Şehzade Abdürrahim Hayri

Şehzade Abdurrahim Hayri Efendi ( ;15 August 1894 – 1 January 1952) was an Ottoman prince, son of Sultan Abdul Hamid II and Peyveste Hanım.

Early life

Şehzade Abdurrahim Hayri was born on 15 August 1894 in the Yıldız Palace. His father was Sultan Abdul Hamid II, son of Abdulmejid I and Tirimüjgan Kadın, and his mother was Peyveste Hanım, daughter of Osman Bey Eymhaa and Hesna Çaabalurhva. He was the only child of his mother. In 1899, he was circumcised together with Şehzade Mehmed Cemaleddin, son of Şehzade Mehmed Şevket and Şehzade Mehmed Abdülhalim, son of Şehzade Selim Süleyman.

At the overthrow of his father in 1909, the fifteen-year-old prince and his mother followed Abdul Hamid into exile at Thessaloniki. In 1910, the prince and his mother returned to Istanbul. After Thessaloniki fell to Greece in 1912, Abdul Hamid also returned to Istanbul, and settled in the Beylerbeyi Palace, where he died in 1918.

Education and career After receiving education from the Palace School, Abdurrahim was enrolled in the Imperial School of Military Engineering in 1908. He was then enrolled in the Ottoman Military College in 1910, where he graduated in 1912.

Abdurrahim, along with other princes, Şehzade Mehmed Abdülhalim, son of Şehzade Selim Süleyman, and Şehzade Osman Fuad, son of Şehzade Mehmed Selaheddin, was sent to the Potsdam Military Academy as the guests of Kaiser Wilhelm II, where Şehzade Ömer Faruk, a son of Abdulmejid II, later joined them. The Kaiser had admitted these four princes into the Imperial Guard of Hussars, the personal guard regiment of the Kaiser. Abdurrahim graduated from the Potsdam Military Academy, and served as an artillery officer, between the years 1914–1916, at the court of Kaiser Wilhelm.

Marriages Abdurrahim's first wife was Nebile Emine Hanım, daughter of Egyptian prince Abbas Halim Pasha. She was born on 1 June 1899. They married on 4 June 1919 in the Nişantaşı Palace. She was mother of Mihrişah Selçuk Sultan born on 14 April 1920. Emine Hanım's sister, Kerime Hanım married Şehzade Osman Fuad, son of Şehzade Mehmed Selaheddin.

Personal interests Abdurrahim was an artist and a musician. He received his musical education from Aranda Pasha and maestro-composer Edgar Manas, who performed the orchestration of Turkish national anthem. He played various instruments like piano, mandolin and cello. He used to paint landscapes by using charcoal and pastels. In 1900, he made the oil painting of Italian prince, Victor Emmanuel III of Italy when he visited Istanbul as heir to the throne. In 1910, he visited Istanbul secondly as a king, and presented Abdurrahim with a silver pen to express his gratitude by appreciating the gift of prince's oil painting. Order of Glory, Jeweled Order of Distinction, Jeweled Order of Osmanieh, Jeweled Order of Medjidie, Jeweled Imtiyaz Medal in Silver; in Gold Liakat Medal in Gold

Foreign honours German Empire: Order of Merit

Military appointments Military ranks and appointments 1914 – 1916: Artillery Officer, Imperial German Army

Issue Şehzade Hayri had a daughter and a son: Mihrişah Selçuk Sultan (14 April 1920 - 11 May 1980) - with Nebile Emine Hanim. Born Istanbul, Nişantaşı Palace, died Montecarlo, buried Cairo. She married twice: On 7 October 1940, Il Cairo, with Ahmed El-Djezouli Ratib (1912-1972). By him she had two daughters and a son: Hatice Türkan Hanimsultan Ratib (b. 1941). She married twice, with Hussein Fahmy, by she had two daughters, Melek Fahmy (b. 1966) and Nesrine Fahmy (b. 1968), both married with issue, and with Yoursi Musa. Mihrimah Hanimsultan Ratib (1943-1946). Sultanzade Turan Ibrahim Ratib (b. 3 May 1950, Giza). He married Anne de Montozon de Leguilhac on 27 July 1974 a Bogotà and had a daughter, Fatma Nimet Selçuk Mahiveche Ratib (b. 11 July 1976, Rio de Janeiro) and a son, Karim Ratib (n. 13 July 1978, Bogotà). On 7 April 1966, Paris, with Ismail Asim. Şehzade Mehmed Hairi (1925 - 1975) - with Feride Mihrişah Misalruh Hanım. Born in exile in Paris, he married a French woman by whom he had no children. He died of cancer in Paris.

Ancestry