MOHAMMED V, 35th Turkish sultan in male descent of the house of Othman: b. 3 Nov. 1844; d. 3 July 1918. A son of Sul tan Abdul Medjid (d. 1861), he succeeded his elder brother Abdul Hamid II (q.v.) on the latter's deposition and exile, 27 April 1909. From his early manhood until the day when he was unexpectedly placed on the throne in his 65th year, Mohammed Reshad Effendi — as he was called — had been a state prisoner in close confinement in a palace on the Bosphorus. By the law of succession observed in the reign ing family, the crown devolves according to seniority upon the male descendants of Othman (the founder of the empire) sprung from the Imperial Harem, whence all children, whether of free women or of slaves, are legitimate and of equal lineage. During his long captivity Mohammed had seen three sultans come and go — his uncle, the gloomy Abdul Aziz, and his two brothers, the insane Murad (d. 1902)
and the °Great Assassin;' Abdul Hamid (d. 10 Feb. 1918). All three had been deposed after reigning 15 years, three months, and 33 years. respectively. Of .very limited education, totally ignorant of the world and inexperienced in the mysteries of state-craft, he had been dragged from obscurity in his old age and suddenly made the ruler of 20,000,000 people. Mr. Mor genthau, former United States Ambassador to Turkey, described him as "simply a quiet, easy going, gentlemanly old man° of a °benevolent, gentle nature.° Lacking the strength and cun ning of his famous brother, he easily became a quiescent tool in the hands of the Young Turkey leaders. His personal share in the government of Turkey before and during the war may be described as nil.' He was suc ceeded by Mohammed VI. See TURKEY.