Mehmed VI Vahideddin ruled the Ottoman Empire for four years, and almost every one of them was spent in defeat, occupation and argument. Turkish sources spell his name Vahdettin, Vahdeddin or Vahîdeddin. This article gives you the dates, the evidence on both sides and the practical facts people search for: his death, his family and his grave.
Who was Mehmed VI Vahideddin?
Vahdettin reigned as Mehmed VI. He was the 36th and last Ottoman sultan.
He was born in 1861 in Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul. His father was Sultan Abdülmecid. His mother was Gülistü Kadınefendi.
Even his birthday is disputed. The TDV Islamic Encyclopedia gives 4 January 1861. Turkish Wikipedia gives 14 January 1861. If you cite him in a paper, say which source you used.
Timeline
- 1861: Born in Istanbul.
- 1 February 1916: Becomes heir to the throne.
- December 1917: Travels to Germany with Mustafa Kemal.
- 4 July 1918: Accession ceremony held.
- 30 October 1918: Armistice of Mondros signed.
- 30 April 1919: Mustafa Kemal appointed Ninth Army Inspector.
- 8–9 July 1919: Mustafa Kemal told he is dismissed and must return.
- 24 May 1920: Approves Mustafa Kemal’s death sentence.
- 10 August 1920: Treaty of Sèvres signed.
- 1 November 1922: Sultanate abolished.
- 17 November 1922: Leaves aboard HMS Malaya.
- 18 November 1922: Caliphate passes to Abdülmecid Efendi.
- 16 May 1926: Dies in Sanremo.
- 3 July 1926: Buried in Damascus.
How he reached the throne
Vahdettin became heir on 1 February 1916. Yusuf İzzeddin Efendi had died that day.
His older brother, Mehmed V, died on 3 July 1918. Vahdettin took the throne, and the accession ceremony was held on 4 July.
The timing was bad. Within months, on 30 October 1918, the Armistice of Mondros was signed. The new sultan had inherited a lost war.
The case for “traitor”
Critics build their case on three points.
His policy toward Britain and France. He sought closeness with both. He believed this could win lighter peace terms after the war. Supporters call this realism. Opponents say he trusted the wrong powers.
Mustafa Kemal’s dismissal. Mustafa Kemal was appointed Ninth Army Inspector on 30 April 1919, with wide military and civil powers. On the night of 8–9 July 1919, Vahdettin told him he was dismissed and must return to Istanbul.
The death sentence. The Istanbul court-martial sentenced Mustafa Kemal to death on 11 May 1920. Vahdettin approved the sentence on 24 May. This is the hardest fact for his defenders to explain.
There is also a claim about the British. Historian Salâhi Sonyel wrote about a secret report by Rumbold, dated 7 March 1922. According to Sonyel, Vahdettin passed the British copies of six documents belonging to the Ankara delegation. This is one historian’s reading of one report. Weigh it as such.
The case for “victim”
The defense is just as specific.
The Treaty of Sèvres was signed on 10 August 1920. But signing and ratifying are different acts. Vahdettin did not ratify the treaty afterwards.
The appointment of Mustafa Kemal as inspector is also contested. Some say Vahdettin sent Mustafa Kemal to start the national struggle. Naim Babüroğlu rejects that. He argues the appointment aimed to prevent resistance, not launch it.
Vahdettin made his own defense in a declaration in 1923. He said he was accused of treason because he opposed separating the caliphate from the sultanate. That is his claim. It does not erase the death-sentence approval.
So what should you conclude? “Traitor” and “victim” are verdicts. The facts are the dates above. Read them first, then choose your own word.
Who was Mehmed VI’s successor?
No one succeeded him as sultan. The Grand National Assembly abolished the sultanate on 1 November 1922, and no new sultan followed.
Vahdettin left Istanbul on 17 November 1922. He boarded the British warship HMS Malaya and sailed to Malta.
