Osmanoğlu family

The Osmanoğlu family are the members of the historical House of Osman (the Ottoman dynasty), which was the namesake and sole ruling house of the Ottoman Empire from 1299 until the establishment of the Republic of Turkey in 1923.

There were 36 Ottoman sultans who ruled over the Empire, and each one was a direct descendant through the male line of the first Ottoman Sultan, Sultan Osman I.

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.

After the deposition of the last Sultan, Mehmed VI, in 1922, and the subsequent abolition of the Ottoman Caliphate in 1924, members of the Imperial 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.

When in exile, the family adopted the surname of Osmanoğlu, meaning "son of Osman", after the founder of the House of Osman and direct ancestor of all current family members.

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."

The Ottoman dynasty was exiled from Turkey in 1924.

In 1924, when members of the Ottoman dynasty were expelled, they left to Beirut.

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, Pakistan, India, 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.

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 and Middle East and the 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 with 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.

Harun Osman Osmanoğlu (born 22 January 1932) is the current Head of the House of Osman.

Osman's father was Şehzade Mehmed Abdülkerim, the only son of Şehzade Mehmed Selim, the eldest son of Abdul Hamid II.

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 female members of the dynasty were allowed to return after 1951, and the male members after 1973.

In the years since the exile was lifted in 1973, many members of the Ottoman family have obtained Turkish citizenship and hold Turkish passports.

The formal way of addressing the male descendants of the Ottoman Sultans is Devletlu Necabetlu Şehzade Sultan (given name) Hazretleri Efendi, i.e. Sultan Imperial Prince (given name).

The family returned to Istanbul from exile in Damascus in 1974, just after the dynasty members were allowed to return to their homeland.

Osman became the Head of the Ottoman dynasty in 2021 upon the death of his older brother, Dündar Osmanoğlu.

He lives in Istanbul and has nine grandchildren.

On the death of his brother, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan telephoned Harun Osman to give his condolences to the family.

According to TRT's French website: "Osmanoglu thanked President Erdoğan and said he had always prayed for him. The series 'Payitaht Abdulhamit' broadcast on TRT 1 was discussed during the telephone interview. Harun Osmanoglu said he is following the series."

Harun is married to Farizet Hanım, by whom he has two sons and one daughter:

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).

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 Abdulhami 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.