Can I be:Ottoman Empire? ; well, not anymore.

[Viking]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8273396.stm

So, last living Ottoman is gone. So you can't be: Ottoman Empire. You can only be: Republic of Turkey.

'Last Ottoman' dies in Istanbul
By Roger Hardy
Middle East analyst

Ertugrul Osman - the would-be sultan known in Turkey as the "last Ottoman" - has died in Istanbul at the age of 97.

Osman would have been sultan of the Ottoman Empire had Turkey's modern republic not been created in the 1920s.

As the last surviving grandson of Sultan Abdul-Hamid II, he would have been known as his Imperial Highness Prince Shehzade Ertugrul Osman Effendi.

Born in Istanbul in 1912, Osman spent most of his years living modestly in New York.

No political ambition

He was a 12-year-old at school in Vienna when he heard the news that his family was being expelled by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the soldier who founded the modern Turkish republic out of the ashes of the old empire.

Osman eventually settled in New York, where for more than 60 years he lived in a flat above a restaurant.

Always insisting he had no political ambition, he only returned to Turkey in the early 1990s at the invitation of the government.

During the visit, he went to Dolmabahce - the palace by the Bosphorus where he had played as a child.

Characteristically, he joined a tour group in order to avoid any red-carpet treatment.

Ertugrul Osman is survived by his wife, Zeynep, a relative of the last king of Afghanistan.

[The Brain]

Was he: sick man of America?

[Drakken]

There are no scion from cadet branches of the House of Osman alive today, either? Seems unlikely.

[The Brain]

Who cares?

I lol at all that ex-royalty who are called royals by the masses. If the family doesn't have a throne you are ex-royalty, ie not worth shit.

[Josquius]

There are no scion from cadet branches of the House of Osman alive today, either? Seems unlikely.

Indeed.
But meh, you know journalists, sensationalism FTW.


One good thing I notice- this is kept in the 'Europe' as opposed to 'Middle East' section of the news. Take that continental Turkophobes!

[Drakken]

Who cares?

I lol at all that ex-royalty who are called royals by the masses. If the family doesn't have a throne you are ex-royalty, ie not worth shit.

But unless the ex-royalty is some former Swedish-style impotent bicycle monarchy or a piss-poor sheepherders' country, they are usually a shitload richer than you and me, and thus better.

[Drakken]

There are no scion from cadet branches of the House of Osman alive today, either? Seems unlikely.

Indeed.
But meh, you know journalists, sensationalism FTW.


One good thing I notice- this is kept in the 'Europe' as opposed to 'Middle East' section of the news. Take that continental Turkophobes!

Exactly. And the house of Osman was renowned to pass power to Sultans' brothers as well, especially when they adopted succession by seniority by the 18th century to prevent anymore fratricide in the Kefes, as it had become totally unproductive to massacre potential heirs. So even the concept of "main line" is totally unknown to Ottoman Empire: as long as you descended from Osman, you were of the House.

For instance, the main Romanov line got exterminated through and through (except for those still fantasizing about that Polish hobo Anna Anderson), and no one would dare pretend that the Romanov dynasty is now extinguished, despite what the Russian Commies would like to believe.

And this is covered by their "Middle East Correspondent". Too bad, Tyr. 

[Vince]

Does this give the US any claims on Turkish provinces? 

[Gambrinus]

a relative of the latest king of Afghanistan

Fixed 

[jimmy olsen]

Was just gonna post this. 

[Caliga]

Was just gonna post this. 

Scooped again!? You're fired, Jimmy!  Aw gee, Mr. White

[Ed Anger]

Was just gonna post this. 

Scooped again!? You're fired, Jimmy!  Aw gee, Mr. White

he hasn't even posted the water on teh moon story either. 

[The Minsky Moment]

I remember this guy; there was a big profile on him in the Times 5 years or so ago.  He lived in a rent-controlled walkup apartment in a brownstone in the east 70s.  As I recall, he was having some issues with his landlord (not surprsing; he had occupied the apartment for 50-60 years and was paying virtually no rent).  very well-mannered, modest sort of guy.

[Caliga]

I remember this guy; there was a big profile on him in the Times 5 years or so ago.  He lived in a rent-controlled walkup apartment in a brownstone in the east 70s.  As I recall, he was having some issues with his landlord (not surprsing; he had occupied the apartment for 50-60 years and was paying virtually no rent).  very well-mannered, modest sort of guy.

I remember that profile.

[saskganesh]

There are no scion from cadet branches of the House of Osman alive today, either? Seems unlikely.

There's no cadets. TheSultans killed all their brothers.