Kör Yusuf Ziyaüddin Pasha ("Yusuf Ziyaüddin

Pasha Pasha (; ; ) was a high rank in the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman political and military system, typically granted to governors, generals, dignitary, dignitaries, and others. ''Pasha'' was also one of the highest titles in the 20th-century Kingdom of ...

the Blind"), also known as Yusuf Ziya Pasha (died 1819), was an Ottoman statesman of Georgian origin, who twice served as the

Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire The grand vizier of the Ottoman Empire ( or ''Sadr-ı Azam'' (''Sadrazam''); Ottoman Turkish language, Ottoman Turkish: or ) was the ''de facto'' prime minister of the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, sultan in the Ottoman Empire, with the absolute p ...

in 1798–1805 and 1809–1811. Before, between and after his terms as grand vizier, he served numerous posts as governor of various provinces and districts throughout the empire. As grand vizier, he commanded the Ottoman ground forces against the French Army in the Ottoman reconquest of

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

and later served as a commander in the Ottoman wars with the Russian Empire.

Early life and career

Kör Yusuf's date of birth is not known. He was of Georgian origin. As a result of an accident while playing

javelin A javelin is a light spear designed primarily to be thrown, historically as a ranged weapon. Today, the javelin is predominantly used for sporting purposes such as the javelin throw. The javelin is nearly always thrown by hand, unlike the sling ...

he was blinded in one eye, hence his name ''Kör'' ("Blind"). Kör Yusuf was known for his

fatalism Fatalism is a belief and philosophical doctrine which considers the entire universe as a deterministic system and stresses the subjugation of all events, actions, and behaviors to fate or destiny, which is commonly associated with the cons ...

and piety, as well as for being a competent commander.Aksan 2014, p. 238. Kör Yusuf started his career as a government clerk then as an

intendant An intendant (; ; ) was, and sometimes still is, a public official, especially in France, Spain, Portugal, and Latin America. The intendancy system was a centralizing administrative system developed in France. In the War of the Spanish Success ...

of mines.Salzmann 2004, p. 169. He was promoted to the rank of vezir and was appointed governor of

Diyarbekir Eyalet The Eyalet of Diyarbekir (; ) was an eyalet of the Ottoman Empire. Its reported area in the 19th century was , slightly larger than the original Abbasid province in Upper Mesopotamia. In 1846 it was succeeded by the Kurdistan Eyalet. Government ...

in 1793, then Erzurum Eyalet in 1794 and Childir Eyalet and Trabzon Eyalet in 1796.

Grand Vizier

Kör Yusuf was appointed grand vizier on 25 October 1798 during the sultanate of

Selim III Selim III (; ; was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1789 to 1807. Regarded as an enlightened ruler, he was eventually deposed and imprisoned by the Janissaries, who placed his cousin Mustafa on the throne as Mustafa IV (). A group of a ...

. He was involved in the affairs of both the central government and the peripheral provinces. During his first term, he and his sons, Mehmet Beg and Sabit Yusuf Beg, purchased numerous

tax farm Farming or tax-farming is a technique of financial management in which the management of a variable revenue stream is assigned by contract, legal contract to a third party and the holder of the revenue stream receives fixed periodic rents from t ...

s in Diyarbekir Eyalet, and Kör Yusuf also owned a half-share of the copper refinery in the city of Diyarbekir. In 1799, Kör Yusuf was assigned command over an Ottoman ground force mobilized at

Üsküdar Üsküdar () is a municipality and district of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 35 km2, and its population is 524,452 (2022). It is a large and densely populated district on the Anatolian (Asian) shore of the Bosphorus. It is border ...

to reassert Ottoman control over

and drive out French forces who occupied that province during the French campaign in the Ottoman Empire.Aksan 2014, p. 231. In the initial mobilization, Kör Yusuf's army consisted of 15,000 troops,Aksan 2014, pp. 235–236. but after recruiting soldiers from

Aleppo Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...

and

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

, the number grew to 25,000 by the time the

Ottoman army The Military of the Ottoman Empire () was the armed forces of the Ottoman Empire. It was founded in 1299 and dissolved in 1922. Army The Military of the Ottoman Empire can be divided in five main periods. The foundation era covers the years ...

reached Egypt from its marshaling point in Gaza.

Arnauts Arnaut () is a Turkish language, Turkish ethnonym used to denote Albanians. ''Arvanid'' (), ''Arnavud'' (), plural: ''Arnavudlar'' (): modern Turkish language, Turkish: ''Arnavut'', plural: ''Arnavutlar''; are ethnonyms used mainly by Ottoman ...

formed the largest component of Kör Yusuf's forces, and were prone to revolt. Other components included a 5,000-strong cavalry and a contingent of

Janissaries A janissary (, , ) was a member of the elite infantry units that formed the Ottoman sultan's household troops. They were the first modern standing army, and perhaps the first infantry force in the world to be equipped with firearms, adopted du ...

. In January 1800, Kör Yusuf signed the Convention of al-Arish with French general

Jean Baptiste Kléber Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * Jea ...

and British admiral Sidney Smith, which called for the evacuation of French forces from Egypt. However, conflict resumed and Kléber's forces defeated the Ottoman Army and allied Mamluk forces at Heliopolis in March. Kléber was assassinated in mid-June, and after victories by the Ottoman-British alliance, the French were defeated by December 1801. When Kör Yusuf entered

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

he had Christians accused of collaborating with the French executed or exiled, and seized large amounts of wealth from them. He remained in Cairo to dispatch the ''

amir al-hajj ''Amir al-hajj'' ( or ; plural: ) was the position and title given to the commander of the annual Hajj pilgrim caravan by successive Muslim empires, from the 7th century until the 20th century. Since the Abbasid Caliphate, Abbasid period, there w ...

'' to command the

Hajj Hajj (; ; also spelled Hadj, Haj or Haji) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for capable Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetim ...

pilgrim caravan to

Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...

. After sorting some of Egypt's affairs in the aftermath of the French withdrawal, Kör Yusuf departed Egypt for

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

. On 21 April 1805, Kör Yusuf resigned from the office of grand vizier and for a time remained in seclusion in his home.

Later political career

Kör Yusuf was appointed for a second term as governor of Trabzon in March 1807. In September he was appointed the governor of

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

and

Basra Basra () is a port city in Iraq, southern Iraq. It is the capital of the eponymous Basra Governorate, as well as the List of largest cities of Iraq, third largest city in Iraq overall, behind Baghdad and Mosul. Located near the Iran–Iraq bor ...

eyalets, and

Konya Konya is a major city in central Turkey, on the southwestern edge of the Central Anatolian Plateau, and is the capital of Konya Province. During antiquity and into Seljuk times it was known as Iconium. In 19th-century accounts of the city in En ...

and

in October. In 1808 he was appointed a second term as governor of Erzurum and was given the high-ranking post of ''șark seraskeri'' (Commander-in-Chief of the East) making him responsible for all of the Ottoman military forces in the Diyarbekir,

Sivas Sivas is a city in central Turkey. It is the seat of Sivas Province and Sivas District.İl Beledi ...

, Trabzon,

Malatya Malatya (; ; Syriac language, Syriac ܡܠܝܛܝܢܐ Malīṭīná; ; Ancient Greek: Μελιτηνή) is a city in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey and the capital of Malatya Province. The city has been a human settlement for thousands of y ...

, Marash, Chorum and

Mosul Mosul ( ; , , ; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. It is the second largest city in Iraq overall after the capital Baghdad. Situated on the banks of Tigris, the city encloses the ruins of the ...

eyalet Eyalets (, , ), also known as beylerbeyliks or pashaliks, were the primary administrative divisions of the Ottoman Empire. From 1453 to the beginning of the nineteenth century the Ottoman local government was loosely structured. The empire was a ...

s'' (provinces). Kör Yusuf performed well against

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

forces at

Akhalkalaki Akhalkalaki ( ka, ახალქალაქი, tr ; ) is a town in Georgia (country), Georgia's southern region of Samtskhe–Javakheti and the administrative centre of the Akhalkalaki Municipality. Akhalkalaki lies on the edge of the Javakheti ...

. Kör Yusuf was appointed a second term as grand vizier in 1809 during the sultanate of

Mahmud II Mahmud II (, ; 20 July 1785 – 1 July 1839) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1808 until his death in 1839. Often described as the "Peter the Great of Turkey", Mahmud instituted extensive administrative, military, and fiscal reforms ...

. During his second term, he led efforts against the Russians in the

Rumelia Rumelia (; ; ) was a historical region in Southeastern Europe that was administered by the Ottoman Empire, roughly corresponding to the Balkans. In its wider sense, it was used to refer to all Ottoman possessions and Vassal state, vassals in E ...

n (southern Balkans) front for two years. He was dismissed as grand vizier on 10 May 1811. He was appointed governor of Chios Sanjak in 1817, after having been appointed as commander of Eğriboz Sanjak in 1815. Kör Yusuf died in Chios island in 1819 and was buried at the tomb of Sheikh Ilyas on the island, today a part of

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ziyauddin Pasha, Kor Yusuf 1819 deaths Georgians from the Ottoman Empire Ottoman Army generals 18th-century grand viziers of the Ottoman Empire 19th-century grand viziers of the Ottoman Empire Ottoman military leaders of the French Revolutionary Wars Ottoman governors of Aleppo Ottoman governors of Diyarbekir

Early life and career

Grand Vizier

Later political career

See also

References

Bibliography