Two Ottoman Sultans in the Context of a Funeral and Culus (Enthronement) Ceremony: Mehmed V and Mehmed VI
Chapter from the book:
Tansü,
Y.
E.
(ed.)
2023.
Selected Papers in the Field of History- III.
Synopsis
On 27 April 1909, Sultan Abdulhamid II was dethroned from the Ottoman throne and his brother Reshad Efendi ascended to the throne as “Sultan Mehmed V”. After his nine-year reign, Sultan Mehmed V died after a short illness on 3 July 1918. His successor, his 57-year-old brother, Vahideddin Efendi, ascended to the Ottoman throne as “Sultan Mehmed VI”. Thus, the last and new heir to the throne became Abdulmejid Efendi. In this study, the developments that took place in the reign of Sultan Mehmed V and his death, the events of Sultan Mehmed VI’s accession to the throne and his abdication, and what was written about the Ottoman Sultans Mehmed V, Mehmed VI and Crown Prince Abdulmejid Efendi in the events mentioned was discussed. The main sources of this historical research based on document analysis are the Austro-Hungarian press. As a result of the research, it was seen that Sultan Mehmed V and the new Crown Prince Abdulmejid Efendi were mentioned with positive character traits, and the accession of the new Sultan Mehmed VI to the throne was praised in the newspapers that were the subject of this study. However, after the abolition of the sultanate on 1 November 1922, it was seen that there were no positive opinions about Sultan Mehmed VI, who was dethroned, and he was referred to as a ruler who could not meet the expectations.