Grand
Vizier (B. 1815, Istanbul – D. 7 September 1871, Istanbul). His full name is
Mehmed Emin Ali Pasha. Ali Pasha, as one of the most important statesmen of the
Tanzimat (reform) period, served during the rule of Sultan Abdülmecid and
Sultan Abdülâziz five times as Grand Vizier and seven times as Minister of
Foreign Affairs as well as at other important positions. His father Ali Rıza
Efendi was one of the herbalists Spice Bazaar. He started his education in the
neighborhood school. He took Arabic lessons in Beyazıt Mosque for a while.
Since his family’s financial means did not allow him to continue his education
and to obtain a regular education he had to enter business life in a short
time. In 1830 he became an officer in the Imperial Council with the help of a
family friend. Here he developed himself in a short time and learnt official
correspondence and state ethics. While on this duty he started to learn French
and found the opportunity to improve it
at the Translation Office of
the Imperial Council, which was recently established at that time, to where he moved
in 1833. Upon his successful works he was sent to Vienna as a diplomat (second
secretary) together with Major General Ahmet Fethi Pasha in 1835. On his return
from France Mehmed Ali Pasha continued his duty in Translation Office. In 1838
he started a duty, which would affect his future in an important way. He went
to London at the court of Mustafa Reşid Pasha who was assigned to London
embassy in 1838 and gained his trust with his works there. He thus secured
Mustafa Reşid Pasha’s safeguard in his life afterwards.
After
Sultan Abdülmecid succeeded to the crown in 1839, Ali Pasha returned to
Istanbul with Mustafa Reşid Pasha. While continuing his translation duty in
Istanbul he was appointed as the embassador of London, and then to
Undersecretary of Foreign Ministry with the support of Reşid Pasha who was the
Minister of Foreign Affairs. His rapid ascent continued when Mustafa Reşid
Pasha became a Grand Vizier in 1846. He became a Minister of Foreign Affairs in
the same year at the age of 31. During these years, when Reşid Pasha left Grand
Viziership and reassigned to there he also left his duty and returned to it. Ali
Pasha witnessed an important exam of diplomacy the Ottoman Empire passed at
that time and played the leading role in it by opening doors of the Ottoman
Empire to rebels who escaped from the Austrian army. He strongly opposed to the
requests of Austria and Russia about extraditing Hungarian refugees, which was
an important success in European policy of the Ottoman Empire.
In a period
when the Ottoman Empire faced problems at home and abroad at the same time,
Reşid Pasha was discharged from the Grand Vizier status in 1852 and was
appointed as the Grand Vizier at the age of 38. Because of his deep respect to
his protector Reşid Pasha he did not want to accept this duty but upon the
insists of Sultan Abdülmecid he had to accept this duty. After his duty as
Grand Vizier, which lasted a short time, he was assigned to Izmir Prefecture in
1853 and Hüdavendigar Prefecture in 1854. While on this duty, he was appointed Head of Meclis-i Ali-i Tanzimat,
which was granted broad authorities in legislation, and which was created after
Meclis-i Vâlâ-yı Ahkâm-ı Adliye, which was an important institution of
Tanzimat, was split in half.
Ali Pasha
became a Grand Vizier for the second time in 1855 and during this duty, which
lasted for one and a half years, he represented the Ottoman Empire as First
Envoy in Paris Conference, which ended the Crimean War, and he signed the Paris
Peace Treaty. During the conference, Ali Pasha attempted to remove capitulations,
which built a big obstacle for the state to develop, but he could not achieve
the success expected about this issue. He tried to prevent harms as much as
possible, which could occur if foreigners acquired possessions in Turkey and
foreign capital entered the country. However considering the problems the state
faced he followed a different policy and decided to act to gain friendship of
important European states.
The major
topic Ali Pasha was criticized about was his role at signing Royal Edict of
Reform. Ali Pasha was heavily criticized by his opponents, primarily by Reşid
Pasha, when he reorganized the situations of non-Muslim people in the Empire
according to the requests of powerful states with the Royal Edict of Reform
dated 18 February 1856. Because of that, he was discharged from his duty and succeeded
by Reşid Pasha.
Ali Pasha
became the Grand Vizier for the third time in 1858 and during this period, he
sought a remedy for financial situation, which went down after the Crimean War.
Foreign debts, which were acquired with great difficulties and under heavy
conditions, were spent to daily expenditures and since it was not enough, an
additional debt was acquired from moneylenders of Beyoğlu. Ali Pasha could not
find a radical and lasting solution to this situation and he only reduced
expenditures of the palace, therefore he was discharged in 1859.
When Sultan
Abdülaziz succeeded to the crown in 1861 and stayed there until his death in
1871, Ali Pasha served as a Grand Vizier for a period of 10 years when Ali
Pasha had the most influence in the State level of the Ottoman Empire. His
fifth Vizier period which lasted until his death in 1867 was of great important.
Two crisis which occurred in this period, Serbia and Crete issues were solved
with efforts of Ali Pasha. Ali Pasha left last fortified places of Serbia and
Belgrade castles, which were under Ottoman, control to Serbians in 1867. In
order to solve the Crete issue he went to Crete in 1868. In reports he wrote
from there, he defended the idea, “The state has to take the measures to
realize the required reforms of the Christian subjects in order to take this
weapon of deception from their hands”. He prepared a regulation, which
contained a list of permissions and royalties and requested a kind of autonomy
for the island.
Ali Pasha
feared the possibility of a foreign intervention and he followed a careful
policy. After rebels left their weapons with a general amnesty he cut the
connections between the island and Greece. This caused the relations to be
interrupted between Ottomans and Greeks for a while. Ali Pasha made local
Greeks in the island partners to the new administration after Greece was taken
under control. Muslims and Christians took part in the new administration in
equal numbers of representatives. However, this form of solution caused broad
reactions in Istanbul. It was even said that Ali Pasha gave Crete to Greeks.
Another one
of the important works of Ali Pasha during his Grand Vizier period was the opposing
attempts of Ismail Pasha, prefect of Egypt, to be more autonomous in the rule
of Egypt. He steadily managed to prevent impositions of Ismail Pasha to expand
his influence and field of authority.
Ismail Pasha who was granted the title of Hidiv attempted to impose
certain steps, to establish direct political relations with European states
using intrigues and his financial power and acquire debts without the
permission of the Empire. Ali Pasha tried to take measures against these.
Upon the
death of Fuad Pasha in 1869, who was his close friend and another important
person of Tanzimat period Ali Pasha also undertook Ministry of Foreign Affairs
and thus became the only arbiter in the government.
Ali Pasha
who served five times as Grand Vizier, seven times as Minister of Foreign
Affairs and aside from these in countless state duties lost his good health
upon the death of Fuad Pasha, difficulty of the new duties he undertook and
tuberculosis disease he caught. He passed away in Istanbul on the 7th
of September 1871. With his death Tanzimat period, which was regarded as one of
the most important periods of the Ottoman history, was terminated.
Ali Pasha,
his protector Mustafa Reşit Pasha and his friend Fuat Pasha were accepted as
three most important statesmen of Tanzimat period. He was known as a pure and
honest person. Since he was excessively rigid in the rule of the state he was
criticized by some authors such as Namık Kemal, Ziya Pasha and Ali Suavi.
Nevertheless, in a period in which devastating changes and traumas were
experienced at home and abroad he represented the state in different positions
and tried to protect the interests of Ottoman Empire in the best way possible.
