Murad V (Ottoman Turkish:مراد خامس,romanized: Murâd-ı ḫâmis;Turkish:V. Murad; 21 September 1840 – 29 August 1904) was thesultan of the Ottoman Empire from 30 May to 31 August 1876. The son ofAbdulmejid I, he supported the conversion of the government to aconstitutional monarchy. His uncleAbdulaziz had succeeded Abdulmejid to the throne and had attempted to name his own son as heir to the throne, which spurred Murad to participate in Abdulaziz'soverthrow. But his own frail physical and mental health made his reign unstable, and Murad V was deposed in favor of his half-brotherAbdul Hamid II after only 93 days.
Murad was educated in the palace. His tutors included Toprik Süleyman Efendi, who taught him theQuran, Ferrik Efendi, who taught himOttoman Turkish language, Sheikh Hafız Efendi, who taught himHadith (the traditions of Muhammad), Monsieur Gardet, who taught him French, and Callisto Guatelli and Italian Lombardi, who taught him to play piano.[10][11]
Crown Prince Murâd during his uncle's visit to Europe, Balmoral Castle, 13 July 1867 (photograph:W. & D. Downey).
After Abdulaziz ascended the throne after the death of Sultan Abdulmejid in 1861, Murad became the heir to the throne. He spent most of his time at his farmhouse in Kurbağalıdere which Abdulaziz had allocated to him. His family used to spend their winters in the crown prince's apartments located in theDolmabahçe Palace and the Nisbetiye Mansion.[12][13]
He participated in the visits of Abdulaziz to Egypt in 1863 and to Europe in 1867. While he was appreciated by the European rulers for his kindness, his uncle, who was uncomfortable with this, had planned to send him back to Istanbul.Napoleon III andQueen Victoria showed greater interest in Murad than in Abdulaziz. Moreover, special invitations and excursions were organized for the crown prince.[14]
He frequently communicated with the New Ottomans, who wanted a constitutional regime. Şinasi, whom he met frequently, exchanged ideas withNamık Kemal andZiya Pasha on constitutionalism, democracy and freedom. Through Ziya Pasha and his private physician Kapoleon Efendi, he also communicated withMidhat Pasha, the leading statesman of theTanzimat era and leader of theYoung Ottomans, which was dissatisfied with Sultan Abdulaziz's rule.[15]
Murad was the first member of the Ottoman dynasty to become a member ofthe Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Turkey.[16] On 20 October 1872,[17] Murad was secretly inducted into the lodge, sponsored by his chamberlain Seyyid Bey. Murad rose through the ranks in the lodge. At one point he proposed establishing an independent Ottoman lodge to be named Envar-ı Şarkiye, "Eastern Lights", with its ritual conducted in Turkish, but the plan was never realized.[18]
Sultan Abdulaziz tried to change the succession system in favor of his own sonŞehzade Yusuf Izzeddin.[19] For this purpose Abdulaziz set out to mollify different pressure groups and have his son gain popularity among them. During the 1867 visit to Europe, rumors spread that contrary to the rules of protocol Abdulaziz arranged Izzeddin's reception in Paris and London before the official heir, Prince Murad. When the conservativeMahmud Nedim Pasha became thegrand vizier in September 1871, he lent his support to Abdulaziz's plans.[20] To further legitimize his plans, Abdulaziz tactically supported a change to primogeniture in theMuhammad Ali dynasty of Egypt. By granting primogeniture toIsma'il Pasha in 1866, Abdulaziz was clearly seeking to create a positive climate of opinion about a change in favour of his own son.[21]
As a result, Murad cooperated with the constitutionalist circles and took part in the deposition of Abdulaziz.[19] On the night of 29–30 May 1876, the committee led by the Midhat Pasha and theMinister of War,Hüseyin Avni Pasha, deposed Abdulaziz and raised Murad to the throne.[2]
Though Murad acceded to the throne, he was not able to retain it.[19] He struggled to appear normal in his new role, so at odds with his previously quiet life of dabbling in music.[2] His weak nerves, combined with alcoholism, led to a mental breakdown.[19] His deposed uncle's death, only days after Murad's accession, stunned him, and, along with the distress over the abruptness with which he was brought to the throne as well as the demands put upon him as ruler, led to anxious thoughts that the world would interpret his uncle's death as something he had ordered.[2]
Murad began to manifest bizarre behavior that preceded his complete collapse. The government leaders called in the Viennese specialist in psychiatric disorders,Max Leidesdorf, who concluded that Murad could make a complete recovery with three months' treatment in a clinic, which the other Ottoman leaders were unwilling to attempt. A mentally competent prince on the throne formed an essential component of their plans to implement reforms with due legitimacy. Murad's younger brother and heir to the throne, Abdul Hamid, however, appeared both physically and mentally healthy, and supported their plans to introduce parliamentary government to the Empire.[22]
