Editing Mehmed V

{{Short description|Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1909 to 1918}}
{{refimprove|date= April 2018}}<!--Reign section is mostly uncited and Decorations section is completely lacking in citations-->
{{Use dmy dates|date= October 2014}}
{{Infobox royalty
| image        = Sultan Muhammed Chan V., Kaiser der Osmanen 1915 C. Pietzner.jpg
| alt          = Photo of Mehmed V in his seventy-first year
| caption      = Photograph by Carl Pietzner, June 1915
| name         = Mehmed V Reşâd
| title        = [[Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques]]
| succession   = [[List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire|Sultan of the Ottoman Empire]] ([[Padishah]])
| reign        = 27 April 1909 – 3 July 1918
| predecessor  = [[Abdul Hamid II]]
| regent       = {{list collapsed|title=''See list''|1=[[Ahmet Tevfik Pasha]]<br />[[Hüseyin Hilmi Pasha]]<br />[[Ibrahim Hakki Pasha]]<br />[[Mehmed Said Pasha]]<br />[[Ahmed Muhtar Pasha]]<br />[[Kâmil Pasha|Mehmed Kâmil Pasha]]<br />[[Mahmud Shevket Pasha]]<br />[[Said Halim Pasha]]<br />[[Talaat Pasha|Mehmed Talat Pasha]]}}
| reg-type     = [[Grand Vizier]]s
| successor    = [[Mehmed VI]]
| succession1  = [[Ottoman Caliphate|Ottoman caliph]]<br/>(''[[Amir al-Mu'minin]]'')
| predecessor1 = Abdul Hamid II
| successor1   = Mehmed VI
| spouse       = {{Unbulleted list|[[Kamures Kadın]]|[[Dürriaden Kadın]]|[[Mihrengiz Kadın]]|[[Nazperver Kadın]]|[[Dilfirib Kadın]]}}
| spouse-type  = [[Imperial Harem|Consorts]]
| issue        = {{Unbulleted list|[[Şehzade Mehmed Ziyaeddin]]|[[Şehzade Mahmud Necmeddin]]|[[Şehzade Ömer Hilmi]]|Refia Sultan}}
| issue-link   = 
| full name    = Mehmed Han bin Abdülmecid<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.arthill.com.tr/urun/5119258/osmanli-sultan-v-mehmed-resad-han-ferman-hicri-1329-mehmed-han-bin-abdulmecid-e|title=OSMANLI SULTAN V.MEHMED REŞAD HAN FERMAN / HİCRİ 1329|date=25 April 2025}}</ref>
| dynasty      = [[Ottoman dynasty|Ottoman]]
| father       = [[Abdulmejid I]]
| mother       = [[Gülcemal Kadın]] (biological mother)<br />[[Servetseza Kadın]] (adoptive mother)
| birth_date   = {{Birth date|1844|11|02|df= yes}}
| birth_place  = Old Çırağan Palace, [[Constantinople]], [[Ottoman Empire]]<br />(present-day [[Istanbul]], [[Turkey]])
| death_date   = {{Death date and age|1918|07|03|1844|11|02|df= yes}}
| death_place  = [[Yıldız Palace]], [[Istanbul]], [[Ottoman Empire]]
| date of burial = 
| place of burial = Tomb of Sultan Mehmed V Reşad, [[Eyüp]], Istanbul<!--Use Istanbul here as we're talking about the modern post-1930 city-->
| signature    = Tughra of Mehmed V.svg
| signature_type = [[Tughra]]
| religion     = [[Sunni Islam]]<br />
}}

'''Mehmed V Reşâd''' ({{langx|ota|محمد خامس|Meḥmed-i ḫâmis}}; {{langx|tr|V. Mehmed}} or {{lang|tr|Mehmed Reşad}}; 2 November 1844 – 3 July 1918) was the penultimate [[List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire|sultan of the Ottoman Empire]] from 1909 to 1918. Mehmed V reigned as a [[Constitutional monarchy|constitutional monarch]]. He had little influence over government affairs and the [[Constitution of the Ottoman Empire|Ottoman constitution]] was held with little regard by his [[Ministry (government department)|ministries]]. The first half of his reign was marked by increasingly polarizing politics, and the second half by war and domination of the [[Committee of Union and Progress]] and the [[Three Pashas]].

