Resid Mehmed Pasha
Encyclopedia
Reşid Mehmed Pasha also known as Kütahı ' onMouseout='HidePop("63202")' href="/topics/Ottoman_Empire">Ottoman
general and Grand Vizier
in the first half of the 19th century, playing an important role in the Greek War of Independence
.
, the son of a Greek Orthodox priest. As a child, he was captured as a slave by the Turks, and brought to the service of the then Kapudan Pasha Husrev Pasha. His intelligence and ability impressed his master, and secured his rapid rise. At only 29 years, he was appointed governor of Kütahya
, from where he acquired his sobriquet
.
In 1820, he was sent by Sultan Mahmud II
, along with many other pashas, to quell the rebellion of Ali Pasha
of Yannina against the Porte. At the same time, the Greeks were preparing their own uprising, which broke out in March 1821. Thus, after the defeat and death of Ali Pasha in 1822, he was at hand to campaign against the Greek rebels.
, he marched south, to meet the Greek forces under Alexandros Mavrokordatos, which were campaigning towards Arta
. He inflicted a crushing defeat upon them in the Battle of Peta
, on 4 July 1822, and proceeded southwards, to the strategically important town of Missolonghi. There he was met by Omer Vrioni, and their joint force of 8,000 besieged the city for two months, from 25 October to 31 December 1822. Omer Vryonis, contrary to Reşid Mehmed's view, initially tried to take the town by negotiations, which the besieged Greeks took advantage of, dragging them out until November 8, when they were reinforced by sea, at which point they refused to negotiate further. The siege began in earnest, and the two pashas scheduled their main assault for Christmas
night, December 24, calculating that the Greeks would be caught by surprise. The plan was leaked to the defenders, and the attack failed. Six days later, the siege was lifted.
, which he managed to subdue. For his success, he was appointed governor of the sanjak
of Trikala
, and was finally appointed commander-in-chief of all Ottoman forces in Rumelia
.
, whose army had been victorious against Greek forces in the Morea
. The Egyptian forces arrived in early November, but a split occurred between the presumptuous Ibrahim and Reşid Mehmed, who withdrew his forces. After the Egyptians failed too in their assaults, Ibrahim acknowledged his error. The two pashas now cooperated, and the siege was intensified. The seaward supply route was cut, forcing threatening the defenders with starvation. Finally, they attempted a desperate escape, breaking out through the besieging forces, on the night of 10 April 1826. The sortie resulted in a massacre of the defenders, and Missolonghi fell to the Ottoman forces.
and Athens
, where he arrived in July. He besieged the Greek garrison on the Acropolis
unsuccessfully for ten months, until his unexpected victory over a Greek relief force at the Battle of Phaleron
on 24 April 1827 forced the Greeks to surrender the fort.
at the Battle of Kulevicha
. Subsequently, he was appointed Grand Vizier
of the Ottoman Empire, a post he held from January 1829 to 17 February 1833. From that position, he suppressed the Albanian beys and led the Ottoman armies in Anatolia
in the Egyptian-Ottoman War
. He was captured by the forces of his old antagonist, Ibrahim Pasha, at the war's decisive Battle of Konya
in 1832. Appointed commander-in-chief of the Anatolian armies, he campaigned against the Kurds, and died at Sivas in 1839.
were completely outraged when Sultan
Mahmud II
granted the newly autonomous Serbia
with six Bosniak districts during the Treaty of Adrianople
. Husein Gradaščević had already began to support the cause of the fallen Janissary
after the Auspicious Incident and would not allow Sultan
Mahmud II
to further disintegrate Bosniak territories.
Instead of negotiating with Husein Gradaščević
, the Grand Vizier
Reşid Mehmed Pasha (already engaged in an aggressive campaign against Albanian Pasha
s and Bey
s) mobilized the Ottoman Turks towards Travnik
. Disappointed by the Grand Vizier
s move Husein Gradaščević marched forward with an army of 52,000 strong Bosniaks into Priština
. Husein Gradaščević later fought and defeated Reşid Mehmed Pasha at Štimlje.
A Bosnian delegation reached the Grand Vizier's camp in Skopje
in November of that year. The Grand Vizier promised this delegation that he would insist to the Sultan that he accept the Bosniak demands. His true intentions, however, were manifested by early December when his cannons attacked Bosnian units stationed on the outskirts of Novi Pazar
. Reşid Mehmed Pasha later began an aggressive campaign into Bosnia with the assistance of the renegade kapetan Ali-paša Rizvanbegović
and defeated the entire army of Bosnia Eyalet
led by Husein Gradaščević outside the town of Stup
.
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
general and Grand Vizier
Grand Vizier
Grand Vizier, in Turkish Vezir-i Azam or Sadr-ı Azam , deriving from the Arabic word vizier , was the greatest minister of the Sultan, with absolute power of attorney and, in principle, dismissable only by the Sultan himself...
in the first half of the 19th century, playing an important role in the Greek War of Independence
Greek War of Independence
The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution was a successful war of independence waged by the Greek revolutionaries between...
