Murad V


Murad V
was the 33rd Sultan of the Ottoman Empire who reigned from 30 May to 31 August 1876.

Early life

Murad was born in Istanbul on 21 September 1840. His father was Abdulmejid I. His mother, whom his father married in Constantinople on 1 August 1839, was Şevkefza Valide Sultan, an ethnic Circassian from the Ubykh tribe, daughter of Mehmed Bey Zaurum and his wife Cemile Hanım.
Beginning in late 1840, other princesses and princes of the young sultan were born. Attention was paid to the education and careful training of the great prince Murad. Among the teachers of the prince, his Quran teacher, Toprik Süleyman Efendi, Ferrik Efendi, Sheikh Hafız Efendi taught him Hadith, Monsieur Gardet, and Italian Lombardi.
Murad also participated in the visits of Abdülaziz to Egypt in 1863 and to Europe in 1867. While he was appreciated by the European rulers with his kindness, his uncle, who was uncomfortable with this, had planned to send him back to Istanbul. Napoleon and Queen Victoria, showed interest in Murad more than Abdulaziz. Moreover, special invitations and excursions were organized for the crown prince.
He spent most of his time at the farmhouse in Kurbağalıdere, Kadıköy, which Abdülaziz had allocated to him. He frequently spoke with Şinâsi, Nâmık Kemal and Ziyâ gentlemen about legitimacy, democracy and freedom. In Ziyâ Pasha and his special doctor, Kapoleon Efendi, he also communicated with Midhat Pasha, the leader of the opposition group, who was dissatisfied with Abdulaziz's rule. In this case, the Ottoman Empire faced various difficulties.

Reign

Accession

He succeeded to the throne after the deposition of uncle on 30 May 1876. He was highly influenced by French culture and was a liberal. He reigned for 93 days before being deposed on the grounds that he was mentally ill. As a result, he was unable to deliver the Constitution that his supporters had sought. The ensuing political instability caused by his ousting moved the empire closer to the disastrous war with Russia, then ruled by Alexander II.
Murad V was the first and only Sultan member of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Turkey.
An important primary source about his life comes from the memoirs of one of his consorts, Filizten Kalfa, written in the 1930s.

Death

He died at Çırağan Palace, Ortaköy, Istanbul, and was buried in Istanbul on 30 August 1904. His brother, Abdul Hamid II, ascended the throne on 31 August 1876.
While his wife Mevhibe and her son Selahaddin Efendi reported that Murad V was willing to be buried in Yahya Efendi Mausoleum, he did not approve of it. Abdulhamid removed his brother's funeral without announcement and ceremony. The prayer of the former sultan who was washed and shrouded in Topkapı Palace was performed in the Hidayet Mosque in Bahçekapı; After the funeral procession was held, he was buried next to his mother Şevkefza in the New Mosque, Istanbul.

Family

Murad married five times and had five children. His marriages were: