Damat Mehmed Ali Pasha (1813–1868) was an Ottoman

statesman A statesman or stateswoman typically is a politician who has had a long and respected political career at the national or international level. Statesman or Statesmen may also refer to: Newspapers United States * ''The Statesman'' (Oregon), a n ...

and

diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...

. He served as the

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 ...

from October 3, 1852, to May 14, 1853, on the eve of the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the de ...

. Along with

Fuad Pasha Mehmed Fuad Pasha (1814 – February 12, 1869), sometimes known as Keçecizade Mehmed Fuad Pasha and commonly known as Fuad Pasha, was an Ottoman administrator and statesman, who is known for his prominent role in the Tanzimat reforms of the ...

Mehmed Emin Âli Pasha Mehmed Emin Âli Pasha, also spelled as Mehmed Emin Aali (March 5, 1815 – September 7, 1871) was a prominent Ottoman statesman during the Tanzimat period, best known as the architect of the Ottoman Reform Edict of 1856, and for his role in ...

and

Mustafa Reşid Pasha Koca Mustafa Reşid Pasha (literally ''Mustafa Reşid Pasha the Great''; 13 March 1800 – 7 January 1858) was an Ottoman statesman and diplomat, known best as the chief architect behind the Ottoman government reforms known as Tanzimat. Born i ...

, he was one of the main reformers of the

Tanzimat The Tanzimat (; ota, تنظيمات, translit=Tanzimāt, lit=Reorganization, ''see'' nizām) was a period of reform in the Ottoman Empire that began with the Gülhane Hatt-ı Şerif in 1839 and ended with the First Constitutional Era in 1876. ...

period.

Early life and career

Mehmed Ali Pasha was born in 1813 in

Hemşin Hemşin ( Armenian: Համշէն ''Hamshen'' or Համամաշէն ''Hamamashen'', literally "Hamam's Hamlet"; Laz and Georgian: ზუგა ''Zuga''), is a town and district of Rize Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey, 57 km from t ...

, a city along the Black Sea coast in modern Turkey, and was of ethnic Hemshin descent. His father was Hacı Ömer Agha. His grandfather, Hacı Ali Agha, was a hazelnut dealer. It was while accompanying his father to Istanbul that Mehmed Ali Pasha opened to himself the doors of a brilliant career. His father was appointed ''Galata Başağası'', or head functionary of the imperial palace of Galata. Mehmed Ali was hired by Ahmed Pasha Pabuççuzâde, grand admiral of the Ottoman fleet from 1828 to 1840. Mehmed Ali made his career in the Palace, which led him to occupy, among others, the function of grand admiral five times between 1845-1847, 1848–1849, 1851-1852, 1855–1858, and 1858–1863. Between 1849–1851, and 1853–1854, he served as serasker. Between 1852-1853, he served as grand vizier.

Personal life

Mehmet Ali Pasha had a brother Mehmed Bey, and a sister Fatma Hanım, who married Mehmed Cemil Pasha, son of grand vizier

. His first wife was Saliha Hanım. With her, he had a son Mahmud Edhem Pasha. Edhem married Refia Sultan, 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

Gülcemal Kadın Gülcemal Kadın ( ota, کل جمال قادین; "''face of rose''" 1826 – 29 November 1851) was a consort of Sultan Abdulmejid I, and the mother of Sultan Mehmed V of the Ottoman Empire. Early life Of Bosnian origin, Gülcemal Kadın was bor ...

on 23 April 1857. After her death in 1880, he married Fatma Nazlı Hanım. With her, he had a son, Mehmed Ali Bey, who died on 6 October 1887. Edhem died on 7 February 1886. His second wife was Adile Sultan, daughter of Sultan

Mahmud II Mahmud II ( ota, محمود ثانى, Maḥmûd-u s̠ânî, tr, II. Mahmud; 20 July 1785 – 1 July 1839) was the 30th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1808 until his death in 1839. His reign is recognized for the extensive administrative, ...

and Zernigâr Hanım. They married on 23 April 1845. The two together had four children, Hayriye Hanımsultan, Sultanzade Isma'il Bey, Sıdıka Hanımsultan, Aliye Hanımsultan. His third wife was Nevkevser Hanım. With her he had a daughter, Hatice Hanım, who married Cemal Bey.

Early life and career

Personal life

See also

References

Further reading