SULTAN VI. MEHMED VAHDETTİN HAN

Father : Sultan Abdülmecid
Mother : Gülistan Sultan
Date of Birth : February 2, 1861
Accession to the Throne : July 4, 1918
Abolition of Sovereignty : November 1, 1922
Evasion from the Country : November 17, 1922

Sultan Mehmed Vahdeddin was accessed to the Ottoman throne as the thritysixth Sovereign and the last sword procession in the history of the Empire was realized in his enthronement. He received a good education. He was quick witted and could immediately grasp the contents of his readings, make interpretations and analyses. Similar to his brother Mehmed Reşad, he was able to observe state administration closely when he was a prince.

When he was designated to the throne, Sultan Vahdeddin was aware of the heavy responsibility he would be undertaking. He was going to rule the state which was then very different from the traditional Ottoman administration system. The Ottoman family had been designated to rule this territory as the sole sovereign power; and the family had struggled day and night, for months and for years in order to protect this country which was entrusted to them, against threats and risks and had instituted an Empire extending over 3 continents. The enemy was then not far away but in the Motherland, inside the Anatolian geography. France in Syria and Britain in Iraq became our neighbouring countries. Not sufficing with this neighborhood, they motivated the people of the country living in various regions, to uprise against the Pan-Turkism movement, and succeeded in occupying various territories without even fighting.

Vahdeddin became the head of the İstanbul Government which ruled the territory within the boundaries of a single city. With the signing of the August 10, 1920 document, Turks were allowed (?) to live in a small geographical area at the center of Anatolia. Acting against those who attempted to institute a new state, to create a new motherland and to own the country; instead of acting against the enemy which had encircled him was his bad fate. The motherland was saved; a new, independent state was instituted and now. He was left without a piece of land on which to live. So he had no chance other than to flee.

Sultan Vahdeddin was of medium height. He was a slender person with fair or rather pale complexion. He did not wear a beard. He was well educated. He read and wrote Arabic and Persian and new the Moslem jurisprudence very well. He was very courteous, considerate and patient. He did not talk much and patiently listened to people without interrupting.