Reşad was the son of Sultan [[Abdülmecid I]].<ref>''Abdulmecid'', Coskun Cakir, ''Encyclopedia of the Ottoman Empire'', ed. Gábor Ágoston, Bruce Alan Masters, (Infobase Publishing, 2009), 9.</ref> He succeeded his half-brother [[Abdul Hamid II]] after the [[31 March Incident]]. Coming to power in the aftermath of the failed coup attempt, his nine-year reign featured three coups d'etat, four wars, eleven governments, and numerous uprisings. The [[Italo-Turkish War]] saw the cession of the Empire's [[North Africa]]n territories and the [[Dodecanese Islands]], including [[Rhodes]], during which the [[1912 Ottoman coup d'état|CUP was forced out]] of power by the military. This was followed up by the traumatic loss of almost all of the Empire's European territories west of [[Ottoman Constantinople|Constantinople]] (now [[Istanbul]]) in the [[First Balkan War]], and the return of a now radicalized CUP rule in another [[1913 Ottoman coup d'état|coup]]. [[East Thrace|Eastern Thrace]] was retaken in the [[Second Balkan War]].

The Ottomans entered [[World War I]] in November 1914, upon which Mehmed [[Declaration of jihad by the Ottoman Empire|declared a jihad]] against the [[Allies of World War I|Allies]]. In 1915, Ottoman forces successfully fended off an [[Gallipoli campaign|Allied invasion at Gallipoli]] and captured a large British garrison [[Siege of Kut|at Kut]]. During that year, the CUP initiated the [[Armenian genocide]] against the Sultan's wishes, though his private disapproval over his governments' actions was inconsequential. By Mehmed V's death on 3 July 1918, defeat loomed on the [[Sinai and Palestine campaign|Palestinian]] and [[Macedonian front]]s. With military collapse in the field and the [[Arab Revolt]] spelling impending disaster, the Ottomans signed the [[Armistice of Mudros]], though by then he was dead, and succeeded by [[Mehmed VI]].<ref>{{Cite web|url= https://www.loc.gov/law/help/digitized-books/world-war-i-declarations/ww1-gazettes/Ottoman-declaration-against-Russia-France-and-England-1-OCR-SPLIT.pdf|title= Rusya Fransa ve İngiltere devletleriyle hal-i harb ilanı hakkında irade-i seniyye [Imperial Decree Concerning the Declaration of a State of War with the States of Russia, France, and the United Kingdom], Nov. 11, 1914 (29 Teşrin-i Evvel 1330), Takvim-i Vekayi, Nov. 12, 1914 (30 Teşrin-i Evvel 1330)|website= [[Library of Congress]]}}</ref>

== Early life ==
[[Şehzade]] Mehmed Reşad was born on 2 November 1844, at the [[Çırağan Palace]],{{sfn|Uluçay|2011|p=209}} Constantinople.<ref name="Chisholm">''The Encyclopædia Britannica'', Vol. 7, edited Hugh Chisholm, (1911), 3; "''Constantinople, the capital of the Turkish Empire….''"</ref> His father was Sultan [[Abdulmejid I]], and his mother was [[Gülcemal Kadın]]. He had three elder sisters, [[Fatma Sultan (daughter of Abdulmejid I)|Fatma Sultan]],{{sfn|Uluçay|2011|p=218}} [[Refia Sultan (daughter of Abdulmejid I)|Refia Sultan]] and Hatice Sultan (Refia Sultan's twin sister, died in infancy).{{sfn|Uluçay|2011|p=220}} After his mother's death in 1851, he and his sisters were entrusted to the care of his father's senior consort [[Servetseza Kadın]].{{sfn|Uluçay|2011|page=203}}{{sfn|Brookes|2020|pp=xvi, 245}} She had asked Abdulmejid to take the motherless children under her wing, and raised as her own, and carried out the duties of a mother who cares for her children with compassion and concern.{{sfn|Brookes|2020|pp=70–71}}

In 1856, aged twelve, he was ceremoniously [[Khitan (circumcision)|circumcised]] together with his younger half-brothers, [[Şehzade Ahmed Kemaleddin]], [[Şehzade Mehmed Burhaneddin (son of Abdulmejid I)|Şehzade Mehmed Burhaneddin]], and [[Şehzade Ahmed Nureddin (son of Abdulmejid I)|Şehzade Ahmed Nureddin]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Mehmet Arslan|title=Osmanlı saray düğünleri ve şenlikleri: Manzum sûrnâmeler|year=2008|publisher=Sarayburnu Kitaplığı|isbn=978-9944-905-63-3|page=329}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Dünden bugüne İstanbul ansiklopedisi|year=1993|publisher=Kültür Bakanlığı|isbn=978-975-7306-07-8|page=72}}</ref>

