Osmanoğlu is a family belonging to the historical Ottoman dynasty, which was the ruling house of the Ottoman Empire from 1299 until the abolition of the Ottoman sultanate in 1922, and the Ottoman Caliphate from 1517 until the abolition of the caliphate in 1924. In 1924, members of the Osmanoğlu family were forced into exile.[1] Their descendants now live in many countries throughout Europe, as well as in the United States, the Middle East, and since they have now been permitted to return to their homeland, many now also live in Turkey. The female members of the dynasty were allowed to return after 1951,[1] and the male members after 1973.[2] The family adopted the surname of Osmanoğlu, meaning "son of Osman".

Osmanoğlu family
Parent familyOttoman dynasty
Place of originTurkey
Founded1922; 102 years ago (1922)
Current headHarun Osman
DistinctionsMembers of the former Ottoman dynasty
TraditionsSunni Islam


Heads of the Osmanoğlu family since 1922

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Below is a list of people who would have been heirs to the Ottoman throne following the abolition of the sultanate on 1 November 1922.[2] These people have not necessarily made any claim to the throne; for example Ertuğrul Osman said "Democracy works well in Turkey."[3]

  • Mehmed VI, last Ottoman Sultan (1918–1922) then 36th Head of the House of Osman in exile (1922–1926).[2]
  • Abdulmejid II, cousin of Mehmed VI. Last Ottoman Caliph (1922–1924) then 37th Head of the House of Osman following Mehmed VI Vahideddin's death (1926–1944).[2]
  • Ahmed Nihad, 38th Head of the House of Osman (1944–1954), grandson of Sultan Murad V.[2]
  • Osman Fuad, 39th Head of the House of Osman (1954–1973), half-brother of Ahmed IV Nihad.[2]
  • Mehmed Abdulaziz, 40th Head of the House of Osman (1973–1977), grandson of Sultan Abdulaziz.[2]
  • Ali Vâsib, 41st Head of the House of Osman (1977–1983), son of Ahmed IV Nihad.[2]
  • Mehmed Orhan, 42nd Head of the House of Osman (1983–1994), grandson of Sultan Abdul Hamid II.[4]
  • Ertuğrul Osman, 43rd Head of the House of Osman (1994–2009), grandson of Sultan Abdul Hamid II.[3] He is known in Turkey as "the Last Ottoman".
  • Bayezid Osman, 44th Head of the House of Osman (2009–2017), great-grandson of Sultan Abdulmejid I.[5]
  • Dündar Ali Osman, 45th Head of the House of Osman (2017–2021), great-grandson of Sultan Abdul Hamid II.
  • Harun Osman, 46th Head of the House of Osman (2021–present), great-grandson of Sultan Abdul Hamid II.

Current head

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Harun Osman Osmanoğlu
 
Osman in 2022
Head of the Osmanoğlu family
Term18 January 2021 – present
PredecessorŞehzade Dündar Ali Osman
BornHarun Osman
(1932-01-22) 22 January 1932 (age 92)
Damascus, Syria
SpouseFarizet Hanım
IssueOrhan Osmanoğlu
Abdülhamid Kayıhan Osmanoğlu
Nurhan Osmanoğlu
HouseImperial House of Osman
FatherŞehzade Mehmed Abdülkerim
MotherNimet Hanım
ReligionSunni Islam

Harun Osman Osmanoğlu (born 22 January 1932) is the current Head of the House of Osman.

Osman's father was Şehzade Mehmed Abdülkerim, the only son of Şehzade Mehmed Selim, the eldest son of Abdul Hamid II.[6] In 1924, when members of the Ottoman dynasty were expelled, they left for Beirut. Mehmed Abdülkerim died in 1935 in Damascus and left his two children, born in 1930 and 1932 orphans at a young age. Osman's grandfather Mehmed Selim died in 1937. The family returned to Istanbul from exile in Damascus in 1974, just after the dynasty members were allowed to return to their homeland. Osman became the Head of the Ottoman dynasty in 2021 upon the death of his older brother, Dündar Osmanoğlu.[7] He lives in Istanbul and has nine grandchildren.[8]

