 11 October 1857 – 1 February 1916) was an Ottoman prince, the eldest son of Sultan Abdülaziz and his first consort Dürrinev Kadın. Early life and education Şehzade Yusuf Izzeddin was born on 29 Septe ...
. It was also a public knowledge that things weren't going well between Faruk and Sabiha. In 1944, Mihrişah even sided with Faruk when the council chose Prince
Ahmed Nihad Ahmad () is an Arabic male given name common in most parts of the Muslim world. Other English spellings of the name include Ahmed. It is also used as a surname. Etymology The word derives from the root ( ḥ-m-d), from the Arabic (), from ...
as the head of the family. While Sabiha backed the council's decision and approved the choice of the leader. Her daughters also sided with her. Faruk accused Sabiha of turning their daughters against him. But he was already in love with Mihrişah and the issue of the council was just an excuse. Faruk divorced Sabiha on 5 March 1948, after twenty eight years of marriage, and just four months later married Mihrişah in a religious ceremony on 31 July 1948. In the prenuptial agreement she asked that the right to divorce her husband be included in the contract. His remarriage created a rift with his daughters, who sided with their mother and treated their father coldly for years, as well as not recognizing or having contact with Mihrişah. However, their marriage did not last and in 1959 Mihrişah divorced Faruk using her right to divorce her husband. Later Faruk would tell his friends "I divorced the most beautiful woman in the world to marry the ugliest one. Fate!"


Death

Ömer Faruk died on 28 March 1969 in
Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...
,
Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
. His body was taken back to Istanbul, and was buried in the mausoleum of Sultan
Mahmud II Mahmud II (, ; 20 July 1785 – 1 July 1839) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1808 until his death in 1839. Often described as the "Peter the Great of Turkey", Mahmud instituted extensive administrative, military, and fiscal reforms ...
.


Honours

;Ottoman honours * Order of the House of Osman, Jeweled * Order of Osmanieh, 1st Class * Order of the Medjidie, 1st Class * Imtiyaz War Medal in Silver * Hicaz Demiryolu Medal in Gold * Iftikhar Sanayi Medal *
Gallipoli Star The Ottoman War Medal () was a military decoration awarded by the Ottoman Empire. It was commonly known in English as the Gallipoli Star and in German as the ''Eiserner Halbmond'' (Iron Crescent, in allusion to the Iron Cross). It was instituted ...
* Liakat War Medal in Silver ;Foreign honours *: Grand-Cross Order of Leopold, ''6 June 1918'' *: ** Order of the Iron Cross ** Order of the Red Eagle, 1st Class


Military appointments


Military ranks and army appointments

*''1914'': Prussian Officer, German Army *'' 1918'': First Lieutenant of Infantry, Ottoman Army


Honorary appointments

*'' 1918'': Aide-de-Camp to the Sultan


Issue


Ancestry


References


Sources

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Omer Faruk, Sehzade 1898 births 1969 deaths Ottoman princes Sons of caliphs Royalty from Istanbul 19th-century people from the Ottoman Empire 20th-century Ottoman royalty Ottoman Army officers Ottoman military personnel of World War I People of the Turkish War of Independence