Securing a sanction byŞeyhülislam of Murad's dethronement, as well as Abdul Hamid's promise to proclaim a constitution,[23] Midhat Pasha and the Ottoman government deposed Murad on 31 August 1876,[19] on the grounds of mental illness. His reign had lasted for only 93 days.[24] His younger half-brother ascended to the throne and was crowned SultanAbdul Hamid II. Murad was confined to theÇırağan Palace, not being permitted to leave the palace grounds on Abdul Hamid's orders.[19]
In confinement, Murad's consortGevherriz Hanım worked with Nakşifend Kalfa, thehazinedar Dilberengiz, the eunuch Hüseyin Ağa, and Hüsnü Bey (who had been Second Secretary of Murad) to allow for a British physician to meet with Murad to ascertain Murad's mental fitness. When the physician arrived, Gevherriz served as translator. It is not clear how true this story is, and it is possible the physician was sent by freemasons rather than by the British.[25]
In 1877, some nine months into confinement, Murad regained his mental faculties. The first two years of his confinement in Çırağan witnessed three attempts by supporters to free him and restore him to the throne, but all three resulted only in Abdul Hamid's tightening the cordon that isolated Çırağan Palace from the city around it.[23]
Ali Suavi, an Ottoman political activist, journalist, educator, theologian and reformer, involved in the incident
On 20 May 1878,[26] an attempt was made to liberate Murad from the Çırağan Palace and restore him to the throne. Murad's brothers,Şehzade Ahmed Kemaleddin andŞehzade Selim Süleyman, and sisters,Fatma Sultan andSeniha Sultan, and her husband Mahmud Celaleddin Pasha were involved in the plot.[27] They all wanted to see Murad regain the throne.[26] During the incident,Ali Suavi, a radical political opponent of Abdul Hamid's authoritarian regime, stormed the palace with a band of armed refugees from the recentRusso-Turkish War.[26] The Ottoman battleshipMesudiye was anchored offshore the palace to take Murad and announce his accession.[28] But he did not reach the ship,[29] and Ali Suavi's men were unable to overcome the Beşiktaş police prefect Hacı Hasan Pasha's fierce resistance.[30] The plot failed, and Ali Suavi and most of his men were killed.[31] According to "İngiliz" ("English") Said Pasha,[32] moments before his death, Ali Suavi took Murad's arm and said to him, "O our Lord, come, deliver us from the Muscovites." ("Aman efendimiz, gel bizi Moskoflardan ḫalâṣ et.")[33] In the aftermath, security at the Çırağan Palace was tightened.[34]
Çırağan Palace, where Murad and his family were confined by Sultan Abdul Hamid for twenty-eight years until Murad's death in 1904
His mental faculties restored, Murad lived out a far more benign existence than that attributed to him by the Western press. Reports through the years claimed that he languished in prison, or escaped and was hiding, or lectured his brother on the Armenian troubles.[23]
After his mother's death in 1889, Murad focused all his love and attention on his children. Selaheddin became his companion in grief, and the two of them passed long hours together reminiscing and speculating about the future. For a time, they took an interest in theMesnevi, taking great pleasure in reciting verses from it.[35]
At length, suffering from diabetes, Murad died at the Çırağan Palace on 29 August 1904.[23] While his senior consortMevhibe Kadın and his son Selahaddin reported that Murad was willing to be buried in the mausoleum of Yahya Efendi, Abdul Hamid did not approve of it. The next day, Murad's funeral was carried out without announcement and ceremony. His body was washed and shrouded in theTopkapı Palace and then taken to the Hidayet Mosque in Bahçekapı. After the funeral procession, he was buried next to his mother, Şevkefza, in the New Mosque, Istanbul.[36]
An important primary source about his life comes from the memoirs of one of his consorts,Filizten Hanım, written in the 1930s.[37]
Murad learned bothFrench andArabic. He ordered and read books and magazines from France and was influenced by French culture. He played the piano and composed Western-style music.[19] He was aliberal.[24][38][39][40]
Elaru Mevhibe Kadın (6 August 1835 – 21 February 1936).BaşKadin. Georgiana, she grew up among the daughters of SultanAbdülmejid I, Murad's father. She had no known children. After Murad's death, she settled inŞişli and after the English occupation of Istanbul she retired to private life - she never again left home and spent her days taking care of her garden until her death.
Reftarıdil Kadın (1838 – 3 March 1936). Second Kadın. Circassian of the Hatko family. She gave birth to a son.
Şayan Kadın (4 January 1853 – 15 March 1945). Third Kadın. She was born Princess Safiye Zan in Anapa. She gave birth to a daughter.
Meyliservet Kadın (21 October 1859 – 9 December 1891). Fourth Kadın. Before marrying Murad, she had been in the service of his half-sisterRefia Sultan. She gave birth to a daughter. She died before Murad and therefore never leftÇırağan Palace.
Resan Hanım (28 March 1860 – 31 March 1910).BaşIkbal. Georgiana, she was born as Ayşe Hanim inArtivin. Before marrying Murad, she had been in the service of his half-sisterSeniha Sultan. She gave birth to two daughters.
Gevherriz Hanım (1863–1940). Second Ikbal, called also Cevherriz Hanım. Circassian, born inSochi. Before she became a consort, she had been aKalfa (girl servant) She had no known children. After Murad's death, she remarried, but the marriage was an unhappy one.
Nevdürr Hanım (1861–1927). Third Ikbal. Born inBatumi. She had no known children. After Murad's death, she was denied a salary and she lived with her stepdaughter Hatice Sultan, and when Hatice was exiled in 1924 she fell into total poverty.
Remzşinas Hanım (1864 – after 1934). Fourth Ikbal. Circassian. She had no known children.
Filizten Hanım (1862–1945). Fifth Ikbal. She had no known children.
Şehzade Mehmed Selaheddin (5 August 1861 – 29 April 1915) – with Reftadiril Kadın. The eldest child and the only surviving son, he was born when Murad was still Şehzade. He had seven consorts, eight sons and eight daughters.
Şehzade Süleyman (1866–1866) – unknown motherhood.
Hatice Sultan (5 April 1870 – 13 March 1938) – with Şayan Kadın. Born when Murad wasŞehzade. She was married twice and had two sons and two daughters.
Fehime Sultan (2 July 1875 – 15 September 1929) – with Meyliservet Kadın. She married twice, with no children.
Fatma Sultan (19 June 1879 – 20 November 1932) – with Resan Hanım. She married once and had four sons and a daughter.
Aliye Sultan (24 August 1880 – 17 September 1903) – with Resan Hanım. Her untimely death, together with the scandal involving Hatice Sultan the next year, definitively undermined Murad's health, and he died in mid-1904.
In the 2011 TV seriesKirli Oyunlar, Murad V is portrayed by Turkish actor Sezgin Erdemir.[47]
In the 2012, on 3 May, world premiere for the ballet "Murad V" took place inAnkara Opera House. The biographical libretto focuses on the psychology of Murad V and uses some of the works composed by himself.[48]
In the 2012 movieThe Sultan's Women, Murad V is portrayed by Turkish actor Serhat Kaplan.[49]
In the 2015 TV seriesFilinta, Murad V is portrayed by Turkish actor Uğur Uludağ.[50]
In the 2017 TV seriesPayitaht: Abdülhamid, Murad V is portrayed by Turkish actor Nevzat Yılmaz.[51]
Murad is a character in Ayşe Osmanoğlu's historical novel The Gilded Cage on the Bosphorus (2020).[52]
^Britannica, "Istanbul": "Until the Turkish Post Office officially changed the name in 1930, however, the city continued to bear the millenary name of Constantinople."
^"Kesitler".Osmanlı Web Sitesi (in Turkish). Retrieved31 January 2021.
^Eldem, Edhem (2018).The harem seen by Prince Salahaddin Efendi (1861–1915). Searching for women in male-authored documentation. p. 21.
^He wasn't English nor British, the reason why he was called as such resulted from him speaking English fluently and being pro-British in foreign policy.
Brookes, Douglas Scott (2010).The Concubine, the Princess, and the Teacher: Voices from the Ottoman Harem. University of Texas Press.ISBN978-0-292-78335-5.
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