Selilm V (1875 - March 13, 1923) was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from the death of his father in 1901 until his own death from cancer on March 13, 1923. Known as a modernizer, Selim V's great contribution to the empire was his construction of improved roads and railroads throughout both Anatolia and the Balkans as automobile transit became more common in Europe, and the economy of Turkey grew significantly under his reign. He suffered from cancerous tumors in the last three years of his life, leaving his son Osman as official regent until his death, upon which his son became Osman IV, widely regarded as the greatest Ottoman Sultan since Suleiman the Magnificent.