List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Sultan of the Ottoman Empire
Osmanlı padişahı
Imperial
Imperial Coat of arms

Last to reign Mehmed VI 4 July 1918 – 1 November 1922

Details
Style	His Imperial Majesty
First monarch	Osman I (c. 1299–1323/4)
Last monarch	Mehmed VI (1918–1922)
Formation	c. 1299
Abolition	1 November 1922
Residence	Palaces in Istanbul: Eski Saray Topkapı (1460s–1853) Dolmabahçe (1853–1889; 1909–1922) Yıldız (1889–1909)
Appointer	Hereditary

Ottoman Imperial Standard

Family tree of Ottoman Sultans

The Ottoman Empire in 1683, when it was at its largest.

The sultans of the Ottoman Empire were powerful rulers. They belonged to the Ottoman dynasty, also known as the House of Osman. These sultans ruled a huge empire that stretched across different continents. It began around 1299 and ended in 1922.

At its peak, the Ottoman Empire was enormous. It reached from Hungary in the north to Yemen in the south. In the west, it included Algeria, and in the east, Iraq. The first capital was Söğüt, then Bursa. Later, it moved to Adrianople (now Edirne) in 1363. Finally, in 1453, Mehmed II captured Constantinople (today's Istanbul), making it the new capital.

The early history of the Ottoman Empire mixes facts with legends. The empire started at the end of the 13th century. Its first ruler, Osman I, gave the empire its name. The Ottoman family he started ruled for six centuries. There were 36 sultans in total. The Ottoman Empire ended after World War I. It had sided with the losing Central Powers. The winning Allies divided the empire. This led to the Turkish War of Independence. The sultanate was officially ended in 1922. This also led to the creation of the modern Republic of Turkey.

What were the Sultans called?
The Sultan's Role in the Empire
List of Sultans
Images for kids
See also

What were the Sultans called?

The Ottoman ruler was often called the padishah. This word was commonly used in the empire. In Europe, people sometimes called him the Grand Turk. This meant he was the ruler of the Turks. Sometimes, he was simply called the "Great Lord." This was especially true in the 16th century.

People in different parts of the empire used other names too. For example, in some Arabic documents, he was called "malik" (king). Bulgarians sometimes called him the "tsar." Greeks used the name "basileus," which was a title for Byzantine emperors.

The Sultan's Role in the Empire

For most of its history, the Ottoman Empire was an absolute monarchy. This means the sultan had complete power. By the late 1400s, the sultan was at the top of everything. He was in charge of politics, the military, justice, society, and religion. He had many titles.

The sultan was believed to be responsible only to God and God's law. This law was called şeriat (or sharia in Arabic). The sultan was the main person to carry out this law. His power was seen as a gift from heaven. Titles like "shadow of God on Earth" showed this belief. He was also called the "caliph of the face of the earth." This meant he was a leader of Islam.

All government jobs were given by the sultan. Every law he made was a special order called a firman. He was also the supreme military commander. He officially owned all the land. Osman I was the first ruler of the Ottoman state. At first, it was a small area called a beylik near the Byzantine Empire.

After Mehmed II conquered Constantinople in 1453, Ottoman sultans saw themselves as heirs to the Roman Empire. They sometimes used titles like "caesar" of Rûm or "emperor." They also became the caliphs of Islam. When a new Ottoman ruler took the throne, there was an important ceremony. He was given the Sword of Osman. This was like a coronation for European kings. If a sultan wasn't given the sword, his children couldn't become rulers.

Even though sultans had absolute power in theory, their power was limited in practice. They had to listen to important family members. They also had to consider the opinions of government officials, military leaders, and religious leaders. From the late 1500s, the sultans' direct control over the government started to lessen. This period is known as the Transformation of the Ottoman Empire.

Women in the imperial harem also played a big role. The reigning sultan's mother, called the valide sultan, was very powerful behind the scenes. They effectively ruled the empire during a time known as the Sultanate of Women.

Later, the empire became a Constitutional monarchy. This happened during the reign of Abdul Hamid II. He was the last absolute ruler and the first constitutional monarch. He tried to go back to ruling alone in 1878. He got rid of the parliament and the constitution. But in 1908, he was forced to bring back constitutional rule and was later removed from power. Today, the head of the House of Osman is Harun Osman. He is a great-grandson of Abdul Hamid II.

