Mehmed Sabahaddin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mehmed Sabahaddin
His Highness Prince Sultanzade Sabahaddin
Born	13 February 1879 Constantinople, Ottoman Empire
Died	30 June 1948(1948-06-30) (aged 69) Neuchâtel, Switzerland
Spouse	Tabinak Hanım Kamuran Hanım
Issue	First marriage Fethiye Kendi Sabahaddin
Dynasty	House of Osman
Father	Mahmud Celaleddin Pasha
Mother	Seniha Sultan
Religion	Sunni Islam

Sultanzade Mehmed Sabahaddin (born February 13, 1879, died June 30, 1948) was an important Ottoman prince, a thinker who studied how societies work (a sociologist), and a leader. He was a member of the ruling Ottoman family, the House of Osman. However, he believed in different ideas about how the country should be run. He wanted more democracy and political freedom in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Because of his ideas and actions, he was sent away from his home country. He also helped start a political group called the Liberty Party.

Sabahaddin was related to the Ottoman rulers through his mother, Seniha Sultan. Even so, he was part of a group called the Young Turks. This group wanted to change the way Sultan Abdul Hamid II ruled, as they disagreed with his absolute power. Sabahaddin was inspired by a French thinker named Émile Durkheim. He is seen as one of the first people to bring the study of sociology to Turkey. He created several groups that promoted ideas like giving more power to local areas (decentralization) and allowing private businesses to grow (privatization). These groups included the Private Initiative and Decentralization Committee (Turkish: Teşebbüs-i Şahsi ve Adem-i Merkeziyet Cemiyeti), the Liberty Party, and the Freedom and Accord Party. These groups often disagreed with another powerful political group called the Committee of Union and Progress. Sabahaddin's ideas are still seen as important for understanding some political views in Turkey today.

The Early Life of Prince Sabahaddin

Sabahaddin (right) with his brother Lütfullah.

Mehmed Sabahaddin was born in the city of Istanbul in 1879. His mother was Seniha Sultan, who was the daughter of Ottoman Sultan Abdulmejid I. This meant Sabahaddin had royal blood! His grandfather was Sultan Abdulmejid, and his uncles included several other Sultans. His father was Mahmud Celaleddin Pasha. Because of his mother's royal family, he was called a Sultanzade, but he often preferred to be known as a Prince.

Sabahaddin received a very good education right in the Ottoman palace. He learned many subjects, including Western ideas. For a while, he was not allowed to leave his home. This happened when his father, who was a close friend of Sultan Abdul Hamid II, lost his job. His father was thought to be involved in a political event called the Raid on the Çırağan Palace. Young Sabahaddin was very interested in natural sciences and learned to speak French.

Prince Sabahaddin's Exile and New Ideas

In late 1899, Sabahaddin, his brother Ahmed Lutfullah, and his father left the Ottoman Empire. His father had disagreed with Sultan Abdul Hamid II. They first went to Great Britain, then to Geneva, and later to Paris. In Paris, Prince Sabahaddin quickly became an important figure among the Young Turks, a group wanting change. He had an advantage because he was from the royal family and his father was a government minister. In France, he met a thinker named Edmond Demolins and became interested in social sciences, which study how people live and interact in groups.

Sabahaddin believed in economic policies that allowed private businesses to thrive. He also wanted a government where power was shared more with local areas, rather than being controlled only from the center. These ideas were different from those who wanted a strong national economy controlled by the government. These different views caused disagreements within the Young Turk movement. From 1900 to 1908, he worked to bring together different groups, including Christians and Muslims, to achieve his goals.

Political Gatherings and New Parties

On February 4, 1902, Prince Sabahaddin organized a meeting called the "First Congress of Ottoman Opposition." Here, the different ideas among the Young Turks became very clear. Prince Sabahaddin thought they should remove Sultan Abdul Hamid II from power, possibly with help from Britain. Another leader, Ahmed Rıza, disagreed with using foreign help or a revolution. When asked what kind of government they wanted, Sabahaddin and his supporters suggested a "decentralized government" that would encourage individual efforts. Ahmed Rıza's group, the Committee of Union and Progress, defended a "centralized Constitutional Monarchy." These different ideas are still seen as important in Turkish politics today.