On the death of his brother, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan telephoned Harun Osman to give his condolences to the family. According to TRT's French website: "Osmanoglu thanked President Erdoğan and said he had always prayed for him. The series 'Payitaht Abdulhamit' broadcast on TRT 1 was discussed during the telephone interview. Harun Osmanoglu said he is following the series."[9]

Harun is married to Farizet Hanım, by whom he has two sons and one daughter:

  • Şehzade Orhan Osmanoğlu (born Damascus, 25 August 1963[10]), married on 22 December 1985 to Nuran Yıldız Hanım (born 1967),[10] and has one son and four daughters:
    • Nilhan Osmanoğlu Sultan (born Istanbul, 25 April 1987[10]), married in Istanbul on 22 September 2012 to Damat Mehmet Behlül Vatansever, and has one daughter and one son:
      • Hanzade Hanımsultan Vatansever (born 2 July 2013)[11]
      • Sultanzade Mehmet Vahdettin Vatansever (born 14 October 2014)[12]
    • Şehzade Yavuz Selim Osmanoğlu (born Istanbul, 22 February 1989[10]), married on 4 July 2021 to Damla Işık;[13] and has one son:
      • Şehzade Mehmed Selimhan Osmanoğlu (born 17 July 2024)
    • Nilüfer Osmanoğlu Sultan (born Istanbul, 5 May 1995[10]), married on 12 June 2021 to Melih Baştuğ;[14]
    • Berna Osmanoğlu Sultan (born Istanbul, 1 October 1998[10])
    • Asyahan Osmanoğlu Sultan (born Istanbul, ... ... 2004)
  • Nurhan Osmanoğlu Sultan (born Damascus, 20 November 1973[10]), married firstly in Istanbul on 15 April 1994[10] and later divorced Damat Samir Hashem Bey (born 24 January 1959[10]), without issue, and married secondly to Damat Muhammed Ammar Sagherji Bey (born 1972), and has one son and one daughter:
    • Sultanzade Muhammed Halil Sagherji Bey (born 2002)
    • Sarah Sagherci Hanımsultan (born 2004)
  • Şehzade Abdulhamid Kayıhan Osmanoğlu Efendi (born 4 August 1979[10]), married Walaa Osmanoğlu,[15] and has two sons:
    • Şehzade Harun Osmanoğlu Efendi (born 1 December 2007)[15]
    • Şehzade Abdülaziz Osmanoğlu Efendi (born 12 August 2016)[16]

Resurgence of interest in the Ottoman family

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Family members including Şehzade Ömer Faruk and Sabiha Sultan

Since the turn of the 21st century there has been a growing interest in the living members of the Ottoman family, both within Turkey and abroad.[17]

In 2006, family members met at Dolmabahçe Palace for the presentation of the documentary Osmanoğlu'nun Sürgünü (The Ottomans' Exile) produced by TRT (Turkish Radio and Television Corporation).[18] This documentary followed the stories of the members of the Ottoman family who went into exile in 1924, following the establishment of the Turkish Republic and the abolition of the Ottoman Caliphate. It then follows the stories of their descendants, who now live in Turkey, Europe, India, and North America, and throughout the Middle East. Extensive coverage of this event, and the success of the documentary series has dramatically raised the profile of the Imperial Family.[17][19]

According to The New York Times, historians said that the show of reverence at the funeral of Imperial Prince Ertuğrul Osman in September 2009 was a "seminal moment in the rehabilitation of the Ottoman Empire".[20]

The popularity of the historical television series Payitaht Abdulhami about the Ottoman Empire has grown significantly in recent years in Turkey, and the Turkish government under Erdoğan has encouraged a nostalgia for the greatness of the former empire, which is sometimes referred to as 'Neo-Ottomanism'.[21][22]

An interview with Imperial Prince Mahmud by the Anatolian News Agency was published in several publications in Turkey and the UK.[23]

