[1] He was brought up concealed in the villa of Kadir Bey, molla of Mecca, located in Eyüp, because at the time it was forbidden for the Ottoman princes to have children before ascending the throne.

[9] In 1866, then nine years of age, he was appointed Lieutenant colonel in the imperial Ottoman Army,[8][10] and was screaming commands to his battalion in his child's voice during a parade at Pangatlı when Prince Karl von Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen visited Istanbul in October, 1866.

[11] On 3 September 1867, aged ten, Izzeddin received the rank of Colonel,[10] and his father took him along a trip to the European capitals.

[10][11] In 1874, aged seventeen, he appeared with his father, right after the Grand vizier, the Şeyhülislam and the ministers at the awards ceremonies for graduates of the imperial, medical, and military schools.

[11] During the 1867 visit to Europe, rumors spread that contrary to the rules of protocol Abdulaziz arranged Izzeddin's reception in Paris and London before the official heir, Prince Murad.

He spent most of his teenage years in barracks, and many high-ranking military men, and higher level bureaucrats were given gifts in return for their support for this situation.

[11] When the conservative Mahmud Nedim Pasha became the Grand Vizier in September 1871 he lent his support to Abdulaziz's plans.

A whispering campaign was generated in the first months of 1872 to the effect that Abdulaziz had obtained the verbal approval of the Şeyhülislam and that the later would give a fatwa in favour of filial succession.

[11] Although the Palace denied the rumors, and Mahmud Nedim Pasha asserted that such a change was not on the agenda, Izzeddin was still being favoured in the protocol.

[14] In 1874, his portrait and biography appeared on the front page of "L'Orient Illustre", a French language weekly published in Istanbul.

[14] To further legitimize his plans, Abdulaziz tactically supported a change to primogeniture in the Muhammad Ali dynasty of Egypt.

By granting primogeniture to Isma'il Pasha in 1866, Abdulaziz was clearly seeking to create a positive climate of opinion about a change in favour of his own son.

[20] After reigning for three months, Murad was deposed on 30 August 1876,[21] his half-brother, Sultan Abdul Hamid II ascended the throne.

[22] Abdul Hamid was suspicious of Izzeddin, and for this reason had a police station built opposite his country house.

[24] The Committee of Union and Progress considered parliamentarism and constitutionalism important because of the strength of the counterrevolutionary elements in the empire.

When it was rumoured that Abdul Hamid had attempted to change the system of succession in such a way as to leave the throne to his sons, the CUP had reacted against this fiercely.

[25] Izzeddin became heir (Valiahd Şehzade) to the throne upon the accession of his cousin Sultan Mehmed V on 27 April 1909.

In 1911, Izzeddin met with Eugénie de Montijo, widow of Napoleon III, when she paid an unexpected visit to the Ottoman Empire.

However, as the CUP closely followed the contacts between the crown prince and anti-CUP politicians, and could control the public impact of their opposition, this did not amount to a significant threat.

[30] On 14 May 1912, Izzeddin attended the ceremony marking the third anniversary of Sultan Mehmed's reign on Istanbul's Hill of Eternal Liberty.

It is rumoured that his visit to Gallipoli provided the demonstration of the rift between the CUP and Izzeddin, who reprimanded Enver Pasha for sacrificing the lives of thousands of Ottoman soldiers in vain.

[32] In October 1915, Izzeddin and Sultan Mehmed welcomed the Syrian literati, regardless of the obstruction of Hulusi Bey, the governor of Syria.

She was then sent to Cemile Sultan's palace in Kandilli, where her name according to the custom of the Ottoman court was changed to Nazikeda.

[60] At Izzeddin's death, when she was a few months pregnant with their third child, she resided as a guest in Dolmabahçe Palace for four months as she sought the distribution of the estate of the late prince from Sultan Mehmed V.[61] She then settled in Beşiktaş Palace, where she give birth, and finally in Izzeddin's villa in Çamlıca.

[47] Yusuf Izzeddin suffered from his role of heir and lived his later years in a kind of paranoia, fearful that he would be removed from the line of succession.

The Sultan, due to his compassionate character, wrote a note with his very own hand assuring him that he was still the heir.

But the effect of assurances in this matter was momentary; his suspicions returned after a couple of hours again, until he committed suicide[63] on 1 February 1916 in his villa at Zincirlikuyu, Istanbul.

[65] Izzeddin suffered from anxiety and depression, and an attendant recalled that he often refused to drink beverages out of fear of being poisoned.