Mehmed VI: Last Sultan of the Ottoman Empire

Mehmed VI was born Mehmed Vahideddin, and his original name was Mehmed VI. He was the Ottoman Empire's last Sultan. His forceful retirement and deportation in 1922 paved the ground for the Turkish Republic to arise a year later under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Mehmed VI was intelligent and wise. On 4 July 1918, he has crowned Sultan. He intended to follow his elder brother Abdülhamid II's example by taking personal control over the government. The nationalist–liberal Committee of Union and Progress fell apart after the Armistice of Mudros and the Allied military rule in Istanbul in 1918. Its leaders had fled to other countries. The Sultan, who was hostile to all nationalist philosophies and wanted to keep the Ottoman dynasty alive, agreed to the Allies' requests. He dissolved Parliament on 21 December and declared war on the nationalists. Those gathering in Anatolia under Mustafa Kemal's leadership, on the other hand, sought the Sultan's help in their fight for territorial integrity and national independence. The Sultan agreed to elections after negotiations. The elections took place in late 1919. In the new Parliament, the nationalists won a majority. Afraid of Turkish unity, the Allies expanded the occupied region in Constantinople and imprisoned and expelled the nationalists.

On 14 January 1861, Mehmed VI was born in Constantinople's Dolmabahçe Palace. When Mehmed was just five months old, his father died. When he was four years old, his mother died. His stepmother, Şayeste Hanım, reared and educated him. He educated himself by taking lessons from private tutors and attending some of Fatih Madrasa's classes. With his demanding stepmother, the prince had a difficult time. He fled his stepmother's house at the age of 16 with the three slaves who had served him since boyhood. He had nannies, female maids, and tutors as a child. He stayed at the Ottoman Imperial Harem for 33 years throughout his brother Sultan Abdul Hamid II's reign. Abdulmejid II was his best friend when he was younger. Abdulmejid II was his uncle Sultan Abdulaziz's son. However, the two cousins became fierce enemies in the years to come. The prince had previously resided in the Çengelköy palace of Şehzade Ahmed Kemaleddin before relocating to the Feriye Palace. During Sultan Abdul Hamid's reign, Mehmed was regarded as the Sultan's closest brother. When he thrived to the authority in the years ahead, this proximity would significantly impact his political views. His aversion to the Young Turks and the Union and Progress Party and his admiration for the British are examples. Mehmed enlisted the help of a private tutor. He was a voracious reader interested in a wide range of topics, including the arts, which was a family tradition in the Ottoman family. He learnt how to write in the Naskh script and play the kanun by taking calligraphy and music classes. Kanun was a zither-like instrument. Then Sufism piqued his curiosity. He studied Islamic theology, Islamic jurisprudence, interpretation of the Quran and Hadiths, and Arabic and Persian in the Fatih madrasa. He went to Ahmed Ziyaüddin Gümüşhanevi's dervish lodge. It was close to the Sublime Porte, which was led by Dagestan's spiritual leader Ömer Ziyaüddin. He joined the Naqshbandi order as a disciple.

After his half-brother Mehmed V died, Mehmed took over the kingdom. For the Ottoman Empire, the First World War was a calamity. During the conflict, British and ally armies took Damascus, Baghdad, and Jerusalem. The Ottoman Empire was divided among its European allies for the most part. The French were given a directive over Syria, while the British were given one over Palestine and Mesopotamia at the San Remo conference in April 1920. Mehmed's delegates signed the Treaty of Sèvres on 10 August 1920. The mandates and Hejaz were recognized as an autonomous state. The Sultan asked the Unionist administration to resign, and Ahmed Tevfik Pasha was given the task of forming a new cabinet. Mustafa Kemal Pasha sent the Sultan a message. He requested that the government establish Ahmed Izzet Pasha as a Harbiye minister. Ahmed Izzet Pasha, the Sultan's son, was tasked with organizing the cabinet. The Committee of Union and Progress leaders were detained by the new government, which was made up of members of the Liberty and Accord Party. Said Halim Pasha, a former grand vizier, was among those present. The trial of Kemal Bey, the district governor of Boazlyan, was completed fast. After the Sultan signed the fatwa, the death punishment was carried out in Beyazt Square.

Meanwhile, the French General d'Esperey threatened to march with a battalion of soldiers to the palace and burn the Sultan's and his government's distractions. He summoned him to the embassy instead of paying a visit to the Grand Vizier. The French authorities received a list of 36 people they wished to detain. Turkish nationalists vehemently opposed the Sultan's four signatories' agreement. On 23 April 1920, in Ankara, a new government, the Turkish Grand National Assembly, was created under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal. The new administration condemned Mehmed VI's rule and Süleyman Şefik Pasha's command. He was the commander of the army tasked with combating the Turkish National Movement. An interim constitution was drafted as a result. Şurayı Saltanat assembled in Yıldız Palace on 22 July 1920, to discuss the ideas of the Treaty of Sèvres.  On 10 August 1920, the Sevres Agreement was signed. Ferid Pasha founded Tevfik Pasha's last delegation after resigning two and a half months later. It was the Ottoman Empire's final delegation.

On 1 November 1922, Turkey's Grand National Assembly abolished the Sultanate. Mehmed VI was thrown out of Istanbul. He had dine with his daughter (Ulviye Sultan) the day before leaving and spending the night at her palace. He took care not to bring any precious articles or jewels other than his possessions when he boarded the British cruiser Malaya on 17 November 192. The last Ottoman monarch was taken from Yıldız Palace by British general Charles Harington. An English battalion dispatched ten people with the Sultan early in the morning. He fled into exile on the island of Malta. After that, he lived on the Italian Riviera. Two British ambulances took them to General Sir Charles Harrington's mansion, escorted by his First Chamberlain, the bandmaster, his doctor, two private secretaries, a valet, a barber, and two eunuchs. Abdulmejid Efendi, Mehmed's first cousin, was elected caliph on 19 November. Before the Turkish Grand National Assembly destroyed the Caliphate in 1924, he had become the new head of the Imperial House of Osman as Abdulmejid II. Mehmed criticized the preparations by sending a proclamation to the Caliphate Congress. He stated unequivocally that he had never relinquished his claim to reign and be caliph. The assembly convened on 13 May 1926. Mehmed died in Sanremo, Italy, on 16 May 1926, without learning of the congress meeting. Sabiha Sultan, his daughter, was able to get funds for his burial. The casket was transported to Syria and interred at the Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent's Tekkiye Mosque in Damascus.

According to the account of his relatives and staff, Mehmed VI had an upbeat and patient demeanour. In his palace, outside the palace, and especially at ceremonial ceremonies, he was a kind family man. On the other hand, he'd be icy, frowning, and solemn, and he'd never compliment anyone. Religious traditions were very important to him. He would not accept talk or allow it to orbit around his palace. He always drew attention with his seriousness, even in casual chats. He was brilliant and quick-witted, yet he was swayed by his entourage, particularly those he trusted. He possessed a strong, erratic, and stubborn personality. Mehmed VI had worked in the fields of advanced literature, music, and calligraphy. When he was on the throne, his compositions were played at the palace. The lyrics of the songs he wrote while in Tâif depict the country's longing and the sorrow of not receiving news about what they've left behind. Although 63 of his compositions have been recognized, only forty of them contain notes. His poems, which are merely the lyrics of his songs, might be used as examples of his poetry. He could also calligraph well.