Mehmed V

Reign: 1909 – 1918
Life: 1844–1918

He had little influence over government affairs and his ministries showed little regard for the Ottoman constitution. The first half of his reign was marked by increasingly polarizing politics, and the second half by war and domination of the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP) and the Three Pashas. The Italo-Turkish War saw the cession of the Empire's North African territories and the Dodecanese Islands, including Rhodes, during which the CUP was forced out of power by the military. This was followed by the traumatic loss of almost all of the Empire's European territories west of Constantinople (now Istanbul) in the First Balkan War, and the return of a now radicalized CUP rule in another coup.

During Mehmed V's reign, Wilhelmina of the Netherlands ruled Netherlands, Wilhelm II ruled Prussia, and Franz Joseph I of Austria ruled Austria.

Want to learn more? Further reading

Osman's Dream: The History of the Ottoman Empire 1300–1923 by Caroline Finkel

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The World During Their Reign

The most notable rulers who held power elsewhere at the same time, from European courts to Ottoman, Mughal, and Chinese thrones.

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From the library

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