[[Şehzade]] Reşad received his education at the palace. [[Halid Ziya Uşaklıgil|Halid Ziya]], the chief clerk of the [[Mabeyn-i hümayun|Chamberlain's office]] between 1909 and 1912, described this as being a poor one. Thanks to his comparatively high intelligence, however, he made good use of the education he had. He studied [[Arabic]] and [[Persian language|Persian]], and spoke the latter very well. He took piano lessons from an Italian pianist and calligraphy lessons from a famous Ottoman calligrapher, [[Kazasker Mustafa Izzet Efendi]] (1801–1876), who designed the giant pendant medallions of the [[Hagia Sophia]]. In addition to [[Persian literature]], Reşad was also interested in [[Mevlevi Order|Mevlevi Sufism]] and the ''[[Masnavi]]''.{{sfn|Glencross|Rowbotham|2018|p=125}}

He enjoyed the company of his uncle [[Abdulaziz|Abdul Aziz]]. Reşad became [[Crown prince|crown-prince]] in 1876 with the ascension of his half-brother [[Abdul Hamid II]], but was essentially kept under house arrest in [[Dolmabahçe Palace]], and was under close surveillance. For a variety of reasons, especially superstitious ones, Abdul Hamid abhorred his half-brother. It was said that Abdul Hamid was afraid of the [[evil eye]] of his brother who was two years younger than him, and that he had sacrifices made, held prayers, and incense burned immediately after he left the palace when he came to congratulate him on holidays. He was even heard to say, "I am doing my brother a great favor by not showing myself to the public" out of concern that his brother might be indiscreet. The belief in his bad luck began when he heard that a mare he liked while he was walking around the stables of the palace with his brother had died a few hours later.{{Sfn|Bardakçı|1998|p=51}}

After the lifting of many restrictions in the aftermath of the [[Young Turk Revolution]] Reşad earned popularity as crown prince by attending ceremonies that celebrated the [[Constitution of the Ottoman Empire|constitution]], much to the chagrin of his previously [[Absolute monarchy|absolutist]] brother.<ref name="saka486">Sakaoğlu, Necdet (1999) ''Bu Mülkün Sultanları'', İstanbul:Oğlak Yayınları {{ISBN|975-329-300-3}} p. 486</ref>

== Reign ==
His reign began at the conclusion of the [[31 March Incident]] on 27 April 1909, which resulted in the deposition of his brother Abdul Hamid II. Reşad came to the throne largely as a figurehead with no real political power. At the age of 65, Reşad was the oldest person to ascend the Ottoman throne. It was decided to use the name "Mehmed" as his regal name, not his real name "Reşad". This name change was made upon the suggestion of Ferik Sami Pasha, to establish a connection between [[Mehmed the Conqueror]]'s entry into [[Constantinople]] with his army and the arrival of the [[Action Army]] to Istanbul. Although he ascended to the throne with the title of Mehmed V, he was called Sultan Reşad by the people.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=8 December 2021|archive-date=23 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190923154710/https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/mehmed-v|language=tr|title=MEHMED V – TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi|url=https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/mehmed-v|work=TDV İslam Ansiklopedisi}}<!-- auto-translated by Module:CS1 translator --></ref>

Because of his house imprisonment, Reşad sat on the throne at the age of 65 and with no experience in state affairs. His time as a [[Şehzade]] was sheltered because of his bad relationship with his now deposed half-brother. Due to his meek, weak-willed, and naïve personality and the strength of the [[Committee of Union and Progress]], the government was firmly out of his hands. When the CUP asked something from him he would immediately acquiesce without push back, typically replying "I am pleased!" or "I am humbled!" The Sultan was incredibly afraid of the men of action of the CUP, and the possibility he could end up like one of his predecessors: His uncle Abdul Aziz was deposed and died in suspicious circumstances, his half-brother [[Murad V]] was deposed after suffering a nervous breakdown and held in house arrest for the rest of his life, and Abdul Hamid was deposed (and held in house arrest in Salonika) after his palace and harem was ransacked.{{Sfn|Bardakçı|1998|p=51}}

The sultan complained to one of the few companions he had: Elif Efendi, Sheikh of the Sütlüce Sadi [[Sufi order|Order]], of the situation he was in. “Everyone complains that I do not interfere in anything, and that I do not even use the rights given to me by the Constitution. However, if I did not do this, these guys [the Unionists] would send me to Konya and declare a republic. I am doing this for the survival of the sultanate that was the legacy of my ancestors.” When the sultan was asked to take a more proactive approach to politics as the CUP stirred up trouble, Reşad responded "Everyone tells me not interfere in business. What was my brother’s crime if I interfered with the Constitutional Monarchy?"{{Sfn|Bardakçı|1998|p=51}}<ref>{{Cite web |last=Küçük |first=Cevdet |title=Mehmed V |url=https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/mehmed-v |website=İslâm Ansiklopedisi}}</ref>