Turkish citizenship

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Without exception, all high-ranking members of the Imperial Ottoman family were exiled in 1924. Most had never left their homeland before, and all were forced to make a new life abroad. The family departed from Sirkeci railway station, and would disperse across Europe, the United States, the Middle East and Asia. In exile, the family lived in poverty.[24] As the former Ottoman Sultan Mehmed VI Vahideddin had settled in San Remo, many members of the family congregated in the South of France. After living in Switzerland for a short time, the last Caliph of Islam, Imperial Prince (Şehzade) Abdulmecid II, also moved to the French Riviera, settling in Nice. The Turkish Republic had issued the exiled Ottoman family members travel documents but they were only valid for one year. Therefore, by 1925 members of the family were no longer able to travel. Prince (Şehzade) Ali Vâsib Efendi appealed to the French Government and succeeded in obtaining courtesy passports for them. The French Government also issued passports to the children of the members of the family who were born in exile. In the years since the exile was lifted in 1973, many members of the Ottoman family have obtained Turkish citizenship and hold Turkish passports.[citation needed]

Imperial Princes (Şehzades) of the House of Osman

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The formal way of addressing the male descendants of the Ottoman Sultans is Devletlu Necabetlu Şehzade Sultan (given name) Hazretleri Efendi, i.e. Sultan Imperial Prince (given name). According to genealogies of the House of Osman, had the Sultanate not been abolished, there would be twenty-seven Imperial Princes in the line of succession after Dundar Ali Osman (2017-2021), the late head of the family.[25][26][27] The succession law used is agnatic seniority, with the succession passing to eldest male dynast.[28]

  1. Şehzade Harun Osman Efendi (b. 1932) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II)[25][26][27][28][29][30]
  2. Şehzade Osman Selaheddin Osmanoğlu Efendi (b. 1940) (descendant of Murad V through Ahmed IV and Ali I, and of Mehmed V through Ömer Hilmi)[25][26][27][28][29][30]
  3. Şehzade Ömer Abdülmecid Osmanoğlu Efendi (b. 1941) (descendant of Mehmed V through Ömer Hilmi and Mahmud Namık)[25][26][27][30]
  4. Şehzade Mehmed Ziyaeddin Efendi (b. 1947) (descendant of Mehmed V)[25][26][27][29][30]
  5. Şehzade Roland Selim Kadir Efendi (b. 1949) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II)[25][26][27][28][30]
  6. Şehzade Selim Djem Efendi (b. 1955) (descendant of Abdülmecid I)[25][26][27][28][30]
  7. Şehzade Orhan İbrahim Suleiman Saadeddin Efendi (b. 1959) (descendant of Abdulaziz)[25][26][27][28][30]
  8. Şehzade Mustafa Kemal Stockley Efendi (b. 1961) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II)[25]<Gündüz>[26][27][28][30]
  9. Şehzade Orhan Osmanoğlu Efendi (b. 1963) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II)[25][26][27][28][30]
  10. Şehzade Eric Mehmed Ziyaeddin Nazim Efendi (b. 1966) (descendant of Mehmed V)[25][26][27][30]
  11. Şehzade Orhan Murad Osmanoğlu Efendi (b. 1972) (descendant of Murad V through Ahmed IV and Ali I, and of Mehmed V through Ömer Hilmi)[25][26][27][28][29][30]
  12. Şehzade Francis Mahmud Namık Osmanoğlu Efendi (b. 1975) (descendant of Mehmed V through Ömer Hilmi and Mahmud Namık)[25][26][27][30]
  13. Şehzade René Osman Abdul Kadir Efendi (b. 1975) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II)[25][26][27][28][30]
  14. Şehzade Daniel Adrian Abdulhamid Kadir Efendi (b. 1977) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II)[25][26][27][28][30]p
  15. Şehzade Abdulhamid Kayıhan Osmanoğlu Efendi (b. 1979) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II)[25][26][27][28][30]
  16. Şehzade Selim Süleyman Osmanoğlu Efendi (b. 1979) (descendant of Murad V through Ahmed IV , and of Mehmed V through Ömer Hilmi)[25][26][27][28][30]
  17. Şehzade Nazım Osmanoğlu Efendi (b. 1985) (descendant of Mehmed V)[25][26][27][30]
  18. Şehzade Yavuz Selim Osmanoğlu Efendi (b. 1989) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II)[25][26][27][28][30]
  19. Şehzade Turan Cem Osmanoglu Efendi (b. 2004) (descendant of Murad V through Ahmed IV )[25][26][27][30]
  20. Şehzade Tamer Nihad Osmanoğlu Efendi (b. 2006) (descendant of Murad V through Ahmed IV )[25][26][27][30]
  21. Şehzade Ziyaeddin Reşad Osmanoğlu Efendi (b. 2012) (descendant of Mehmed V through Ömer Hilmi and Mahmud Namık)[25][26][27][30]
  22. Şehzade Cem Ömer Osmanoğlu Efendi (b. 2015) (descendant of Mehmed V through Ömer Hilmi and Mahmud Namık)[25][26][30]
  23. Şehzade Abdülaziz Osmanoğlu Efendi (b. 2016) (grand son of Harun Osman and descendant of Abdul Hamid II)[25][26][31][32][33]

