Rodosizade Ahmed Fethi Pasha (born 1801 in

Rhodes Rhodes (; el, Ρόδος , translit=Ródos ) is the largest and the historical capital of the Dodecanese islands of Greece. Administratively, the island forms a separate municipality within the Rhodes regional unit, which is part of the S ...

– died 1858 in

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...

), was an Ottoman marshal, ambassador and industrialist, who belonged to the

Turks of the Dodecanese The Turks of the Dodecanese ( tr, On İki Ada Türkleri, lit. ''Turks of the Twelve Islands'') are a community of 5,500 Turkish-speaking people and ethnic Turks as well as Greek Muslims living on the Dodecanese islands of Rhodes ( tr, Rodos) ...

Career

Prior to becoming a Marshal, Ahmed served as ambassador to

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

in 1833,

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

in 1834-1836 and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

in 1837-1839.Wendy M. K. Shaw, ''Possessors and Possessed: Museums, Archaeology, and the Visualization of History in the Late Ottoman Empire'', (University of California Press, 2003), 47. His last diplomatic assignment was as the representative of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

coronation A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the presentation of ot ...

. In 1839, Ahmed returned to Constantinople for Sultan Abdulmejid I's coronation and to marry Abdulmecid's sister

Atiye Sultan Atiye Sultan ( ota, عطیه سلطان; "''gift''"; 2 January 1824 – 11 August 1850) was an Ottoman princess, the daughter of Sultan Mahmud II and Pervizifelek Kadın. She was the half-sister of Sultans Abdulmejid I and Abdulaziz. Early li ...

.Wendy M. K. Shaw, ''Possessors and Possessed: Museums, Archaeology, and the Visualization of History in the Late Ottoman Empire'', 48. As an industrialist he was intent on bringing the Ottoman Empire into the modern age. Ahmed started steel factories and the famous Beykoz porcelain factory, which carried the insignia Product of Istanbul (''Eser-i Istanbul''). In 1846, Ahmed, now marshal of the Imperial arsenal,Wendy M. K. Shaw, ''Possessors and Possessed: Museums, Archaeology, and the Visualization of History in the Late Ottoman Empire'', 46. turned the

Hagia Irene Hagia Irene ( el, Αγία Ειρήνη) or Hagia Eirene ( grc-x-byzant, Ἁγία Εἰρήνη , "Holy Peace", tr, Aya İrini), sometimes known also as Saint Irene, is an Eastern Orthodox church located in the outer courtyard of Topkapı Palac ...

into a military antiques museum. It is possible Ahmed gained his inspiration for the conversion of the

into a museum, from touring European museums during his career as an ambassador. Through his work, he created the first Ottoman museum.

Personal life

Ahmed Fethi Pasha was the son of Rodoslu Hafız Ahmed Agha and Saliha Hanım. He was the grandson of Hasan Agha and the great-grandson of Ramazan Agha. After his father's death, his mother married Hacı Bey, the Sanjak Bey of Artvin. His first wife was Ayşe Şemsinur Hanım (died 4 July 1881). She had been a slave girl, who was brought to Istanbul at a young age during the Chios rebellion in 1821, and was brought up by his mother. With her, he had two sons, Mehmed Besim Pasha (died 1850) and Damad Mahmud Celaleddin Pasha (1834 – 1884), and three daughters Ferdane Hanım, Saliha Yeğane Hanım (died 1922) and Emine Güzide Hanım (1848 – 1909). From his second wife, Atiye Sultan, he had two daughters, Seniye Hanımsultan (4 October 1843 – 1913) and Feride Hanımsultan (30 April 1847 – 1920). Mahmud Celaleddin Pasha married

Cemile Sultan Cemile Sultan ( ota, جمیله سلطان; "''beautiful, radiant''"; 17 August 1843 – 26 February 1915) was an Ottoman princess, the daughter of Sultan Abdulmejid I and Düzdidil Hanım. She was the half sister of Sultans Murad V, Abdul Hami ...

, daughter of Sultan

Abdulmejid I Abdulmejid I ( ota, عبد المجيد اول, ʿAbdü'l-Mecîd-i evvel, tr, I. Abdülmecid; 25 April 182325 June 1861) was the 31st Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and succeeded his father Mahmud II on 2 July 1839. His reign was notable for the r ...

and Düzdidil Hanım. The two together had six children, three sons, Sultanzade Besim Bey, Sultanzade Mehmed Celaleddin Bey, Sultanzade Mehmed Sakıb Bey, and three daughters, Fethiye Hanımsultan, Ayşe Sıdıka Hanımsultan, and Fatma Hanımsultan. Saliha Yeğane married Bekir Bey and had three children, two sons, Hasan Bey and Alaaddin Bey and one daughter, Ferdane Hanım. Emine Güzide married Mehmed Said Pasha, and had five children, two sons, Memduh Bey and Mehmed Said Bey, and three daughters, Ayşegül Mediha Hanım, Fatma Saide Hanım, and Saliha Yeğane Hanım.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ahmed Fethi Pasha 1801 births 1858 deaths People from Rhodes Ambassadors of the Ottoman Empire to Austria Ambassadors of the Ottoman Empire to France Ambassadors of the Ottoman Empire to the Russian Empire 19th-century diplomats 19th-century businesspeople from the Ottoman Empire