Bihruz Hanım (; known also as Bihruz Kadın and born Mihrimah Hanım; 24 May 1903 – 1955) was the fourth and last consort of

Abdülmecid II Abdülmecid II or Abdulmejid II (; ; 29 May 1868 – 23 August 1944), commonly known as Abdülmecid Efendi, was the last Ottoman Caliphate, Ottoman caliph, the only caliph of the Republic of Turkey, and head of the Osmanoğlu family from 19 ...

, last

Ottoman caliph The Ottoman Caliphate () was the claim of the heads of the Turkish Ottoman dynasty, rulers of the Ottoman Empire, to be the caliphs of Islam during the late medieval and early modern era. Ottoman rulers first assumed the style of caliph in t ...

Biography

She was born as Mihrimah Hanım on 24 May 1903, Izmit, by an unknown family. At some point, she entered service at the Ottoman court in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

, where she attracted the attention of Şehzade Abdülmecid. The two were married on 21 March 1921 at Çamlıca Palace, with Bihruz becoming his fourth and last consort. They had no children. On 1 November 1922, the Sultanate was abolished and

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 ...

, Abdulmecid's cousin, was deposed. However, Abdülmecid was chosen to inherit the symbolic-religious title of

Caliph A caliphate ( ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with Khalifa, the title of caliph (; , ), a person considered a political–religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of ...

and, consequently, moved with his family to

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 ...

. Less than a year later, on 29 October 1923, the abolition of the caliphate was also decreed, and on 3 March 1924, the expulsion decree was issued for all members of the

Ottoman dynasty The Ottoman dynasty () consisted of the members of the imperial House of Osman (), also known as the Ottomans (). According to Ottoman tradition, the family originated from the Kayı tribe branch of the Oghuz Turks, under the leadership of Os ...

, who were to leave the country within a few days. That same evening, government officials escorted Abdülmecid and his family to

Çatalca Çatalca () is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Istanbul Province, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 1142 km2, making it the largest district in Istanbul Province by area. Its population is 77,468 (2022). It is in Eas ...

station, where they were given 2,000 pounds and visas for Switzerland. From Switzerland, in October they moved to Nice, France, where many of the dynasty's members had gathered. Abdülmecid died in 1944. Four years later, Bihruz was allowed to return to Istanbul, where she died in 1955.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sehsuvar Hanim 1876 births 1936 deaths 20th-century Ottoman royalty Turkish emigrants to Switzerland People from İzmit