Mediha Sultan (; "''the praised one''"; 30 July 1856 – 9 November 1928) was an Ottoman princess, the daughter of Sultan

Abdulmejid I ʻAbd al-Majīd (ALA-LC romanization of , ), also spelled as Abd ul Majid, Abd ul-Majid, Abd ol Majid, Abd ol-Majid, and Abdolmajid, is a Muslim male given name and, in modern usage, surname. It is built from the Arabic words '' ʻabd'' and ''al-Maj ...

and Gülistü Kadin. She was the full sister of Sultan

Mehmed VI Mehmed VI Vahideddin ( ''Meḥmed-i sâdis'' or ''Vaḥîdü'd-Dîn''; or /; 14 January 1861 – 16 May 1926), also known as ''Şahbaba'' () among the Osmanoğlu family, was the last sultan of the Ottoman Empire and the penultimate Ottoman Cal ...

and the half-sister of the Sultans

Murad V Murad V (; ; 21 September 1840 – 29 August 1904) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 30 May to 31 August 1876. The son of Abdulmejid I, he supported the conversion of the government to a constitutional monarchy. His uncle Abdulaziz ...

Abdul Hamid II Abdulhamid II or Abdul Hamid II (; ; 21 September 184210 February 1918) was the 34th sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1876 to 1909, and the last sultan to exert effective control over the fracturing state. He oversaw a Decline and modernizati ...

and

Mehmed V Mehmed V Reşâd (; or ; 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 ...

Early life

Mediha Sultan was born on 30 July 1856 at the

Dolmabahçe Palace Dolmabahçe Palace ( ) is a 19th-century imperial palace located in Istanbul, Turkey, along the European shore of the Bosporus, which served as the main administrative center of the Ottoman Empire from 1856 to 1887 and from 1909 to 1922. Histor ...

. Her father was Sultan

, son of Sultan

Mahmud II Mahmud II (, ; 20 July 1785 – 1 July 1839) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1808 until his death in 1839. Often described as the "Peter the Great of Turkey", Mahmud instituted extensive administrative, military, and fiscal reforms ...

and

Bezmiâlem Sultan Bezmiâlem Sultan (also spelled Bazimialam, ; 1807 – 2 May 1853), was a consort of Sultan Mahmud II, and Valide sultan to their son, Sultan Abdülmecid I of the Ottoman Empire. Early years Bezmiâlem Kadın, called also Bazimialam, was born in ...

. Her mother was Gülistü Kadın, daughter of Prince Tahir Bey Chachba. She had two elder twin sisters Zekiye Sultan and Fehime Sultan, death as baby, and a younger brother,

. In 1861 She lost both her parents, her father from

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

and her mother from

cholera Cholera () is an infection of the small intestine by some Strain (biology), strains of the Bacteria, bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea last ...

. She was then entrusted to the care of one other of her father's consort,

Verdicenan Kadın Verdicenan Kadın (; "''Heart's decision''" or "''Heart's jury''"; born Saliha Achba; 18259 December 1889) was a consort of Sultan Abdulmejid I of the Ottoman Empire. Early life Verdicenan Kadın was born in 1825 in Sukhum. Her original name ...

. The relationship between the two was like mother and daughter. As Verdicenan lost her daughter Münire Sultan in 1862, she kept Mediha under close surveillance, and always helped her whenever she had problems. Her brother was entrusted to the care of Şayeste Hanim.

First marriage

Mediha fell in love with Ahmed Necib Pasha, son of Sheikh Necibzade Sami Bey, whom she had happened to see. Her uncle, Sultan

Abdulaziz Abdulaziz (; ; 8 February 18304 June 1876) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 25 June 1861 to 30 May 1876, when he was overthrown in a government coup. He was a son of Sultan Mahmud II and succeeded his brother Abdulmejid I in 1861. Ab ...

, approved of this marriage, and the preparations for the wedding preparations began during his reign. Abdul Hamid who had frowned on Necib's family because they had connections with

Ali Suavi Ali Suavi (; 8 December 1839 – 20 May 1878) was an Ottoman Turks, Ottoman Turk political activist, journalist, educator, theologian and reformer. He was exiled to Kastamonu because of his writings against List of sultans of the Ottoman Empir ...

, sent Necib to Paris. It was only when Verdicenan Kadın appealed to

Perestu Kadın Rahime Perestu Sultan ( and 'swallow'; 1830 – 1904), also known as Rahime Perestu Kadın, was the first legal wife of Sultan Abdulmejid I of the Ottoman Empire. She was given the title and position of Valide sultan (Queen mother) when Abdul ...

that Necib was recalled. He was made a pasha and the marriage was arranged. Her dowry was prepared in 1876, along with her half-sisters

Behice Sultan Behice Sultan (; 6 August 1848 – 30 November 1876) was an Ottoman princess, daughter of Sultan Abdulmejid I and Nesrin Hanım. She was the half-sister of Sultans Murad V, Abdul Hamid II, Mehmed V, and Mehmed VI. Early life Behice Sultan was bo ...

Seniha Sultan Seniha Sultan (; "''Pearl''"; 5 December 1851 – 15 September 1931) was an Ottoman princess, the daughter of Sultan Abdulmejid I and Nalandil Hanım. She was the half-sister of Sultans Murad V, Abdul Hamid II, Mehmed V, and Mehmed VI. Early li ...

and Naile Sultan. The marriage contract was concluded on 22 January 1879 and the wedding took place on 8 June at the

Yıldız Palace Yıldız Palace (, ) is a vast complex of former imperial Ottoman Empire, Ottoman pavilions and villas in Beşiktaş, Istanbul, Turkey, built in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was used as a residence by the List of sultans of the Ottoman ...