=== Enthronement and sword girding ===
His ''{{Interlanguage link|Cülûs|tr|Cülûs}}'' [Coronation] ceremony was held in the [[Ministry of War (Ottoman Empire)|Ministry of War]] building (now part of [[Istanbul University]]) in [[Beyazıt Square|Beyazıt]]. The new sultan boarded the ''İhsaniye'' from Dolmabahçe Palace to [[Sirkeci]], during which he received a [[gun salute]] that frightened him. As he was leaving Sirkeci to Beyazıt in the royal carriage, the people of Istanbul lined up on both sides of the road and enthusiastically applauded as he passed by. In his speech after the ''[[bay'ah]]'' prayer, he declared, "I am the first sultan of liberty and I am proud of it!" and from then on Mehmed V was known as the "Constitutional Sultan."<ref name="saka486" /> On May 10, 1909, the sultan boarded the yacht ''Söğütlü'' in front of Dolmabahçe, and was received in the [[Eyüp Sultan Mosque|Eyüp Sultan Mosque Complex]] by the [[List of Sheikh-ul-Islams of the Ottoman Empire|Shaykh al-Islam]] Saygı Efendi and Postnişini Abdülhalim Efendi of the [[Mevlevi Order]], and was girded with the [[sword of Osman]]. Sultan Reşad then boarded the royal carriage and visited the tomb of Mehmed the Conqueror in the [[Fatih Mosque, Istanbul|Fatih Mosque]], after which he returned to the Dolmabahçe. Since the sultan was not seen on the streets of Istanbul during the long years of Abdul Hamid's reign, the new sultan's carriage trip around the city, during which he cheerfully greeted his subjects, created great excitement among the people of Istanbul.<ref name="saka486" />

=== First years ===
[[File:1909 05 10 Sultan Resat Yevmi Culus.jpg|thumb|Padişah Reşad's Cülûs ceremony.]]Despite its shaky foundations, the [[Constitution of the Ottoman Empire|constitution]] was promulgated for the third and final time when Reşad ascended to the throne (it was retracted during the 1878 and 1909 crisis). However the issue about what to with the 31 March perpetrators revealed who was really in power: [[Mahmud Shevket Pasha|Mahmud Şevket Pasha]] and the CUP. In the immediate aftermath of the 31 March Incident, Sultan Reşad persistently informed the members of the [[Chamber of Deputies (Ottoman Empire)|Chamber of Deputies]] that he would not approve the executions of common criminals and especially political criminals associated with the 31 March uprising.<ref name="uşaklıgil">Uşaklıgil, Halit Ziya (2012 ilk baskı: ), ''Saray ve Ötesi'', İstanbul: Özgür Yayınları, {{ISBN|978-975-447-176-2}}</ref> Afterwards, he wasn't able to resist the insistence of the Unionist politicians, and eventually approved their hanging. This was the first of many examples of Sultan Reşad's reluctant approval of many laws, decrees and wills during his reign against his personal convictions and the constitution, and he soon developed a disinterest in statecraft.<ref name="uşaklıgil2">Uşaklıgil, Halit Ziya (2012 ilk baskı: ), ''Saray ve Ötesi'', İstanbul: Özgür Yayınları, {{ISBN|978-975-447-176-2}}</ref>

On May 5, 1909, [[Ahmet Tevfik Pasha|Ahmed Tevfik Pasha]], Abdul Hamid II's last grand vizier who was appointed in the middle of the 31 March Crisis, resigned under the pressure from the CUP, and a new government more favorable to the committee was formed under the grand viziership of [[Hüseyin Hilmi Pasha]].

Right after ascending the throne, he made a imperial tour of Bursa, to demonstrate the monarchy's new openness to the people. His entourage also included the Crown Prince [[Şehzade Yusuf Izzeddin|Yusuf İzzeddin]], [[Mehmed VI|Şehzade Mehmed Vahdeddin]], Grand Vizier [[Hüseyin Hilmi Pasha|Hüseyin Hilmi]], Minister of the Navy Arif Hikmet Pasha and the official historian of the state Abdurrahman Şeref Efendi. He embarked on another imperial tour of Edirne in 1910, with Prince Vahdeddin, Grand Vizier [[İbrahim Hakkı Pasha]], Foreign Minister Rıfat Pasha, and Interior minister [[Talaat Pasha|Talât Pasha]].{{Sfn|Bardakçı|1998|p=59–60}}

The [[Albanian revolt of 1910|Albanian Revolt of 1910]] broke out and was suppressed by Şevket Pasha, now [[Ministry of War (Ottoman Empire)|War Minister]]. The assassination of [[Ahmet Samim]] Bey and the Western-sponsored integration of the [[Cretan State]] into Greece threw the sultan into a fit of depression.

