Zeki Pasha

İzzettin Çalışlar İzzettin Çalışlar (1882 in Yanya ( Ioannina), Janina Vilayet – August 20, 1951 in Istanbul) was an officer of the Ottoman Army and a general of the Turkish Army. He also served as a politician and was a prominent member of the Kemalist ...

, ''On yıllık savaşın günlüğü: Balkan, Birinci Dünya ve İstiklal Savaşları'', Yapı Kredi Yayınları, 1997, ( tr, Zeki Paşa; 1862–1943), known as Mehmet Zeki Baraz Kolaç Kılıçoğlu after the 1934

Surname Law Surname law can refer to any law regulating the use of surnames. Canada From 1941 to 1978, the Government of Canada issued disc numbers to identify Inuit in their records. In the mid-1960s Project Surname began, and, headed by Abe Okpik, Inuit w ...

,Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu name, ''Osmanlı Askerlik Literatürü Tarihi: History of Military Art and Science Literature during the Ottoman Period'', İslâm Tarih, Sanat ve Kültür Araştırma Merkezi (IRCICA), 2004, was an Ottoman

Balkan Wars The Balkan Wars refers to a series of two conflicts that took place in the Balkan States in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan States of Greece, Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria declared war upon the Ottoman Empire and defe ...

and

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

field marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

of the

Ottoman Army The military of the Ottoman Empire ( tr, Osmanlı İmparatorluğu'nun silahlı kuvvetleri) was the armed forces of the Ottoman Empire. Army The military of the Ottoman Empire can be divided in five main periods. The foundation era covers the ...

. He was of Circassian descent.

Career

He graduated from the

Ottoman Military Academy The Turkish Military Academy ( tr, Kara Harp Okulu) is a four-year co-educational military academy and part of the National Defence University. It is located in the center of Ankara, Turkey. Its mission is to develop cadets mentally and ph ...

in 1883 and the Staff College in 1887. In 1894, as Commandant of the IV Corps, he was decorated for his participation during the Sassoun massacre. During the massacres, he reportedly stated, "not finding any rebellion we cleared the country so none should occur in the future." In 1912–1913, he was commander of the

Vardar Army The Vardar Army of the Ottoman Empire ( Turkish: ''Vardar Ordusu'') was one of the field armies under the command of the Western Army. It was formed during the mobilisation phase of the First Balkan War. Order of Battle, October 19, 1912 On O ...

during the

First Balkan War The First Balkan War ( sr, Први балкански рат, ''Prvi balkanski rat''; bg, Балканска война; el, Αʹ Βαλκανικός πόλεμος; tr, Birinci Balkan Savaşı) lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and invo ...

. Following the orders of

Nazim Pasha Subahdar, also known as Nazim or in English as a "Subah", was one of the designations of a governor of a Subah (province) during the Khalji dynasty of Bengal, Mamluk dynasty (Delhi), Khalji dynasty, Tughlaq dynasty, Mughal era ( of India who w ...

, Chief of Staff of the Ottoman Army, Zeki Pasha initiated the

Battle of Kumanovo The Battle of Kumanovo ( sr, / , tr, Kumanova Muharebesi), on 23–24 October 1912, was a major battle of the First Balkan War. It was an important Serbian victory over the Ottoman army in the Kosovo Vilayet, shortly after the outbreak of ...

against

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

. His failure to emplace key artillery hindered the forces under his command and led to their defeat at Kumanovo. During the frantic Ottoman retreat from Kumanovo, a disgruntled Ottoman soldier attempted to assassinate him, contributing to the panic. The Vardar Army; consisting of the

VII Corps 7th Corps, Seventh Corps, or VII Corps may refer to: * VII Corps (Grande Armée), a corps of the Imperial French army during the Napoleonic Wars * VII Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army prior to and during World War I * VII ...

commanded by Fethi Pasha, the

VI Corps 6 Corps, 6th Corps, Sixth Corps, or VI Corps may refer to: France * VI Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry formation of the Imperial French army during the Napoleonic Wars * VI Corps (Grande Armée), a formation of the Imperial French army du ...

commanded by Djavid Pasha and the

V Corps 5th Corps, Fifth Corps, or V Corps may refer to: France * 5th Army Corps (France) * V Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * V Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Ar ...

commanded by Kara Said Pasha, all under Zeki Pasha's command, retreated to Monastir (present day:

Bitola Bitola (; mk, Битола ) is a city in the southwestern part of North Macedonia. It is located in the southern part of the Pelagonia valley, surrounded by the Baba, Nidže, and Kajmakčalan mountain ranges, north of the Medžitlija-Níki ...

) after the defeat at

Kumanovo Kumanovo ( mk, Куманово ; also known by other #Etymology, alternative names) is a city in North Macedonia and the seat of Kumanovo Municipality, the List of municipalities in the Republic of Macedonia by population, largest municipali ...

. Zeki Pasha established a strong defensive position on the Oblakovo heights northwest of Monastir prior to the battle. However, during the

Battle of Monastir The Battle of Monastir took place near the town of Bitola, Macedonia (then known as Monastir) during the First Balkan War, between Serbian and Ottoman forces from 16 to 19 November 1912. It resulted in a Serbian victory after heavy fighting ...

, Serbian artillery and infantry managed to defeat the Ottomans. Fethi Pasha was among the casualties. On 21 November 1914, he was assigned the Ottoman liaison officer to

Kaiser Wilhelm II Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor (german: Kaiser) and List of monarchs of Prussia, King of Prussia, reigning from 15 June 1888 until Abdication of Wilhelm II, his abdication on 9 ...

and was sent to

German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

. The German General Ludendorff described him as a “noble Ottoman and reliable friend of Germany, an amazingly discreet and good advocate of his army.”Ludendorff: “Meine Kriegserinnerungen”. Berlin, 1919, p. 202 He led the Ottoman delegation that signed the armistice with Russia on 15 December 1917. After the armistice, he returned to Constantinople and served as the Ottoman Chief of General Staff between 23 October 1920 and 1 November 1922. He retired from the army in 1923. File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-R92623, Brest-Litowsk, Waffenstillstandsabkommen.jpg, Zeki Pasha (bottom left) led the Ottoman delegation that signed the armistice with Russia.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zeki Pashas 1862 births 1943 deaths Syrian people of Turkish descent People from Aleppo Ottoman Military Academy alumni Ottoman Military College alumni Ottoman military personnel of the Balkan Wars Ottoman military personnel of World War I Field marshals of the Ottoman Empire Ottoman military personnel of the Italo-Turkish War Turkish people of Circassian descent