Imperial Princesses (Sultanas) of the House of Osman

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The formal way of addressing the female descendants of the Ottoman Sultans is Devletlû İsmetlu (given name) Sultân Aliyyetü'ş-Şân Hazretleri, i.e. Sultana (given name). According to genealogies of the House of Osman, had the Sultanate not been abolished, there would be fifteen Sultanas:

  1. Margot Miriam Leyla Osmanoğlu Sultan (b. 1947, Paris) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II)[25][26][27][28][29][30]
  2. Nilüfer Osmanoğlu Sultan (b. 1953, Egypt) (descendant of Abdülmecid I)[25][26][27][28][29][30]
  3. Perihan Osmanoğlu Sultan (b. 1963, Bulgaria) (descendant of Abdülaziz)[25][26][27][28][29][30]
  4. Ayşe Louise Osmanoğlu Sultan (b. 1964, Turkey) (descendant of Mehmed V)[25][26][27][28][29][30]
  5. Gülhan Osmanoğlu Sultan (b. 1968, Paris) (descendant of Abdülaziz)[25][26][27][28][29][30]
  6. Ayşe Gülnev Osmanoğlu Sultan (b. 1969, Paris) (descendant of Murad V)
  7. Nurhan Evanthia Osmanoğlu Sultan (b. 1970, Greece) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II)[25][26][27][28][30]
  8. Nilhan Osmanoğlu Sultan (b. 1987, Turkey) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II)[25][26][27][28][30]
  9. Zoe Osmanoğlu Sultan (b. 1988, Egypt) (descendant of Mehmed V)[25][26][27][28][29][30]
  10. Emma Osmanoğlu Sultan (b. 1992, Damascus) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II)[25][26][27][28][30]
  11. Suzan Osmanoğlu Sultan (b. 1997, The Netherlands) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II)[25][26][27][28][29][30]
  12. Ridwan Osmanoglu Sultan (b. 1998) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II)[25][26][27][28][29]
  13. Berna Osmanoğlu Sultan (b. 1999) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II)[25][26][27][28][30]
  14. Asyahan Osmanoğlu Sultan (b. 2004) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II)[25][26][27][28][30]
  15. Esma Emira Osmanoğlu Sultan (b. 2015) (descendant of Murad V through Ahmed IV and Ali I, and of Mehmed V through Ömer Hilmi)[25][26][27][30]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Brookes, Douglas (2008). The concubine, the princess, and the teacher: voices from the Ottoman harem. University of Texas Press. pp. 278, 285. ISBN 9780292783355. Retrieved 14 April 2011.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Opfell, Olga (2001). Royalty who wait: the 21 heads of formerly regnant houses of Europe. McFarland. pp. 146, 151. ISBN 9780786450572. Retrieved 14 April 2011.
  3. ^ a b Bernstein, Fred. “Ertugrul Osman, Link to Ottoman Dynasty, Dies at 97”, The New York Times (24 September 2009).
  4. ^ Pope, Hugh. "Oldest Ottoman to come home at last", The Independent (22 July 1992).
  5. ^ "'Osmanoğulları'na insanlık şehadet edecek' Archived 14 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine", Zaman (27 September 2009).
  6. ^ "Suriye, Aile Kabristanı'nda define izin vermedi". Sabah (in Turkish). Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  7. ^ SABAH, DAILY (19 January 2021). "Last heir to Ottoman throne passes away at 90". Daily Sabah. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  8. ^ sabah, daily (12 August 2016). "Ottoman dynasty welcomes newest prince, 5th generation grandson of Sultan Abdülhamid II". Daily Sabah. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  9. ^ "Erdogan présente ses condoléances pour la mort du prince Abdulkerim Dundar Osmanoglu". www.trt.net.tr. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Adra, Jamil (2005). Genealogy of the Imperial Ottoman Family 2005. p. 25.