In June 1911, he embarked on an imperial tour of Selânik (Salonica, today [[Thessaloniki]]) and Manastır (today [[Bitola]]), stopping by [[Florina]] on the way. He also visited Üsküp ([[Skopje]]) and Priştine ([[Pristina]]), where he attended [[Friday prayer]]s at the [[Tomb of Sultan Murad]]. The visit was recorded on film and photographs by the [[Yanaki and Milton Manaki|Manaki brothers]]. It would soon prove to be the last visit of an Ottoman sultan to the Rumelian provinces before the catastrophe of the Balkan Wars the following year.<ref name="saka486" />

In the backdrop of the [[Albanian revolt of 1912|1912 Albanian revolt]] and the [[Italian invasion of Libya]], due to the CUP's policies of centralization and Turkish nationalism, the [[1912 Ottoman general election|1912 elections]] were mainly a contest between the CUP and the new [[Freedom and Accord Party]]. With the CUP rigging the proceedings to their advantage, the military decided to dispute the results. The [[Savior Officers]] demanded the pro-CUP Grand Vizier [[Mehmed Said Pasha]] dissolve parliament and to resign, which he did. Reşad appointed [[Ahmed Muhtar Pasha]] in his place, who formed a national unity government called the Great Cabinet. Martial law was declared. With defeat in the [[Balkan Wars]], Muhtar Pasha resigned, and was replaced by [[Kâmil Pasha]].

=== War ===
[[File:Turkey in Europe and the Balkans, 1910.jpg|thumb|left|Map of the Ottoman territories in Europe in 1910, prior to the [[Balkan Wars]] (1912–1913)]]Under his rule, the Ottoman Empire lost all its remaining territory in North Africa ([[Tripolitania]], [[Cyrenaica]] and [[Fezzan]]) and the [[Dodecanese]] to [[Kingdom of Italy|Italy]] in the [[Italo-Turkish War]] and nearly all its European territories (except for a small strip of land west of Constantinople<!--Use instead of "Istanbul"-->) in the [[First Balkan War]]. The Ottomans made some small gains in the following [[Second Balkan War]], recapturing the peninsula comprising [[East Thrace]] up to [[Edirne]], but this was only partial consolation for the Turks: the bulk of Ottoman territories that they had fought to keep had been lost forever.<ref>[https://nzhistory.govt.nz/war/ottoman-empire/three-wars The Ottoman Empire: Three Wars in Three Years, 1911–13. ''New Zealand History''. Retrieved 28 January 2020]</ref>

The sudden loss of these enormous swaths of land, which had been Ottoman territory for centuries and were ceded to the Empire's opponents within a span of only two years, was traumatic to the Turks. The CUP organized the [[1913 Ottoman coup d'état|1913 coup d'état]], where a party of ~50 Unionists led by [[Enver Pasha|Enver]] and [[Talaat Pasha|Talât]] raided the [[Sublime Porte]], and Enver famously demanded Kâmil resign at gunpoint. Upon the Sultan hearing of the news he said "Peki o halde... Hayırlı olsun" ("Well in that case... good luck [to them]").{{Sfn|Bardakçı|1998|p=52}}

[[Muhacir|Muslims in the lost lands]] were expelled from their homes and emigrated behind the new Ottoman border surrounding Constantinople. The resulting refugee crisis overwhelmed municipal authorities. It also spelt the end of the [[Ottomanism]] movement, which for several decades had advocated equal rights to all citizens of the Empire regardless of ethnicity or religion, in order to foster a communal sense of belonging and allegiance to the Ottoman state. With the loss of the Empire's ethnic minorities in [[Rumelia]] and North Africa, the movement's ''raison d'être'' also evaporated, and the country's politics soon began to take on a more exclusionary character, centered around [[Turkish nationalism]]. The more extreme elements of a right-wing faction, primarily in the upper echelons of the CUP-dominated government, would go on to commit [[Armenian Genocide|genocide against the Armenians]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bloxham |first1=Donald |last2=Göçek |first2=Fatma Müge |title=The Historiography of Genocide |date=2008 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan UK |isbn=978-0-230-29778-4 |pages=344–372 |language=en |chapter=The Armenian Genocide}}</ref>

After the assassination of [[Mahmud Shevket Pasha|Mahmud Şevket Pasha]], it was discovered a member of the royal family was involved in the plot. [[Şehzade Ahmed Kemaleddin|Şehzade Kemaleddin]]'s daughter [[Münire Sultan (daughter of Şehzade Kemaleddin)|Münire Sultan]] married Grand Vizier [[Hayreddin Pasha|Tunuslu Hayreddin Pasha]]'s son: Salih Pasha. Sultan Reşad had no qualms with signing the death sentence of one of his brothers’ ''[[damat]]''s. Salih Pasha was tried and sentenced to death, and when Sultan Reşad signed the sentence, he was hanged. [[Djemal Pasha|Cemal Pasha]] is said to have threatened the sultan, saying, “If you do not sign this, we will dethrone you too." An incident that took place before the execution in Bayezid Square became legendary: Salih Pasha was brought to the gallows, showed his trouser leg to one of his executioners and said, “Please, straighten this trouser leg, it looks crooked.” After the executioner complied with his request, he kicked the chair under the ''damat'', and he was hanged. Münire Sultan cursed her uncle Sultan Reşad, who had authorized her husband’s execution, saying “God willing, his beard will be stained with blood!”, the grey-haired sovereign defended himself along the lines of “What could I do? Enver put his gun to my head, I signed it” and tried to compensate for his cognitive dissonance by snapping the pen which he signed the decision.{{Sfn|Bardakçı|1998|p=52}}

Despite his preference that the country stayed out of further conflict, Sultan Reşad's most significant political act was to [[Declaration of jihad by the Ottoman Empire|formally declare jihad]] against the [[Triple Entente|Entente Powers]] on 14 November 1914, following the Ottoman government's decision to join the [[First World War]] on the side of the [[Central Powers]].<ref>Lawrence Sondhaus, ''World War One: The Global Revolution'', (Cambridge University Press, 2011), 91.</ref> He was actually said to look with disfavour on the pro-German policy of [[Enver Pasha]],<ref>{{Cite EB1922|wstitle=Mahommed V.}}</ref> but could do little to prevent war due to the sultanate's diminished influence. This was the last genuine proclamation of jihad in history by a [[Caliph]], as the [[Ottoman Caliphate|Caliphate]] was [[Abolition of the Caliphate|abolished]] in 1924. As a direct result of the declaration of war, the British annexed [[British Cyprus|Cyprus]], while the [[Khedivate of Egypt]] proclaimed its independence and was turned into [[Sultanate of Egypt|a British protectorate]]; these provinces had at least been under nominal Ottoman rule. The proclamation had no noticeable effect on the war, despite the fact that many Muslims lived in Ottoman territories. Some Arabs eventually [[Middle Eastern theatre of World War I|joined the British forces]] against the Ottoman Empire with the [[Arab Revolt]] in 1916.

Reşad hosted [[Wilhelm II, German Emperor|Kaiser Wilhelm II]], his [[World War I]] ally, in Constantinople<!--Use instead of Istanbul--> on 15 October 1917. He was made ''[[Generalfeldmarschall]]'' of the [[Kingdom of Prussia]] on 27 January 1916, and of the [[German Empire]] on 1 February 1916.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}} He was also made a ''[[Generalfeldmarschall|Feldmarschall]]'' of [[Austria-Hungary]] on 19 May 1918.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}

== Death ==
Reşad died at [[Yıldız Palace]] on 3 July 1918 at the age of 73, only four months before the end of World War I.<ref>''Mehmed V'', Selcuk Aksin Somel, '''Encyclopedia of the Ottoman Empire''', 371.</ref> Thus, he did not live to see the downfall of the Ottoman Empire. He spent most of his life at the [[Dolmabahçe Palace]] and Yıldız Palace in Constantinople<!--He died before "Istanbul" became the name of the entire city-->. His grave is in the [[Eyüp]] district of modern Istanbul<!--Use Istanbul for the modern post-1930 city-->. He was succeeded by his brother [[Mehmed Vahideddin]], who took the regal name Mehmed VI.

== Personality ==
Sultan Reşad was known to all as someone full of graciousness and elegance, but little to show when it came to politics.{{Sfn|Bardakçı|1998|p=51}}<gallery>
File:Le Petir Journal, Proclamation of Mehmed V.jpg|[[Le Petit Journal (newspaper)|Le Petit Journal]], Mehmed V is proclaimed Sultan in 1909.
File:Padisah-selanik-te-94099.jpg|Mehmed V arrives in [[Thessaloniki|Selânik (Thessaloniki)]], Ottoman Empire, 1909.
File:Padisah-selanik-te-85424.jpg|Mehmed V arrives in Selânik (Thessaloniki), Ottoman Empire, 1909.
File:Kopyası 35-SULTAN REŞAT.jpg|Portrait of Sultan Mehmed V.
File:Sultan of Turkey LCCN2014711326.jpg|Portrait of Sultan Mehmed V.
File:Portrait of Sultan Mehmed V.jpg|Portrait of Sultan Mehmed V in Imperial Ottoman naval uniform.
File:Mehmed V of Ottoman Empire.jpg|Portrait of Sultan Mehmed V.
File:Drei Kaiser Bund.jpg|[[Wilhelm II, German Emperor|Wilhelm II]], Mehmed V, [[Franz Joseph I of Austria|Franz Joseph]]: The three emperors of the [[Central Powers]] in World War I.
File:Sultan Mehmed V of Turkey greeting Kaiser Wilhelm II on his arrival at Constantinople.jpg|Sultan Mehmed V hosting Kaiser [[Wilhelm II]] in Constantinople during World War I.
File:Wilhelm II - V.Mehmet Reşat - Enver Pasha.jpg|Mehmed V and [[Enver Pasha]] hosting [[Wilhelm II]] in Constantinople during World War I.
File:Wilhelm istanbul.jpg|Mehmed V and [[Enver Pasha]] hosting [[Wilhelm II]] in Constantinople during World War I.
File:OttomanEmpire1914.png|Ottoman Empire in 1914
</gallery>

<gallery>
File:Istanbul asv2021-11 img20 Tomb of Mehmed V.jpg|The [[türbe]] of Mehmed V is located near the [[Eyüp Sultan Mosque]] in [[Eyüp]], [[Istanbul]].
File:Mehmet V Resat turbe 5088.jpg|Mehmet V Reşat mausoleum
File:Mehmet V Resat turbe 8559.jpg|Mehmet V Reşat mausoleum exterior
File:Mehmet V Resat turbe 5097.jpg|Mehmet V Reşat mausoleum interior
</gallery>

== Honours ==
; Ottoman honours
* Grand Master of the [[Order of the Crescent]]
* Grand Master of the [[Order of Glory (Ottoman Empire)|Order of Glory]]
* Grand Master of the [[Order of the Medjidie]]
* Grand Master of the [[Order of Osmanieh]]

; Foreign honours
* [[Austria-Hungary]]: [[Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary]], Grand Cross with Diamonds (1914)<ref>{{citation|chapter-url=https://alex.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/alex?aid=shb&datum=1918&size=45&page=424|chapter=Ritter-Orden|title=Hof- und Staatshandbuch der Österreichisch-Ungarischen Monarchie|date=1918|access-date=14 January 2021|page=[https://alex.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/alex?aid=shb&datum=1918&size=45&page=430 56]}}</ref>
* [[Kingdom of Bavaria]]: [[Military Order of Max Joseph]], Grand Cross (2 February 1916)<ref name="Virtuti Pro Patria">Rudolf von Kramer, Otto Freiherr von Waldenfels und Dr. Günther Freiherr von Pechmann: ''Virtuti Pro Patria: Der königlich bayerische Militär-Max-Joseph-Orden'', Selbstverlag des k. b. Militär-Max-Joseph-Ordens, München 1966</ref> 
* [[Kingdom of Serbia]]: [[Order of Karađorđe's Star|Order of the Star of Karađorđe]], Grand Cross<ref>{{Cite book|last=Acović|first=Dragomir|title=Slava i čast: Odlikovanja među Srbima, Srbi među odlikovanjima|year=2012|location=Belgrade|publisher=Službeni Glasnik|pages=369}}</ref>

== Family ==
Mehmed V had a small [[Ottoman Imperial Harem|harem]], as well as few children. He was also the only sultan not to take new consorts after his accession to the throne.

=== Consorts ===
Mehmed V had five consorts:{{sfn|Brookes|2010|pp=284–291}}{{sfn|Uluçay|2011|pp=260–261}} 
* [[Kamures Kadın]] (5 March 1855 – 30 April 1921). [[Kadın (title)|BaşKadin]]. She is also called Gamres, Kamres or Kamus. Of Caucasian descent, she married Mehmed when he was still [[Şehzade]]. She had a son.
* [[Dürriaden Kadın]] (16 May 1860 – 17 October 1909). Second Kadın. She born Hatice Hanim, she married Mehmed when he was still Şehzade. She was the aunt of [[Inşirah Hanım|Inşirah Hanim]], who was a consort of [[Mehmed VI]] (Mehmed V's younger half-brother). She had a son.
* [[Mihrengiz Kadın]] (15 October 1869 – 12 December 1938). Second Kadın after Dürriaden's death. Circassian, born Fatma Hanım, married Mehmed when he was still Şehzade. She had a son.
* [[Nazperver Kadın]] (12 June 1870 – 9 March 1929). Third Kadın after Dürriaden's death. Born Rukiye Hanim, she was an Abkhazian princess of Çikotua family and niece of [[Dürrinev Kadın]], chief consort of Sultan [[Abdulaziz|Abdülaziz]], who educated her. She married Mehmed when he was still Şehzade. She had a daughter.
* [[Dilfirib Kadın]] (1890–1952). Fourth Kadın after Dürriaden's death. Circassian, she married Mehmed when he was still Şehzade. She was close friends with [[Safiye Ünüvar]], a teacher at the Palace. She had no children by Mehmed, but after his death she remarried and had a son.

=== Sons ===
Mehmed V had three sons:{{sfn|Brookes|2010|pp=284–291}}{{sfn|Uluçay|2011|pp=260–261}} 
* [[Şehzade Mehmed Ziyaeddin]] (26 August 1873 – 30 January 1938) – with Kamures Kadın. He had five consorts, two sons and six daughters.
* [[Şehzade Mahmud Necmeddin]] (23 June 1878 – 27 June 1913) – with Dürriaden Kadın. Born with [[kyphosis]], he never married or had children.
* [[Şehzade Ömer Hilmi]] (2 March 1886 – 6 April 1935) – with Mihrengiz Kadın. He had five consorts, a son and a daughter. His great-granddaughter Ayşe Gülnev Osmanoğlu became an authress of historical novels about the Ottoman dynasty.

=== Daughters ===
Mehmed V had only one daughter:{{sfn|Brookes|2010|p=284}} 
* Refia Sultan (1888–1888) – with Nazperver Kadın. She died in infancy.

== References ==
{{Reflist|2}}

== Sources ==
*{{cite book |last=Bardakçı |first=Murat |author-link=Murat Bardakçı |title=Şahbaba: Osmanoğulları'nın Son Hükümdarı Vahdettin'in Hayatı, Hatıraları ve Özel Mektupları |publisher=Pan Yayıncılık-İnkılâp Kitabevi |year=1998 |isbn=9751024536}}
*{{cite book|first=Douglas Scott|last=Brookes|title=The Concubine, the Princess, and the Teacher: Voices from the Ottoman Harem|year=2010|publisher=University of Texas Press|isbn=978-0-292-78335-5}}
*{{cite book|first=Douglas S.|last=Brookes|title=On the Sultan's Service: Halid Ziya Uşaklıgil's Memoir of the Ottoman Palace, 1909–1912|publisher=Indiana University Press|year=2020|isbn=978-0-253-04553-9}}
*{{cite book |editor1-last=Glencross |editor1-first=Matthew |editor2-last=Rowbotham |editor2-first=Judith |title=Monarchies and the Great War |publisher=Springer|year=2018 |isbn=978-3-319-89515-4}}
*{{cite book|first=M. Çağatay|last=Uluçay|title=Padişahların kadınları ve kızları|year=2011|publisher=Ötüken|isbn=978-9-754-37840-5}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category-inline|Mehmed V}}
* {{PM20|FID=pe/012381}}

{{S-start}}
{{S-hou|[[Ottoman Dynasty|House of Osman]]||2 November 1844||3 July 1918}}
{{S-reg|}}
{{S-bef|before=[[Abdul Hamid II]]}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire|Sultan of the Ottoman Empire]]|years=27 Apr 1909 – 3 Jul 1918}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Mehmed VI]]}}
{{S-rel|su}}
{{S-bef|before=[[Abdul Hamid II]]}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[List of caliphs|Caliph of the Ottoman Caliphate]]|years=27 Apr 1909 – 3 Jul 1918}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Mehmed VI]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Sultans of the Ottoman Empire}}
{{Sons of the Ottoman Sultans}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:20th-century sultans of the Ottoman Empire]]
[[Category:1844 births]]
[[Category:1918 deaths]]
[[Category:Turks from the Ottoman Empire]]
[[Category:Ottoman people of the Italo-Turkish War]]
[[Category:Ottoman people of the Balkan Wars]]
[[Category:Ottoman people of World War I]]
[[Category:Dolmabahçe Palace]]
[[Category:Knights of the Military Order of Max Joseph]]
[[Category:Knights of the Order of the Crescent]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary]]
[[Category:Burials at Eyüp Cemetery]]
[[Category:Sons of sultans]]
[[Category:World War I political leaders]]