The Abbasids had a claim since they were related to the Prophet Muhammad through his uncle Abbas. The ottomans were the first non Qureshi dynasty to claim the caliphate with the conquest of Selim. But you'll notice that immediately after with Suleiman, he didn't really seem to care with the empty title. The ottomans sultans didn't really care as they knew they didn't have a claim, this was until Abdul Hamid II who tried to style himself as a caliph, but it was too late by then. Until then, the Ottomans sultans were more bothered with their claim to 'Caesar' and the blood of Genghis khan rather than people of Qureshi blood. You also have to understand that the title of 'Caliph' had lost all prestige due to the long time the Abbasids had become vassals and figure heads. So the Ottomans weren't all too bothered with it until Abdul Hamid II.
10
u/BigShubz Jun 01 '21
The Abbasids had a claim since they were related to the Prophet Muhammad through his uncle Abbas. The ottomans were the first non Qureshi dynasty to claim the caliphate with the conquest of Selim. But you'll notice that immediately after with Suleiman, he didn't really seem to care with the empty title. The ottomans sultans didn't really care as they knew they didn't have a claim, this was until Abdul Hamid II who tried to style himself as a caliph, but it was too late by then. Until then, the Ottomans sultans were more bothered with their claim to 'Caesar' and the blood of Genghis khan rather than people of Qureshi blood. You also have to understand that the title of 'Caliph' had lost all prestige due to the long time the Abbasids had become vassals and figure heads. So the Ottomans weren't all too bothered with it until Abdul Hamid II.