# Osmanoğlu family

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. 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, and the male members after 1973. The family adopted the surname of Osmanoğlu, meaning "son of Osman".

## Heads of the Osmanoğlu 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 Ertuğrul Osman said "Democracy works well in Turkey."
* Mehmed VI, last Ottoman Sultan (1918–1922) then 36th Head of the House of Osman in exile (1922–1926).
* 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).
* Ahmed Nihad, 38th Head of the House of Osman (1944–1954), grandson of Sultan Murad V.
* Osman Fuad, 39th Head of the House of Osman (1954–1973), half-brother of Ahmed IV Nihad.
* Mehmed Abdulaziz, 40th Head of the House of Osman (1973–1977), grandson of Sultan Abdulaziz.
* Ali Vâsib, 41st Head of the House of Osman (1977–1983), son of Ahmed IV Nihad.
Osman's father was Şehzade Mehmed Abdülkerim, the only son of Şehzade Mehmed Selim, the eldest son of Abdul Hamid II. 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.

## 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 Osmanoğlu'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 Ertuğrul 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 Erdoğan 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 would disperse across Europe, the United States, the Middle East and Asia. 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 (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.

## Imperial Princes (Şehzades) of the House of Osman

* Şehzade Ömer Abdülmecid Osmanoğlu Efendi (b. 1941) (descendant of Mehmed V through Ömer Hilmi and Mahmud Namık)
* Şehzade Mehmed Ziyaeddin Efendi (b. 1947) (descendant of Mehmed V)
* Şehzade Roland Selim Kadir Efendi (b. 1949) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II)
* Şehzade Selim Djem Efendi (b. 1955) (descendant of Abdülmecid I)
* Şehzade Orhan İbrahim Suleiman Saadeddin Efendi (b. 1959) (descendant of Abdulaziz)
* Şehzade Mustafa Kemal Stockley Efendi (b. 1961) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II)<Gündüz>
* Şehzade Orhan Osmanoğlu Efendi (b. 1963) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II)
* Şehzade Eric Mehmed Ziyaeddin Nazim Efendi (b. 1966) (descendant of Mehmed V)
* Şehzade Orhan Murad Osmanoğlu Efendi (b. 1972) (descendant of Murad V through Ahmed IV and Ali I, and of Mehmed V through Ömer Hilmi)
* Şehzade Francis Mahmud Namık Osmanoğlu Efendi (b. 1975) (descendant of Mehmed V through Ömer Hilmi and Mahmud Namık)
* Şehzade René Osman Abdul Kadir Efendi (b. 1975) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II)

## Imperial Princesses (Sultanas) of the House of Osman

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:
* Margot Miriam Leyla Osmanoğlu Sultan (b. 1947, Paris) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II)
* Nilüfer Osmanoğlu Sultan (b. 1953, Egypt) (descendant of Abdülmecid I)
* Perihan Osmanoğlu Sultan (b. 1963, Bulgaria) (descendant of Abdülaziz)
* Ayşe Louise Osmanoğlu Sultan (b. 1964, Turkey) (descendant of Mehmed V)
* Gülhan Osmanoğlu Sultan (b. 1968, Paris) (descendant of Abdülaziz)
* Ayşe Gülnev Osmanoğlu Sultan (b. 1969, Paris) (descendant of Murad V)
* Nurhan Evanthia Osmanoğlu Sultan (b. 1970, Greece) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II)
* Nilhan Osmanoğlu Sultan (b. 1987, Turkey) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II)
* Zoe Osmanoğlu Sultan (b. 1988, Egypt) (descendant of Mehmed V)
* Emma Osmanoğlu Sultan (b. 1992, Damascus) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II)
* Suzan Osmanoğlu Sultan (b. 1997, The Netherlands) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II)
* Ridwan Osmanoglu Sultan (b. 1998) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II)
* Berna Osmanoğlu Sultan (b. 1999) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II)
* Asyahan Osmanoğlu Sultan (b. 2004) (descendant of Abdul Hamid II)
* Esma Emira Osmanoğlu Sultan (b. 2015) (descendant of Murad V through Ahmed IV and Ali I, and of Mehmed V through Ömer Hilmi)