After this first meeting, Prince Sabahaddin formed a group called the Ottoman Freedom-Lover's Committee. He tried to make changes in 1902, but it was not successful. In 1906, he founded the Private Initiative and Decentralization Committee. He also started a journal called Terakki. This journal promoted his ideas of local control in government and free enterprise in economics. Many people, especially minorities and merchants in the empire, supported his journal. The society opened branches in cities like Istanbul, Izmir, Alanya, and Damascus.

Return to the Ottoman Empire and Further Challenges

After the Young Turk Revolution in 1908, when the Committee of Union and Progress gained power, Prince Sabahaddin returned home. He started the Liberty Party, which shared his political views and opposed the Committee of Union and Progress. However, his party did not win many votes in the 1908 general election. The party was later linked to a political event called the 31 March Incident and was closed down. Sabahaddin was arrested but later released. He was later accused again and sentenced to death while he was away, so he had to leave the country once more.

He also helped create the Freedom and Accord Party. After the Raid on the Sublime Porte on January 23, 1913, his supporters planned to overthrow the government. During this event, a leader named Shevket Pasha was sadly killed on June 11, 1913. The people responsible were caught and punished, and Prince Sabahaddin was forced to flee to Paris. He lived in different European cities during World War I and led the opposition from Switzerland.

Later Life and Legacy

In 1919, after the end of the Committee of Union and Progress's rule, Sabahaddin returned to Istanbul. He published a book called Türkiye Nasıl Kurtarılabilir? (How Can Turkey Be Saved?), which had been banned before. He supported the Turkish National Movement in Anatolia led by Mustafa Kemal Pasha. However, after the Turkish Republic was formed in 1924, a law was passed that forced members of the House of Osman to leave the country. Prince Sabahaddin returned to Switzerland. In his later years, he faced many challenges and difficulties due to his political struggles and exile. He passed away in 1948 in Neuchâtel, Switzerland.

Prince Sabahaddin in 1946

His body was brought back to Turkey in 1952. He was buried in the Halil Rıfat Pasha Tomb in the Eyüpsultan district of Istanbul, next to his father and grandfather.

Prince Sabahaddin's Family

Sabahaddin had two wives during his life:

• Tabinak Hanım, whom he married in 1898. They had one daughter:
  • Fethiye Kendi Hanım Sabahaddin (1899 - 1986). She did not marry or have children.
• Kamuran Hanım, who was Tabinak's younger sister. They married after his first marriage ended.

How Prince Sabahaddin Influenced Others

Prince Sabahaddin's ideas and connections also influenced many people around him. For example, he met John G. Bennett in 1920. Bennett was working for the British Army in Istanbul after World War I. Sabahaddin encouraged Bennett to explore ideas about spirituality by suggesting books to read. He also introduced Bennett to an English woman, Winifred "Polly" Beaumont, who later became Bennett's wife. One of the most important introductions Sabahaddin made for Bennett was to G.I. Gurdjieff, a person Bennett considered a very important teacher in his life.

Prince Sabahaddin's Writings

Prince Sabahaddin wrote several important works where he shared his ideas:

• Türkiye Nasıl Kurtarılabilir? (How Can Turkey Be Saved?)
• Teşebbüs-ü Şahsi ve Tevsi-i Mezuniyet Hakkında Bir İzah (An Explanation on Private Initiative and Extension of Authority)
• Teşebbüs-ü Şahsi ve Adem-i Merkeziyet Hakkında İkinci Bir İzah (A Second Explanation on Private Initiative and Decentralization)
• İttihat ve Terakki Cemiyetine Açık Mektuplar (Open Letters to the Committee of Union and Progress)
• Mesleğimiz Hakkında Üçüncü ve Son Bir İzah (A Third and Final Explanation on Our Profession/Path)

Ancestry

See also

• Sultanzade
• Young Turk
• Seniha Sultan