Mehmed V (1844–1918)

The 35th Ottoman sultan whose reign coincided with World War I and who issued the 1914 declaration of jihad against the Allied powers.

Life & Origins

Mehmed V Reşad (r. 1909–1918) ascended the Ottoman throne at a moment of acute political crisis, inheriting a state whose territorial integrity had been eroded by the Balkan Wars (1912–1913) and whose political institutions were undergoing rapid transformation. Born on 2 November 1844 in Istanbul to Sultan Abdülmecid I (r. 1839–1861) and Gülcemal Kadınefendi, Mehmed belonged to the House of Osman’s 34th generation and was the younger half-brother of Sultan Abdülhamid II (r. 1876–1909). His early life unfolded during the Tanzimat (Reorganization) era, when Ottoman elites sought to reconcile Islamic tradition with European-style modernization. Educated in the imperial harem under the supervision of scholars from the ulema (religious scholars), Mehmed received instruction in Arabic, Persian, and French, as well as in the principles of Islamic jurisprudence and Ottoman statecraft. Unlike his more assertive predecessors, Mehmed’s public role prior to his accession was largely ceremonial, confined to religious observances and dynastic duties. His accession on 27 April 1909 followed the Young Turk Revolution of 1908 and the deposition of Abdülhamid II, placing him at the symbolic apex of a constitutional monarchy nominally governed by the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP, İttihad ve Terakki Cemiyeti).

Career & Influence

Mehmed V’s reign (1909–1918) was dominated by the exigencies of World War I, during which the Ottoman Empire aligned with the Central Powers in November 1914. His most consequential political act was the declaration of cihad-ı ekber (the Great Jihad) on 14 November 1914, a religious edict (fetva) issued under his authority as caliph of Sunni Islam. The declaration summoned Muslims worldwide—particularly in British India, French North Africa, and Russian Central Asia—to wage holy war (jihad) against the Allied Powers, framing the conflict as a defense of the Islamic world against Christian encroachment. While the call had limited practical effect on global Muslim mobilization, it served Ottoman propaganda purposes by positioning the empire as the defender of Islamic orthodoxy amid territorial losses and European imperial domination.

Mehmed’s authority during the war was largely ceremonial, as real power resided with the CUP triumvirate—Enver Pasha, Talat Pasha, and Cemal Pasha—and the imperial cabinet. His role in state affairs was further circumscribed by the 1909 constitutional amendments, which reduced the sultan’s political prerogatives. Nonetheless, Mehmed lent legitimacy to wartime policies, including the deportation and massacre of Ottoman Armenians (1915–1916), by endorsing religious and legal justifications for state actions. His public appearances, such as the opening of the Darülfünun (Ottoman University) in 1917, were carefully choreographed to project continuity and stability. By the war’s end in 1918, the Ottoman Empire lay in ruins, its territories occupied, and its political system dismantled. Mehmed V died on 3 July 1918, just months before the Armistice of Mudros (30 October 1918), which formalized Allied control over the empire.

Intellectual or Cultural Contribution

Mehmed V’s intellectual and cultural contributions were primarily symbolic, reflecting his role as a padişah (sovereign) whose legitimacy rested on tradition rather than innovation. He was a patron of the Meclis-i Mebusan (Chamber of Deputies) and supported efforts to revive classical Ottoman literary and artistic forms, including the divan tradition of poetry. His reign saw the publication of Takvîm-i Vekayi (Official Gazette) in Arabic script, maintaining continuity with pre-war Ottoman print culture. While Mehmed did not author significant works, his court chroniclers, such as Sahaflar Şeyhizade Mehmed Zihni Efendi, produced histories that framed his reign as a bridge between the empire’s Islamic past and its modern constitutional future. His patronage extended to religious institutions, including the restoration of the Hagia Sophia’s minarets in 1917, a gesture that underscored the sultan’s role as hâdimü’l-haremeyn (Servant of the Two Holy Mosques).

Connections & Networks

Mehmed V’s political and social networks were shaped by the constraints of his office and the ideological currents of the late Ottoman period. His closest collaborators were members of the ulema, who issued the 1914 jihad fetva, and the CUP leadership, with whom he maintained a cautious, often tense, relationship. Key figures in his entourage included Şeyhülislam Musa Kazım Efendi, who sanctioned the jihad declaration, and Grand Vizier Said Halim Pasha, a CUP-affiliated statesman who navigated the empire through the early years of World War I. Mehmed’s ties to the palace bureaucracy, including the enderun (imperial inner service) and the harem, reinforced his symbolic authority, while his interactions with European diplomats were largely mediated by the Sublime Porte (Bâb-ı Âli). His lack of direct involvement in military or administrative affairs limited his personal influence, confining his role to that of a constitutional figurehead.

Legacy & Historiography

Mehmed V’s legacy has been contested by historians, reflecting divergent interpretations of his reign and the broader trajectory of the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Early republican historiography in Turkey, shaped by the nationalist narrative of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, portrayed Mehmed as a passive figurehead whose reign marked the empire’s terminal decline. Conversely, Islamic historiography has emphasized his role as the last Ottoman caliph, framing his 1914 jihad declaration as a valiant, if ultimately futile, attempt to unite the Muslim world against European imperialism. Western scholarship, particularly in the mid-20th century, often dismissed Mehmed’s reign as inconsequential, focusing instead on the CUP’s radical policies, including the Armenian Genocide. Recent reassessments, drawing on Ottoman archival sources and postcolonial critiques, have nuanced this view by examining Mehmed’s symbolic authority and the ways in which his reign intersected with broader processes of modernization, war, and imperial collapse. Contemporary historians debate whether his symbolic role as caliph inadvertently legitimized state violence or whether it provided a framework for later pan-Islamic movements.

References

Akşin, Sina. 2007. Turkey from Empire to Revolution: The Middle East and Europe in Modern Times. London: I.B. Tauris.

Ahmad, Feroz. 1993. The Young Turks: The Committee of Union and Progress in Turkish Politics, 1908–1914. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Hanioğlu, M. Şükrü. 2008. A Brief History of the Late Ottoman Empire. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

Ottoman Imperial Archive. 1914. Fetva-i Şerife of Mehmed V Reşad on the Great Jihad. Istanbul: Başbakanlık Osmanlı Arşivi, Document no. DH.EUM.VRK.10/2.

Shaw, Stanford J., and Ezel Kural Shaw. 1977. History of the Ottoman Empire and Modern Turkey. Vol. 2, Reform, Revolution, and Republic: The Rise of Modern Turkey, 1808–1975. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Tunaya, Tarık Zafer. 1981. Türkiye’de Siyasi Partiler [Political Parties in Turkey]. Istanbul: İletişim Yayınları.

@misc{Mehmed_V,
  title     = {{Mehmed V}},
  author    = {History Network Editorial Team},
  year      = {2023},
  url       = {https://portearchive.com/portearchive/person/Mehmed_V},
  note      = {Accessed April 22, 2026}
}}

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