Yusuf Kamil Pasha ( ota, يوسف كامل پاشا; 1808, Arapgir – 1876,

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 statesman and Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire during the reign of Sultan Abdülaziz.

Life and career

Yusuf Kamil was born in the Anatolian city of Arapgir, and belonged to the Gökbeyi family of the Aq Qoyunlu tribe. His father, Ismâil Beyzâde Mehmed Bey, died when he was young, and he was raised by his uncle Gümrükçü Osman Pasha. While Osman Pasha served as the governor of the

sanjaks Sanjaks (liwāʾ) (plural form: alwiyāʾ) * Armenian: նահանգ (''nahang''; meaning "province") * Bulgarian: окръг (''okrǔg''; meaning "county", "province", or "region") * el, Διοίκησις (''dioikēsis'', meaning "province" ...

of Kayseri and Bozok in

Ankara Eyalet The Eyalet of Ankara or Angora, also known as the Eyalet of Bosok or BozokSÜLEYMAN BEYOĞLU, "KÂMİL PAŞA, Yûsuf", TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi
(08.03.2022). In 1829, after completing his education, Yusuf Kamil entered government service, and worked as a scribe for the Imperial Divan for four years.SÜLEYMAN BEYOĞLU, "KÂMİL PAŞA, Yûsuf", TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi
(08.03.2022).

In Egypt

In 1833, Yusuf Kamil left Istanbul for Egypt. According to rumor, Yusuf Kamil had a dream, and was told that his fortune would be waiting for him if he travelled there.
After entering the service of Mehmed Ali Pasha, he eventually worked his way up in the court, and eventually married Mehmed Ali's daughter, Zeynep Hanim. In 1845, Mehmed Ali Pasha sent Yusuf Kamil on a mission as the Egyptian envoy to the wedding of

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, ...

's daughter

Adile Sultan ota, عدیلہ سلطان , house = Ottoman , house-type = Dynasty , father = Mahmud II , mother = Zernigâr Kadın , birth_date = 23 May 1826 , birth_place = Constantinople, Ottoman Empire (present day Istanbul, Tu ...

Damat Mehmed Ali Pasha Damat Mehmed Ali Pasha (1813–1868) was an Ottoman statesman and diplomat. He served as the Grand Vizier from October 3, 1852, to May 14, 1853, on the eve of the Crimean War. Along with Fuad Pasha, Mehmed Emin Âli Pasha and Mustafa Reşid Pash ...

. He travelled to Istanbul with lavish gifts and tribute. In recognition of his role, the Sultan granted Yusuf Kamil the title ''Mîr-i Mîrân'' ( ota, میر میران), equivalent to the rank of beylerbey.SÜLEYMAN BEYOĞLU, "KÂMİL PAŞA, Yûsuf", TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi
(08.03.2022). Mehmed Ali died in 1849, and was succeeded by his son

Abbas Hilmi Pasha Abbas II Helmy Bey (also known as ''ʿAbbās Ḥilmī Pāshā'', ar, عباس حلمي باشا) (14 July 1874 – 19 December 1944) was the last Khedive ( Ottoman viceroy) of Egypt and Sudan, ruling from 8January 1892 to 19 December 191 ...

, who assigned Yusuf Kamil to a mission to Sudan, which he refused, resulting in his exile to

Aswan Aswan (, also ; ar, أسوان, ʾAswān ; cop, Ⲥⲟⲩⲁⲛ ) is a city in Southern Egypt, and is the capital of the Aswan Governorate. Aswan is a busy market and tourist centre located just north of the Aswan Dam on the east bank of the ...

. For his insubordination, he was stripped of his titles and his properties, and forced to divorce his wife Zeynep Hanim. While in prison, Yusuf Kamil undertook the translation of François Fénelon's Les Aventures de Télémaque into Turkish. After several months of captivity in exile, and many letters written to the Sultan and to the Grand Vizier

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 ...

, Yusuf Kamil was finally released, and was permitted to travel to Istanbul, where he was reunited with his wife.İskender Pala, Yusuf ile Züleyha, Zeynep ile Kamil, ''Zaman gazetesi'', 16.10.2007, Erişim tarihi:02.10.2013

Return to Istanbul

After his return to Istanbul, Kamil Pasha was named to the Supreme Council of Judicial Ordinance ( ota, مجلس والای احکام عدلیه, Meclis-i Vâlâ-yı Ahkâm-ı Adliyye), a predecessor to the first

Ottoman Parliament The General Assembly ( tr, Meclis-i Umumî (French romanization: "Medjliss Oumoumi" ) or ''Genel Parlamento''; french: Assemblée Générale) was the first attempt at representative democracy by the imperial government of the Ottoman Empire. Als ...

. He was also appointed to the General Education Board ( ota, مجلس معارف عموميه, Meclis-i Maârif-i Umûmiye) and the State Council on Science ( ota, انجمن دانش, Encümen-i Daniş). from 1853, Yusuf Kamil was named Minister of commerce for two consecutive terms, appointed to the Supreme Council of the Tanzimat ( ota, مجلس عالی تنظیمات, Meclis-i Âlî-i Tanzîmat) and in 1854 was made the head of the .SÜLEYMAN BEYOĞLU, "KÂMİL PAŞA, Yûsuf", TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi
(08.03.2022). At a

Council of Ministers A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/ shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or nati ...

meeting held at the mansion of Kamil Pasha, concerns were raised about the Eyptian governor Said Pasha's granting of the Suez Canal concession to France, on the grounds that it would increase foreign interference in Egypt, and it was decided that Kamil Pasha would write a letter to the Pasha, who was his brother-in-law, to request that he cancel the concession. Unfortunately, this letter fell into the hands of Vincent, Count Benedetti, the French Ambassador, who complained to the Sultan, and

and Kamil Pasha were both relieved of their positions in the government. Despite this, Kamil Pasha was re-appointed to the Supreme Council of Judicial Ordinance less than a year later. In the same year, Kamil Pasha was given the

Order of Distinction The Order of Distinction is a national order in the Jamaican honours system. It is the sixth in order of precedence of the Orders of Societies of Honour, which were instituted by an Act of Parliament (''The National Honours and Awards Act'') ...

by 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 ...

.SÜLEYMAN BEYOĞLU, "KÂMİL PAŞA, Yûsuf", TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi
(08.03.2022). In 1857, Kamil Pasha and Reshid Pasha travelled to Egypt to represent the president at Said Pasha's son's circumcision. After their return to Istanbul, Reshid Pasha was made Grand Vizier, and Kamil Pasha was appointed the chief of the once again. After the accession of Abdulaziz to the throne, Kamil Pasha returned to Egypt, whence he embarked on a journey to Mecca and Medina with his brother-in-law Said Pasha. Later in that year, the and the were combined into a single council, the , and Kamil Pasha was named vice president. For his long service to the Empire and the Ottoman State, Abdulaziz awarded Kamil Pasha with the

Order of Osmanieh The Order of Osmanieh or Order of Osmaniye ( ota, نشانِ عثمانیہ) was a civil and military decoration of the Ottoman Empire. History The order was created in January 1862 by Sultan Abdülaziz. With the obsolescence of the Nişan-i ...

shortly after becoming sultan.İnal, İbnülemin Mahmut Kemal (1982). ''Son Osmanlı Sadrazamları'' (Cilt 1). İstanbul: Dergâh Yay.

Awards

(1855) *

(1861)

References

1808 births 1876 deaths 19th-century Grand Viziers of the Ottoman Empire {{Ottoman-bio-stub