Köse Bahir Mustafa Pasha was an Ottoman

grand vizier Grand vizier (; ; ) was the title of the effective head of government of many sovereign states in the Islamic world. It was first held by officials in the later Abbasid Caliphate. It was then held in the Ottoman Empire, the Mughal Empire, the Soko ...

. His epithet Köse means "beardless". He was also known as Çorlulu Bahir Mustafa Pasha referring to his home town

Çorlu Çorlu () is a municipality and district of Tekirdağ Province, northwestern Turkey. Its area is 531 km2, and its population is 300,296 (2024). It is a rapidly growing industrial center built on flatland located on the motorway Otoyol 3 and ...

. Before being grand vizier he was an ''imrahor'' ("governor of the royal stables").

First term

He was appointed as the grand vizier by the sultan

Mahmut I Mahmud I (, ; 2 August 1696 13 December 1754), known as Mahmud the Hunchback, was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1730 to 1754. He took over the throne after the quelling of the Patrona Halil rebellion. His reign was marked by wars in Pe ...

on 1 July 1752. But the Sultan died on 14 December 1754. The new sultan

Osman III Osman III ( ''Osmān-i sālis'';‎ 2 January 1699 – 30 October 1757) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1754 to 1757. He was succeeded by his cousin Mustafa III. Early life Osman III was born on 2 January 1699 in the Edirne Palace ...

dismissed Köse Bahir Mustafa Pasha from the post on 17 February 1755. He was exiled to Midilli (

Lesbos Lesbos or Lesvos ( ) is a Greek island located in the northeastern Aegean Sea. It has an area of , with approximately of coastline, making it the third largest island in Greece and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, eighth largest ...

, now a Greek island). Later he was moved to

Morea Morea ( or ) was the name of the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece during the Middle Ages and the early modern period. The name was used by the Principality of Achaea, the Byzantine province known as the Despotate of the Morea, by the O ...

(now in

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 ...

).Ayhan Buz:''Osmanlı Sadrazamları'', , p.239–242

Second term

His second term as the grand vizier was quite short. He was appointed on 30 April 1756 and was dismissed on 3 December 1756. He was exiled to

Rhodes Rhodes (; ) is the largest of the Dodecanese islands of Greece and is their historical capital; it is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, ninth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Administratively, the island forms a separ ...

(now a Greek island) But the new grand vizier

Koca Ragıp Pasha Koca Mehmet Ragıp Pasha (1698–1763) was an Ottoman statesman who served as a civil servant before 1744 as the provincial governor of Egypt from 1744 to 1748 and Grand Vizier from 1757 to 1763. He was also known as a poet. His epithet ''Koc ...

was a friend of Köse Bahir Pasha and he helped him to be appointed to various posts in Midilli and Eğriboz (

Euboea Euboea ( ; , ), also known by its modern spelling Evia ( ; , ), is the second-largest Greek island in area and population, after Crete, and the sixth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is separated from Boeotia in mainland Greece by ...

, now a Greek island). On 11 June 1758 he was appointed as the governor 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 ...

, a seat he kept till 1762. Although he was appointed to the governorship of

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 ...

(now in

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 ...

) he refused to go the Aleppo.

Third term

His last term as the grand vizier began on 1 November 1763 during the reign of

Mustafa III Mustafa III (; ''Muṣṭafā-yi sālis''; 28 January 1717 – 21 January 1774) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1757 to 1774. He was a son of Sultan Ahmed III (1703–30), and his consort Mihrişah Kadın. He was succeeded b ...

. However he was accused of corruption. He was dismissed on 30 March 1765. The next month he was executed in Midilli.

References

{{Authority control 1765 deaths Pashas 18th-century grand viziers of the Ottoman Empire 18th-century Ottoman governors of Egypt 18th-century births People from Çorlu