Sultan Djem and his alleged Maltese descendants

Djem, son of a sultan

Cem, pronounced Djem, is the son of Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II. He was born on 22 December 1459 in Andrinople and died on 24 February 1495 in Capoue.

His life was full of twists and turns. Maurice Caron dedicated a book to it: Djem, a prince in turmoil which I recommend reading.

Djem had four children (three sons and one daughter):

• Şehzade Pierre-Muhammed
• Şehzade Abdullah
• Şehzade Oghuz-Khan
• Şah Ayşe

Şehzade Pierre-Muhammed had only one son, Pierre-Oshin.

Three generations later, the branch died out.

Ultimately, Djem has no contemporary descendants.

SAYD family

SAYD, or SAID, is a common surname in Malta.

Many genealogists have SAYDs in their family tree. If this is your case, you may have come across Nicola SAYD or Ambrosio SAYD.

These two individuals lived in the 16th century, at the same time as Pierre-Oshin, son of Pierre-Muhammed, grandson of Djem.

In some genealogies, it is found that Nicola, Ambrosio and Pierre Oshin were brothers and, therefore, that Nicola and Ambrosio were also sons of Pierre-Muhammed and thus grandsons of Djem.

But there is no historical evidence of this connection.

Nicola SAYD

According to the notarial records of the time, Nicola SAYD was an "onorabilis vir", an honourable man, meaning a person of high social standing. And in another document, his profession is listed as merchant.

In none of the notarial deeds referring to him are any title or parents specified. Yet if he were truly the grandson of Djem, one could assume that the deeds would indicate his ancestry much more precisely.

Nicola SAYD had two wives, Angela with whom he had four children (Giovanni, Margarita, Giovanperio, Salvatore) and then Isabella CASSIA with whom he apparently had no children. Note that his wife Angela is sometimes named DEL BORGO or even BORGIA, but in fact it is simply because the family was from Borgo (Vittoriosa), as can be seen on the will of Nicolas SAYD.

Gian Francesco ABELA, the great Maltese historian of the time, does not mention Nicola SAYD, but he does mention his son-in-law, Tomeo CASSIA (husband of his only daughter, Margarita). This is consistent with the fact that he was an "honourable man".

Ambrosio SAYD

As for Ambrosio SAYD, there is very little information about him.

He is said to have had three children, Bernardina, Randino and Gregorio. The existence of these three individuals in the 16th century is well established.

The marriage contract of Bernardina SAYD with Giovanni BUSSUTIL tells us that Ambrosio SAYD, her father, was married to Constanza. Note that his mother Constanza is sometimes named DEL BORGO or even BORGIA, but in fact it is simply because the family was from Borgo (Vittoriosa). Furthermore, the witness Nicola is his brother.

However, in the marriage record of Gregorio SAYD with Francesca CIANTAR, his father is listed as a certain Paolo and not Ambrosio.

As for Randino, in his marriage record with Agata CALLEJA, his parents are not specified.

In the end, Ambrosio SAYD had two children, Bernardina and Nicola.

Conclusion

After extensive research and debate, we have reached the conclusion that Djem had no Maltese descendants.

No SAYD family on the island has Djem as an ancestor.

1. Maltese surnames, Joëlle Pawelczyk
2. Aspects of maltese surnames, Mario CASSAR
3. Weddings in Malta in the eighteenth century, Aurore Verié
4. Sultan Djem and his alleged Maltese descendants, by Nicolas VELIN
5. Le légendaire Eugène Matteo d'Armenia, de Loïck PORTELLI
6. Jacques et Marguerite de Pellegrino, de Loïck PORTELLI
7. Headquarters Gozo in 1551 and repopulation of the island (excerpts), Stanley Fiorini
8. Marriage in Malta in the late eighteenth century (excerpts), Frans CIAPPARA
9. The three CUMBO brothers, by Georges GANDER and Nicolas VELIN
10. Nicola SOLTANA, the founder, by Nicolas VELIN
11. Le maréchal Davout est-il Maltais ?, de Loïck Portelli
12. Qui est Marguerite d'Aragon ?, de Loïck PORTELLI
13. Les Racines Maltaises de Gérald DARMANIN