Ağa Yusuf Pasha (Yusuf Pasha the Agha), also known as Gürcü Yusuf Pasha (Yusuf Pasha the Georgian), was an 18th-century Ottoman military leader and

Grand vizier Grand vizier ( fa, وزيرِ اعظم, vazîr-i aʾzam; ota, صدر اعظم, sadr-ı aʾzam; tr, sadrazam) was the title of the effective head of government of many sovereign states in the Islamic world. The office of Grand Vizier was first ...

. Yusuf Pasha was of

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

origin and a devshirme. In 1710, he was appointed Agha of the Janissaries, commander of the Janissary corps. As a military leader, he became successful during the Pruth River Campaign (1710–1711). By the

Treaty of Pruth The Treaty of the Pruth was signed on the banks of the river Prut between the Ottoman Empire and the Tsardom of Russia on 23 July 1711 ending the Russo-Turkish War of 1710–1711. The treaty was a political victory for the Ottoman Empire. The ...

(1711),

Peter the Great Peter I ( – ), most commonly known as Peter the Great,) or Pyotr Alekséyevich ( rus, Пётр Алексе́евич, p=ˈpʲɵtr ɐlʲɪˈksʲejɪvʲɪtɕ, , group=pron was a Russian monarch who ruled the Tsardom of Russia from t ...

of the Russian Empire agreed to provide a free passage for King

Charles XII of Sweden Charles XII, sometimes Carl XII ( sv, Karl XII) or Carolus Rex (17 June 1682 – 30 November 1718 O.S.), was King of Sweden (including current Finland) from 1697 to 1718. He belonged to the House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, a branch line of t ...

to return to his country. The next year, Ağa Yusuf Pasha was appointed grand vizier. However, although a component commander, he lacked the skill of a statesman. When Peter the Great refused to allow a free passage for Charles XII,

Ottoman Sultan The sultans of the Ottoman Empire ( tr, Osmanlı padişahları), who were all members of the Ottoman dynasty (House of Osman), ruled over the transcontinental empire from its perceived inception in 1299 to its dissolution in 1922. At its hei ...

Ahmed III Ahmed III ( ota, احمد ثالث, ''Aḥmed-i sālis'') was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and a son of Sultan Mehmed IV (r. 1648–1687). His mother was Gülnuş Sultan, originally named Evmania Voria, who was an ethnic Greek. He was born at H ...

(r. 1703–1730) decided to declare war on Russia. But Ağa Yusuf Pasha persuaded the Sultan to give up the idea believing that Peter the Great would finally follow the terms of the treaty. However, the Russian Tsar was still reluctant, and the angered Sultan dismissed Ağa Yusuf Pasha from his post as grand vizier on 11 November 1712. Although he was exiled to the island of Rhodes, soon he was executed under the direct orders of Sultan

.Ayhan Buz: ''Osmanlı Sadrazamları'' pp.172–173

References

{{Grand Viziers of Ottoman Empire Georgians from the Ottoman Empire Devshirme 18th-century Ottoman military personnel Pashas 18th-century Grand Viziers of the Ottoman Empire Exiles from the Ottoman Empire 18th-century executions by the Ottoman Empire