Biography
Murad V was born Şehzade Mehmed Murad on 21 September 1840 at the Çırağan Palace in Constantinople, the son of Sultan Abdulmejid I. When his uncle Abdulaziz took the throne in 1861 Murad became heir, and he accompanied Abdulaziz on his visits to Egypt in 1863 and to Europe in 1867.
Murad favoured turning the empire into a constitutional monarchy, and Abdulaziz's efforts to make his own son heir pushed Murad towards the ministers who overthrew Abdulaziz on 30 May 1876. Murad was proclaimed sultan the same day.
His reign was undone by poor health: a nervous condition, worsened by heavy drinking, led to a mental breakdown. After 93 days he was deposed on 31 August 1876 in favour of his half-brother Abdul Hamid II.
Murad spent the rest of his life confined in the Çırağan Palace. Supporters tried several times to free him and restore him, most notably in the Çırağan incident of May 1878, but each attempt failed and only tightened his isolation. He died at Çırağan on 29 August 1904.