. The couple was allocated Tarlabaşı Palace as their residence. The two together had a son, Sultanzade Sami Bey born in 1880, who later became personal aide-de-camp to Abdul Hamid and served in the Ertuğrul Regiment. As a member of the entourage of

Şehzade Mehmed Abdülkadir Şehzade Mehmed Abdülkadir Efendi (; 16 January 1878 – 16 March 1944) was an Ottoman prince, the son of Sultan Abdul Hamid II and his consort Bidar Kadın. Early life Şehzade Mehmed Abdülkadir was born on 16 January 1878 in the Yıldız P ...

, he participated in ceremonial occasions and at the Royal Mosque Processions each Friday, following on horseback behind Abdul Hamid. Mediha was widowed at Necib Pasha's death in April 1885.

Second marriage

After Necib Pasha's death, Abdul Hamid betrothed her to

Mehmed Ferid Pasha Mehmed Ferid Pasha () (, ; 1851, Yanya, Ottoman Empire (modern-day Ioannina, Greece) – 1914, Sanremo, Kingdom of Italy) was an Ottoman-Albanian statesman. He served as the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire from 15 January 1903 until 22 July ...

, in 1885. The marriage took place on 29 April 1886. Mediha Sultan's deputy was Hafız Behram Bey and Ferid Pasha's deputy was

Gazi Osman Pasha Osman Nuri Pasha (‎; 1832, Tokat, Ottoman Empire – 4 to 5 April 1900, Constantinople, Ottoman Empire), also known as Gazi Osman Pasha (), was an Ottoman Turkish field marshal. Being one of the most respected and decorated Ottoman pa ...

, However, no children came of this marriage. Mediha and her husband, Ferid Pasha, settle in the Baltalimanı Water Front Palace, which was left emptied after Fatma Sultan's death in 1884, After which her palace in Tarlabaşı was allocated to

Zekiye Sultan Zekiye Sultan (; "''innocent, untainted''"; 12 January 1872 – 13 July 1950) was an Ottoman princess, the daughter of Sultan Abdul Hamid II and Bedrifelek Kadın. Early life and education Zekiye Sultan was born on 12 January 1872 in the Dolmab ...

, daughter of Sultan Abdul Hamid, who lived here after her marriage in 1889. In October 1898, she met with the German Empress Augusta Victoria in the harem of the

, when the latter visited Istanbul with her husband Emperor

Wilhelm II Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia from 1888 until Abdication of Wilhelm II, his abdication in 1918, which marked the end of the German Empire as well as th ...

. In her memoir, Ayşe Sultan, daughter of

, remembered: "Familiar as he was with his sisters' (

and Mediha Sultan) habit of chattering away rapidly and guffawing, Abdülhamid II had counselled and beseeched them to behave in a dignified fashion, but nonetheless the sisters fell back on their old habits. Baba ("dad", the Sultan Abdul Hamid II) felt compelled to tell the Empress, "Please forgive my sisters, they're a bit nervous." Mediha was widowed at Ferid Pasha's death in 1923.

Death

At the fall of Sultanate in 1922, Mediha Sultan went to live in

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, where her husband died. After, she moved first to

Menton Menton (; in classical norm or in Mistralian norm, , ; ; or depending on the orthography) is a Commune in France, commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region on the French Riviera, close to the Italia ...

and after to

Sanremo Sanremo, also spelled San Remo in English and formerly in Italian, is a (municipality) on the Mediterranean coast of Liguria, in northwestern Italy. Founded in Roman times, it has a population of 55,000, and is known as a tourist destination ...

, with her brother

. After his death in 1926 she back to Nice, where she died on 9 November 1928, at the age of seventy-two. In last years she was on bad terms with her son. He refused to take care of her and did not go to her funeral. She was buried to Nice.

Personality

Mediha was fond of European ways. She dressed beautifully and with great dignity appearing splendidly regal in her gowns with their long trains. She was petite with white skin and gorgeous black eyes, and she resembled her father. In manner, she was gracious, attractive, and wonderfully kind. Everyone in the palace loved this princess. As did

, she too spoke laughingly, with an air of good humour in her voice. When these two sisters were together chatting with their brother Sultan Abdul Hamid, they would both laugh and try to amuse him and get him to smile as though they were in competition with one another.

Honours

Order of the House of Osman The Order of the House of Osman (, Modern ) was an Order (honour), order of the Ottoman Empire founded on 31 August 1893 by Sultan Abdul Hamid II. It was awarded to senior male and female members of the Ottoman dynasty, Imperial family, statesmen ...

* Order of the Medjidie, Jeweled * Order of Charity, 1st Class * Hicaz Demiryolu Medal in Gold *

Iftikhar Sanayi Medal The Iftikhar Sanayi Medal was a medal of the Ottoman Empire. It was first granted by Sultan Abdulhamid II Abdulhamid II or Abdul Hamid II (; ; 21 September 184210 February 1918) was the 34th sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1876 to 1909, and ...

in Gold

Issue

Ancestry

References

Sources

* * * * {{Daughters of the Ottoman Sultans People from the Ottoman Empire of Abkhazian descent 1856 births 1928 deaths 19th-century Ottoman princesses 20th-century Ottoman princesses Turkish emigrants to France Daughters of Abdulmejid I