List of Sultans

Poster showing Sultans of the Ottoman Dynasty, from Osman I (upper left corner) to Mehmed V (large portrait in the center)

This section lists the Ottoman sultans in order. It also includes the last Ottoman caliph. Each sultan had a special calligraphic seal or signature called a tughra. These were on all official papers and coins. They were more important for identifying a sultan than his picture.

In the early Ottoman Empire, when a sultan died, his sons would often fight for the throne. This was called "survival of the fittest." The strongest son would become the next ruler. This fighting sometimes caused delays between a sultan's death and his successor taking power.

In 1617, the rule for who would become sultan changed. It became based on agnatic seniority. This meant the oldest male in the family would become sultan. Because of this new rule, a sultan's own son rarely took the throne after him. Instead, it was usually an uncle or a brother. This system continued until the sultanate was abolished.

No.	Sultan	Portrait	Reign	Tughra	Notes	Coinage
Early Ottoman Empire (1299 – 1453)
1	Osman I		c. 1299 – c. 1324 (25 years~)	N/A	Son of Ertuğrul Bey. Ruled until his death.
2	Orhan		c. 1324 – March 1362 (38 years~)		Son of Osman I. Ruled until his death.
3	Murad I		March 1362 – 15 June 1389 (27 years, 3 months)		Son of Orhan. Died in battle at the Battle of Kosovo.
4	Bayezid I		15 June 1389 – 20 July 1402 (13 years, 35 days)		Son of Murad I. Captured by Timur at the Battle of Ankara. Died while imprisoned.
Time Without a Clear Sultan (20 July 1402 – 5 July 1413)
—	İsa Çelebi		January – March/May 1403 (3–5 months)	N/A	Co-sultan in Anatolia. Defeated by Mehmed Çelebi.	N/A
—	Süleyman Çelebi		20 July 1402 – 17 February 1411 (8 years, 212 days)		Ruled the European part of the empire. Killed.
—	Musa Çelebi		18 February 1411 – 5 July 1413 (2 years, 137 days)	N/A	Ruled the European part of the empire. Killed by Mehmed Çelebi's forces.
—	Mehmed Çelebi		1403 – 5 July 1413 (10 years)	N/A	Controlled Eastern Anatolia as a co-Sultan. Became the sole ruler of Anatolia.
Sultanate Resumes
5	Mehmed I		5 July 1413 – 26 May 1421 (7 years, 325 days)		Son of Bayezid I. Ruled until his death.	N/A
—	Mustafa Çelebi	N/A	January 1419 – May 1422 (3 years, 4 months)	N/A	Sultan of Rumelia. Son of Bayezid I. Executed by Murad II.
6	Murad II		25 June 1421 – August 1444 (23 years, 2 months)		Son of Mehmed I. Gave up the throne to his son Mehmed II.
7	Mehmed II		August 1444 – September 1446 (2 years, 1 month)		First reign. Son of Murad II. Gave the throne back to his father.
(6)	Murad II		September 1446 – 3 February 1451 (4 years, 5 months)		Second reign. Returned to the throne after a Janissary uprising. Ruled until his death.	N/A
Ottoman Empire Grows (1453–1550)
(7)	Mehmed II		3 February 1451 – 3 May 1481 (30 years, 89 days)		Second reign. Conquered Constantinople in 1453. Ruled until his death.
8	Bayezid II		19 May 1481 – 25 April 1512 (30 years, 342 days)		Son of Mehmed II. Gave up the throne. Died shortly after.
—	Cem Sultan		28 May – 20 June 1481 (23 days)		Son of Mehmed II. Died in exile.
9	Selim I		25 April 1512 – 21 September 1520 (8 years, 149 days)		Son of Bayezid II. Conquered the Mamluks. Became the first Ottoman Caliph. Ruled until his death.
10	Suleiman I		30 September 1520 – 6 September 1566 (45 years, 341 days)		Son of Selim I. Died of natural causes during a siege.
Changes in the Ottoman Empire (1550–1700)
11	Selim II		29 September 1566 – 15 December 1574 (8 years, 77 days)		Son of Suleiman I. Ruled until his death.
12	Murad III		27 December 1574 – 16 January 1595 (20 years, 20 days)		Son of Selim II. Ruled until his death.
