Abdulmecid

Abdulmecid may refer to several historical figures in the Ottoman Empire and Turkish history. The two most prominent are Abdulmecid I (Abdülmecid I) and Abdulmecid II (Abdülmecid II).

Abdulmecid I was the 31st Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, reigning from 1839 to 1861. He was the son of Mahmud II and the father of Abdulaziz. His reign coincided with the early Tanzimat reforms, which began with the Gülhane Edict of 1839 and aimed to modernize the empire’s administration, legal framework, and military, while attempting to guarantee the security of life and property for subjects. The era saw efforts to centralize bureaucracy, codify laws, and pursue Western-style administrative changes. The empire engaged in the Crimean War (1853–56) during this period, aligning with reformist powers. Abdulmecid I died in 1861 and was succeeded by his son.

Abdulmecid II was the last Caliph of the Ottoman Caliphate, born in 1868. He was elected Caliph in 1922, after the Ottoman sultanate had been dissolved, and served in this religious title until the caliphate was abolished by the Turkish parliament in 1924. After 1924, Abdulmecid II lived in exile in Western Europe, where he remained a symbolic figure for some time. He died in 1944 in Paris.

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