The next day, 18 November 1922, Abdülmecid Efendi took over as caliph only. He held the religious office alone. That is why Mehmed VI counts as the last sultan.
Mehmed VI’s wife and children
Vahdettin had five wives: Nazikeda, İnşirah, Müveddet, Nevvare and Nevzad.
He had four children in total. Nazikeda gave him three daughters. Müveddet gave him one son.
That son was Mehmed Ertuğrul, born on 5 November 1912. He died on 2 July 1944. He never married and had no children. The male line of Vahdettin ended with him.
Mehmed VI’s descendants today
The family line survived through two daughters. Ulviye had one daughter. Sabiha had three daughters.
People alive today who descend from Vahdettin trace the link through these daughters’ branches.
Mehmed VI’s net worth
No reliable total exists, so treat any “net worth” figure with suspicion. The notes give two numbers instead.
He is reported to have left Istanbul with 20,000 pounds sterling. At his death he owed about 60,000 Italian lire.
The last sultan of a vast empire died in debt.
How did Mehmed VI die?
Vahdettin died in Sanremo, Italy, on 16 May 1926. He was 65.
English Wikipedia gives the cause of death as a blocked blood vessel. No further medical detail is given here, so do not read more into it.
Mehmed VI’s tomb and grave
His body did not go straight to its grave. It was buried on 3 July 1926 in the cemetery of the Süleymaniye Complex in Damascus.
If you travel to Damascus, that is where his tomb is. It lies in a complex, not a palace garden.
Details you won’t find in guidebooks
He travelled with Mustafa Kemal. In December 1917, as heir, Vahdettin went to Germany. Mustafa Kemal Pasha accompanied him. Within two years, the same two men were on opposite sides.
He refused to take the holy relics. The TDV encyclopedia reports that when he left, he was offered the chance to take the sacred relics along. He refused. He said they belonged to the nation.
Creditors delayed his burial. Because his creditors seized his property, moving his body was delayed by about a month while the debts were settled.
He was a composer. Sources identify 63 works by Vahdettin. Notes survive for 41 of them.
FAQ
Who was Mehmed VI Vahideddin?
He was the 36th and last Ottoman sultan. He took the throne after his brother Mehmed V died on 3 July 1918, and his sultanate ended when the Grand National Assembly abolished it on 1 November 1922.
How did Mehmed VI die and where is his tomb?
He died in Sanremo, Italy, on 16 May 1926, aged 65. English Wikipedia gives the cause as a blocked blood vessel. He was buried on 3 July 1926 in the cemetery of the Süleymaniye Complex in Damascus.
Did Mehmed VI have children and descendants?
He had four children: three daughters by Nazikeda and one son, Mehmed Ertuğrul, by Müveddet. His son died in 1944 unmarried and childless. Living descendants come through his daughters Ulviye and Sabiha.
Was Mehmed VI a traitor?
Sources disagree. Critics point to his approval of Mustafa Kemal’s death sentence and to claimed contacts with the British. His defense was that he wanted to keep the caliphate and the sultanate together and to secure milder peace terms. The labels ‘traitor’ and ‘victim’ are interpretations, not facts.
Sources
- Türkçe Vikipedi — VI. Mehmed tr.wikipedia.org
- TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi — Cevdet Küçük, MEHMED VI islamansiklopedisi.org.tr
- English Wikipedia — Mehmed VI en.wikipedia.org
- İstanbul Aydın Üniversitesi — Atatürk’ü Samsun’a Vahdettin’in Gönderdiği İddiası Çarpıtma aydin.edu.tr
- Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı, Mersin Kültür Merkezi — 1920 Kronolojisi mersinkulturmerkezi.ktb.gov.tr
- Türk Tarih Kurumu, Belleten — Salâhi R. Sonyel, Son Osmanlı Padişahı Vahidettin ve İngilizler belleten.gov.tr
Image: Sultan Mehmed VI of the Ottoman Empire.jpg — George Grantham Bain, Public domain