Abdulmejid II

Abdulmejid II was the last Ottoman caliph, the only caliph of the Republic of Turkey, and head of the Osmanoğlu family from 1926 to 1944. He was the son of Sultan Abdulaziz and his consort Hayranidil Kadın. He was educated privately and was confined to the palace until he was 40, following the Ottoman custom. He was named Crown Prince in 1918, after his cousin Mehmed VI became Sultan. When Mehmed VI was deposed in 1922, the Ottoman Sultanate was abolished, but Abdulmejid II was elected Caliph by the Turkish National Assembly at Ankara. He established himself in Istanbul, but six months later, the Ottoman Caliphate was also abolished and the Ottoman dynasty was exiled from Turkey. Abdulmejid II moved to France, where he lived until his death in 1944. He was buried in Al-Baqi' cemetery in Medina, Saudi Arabia. Abdulmejid II was also a talented painter and a patron of arts. He was the chairman of the Ottoman Artists' Society and one of the most important painters of late period Ottoman art. He painted scenes of the harem, landscapes, portraits, and still lifes. He was influenced by western art and culture, and expressed his modern and cosmopolitan outlook in his paintings. He also collected butterflies and stamps, and was fond of music and poetry. He was a Sunni Muslim and used the title Halîfe-i Müslimîn (Caliph of the Muslims), instead of Emîrü'l-Mü'minîn (Commander of the Faithful). He was married to four women and had two children, a son and a daughter. He was the last caliph in the line of Caliph Abu Bakr and the 37th head of the Ottoman Imperial House.