Mustafa Naili Pasha ( tr, Mustafa Naili Paşa or ''Giritli Mustafa Naili Paşa'', literally "Mustafa Naili Pasha of

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, ...

"; 1798–1871) was an Ottoman statesman, who held the office of Grand Vizier twice during the reign of

Abdülmecid 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 ...

, the first time between 14 May 1853 and 29 May 1854, and the second time between 6 August 1857 and 22 October 1857. His office of Grand Vizier has been marked by the tensions between 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) ...

and the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

. His first period of office coincides with the immediate eve of the start 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 ...

and his second, with the aftermath of that war.

Biography

He was raised and started his career in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

under the protection of the Albanian ruler Kavalalı Mehmed Ali Pasha and was of Albanian descentİsmail Hâmi Danişmend, ''Osmanlı Devlet Erkânı'', Türkiye Yayınevi, İstanbul, 1971, p. 81. like the founder of modern

. He suppressed a rebellion of

Cretan Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, an ...

Greeks The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, and, to a lesser extent, oth ...

during the troubles of the 1820s in various Aegean Islands in league with the Greek War of Independence and subsequently (in 1832) was appointed governor to

. On 18 May 1828 he regained

Frangokastello Frangokastello ( el, Φραγκοκάστελλο) is the location of a castle and scattered settlement on the south coast of Crete, Greece, about east of Chora Sfakion Image:Chora Sfakion 1941 evacuation monument.jpg, 200px, Monument com ...

(in Crete), to Ottoman control, from

Hatzimichalis Dalianis Hatzimichalis Dalianis ( el, Χατζημιχάλης Νταλιάνης, 1775 – 17 March 1828) was a revolutionary leader of the Greek War of Independence and commander in Crete in 1828. Greek War of Independence According to some Greek histo ...

. The Ottoman 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, ...

, who had been caught unprepared and without an army of his own (having suppressed the Janissaries), had been forced to seek the aid of his rebellious vassal and rival in

. As of 1832, when Mustafa Naili Pasha got appointed governor of Crete which was under the domains of Mehmet Ali Pasha, he already had been present on the rebellious island for four years, which is why Ottoman records immediately refer to him as "Giritli" (''the Cretan''). His rule attempted to create a synthesis between the Muslim landowners and the emergent Christian commercial classes. Mustafa Naili Pasha's rule has been generally cautious, pro-

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

, and he has tried harder to win the support of the

(having married the daughter of a priest and allowed her to remain Christian) than the

Cretan Turks The Cretan Muslims ( el, Τουρκοκρητικοί or , or ; tr, Giritli, , or ; ar, أتراك كريت) or Cretan Turks were the Muslim inhabitants of the island of Crete. Their descendants settled principally in Turkey, the Dodecanese ...

. In 1834, however, a

committee was already set up in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

to work for the union of the island with

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...

. In 1840,

was forced by

Palmerston Palmerston may refer to: People * Christie Palmerston (c. 1851–1897), Australian explorer * Several prominent people have borne the title of Viscount Palmerston ** Henry Temple, 1st Viscount Palmerston (c. 1673–1757), Irish nobleman an ...

to return

to direct Ottoman rule. For a time, Mustafa Naili Pasha angled unsuccessfully to become a semi-independent prince but the

rose up against him, once more driving the Muslims temporarily into siege in the towns. An

Anglo Anglo is a prefix indicating a relation to, or descent from, the Angles, England, English culture, the English people or the English language, such as in the term ''Anglosphere''. It is often used alone, somewhat loosely, to refer to peopl ...

- Ottoman naval operation restored control in the island and Mustafa Naili Pasha was confirmed as its governor, though under command from

İstanbul ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_in ...

. He remained in

until 1851 when he was summoned to the capital, where at a relatively advanced age he pursued a successful career.

Biography

Sources

See also