  11. ^ "Sultan Abdülhamid Han'ın torunu doğdu". Haber7 (in Turkish). 2 July 2013. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  12. ^ "2. Abdülhamid'in 6. Kuşak Torunu Erkekliğe Adım Attı". Haberler.com (in Turkish). 14 October 2014. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  13. ^ "Bir Osmanlı şehzadesi daha dünya evine girdi! Yavuz Selim Osmanoğlu Maslak Kasrı'nda evlendi". Hakimiyet (in Turkish). 4 July 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  14. ^ "Osmanlı hanedan ailesinin mutlu günü". Sabah (in Turkish). 13 June 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  15. ^ a b "Sultan 2. Abdülhamid'in 4. Kuşak İlk Erkek Torunu Harun Osmanoğlu Dünyaya Geldi". Haberler.com (in Turkish). 1 December 2007. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  16. ^ Sabah, Daily (12 August 2016). "Ottoman dynasty welcomes newest prince, 5th generation grandson of Sultan Abdülhamid II". Daily Sabah. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  17. ^ a b Bilefsky, Dan (4 December 2009). "Turkey Reveling in Its Past". The New York Times.
  18. ^ Akgüneş, Gürkan 2006 "Şehzadeler sarayda buluştu" Milliyet Retrieved 2011-07-20
  19. ^ "2006 yılından hanedanın bir videosu" Ottoman Dynasty Foundation Retrieved 2011-07-20
  20. ^ Bilefsky, Dan 2009-12-4 "Frustrated with the West, Turks Revel in Empire Lost" The New York Times Retrieved 2011-07-20
  21. ^ "The defeat of the 'real' neo-Ottomanists". openDemocracy. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  22. ^ "Turkish Republic is continuation of Ottomans: President Erdoğan - Turkey News". Hürriyet Daily News. 10 February 2018. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  23. ^ "A Sultan's descendant in the heart of London]", Today Szaman, archived from the original on 9 January 2012
  24. ^ "The Ottoman caliphate: Worldly, pluralist, hedonistic—and Muslim, too". The Economist. 19 December 2015. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  25. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al "Hayatta Olan Şehzadeler". Foundation of the Ottoman Dynasty. Archived from the original on 25 February 2011. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
  26. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al "Osmanlı Hanedanı vakıf çatısı altında toplanıyor". Sabah. 13 September 2010. Archived from the original on 25 March 2012. Retrieved 16 April 2011.
  27. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj İbrahim Pazan (15 September 2009). "Osmanoğullarının yeni reisi Osman Bayezid Efendi". Netgazete. Retrieved 16 April 2011.
  28. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa Almanach de Gotha (184th ed.). Almanach de Gotha. 2000. pp. 365, 912–915.
  29. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Burke's Royal Families of the World (2 ed.). Burke's Peerage. 1980. p. 247.
  30. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai "Current Living Şehzades". Official Ottoman Family Website. Archived from the original on 25 February 2011. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
  31. ^ "Семья Османоглу - Osmanoğlu family". ru.wikibrief.org. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  32. ^ Mynet. "Osmanlı Padişahı Sultan Abdülmecid'in torununun oğlu Burhaneddin Cem Osmanoğlu hangisine katılmıştır?". Mynet Trend (in Turkish). Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  33. ^ "osmanoğlu". ekşi sözlük (in Turkish). Retrieved 10 December 2022.