Osmanoğlu family


Osmanoğlu 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 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 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."

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 produced by TRT. 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 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 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 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 ''(Şehzades)''

The formal way of addressing the male descendants of the Ottoman Sultans is Devletlu Necabetlu Şehzade Sultan ''Hazretleri Efendi, i.e. Sultan Imperial Prince. 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, the late head of the family. The succession law used is agnatic seniority, with the succession passing to eldest male dynast.
  1. Şehzade Harun Osman Efendi
  2. Şehzade Osman Selaheddin Osmanoğlu Efendi
  3. Şehzade Ömer Abdülmecid Osmanoğlu Efendi
  4. Şehzade Mehmed Ziyaeddin Efendi
  5. Şehzade Roland Selim Kadir Efendi
  6. Şehzade Selim Cem '' Efendi
  7. Şehzade Orhan İbrahim Suleiman Saadeddin Efendi
  8. Şehzade Mustafa Kemal Stockley Efendi
  9. Şehzade Orhan Osmanoğlu Efendi
  10. Şehzade Eric Mehmed Ziyaeddin Nazim Efendi
  11. Şehzade Orhan Murad Osmanoğlu Efendi
  12. Şehzade Francis Mahmud Namık Osmanoğlu Efendi
  13. Şehzade René Osman Abdul Kadir Efendi
  14. Şehzade Daniel Adrian Abdulhamid Kadir Efendi
  15. Şehzade Abdulhamid Kayıhan Osmanoğlu Efendi
  16. Şehzade Selim Süleyman Osmanoğlu Efendi
  17. Şehzade Nazım Osmanoğlu Efendi
  18. Şehzade Yavuz Selim Osmanoğlu Efendi
  19. Şehzade Turan Cem Osmanoglu Efendi
  20. Şehzade Tamer Nihad Osmanoğlu Efendi
  21. Şehzade Ziyaeddin Reşad Osmanoğlu Efendi
  22. Şehzade Cem Ömer Osmanoğlu Efendi
  23. Şehzade Abdülaziz Osmanoğlu Efendi
  24. Şehzade Mehmed Selimhan Osmanoğlu Efendi

Imperial Princesses ''(Sultanas)''

The formal way of addressing the female descendants of the Ottoman Sultans is Devletlû İsmetlu ''Sultân Aliyyetü'ş-Şân Hazretleri'', i.e. Sultana. 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
  2. Nilüfer Osmanoğlu Sultan
  3. Perihan Osmanoğlu Sultan
  4. Ayşe Louise Osmanoğlu Sultan
  5. Gülhan Osmanoğlu Sultan
  6. Ayşe Gülnev Osmanoğlu Sultan
  7. Nurhan Evanthia Osmanoğlu Sultan
  8. Nilhan Osmanoğlu Sultan
  9. Zoe Osmanoğlu Sultan
  10. Emma Osmanoğlu Sultan
  11. Suzan Osmanoğlu Sultan
  12. Ridwan Osmanoglu Sultan
  13. Berna Osmanoğlu Sultan
  14. Kristin Koso Osmanoğlu Sultan
  15. Asyahan Osmanoğlu Sultan
  16. Esma Emira Osmanoğlu Sultan