Abdülmecid II

Abdülmecid II or Abdulmejid II (; ; 29 May 1868 – 23 August 1944), commonly known as Abdülmecid Efendi, was the last Ottoman caliph, the only caliph of the Republic of Turkey, and head of the Osmanoğlu family from 1926 to 1944. Unlike previous caliphs, he used the title ''Halîfe-i Müslimîn'' ("Caliph of the Muslims"), instead of '' Emîrü'l-Mü'minîn'' ("Commander of the Faithful").

He was also a relatively famous artist and a Turkish aesthete, interested in art, mainly literature, painting, and music, and ways to promote it in the Republic of Turkey. After the abolition of the Ottoman caliphate, he was succeeded for several months by Hussein bin Ali, the Sharif and Emir of Mecca and King of the Hejaz, who was mostly recognized in the Arab world.

He died in Paris in 1944 and was buried as a caliph in Medina.

Biography

Early years

Abdulmejid was born on 30 May 1868, at Dolmabahçe Palace to Sultan Abdulaziz and his consort Hayranidil Kadın. He was the younger brother of Nazime Sultan. He spent his early years at the Feriye Palace complex, before moving to a palace in Çamlıca. He received private education. He was about eight years old when his father died after the 1876 coup d'état, either by suicide or murder. He believed his father died from the latter cause, and took offense from those that believed he killed himself.

He was proud of having joined artillery classes at the age of four. He considered himself, Şerif Ali Haydar Bey, and his brother-in-law Halid Pasha the best horseback riders of Istanbul. Abdulmejid had a robust physique and was one of the strongest of his siblings, he claimed to be able to hold people weighing to 100kg on each arm. He often went hunting with his cousin, Şehzade Mehmed Vahdeddin, in the hills of Çengelköy, and when returning, they would listen to a fasıl orchestra into the night. Other hobbies of his included wrestling, mounted shooting, swimming, and fencing -his sparring partner was an Austrian officer he happened to know.

From a young age, he showed interest in the arts. His mansion was a kind of salon or academy for Constantinople's artists and musicians. He would compose three or four movement chamber pieces to be played by his wives, '' kalfa''s, and apprentices, and while officially confined to the palaces, he often skirted this restriction as he enjoyed talking with the people. He had an interest in painting as well, and was a himself a painter, and developed realist art in the Ottoman Empire. After the Young Turk Revolution he was free from confinement, and he was a benefactor to the Ottoman Artist's Society. He was also a talented pianist. He was interested in literature and founded the Pierre Loti Society in 1920 to promote the works of the author and translate them into Turkish.

According to testimonies, he agreed with marriages between cousins within the Ottoman dynasty to reduce tensions within the dynasty.

Crown Prince

On 4 July 1918, his first cousin Mehmed VI became sultan and Abdulmejid was named crown prince.

British intelligence reported him to be a moderate man popular with the people with eloquent French. While his sympathies for the Kemalists were well known, he was also an Anglophile who had hired an English tutor for his son and had a portrait of Lord Palmerston hanging in one of his rooms. Though he sympathized with the Turkish Nationalist Movement, in an interview with ''The Morning Post'' he requested assistance from the international community lest Unionist dictatorship return to the Ottoman Empire, even though most of the Turkish nationalists were ex-Unionists. He held a deep personal enmity with Damat Ferid Pasha, whose appointments to the Grand Vizierate was greatly affecting his once close relationship with his cousin the Sultan.

British intelligence were suspicious he was going to defect to the nationalists. Mustafa Kemal eventually attempted to recruit Abdulmejid to his cause, inviting him to lead the nationalist movement. Abdulmejid's prestige would increase the legitimacy of the nationalists' cause and decrease the pressure the nationalists faced by royalists. Initially, the crown prince was excited of the possibility to potentially be the face of the nationalist movement. But after consulting trusted friends for a few days, including Ahmed İzzet Pasha, he believed his defection would cause much bloodshed and instability in the Ottoman family.On 7 September 1920, Ottoman police blockaded his residence of Dolmabahçe Palace, cutting supplies and communication to the outside world. His daughter, six-year-old Princess Dürrüşehvar had whooping cough, but was not allowed medicine or a doctor. Grand Vizier Damat Ferid Pasha claimed the crown prince was going to escape to Anatolia on that day on his yacht, so under British pressure he was forced to cordon off his palace, but no order came from Occupation authorities and the move surprised even the Allied powers. On 23 September, High Commissioner De Robeck permitted Ferid to lift the siege, as they believed Abdulmejid was no longer interested in defecting. The siege continued for another month, only being lifted as a result of British shuttle diplomacy. Abdulmejid sent a scathing letter to his cousin for putting such trust in Ferid Pasha and the British that was destroying the state. The Sultan's and the Crown Princes' once close relationship was effectively over, and mutual resentment would define their relationship from then on.