13	Mehmed III		16 January 1595 – 22 December 1603 (8 years, 340 days)		Son of Murad III. Ruled until his death.
14	Ahmed I		22 December 1603 – 22 November 1617 (13 years, 335 days)		Son of Mehmed III. Ruled until his death.
15	Mustafa I		22 November 1617 – 26 February 1618 (96 days)		Son of Mehmed III. Removed from power due to mental health issues.	N/A
16	Osman II		26 February 1618 – 19 May 1622 (4 years, 82 days)		Son of Ahmed I. Removed from power and killed by a Janissary riot.
(15)	Mustafa I		20 May 1622 – 10 September 1623 (1 year, 113 days)		Second reign. Returned to the throne after Osman II's death. Removed again due to poor mental health.	N/A
17	Murad IV		10 September 1623 – 8 February 1640 (16 years, 151 days)		Son of Ahmed I. Ruled with his mother as regent at first. Ruled until his death.	N/A
18	Ibrahim		9 February 1640 – 8 August 1648 (8 years, 181 days)		Son of Ahmed I. Removed from power and killed by a coup.	N/A
19	Mehmed IV		8 August 1648 – 8 November 1687 (39 years, 92 days)		Son of Ibrahim. Ruled with his grandmother and mother as regents at first. Removed from power after a military defeat.	N/A
20	Suleiman II		8 November 1687 – 22 June 1691 (3 years, 226 days)		Son of Ibrahim. Ruled until his death.
21	Ahmed II		22 June 1691 – 6 February 1695 (3 years, 229 days)		Son of Ibrahim. Ruled until his death.	N/A
22	Mustafa II		6 February 1695 – 22 August 1703 (8 years, 197 days)		Son of Mehmed IV. Removed from power by a Janissary uprising.
Decline and Reform (1700–1827)
23	Ahmed III		22 August 1703 – 1 October 1730 (27 years, 40 days)		Son of Mehmed IV. Removed from power by a Janissary rebellion.
24	Mahmud I		2 October 1730 – 13 December 1754 (24 years, 72 days)		Son of Mustafa II. Ruled until his death.
25	Osman III		13 December 1754 – 30 October 1757 (2 years, 321 days)		Son of Mustafa II. Ruled until his death.
26	Mustafa III		30 October 1757 – 21 January 1774 (16 years, 83 days)		Son of Ahmed III. Ruled until his death.
27	Abdul Hamid I		21 January 1774 – 7 April 1789 (15 years, 76 days)		Son of Ahmed III. Ruled until his death.
28	Selim III		7 April 1789 – 29 May 1807 (18 years, 52 days)		Son of Mustafa III. Removed from power by a Janissary revolt. Killed later.
29	Mustafa IV		29 May 1807 – 28 July 1808 (1 year, 60 days)		Son of Abdul Hamid I. Removed from power by an uprising. Executed later.	N/A
Modern Ottoman Empire (1827–1908)
30	Mahmud II		28 July 1808 – 1 July 1839 (30 years, 338 days)		Son of Abdul Hamid I. Disbanded the Janissaries. Ruled until his death.
31	Abdulmejid I		1 July 1839 – 25 June 1861 (21 years, 359 days)		Son of Mahmud II. Started the Tanzimat period of reforms. Ruled until his death.
32	Abdulaziz		25 June 1861 – 30 May 1876 (14 years, 340 days)		Son of Mahmud II. Removed from power by his ministers. Died shortly after.
33	Murad V		30 May – 31 August 1876 (93 days)		Son of Abdulmejid I. Removed from power due to mental health issues.	N/A
34	Abdul Hamid II		31 August 1876 – 27 April 1909 (32 years, 239 days)		Son of Abdulmejid I. Allowed a constitution, then suspended it. Forced to restore the constitution later. Removed from power after an incident.
35	Mehmed V		27 April 1909 – 3 July 1918 (9 years, 67 days)		Son of Abdulmejid I. Ruled as a figurehead (symbolic leader). Ruled until his death.
36	Mehmed VI		4 July 1918 – 1 November 1922 (4 years, 120 days)		Son of Abdulmejid I. The sultanate was abolished during his reign. Left Istanbul and died in exile.
Caliph under the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (1 November 1922 – 3 March 1924)
—	Abdulmejid II		19 November 1922 – 3 March 1924 (1 year, 106 days)	—	Son of Abdulaziz. Sent into exile after the Caliphate was abolished.	—