Abdülmecid II or Abdul Mejid II (; ; 29 May 1868 – 23 August 1944), commonly known as Abdülmecid Efendi, was the last Ottoman caliph, the only caliph elected by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, and head of the Osmanoğlu family from 1926 to 1944. Unlike previous caliphs, he used the title Halîfe-i Müslimîn ("Caliph of the Muslims") instead of Emîrü'l-Mü'minîn ("Commander of the Faithful"). who was mostly recognized in the Arab world. three or four movement chamber pieces to be played by his wives, kalfas, and apprentices. While officially confined to the palaces, he often skirted this restriction as he enjoyed talking with the people. He also had an interest in painting and was himself a painter, developing realist art in the Ottoman Empire. After the Young Turk Revolution, he was free from confinement and was a benefactor to the Ottoman Artist's Society. He was also a talented pianist. He was interested in literature and founded the Pierre Loti Society in 1920 to promote the works of the author and translate them into Turkish.

According to testimonies, he agreed with marriages between cousins within the Ottoman dynasty to reduce tensions within the dynasty.

Crown Prince

On 4 July 1918, Mehmed VI Vahdeddin became Sultan and Abdulmejid was named Veliahd. on 24 November 1922.

The choice of Abdulmejid as caliph was not evident for all Muslims, and there was significant criticism from within and outside the Ottoman Empire. There was indeed a conflict among Muslims, especially in Palestine, over whether to pledge allegiance to King Hussein's Sharifian Caliphate or the much shaken Ottoman Caliphate. Western colonial powers, such as France or the United Kingdom, were very attentive to these developments. The vast majority of Muslims seem to have chosen to recognize him, especially in British India.

thumb|Abdülmecid Efendi being informed of his deposition as Caliph

As Caliph Abdulmejid was unhappy about the transfer of certain responsibilities from Istanbul to Ankara; for instance, he was angry about the relocation of a military band unit. He wanted his title to make him a head of state instead of president Mustafa Kemal Pasha. He soon requested a raise in his allowance, making his position a political issue. He received support from the conservatives in the parliament, and in December 1923, an open letter authored by the Aga Khan and Ameer Ali was published in the press requesting support for the Caliphate, else an Islamic world without a Caliphate would create discord. Prime Minister İsmet İnönü did not have a chance to review the petition before its publication in the newspapers and the government attacked Abdulmejid's supporters as promoting foreign interests. Kemalist propaganda used the fact that he occupied the infamous Yıldız Palace in Istanbul, and he was subsequently portrayed as having unjustly claimed it for himself.

In the last session of the budget negotiations on 3 March 1924, Urfa Deputy Sheikh Saffet Efendi and his 53 peers demanded the abolition of the caliphate, arguing it was not necessary any more. This was approved by majority of the votes and Law 431 was established. With the same law, it was decided to expel all members of the Ottoman family, and confiscate their property. Princesses were allowed 10 days to leave the country, princes 24 hours, and Abdulmejid was informed he was to leave immediately. For the second time, he had to deal with his residence being cordoned and communications cut by the government. When he was informed of the decision he said the following: "I am not a traitor. I will not leave here even if I die. How can they forcibly remove me from these lands that my ancestor Fatih conquered?"

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, however, offered the caliphate to Ahmed Sharif as-Senussi, on the condition that he reside outside Turkey; Senussi declined the offer and confirmed his support for Abdulmejid. He was succeeded by Hussein bin Ali in the Arab world, with the support of his cousin, Mehmed VI but that attempt ended soon after with the Saudi conquest of Hejaz.

Exile and death

thumb|Abdülmecid II and [[Dürrüşehvar Sultan|Dürrüşehvar in Promenade des Anglais, Nice, France]]

Although Abdulmejid and his family were upset about this decision, they did not want the people to revolt, so with his wives Şehsuvar, Hayrünisa, and Mehistî, and his son Ömer Faruk, and daughter Dürrüşehvar, they secretly went to Çatalca by car from the Dolmabahçe Palace at 5:00 the next morning. Here, after being hosted by the head of the Rumeli Railways Company for a while, they were put on the Simplon Express. When he left Turkey, he traveled to Switzerland. However, contrary to expectations, he was not greeted by a delegation or ceremony but simply as an ordinary traveler. In Switzerland, he said multiple times that the abolition of the caliphate was contrary to Sharia and illegitimate since it was abolished without the consent of all Muslims, and that this would bring chaos to the Islamic world and a rise of extremism. But after the Turkish government put pressure on the Swiss government, Abdulmejid was never allowed to give such speeches in Switzerland again. After staying in Switzerland for a while, he moved to Nice, France in October 1924. They chose not to reside with Mehmed VI who had already established himself in Sanremo. Abdulmejid believed he alone should hold power of attorney to recover lost family properties in post Ottoman countries, especially in Iraq. Mehmed VI objected to Abdulmejid's use of the title Caliph because he never renounced the title for himself, and believed he should have power of attorney. This feud ended upon Mehmed's death in 1926, and in a conference of the royal family, Abdulmejid was effectively declared the familial patriarch. He believed in this conference that Mustafa Kemal's regime was soon to collapse, and a restoration of the monarchy was imminent, though this never happened.

He was also in a difficult financial situation, one third of his income came from the emir of Afghanistan and an Indian maharaja. In 1930 and 31 his daughter Dürrüşehvar Sultan and his niece Nilüfer Hanım Sultan married the sons of the Nizam of Hyderabad, one of the richest people in the world; thanks to this, his financial situation improved. As he did not get the anticipated support from the Islamic world for the restoration of the caliphate, he started to focus more on worship, painting, and music. His death coincided with the Liberation of Paris from the German occupation. Despite the efforts of Dürrüşehvar Sultan, the Turkish government did not permit his funeral to be held in Turkey. Subsequently, his remains were preserved at the Grand Mosque of Paris for ten years. Finally, when the mosque could no longer maintain his body, his body was subsequently moved to Medina, where he was then buried. His predecessor, Mehmed VI, was buried in Damascus, by Faisal I. This is explained by the prohibition imposed by the Kemalists, Atatürk and then İnönü, who prohibited the former caliph from being buried in Turkey. He was also connected to the French artist Adolphe Thalasso, who dedicated some works to him.

He is considered one of the most important painters of late period Ottoman art. His paintings of the harem, showing a modern musical gathering, and of his wife, Şehsuvar Hanım, reading Goethe's novel Faust, express the influence of western Europe in his elite circle. These were displayed at a 1917 exhibition of Turkish art in Vienna. His personal self-portrait can be seen at the Istanbul Museum of Modern Art.

Abdulmejid was also an avid collector of butterflies, an activity that he pursued during the last 20 years of his life. His favourite magazine was Revue des deux Mondes.

  • Order of Glory, Jeweled
  • Şehsuvar Hanım (2 May 1881 – 1945). They married on 22 December 1896 and had a son.
  • Hayrünnisa Hanım (2 March 1876 – 3 September 1936). She was born in Bandirma, Turkey. They married on 18 June 1902 in Ortakoy Palace. She died in Nice. Hayrünisa was extremely well educated and a cello virtuoso. She was portrayed by her husband while playing.
  • Atiye Mehisti Hanım (27 January 1892 – 1964). She was born in Adapadari. They married on 16 April 1912 in Bağlarbaşı Palace and had a daughter. She died in London.
  • Mihrimah Bihruz Hanım (24 May 1903 – 1955). She was born in İzmit. They married on 21 March 1921 in Çamlıca Palace. She died in Istanbul.

Issue

Abdülmecid II had a son and a daughter: