He was born on 29 May 1868 in Constantinople, Ottoman Empire, a son of Sultan Abdülaziz I and Hayranidil Kadinefendi. He became Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and Caliph of Islam upon the death of his first cousin, Mehmed VI, on 16 May 1926. He reigned until his death on 23 August 1944 in Constantinople. He was succeeded by his relative Ahmed IV.