Caliphate

Once his cousin was deposed on 1 November 1922, the Ottoman Sultanate was abolished. But on 19 November 1922, Abdülmecid was elected caliph by the Grand National Assembly at Ankara. The caliph was nominally the supreme religious and political leader of all Muslims across the world, with the main goal to prevent extremism or protect the religion from corruption. He held his biat ceremony in Topkapı Palace, but the city's sharifs didn't attend. A march was composed for him called the "Medhiye-i Hazret-i Hilâfetpenâhi" by Kemani Eyüplü Mustafa Bey. He established himself in Istanbul on 24 November 1922.

The choice of Abdulmejid as caliph was not evident for all Muslims, and there was significant criticism from within and outside the Ottoman Empire. There was indeed a conflict among Muslims, especially in Palestine, over whether to pledge allegiance to King Hussein's Sharifian Caliphate or the much shaken Ottoman Caliphate. Western colonial powers, such as France or the United Kingdom, were very attentive to these developments. Noteworthy critics of Abdul Mejid included Muhammad Rashid Rida, who claimed that he lacked some of the qualities needed to be the caliph, and the exiled Sheikh-ul-Islam Mustafa Sabri Efendi. The vast majority of Muslims seem to have chosen to recognize him, especially in British India.As Caliph Abdulmejid was unhappy about the transfer of certain responsibilities from Istanbul to Ankara; for instance, he was angry about the relocation of a military band unit. He soon requested a raise in his allowance, making his position a political issue. He received support from the conservatives in the parliament, and in December 1923, an open letter authored by the Aga Khan and Ameer Ali was published in the press requesting support for the Caliphate, else an Islamic world without a Caliphate would create discord. Prime minister İsmet İnönü did not have a chance to review the petition before its publication in the newspapers and the government attacked Abdulmejid's supporters as promoting foreign interests. Kemalist propaganda used the fact that he occupied the infamous Yıldız Palace in Istanbul, and he was subsequently portrayed as having unjustly claimed it for himself.

In the last session of the budget negotiations on 3 March 1924, Urfa Deputy Sheikh Saffet Efendi and his 53 peers demanded the abolition of the caliphate, arguing it was not necessary any more. This was approved by majority of the votes and Law 431 was established. With the same law, it was decided to expel all members of the Ottoman family, and confiscate their property. Princesses were allowed 10 days to leave the country, princes 24 hours, and Abdulmejid was informed he was to leave immeadiatly. For the second time, he had to deal with his residence being cordoned and communications cut by the government. When he was informed of the decision he said the following: "I am not a traitor. I will not leave here even if I die. How can they forcibly remove me from these lands that my ancestor Fatih conquered?"

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, however, offered the caliphate to Ahmed Sharif as-Senussi, on the condition that he reside outside Turkey; Senussi declined the offer and confirmed his support for Abdulmejid. He was succeeded by Hussein bin Ali in the Arab world, with the support of his cousin, Mehmed VI but that attempt ended fast as well.

Exile and death

Although Abdulmejid and his family were upset about this decision, they did not want the people to revolt, so with his wives Şehsuvar, Hayrünisa, and Mehistî, and his son Ömer Faruk, and daughtor Dürrüşehvar, they secretly went to Çatalca by car from the Dolmabahçe Palace at 5:00 the next morning. Here, after being hosted by the head of the Rumeli Railways Company for a while, they were put on the Simplon Express. When he left Turkey, he traveled to Switzerland. However, contrary to expectations, he was not greeted by a delegation or ceremony but simply as an ordinary traveler. When Abdulmejid II arrived in Switzerland, he was detained at the border for a while, but was admitted to the country after a delay. In Switzerland, he said multiple times that the abolition of the caliphate was contrary to Sharia and illegitimate since it was abolished without the consent of all Muslims, and that this would bring chaos to the Islamic world and a rise of extremism. But after the Turkish government put pressure on the Swiss government, Abdulmejid was never allowed to give such speeches in Switzerland again. After staying in Switzerland for a while, he moved to Nice

HOME


Content is Copyleft
Website design, code, and AI is Copyrighted (c) 2014-2017 by Stephen Payne


Consider donating to Wikimedia



As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases