OsmanoÃÂlu family is a family belonging to the historical House of Osman, 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 OsmanoÃÂlu family were forced into exile. Their descendants now live in many countries throughout Europe, as well as in the United States, the Middle East, and since they have 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, and the male members after 1973. The family adopted the surname of OsmanoÃÂlu, meaning "son of Osman".
Heads of the OsmanoÃÂlu family since 1922
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. These people have not necessarily made any claim to the throne; for example ErtuÃÂrul Osman said "Democracy works well in Turkey."
- Mehmed VI, last Ottoman Sultan (1918âÂÂ1922) then 36th Head of the House of Osman in exile (1922âÂÂ1926).
- Abdulmejid II, cousin of Mehmed VI. Last Ottoman Caliph (1922âÂÂ1924) then 37th Head of the House of Osman following Mehmed VI Vahideddin's death (1926âÂÂ1944).
- Ahmed Nihad, 38th Head of the House of Osman (1944âÂÂ1954), grandson of Sultan Murad V.
- Osman Fuad, 39th Head of the House of Osman (1954âÂÂ1973), half-brother of Ahmed IV Nihad.
- Mehmed Abdulaziz, 40th Head of the House of Osman (1973âÂÂ1977), grandson of Sultan Abdulaziz.
- Ali Vâsib, 41st Head of the House of Osman (1977âÂÂ1983), son of Ahmed IV Nihad.
- Mehmed Orhan, 42nd Head of the House of Osman (1983âÂÂ1994), grandson of Sultan Abdul Hamid II.
- ErtuÃÂrul Osman, 43rd Head of the House of Osman (1994âÂÂ2009), grandson of Sultan Abdul Hamid II. He is known in Turkey as "the Last Ottoman".
- Bayezid Osman, 44th Head of the House of Osman (2009âÂÂ2017), great-grandson of Sultan Abdulmejid I.
- Dündar Ali Osman, 45th Head of the House of Osman (2017âÂÂ2021), great-grandson of Sultan Abdul Hamid II.
- Harun Osman, 46th Head of the House of Osman (2021âÂÂpresent), great-grandson of Sultan Abdul Hamid II.
Resurgence of interest in the Ottoman family
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.
In 2006, family members met at Dolmabahçe Palace for the presentation of the documentary OsmanoÃÂlu'nun Sürgünü (The Ottomans' Exile) produced by TRT (Turkish Radio and Television Corporation). 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.
According to The New York Times, historians said that the show of reverence at the funeral of Imperial Prince ErtuÃÂrul Osman in September 2009 was a "seminal moment in the rehabilitation of the Ottoman Empire".
The popularity of the historical television series Payitaht Abdulhamid about the Ottoman Empire has grown significantly in recent years in Turkey, and the Turkish government under ErdoÃÂan has encouraged a nostalgia for the greatness of the former empire, which is sometimes referred to as 'Neo-Ottomanism'.
An interview with Imperial Prince Mahmud by the Anatolian News Agency was published in several publications in Turkey and the UK.
Turkish citizenship
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 dispersed across Asia, Europe, and the United States. In exile, the family lived in poverty. 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 (Ã
Âehzade) Abdulmecid II, 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 (Ã
Âehzade) 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.
Imperial Princes and Princesses of the House of Osman
Imperial Princes (Ã
Âehzades)
The formal way of addressing the male descendants of the Ottoman Sultans is Devletlu Necabetlu Ã
Âehzade 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-three Imperial Princes in the line of succession after the head of the family, Harun Osman Efendi. The succession law used is agnatic seniority, with the succession passing to eldest male dynast.
Ã
Âehzade Harun Osman Efendi (b. 1932; family head since 2021) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II through Ã
Âehzade Mehmed Selim Efendi and his son Ã
Âehzade Mehmed Abdülkerim Efendi.)
- Ã
Âehzade Osman Selaheddin OsmanoÃÂlu Efendi (b. 1940) (descendant of Murad V through Ã
Âehzade Mehmed Selaheddin, Ahmed IV and Ali I, and of Mehmed V through ÃÂmer Hilmi and his daughter Mukbile Sultan)
- Ã
Âehzade ÃÂmer Abdülmecid OsmanoÃÂlu Efendi (b. 1941) (descendant of Mehmed V through ÃÂmer Hilmi and his son Mahmud Namñk)
- Ã
Âehzade Mehmed Ziyaeddin Efendi (b. 1947) (descendant of Mehmed V)
- Ã
Âehzade Roland Selim Kadir Efendi (b. 1949) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II)
- Ã
Âehzade Selim Cem (Djem) Efendi (b. 1955) (descendant of Abdülmecid I)
- Ã
Âehzade Orhan ðbrahim Suleiman Saadeddin Efendi (b. 1959) (descendant of Abdulaziz)
- Ã
Âehzade Mustafa Kemal Stockley Efendi (b. 1961) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II)
- Ã
Âehzade Orhan OsmanoÃÂlu Efendi (b. 1963) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II)
- Ã
Âehzade Eric Mehmed Ziyaeddin Nazim Efendi (b. 1966) (descendant of Mehmed V)
- Ã
Âehzade Orhan Murad OsmanoÃÂlu Efendi (b. 1972) (descendant of Murad V through Ã
Âehzade Mehmed Selaheddin, Ahmed IV and Ali I, and Ã
Âehzade Osman Selaheddin OsmanoÃÂlu Efendi)
- Ã
Âehzade Francis Mahmud Namñk OsmanoÃÂlu Efendi (b. 1975) (descendant of Mehmed V through ÃÂmer Hilmi and Ã
Âehzade Mahmud Namñk)
- Ã
Âehzade René Osman Abdul Kadir Efendi (b. 1975) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II)
- Ã
Âehzade Daniel Adrian Abdulhamid Kadir Efendi (b. 1977) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II)
- Ã
Âehzade Abdulhamid Kayñhan OsmanoÃÂlu Efendi (b. 1979) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II)
- Ã
Âehzade Selim Süleyman OsmanoÃÂlu Efendi (b. 1979) (descendant of Murad V through Ã
Âehzade Mehmed Selaheddin, Ahmed IV and Ali I, and Ã
Âehzade Osman Selaheddin OsmanoÃÂlu Efendi)
- Ã
Âehzade Nazñm OsmanoÃÂlu Efendi (b. 1985) (descendant of Mehmed V)
- Ã
Âehzade Yavuz Selim OsmanoÃÂlu Efendi (b. 1989) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II)
- Ã
Âehzade Turan Cem Osmanoglu Efendi (b. 2004) (descendant of Murad V through Ahmed IV )
- Ã
Âehzade Tamer Nihad OsmanoÃÂlu Efendi (b. 2006) (descendant of Murad V through Ahmed IV )
- Ã
Âehzade Ziyaeddin ReÃ
Âad OsmanoÃÂlu Efendi (b. 2012) (descendant of Mehmed V through ÃÂmer Hilmi and Mahmud Namñk)
- Ã
Âehzade Cem ÃÂmer OsmanoÃÂlu Efendi (b. 2015) (descendant of Mehmed V through ÃÂmer Hilmi and Mahmud Namñk)
- Ã
Âehzade Abdülaziz OsmanoÃÂlu Efendi (b. 2016) (grandson of Harun Osman and descendant of Abdul Hamid II)
- Ã
Âehzade Mehmed Selimhan OsmanoÃÂlu Efendi (b. 2024) (grandson of Harun Osman and descendant of Abdul Hamid II)
Imperial Princesses (Sultanas)
The formal way of addressing the female descendants of the Ottoman Sultans is Devletlû ðsmetlu (given name) Sultân Aliyyetü'Ã
Â-Ã
Âân 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:
- Margot Miriam Leyla OsmanoÃÂlu Sultan (b. 1947, Paris) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II)
- Nilüfer OsmanoÃÂlu Sultan (b. 1953, Egypt) (descendant of Abdülmecid I)
- Perihan OsmanoÃÂlu Sultan (b. 1963, Bulgaria) (descendant of Abdülaziz)
- AyÃ
Âe Louise OsmanoÃÂlu Sultan (b. 1964, Turkey) (descendant of Mehmed V)
- Gülhan OsmanoÃÂlu Sultan (b. 1968, Paris) (descendant of Abdülaziz)
- AyÃ
Âe Gülnev OsmanoÃÂlu Sultan (b. 1969, Paris) (descendant of Murad V)
- Nurhan Evanthia OsmanoÃÂlu Sultan (b. 1970, Greece) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II)
- Nilhan OsmanoÃÂlu Sultan (b. 1987, Turkey) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II)
- Zoe OsmanoÃÂlu Sultan (b. 1988, Egypt) (descendant of Mehmed V)
- Emma OsmanoÃÂlu Sultan (b. 1992, Damascus) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II)
- Suzan OsmanoÃÂlu Sultan (b. 1997, The Netherlands) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II)
- Ridwan Osmanoglu Sultan (b. 1998) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II)
- Berna OsmanoÃÂlu Sultan (b. 1999) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II)
- Kristin Koso OsmanoÃÂlu Sultan (b. 2000 Yerevan) (descendant of Mehmed V)
- Asyahan OsmanoÃÂlu Sultan (b. 2004) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II)
- Esma Emira OsmanoÃÂlu Sultan (b. 2015) (descendant of Murad V through Ahmed IV and Ali I, and of Mehmed V through ÃÂmer Hilmi)
See also
References