.
Early life
Reşid Mehmed was born in GeorgiaGeorgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
, the son of a Greek Orthodox priest. As a child, he was captured as a slave by the Turks, and brought to the service of the then Kapudan Pasha Husrev Pasha. His intelligence and ability impressed his master, and secured his rapid rise. At only 29 years, he was appointed governor of Kütahya
Kütahya
Kütahya is a city in western Turkey with 212,444 inhabitants , lying on the Porsuk river, at 969 metres above sea level. It is the capital of Kütahya Province, inhabited by some 517 804 people...
, from where he acquired his sobriquet
Sobriquet
A sobriquet is a nickname, sometimes assumed, but often given by another. It is usually a familiar name, distinct from a pseudonym assumed as a disguise, but a nickname which is familiar enough such that it can be used in place of a real name without the need of explanation...
.
In 1820, he was sent by Sultan Mahmud II
Mahmud II
Mahmud II was the 30th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1808 until his death in 1839. He was born in the Topkapi Palace, Istanbul, the son of Sultan Abdulhamid I...
, along with many other pashas, to quell the rebellion of Ali Pasha
Ali Pasha
Ali Pasha of Tepelena or of Yannina, surnamed Aslan, "the Lion", or the "Lion of Yannina", Ali Pashë Tepelena was an Ottoman Albanian ruler of the western part of Rumelia, the Ottoman Empire's European territory which was also called Pashalik of Yanina. His court was in Ioannina...
of Yannina against the Porte. At the same time, the Greeks were preparing their own uprising, which broke out in March 1821. Thus, after the defeat and death of Ali Pasha in 1822, he was at hand to campaign against the Greek rebels.
Operations in Epirus - First Siege of Missolonghi
Having been appointed commander-in-chief of the Ottoman forces in EpirusEpirus
The name Epirus, from the Greek "Ήπειρος" meaning continent may refer to:-Geographical:* Epirus - a historical and geographical region of the southwestern Balkans, straddling modern Greece and Albania...
, he marched south, to meet the Greek forces under Alexandros Mavrokordatos, which were campaigning towards Arta
Arta, Greece
Arta is a city with a rich history in northwestern Greece, capital of the peripheral unit of Arta, which is part of Epirus region. The city was known in ancient times as Ambracia . Arta is famous for its old bridge located over the Arachthos River, situated west of downtown...
. He inflicted a crushing defeat upon them in the Battle of Peta
Battle of Peta
The Battle of Peta or Battle of Petta was fought between the Greeks led by Prince Alexander Mavrocordatos with Markos Botsaris and the Ottomans led by Omer Vrioni on July 16, 1822...
, on 4 July 1822, and proceeded southwards, to the strategically important town of Missolonghi. There he was met by Omer Vrioni, and their joint force of 8,000 besieged the city for two months, from 25 October to 31 December 1822. Omer Vryonis, contrary to Reşid Mehmed's view, initially tried to take the town by negotiations, which the besieged Greeks took advantage of, dragging them out until November 8, when they were reinforced by sea, at which point they refused to negotiate further. The siege began in earnest, and the two pashas scheduled their main assault for Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
night, December 24, calculating that the Greeks would be caught by surprise. The plan was leaked to the defenders, and the attack failed. Six days later, the siege was lifted.
Campaign in Thessaly
After the failure at Missolonghi, Reşid Mehmed moved against the mountainous region of MagnesiaMagnesia Prefecture
Magnesia Prefecture was one of the prefectures of Greece. Its capital was Volos. It was established in 1899 from the Larissa Prefecture. The prefecture was disbanded on 1 January 2011 by the Kallikratis programme, and split into the peripheral units of Magnesia and the Sporades.The toponym is...
, which he managed to subdue. For his success, he was appointed governor of the sanjak
Sanjak
Sanjaks were administrative divisions of the Ottoman Empire. Sanjak, and the variant spellings sandjak, sanjaq, and sinjaq, are English transliterations of the Turkish word sancak, meaning district, banner, or flag...
of Trikala
Trikala
Trikala is a city in northwestern Thessaly, Greece. It is the capital of the Trikala peripheral unit, and is located NW of Athens, NW, of Karditsa, E of Ioannina and Metsovo, S of Grevena, SW of Thessaloniki, and W of Larissa...
, and was finally appointed commander-in-chief of all Ottoman forces in Rumelia
Rumelia
Rumelia was an historical region comprising the territories of the Ottoman Empire in Europe...
.
Third Siege of Missolonghi
From this position he was tasked by the Porte with taking Missolonghi and thus securing western Greece. Reşid Mehmed assembled an army of more than 35,000 and in February 1825 he set out for Missolonghi. On arriving there on April 20, he immediately invested the town with earthworks and subjected it to heavy bombardment. However, despite his efforts, the Greek garrison, aided by raids from the Greek bands behind his lines and resupplied by the Greek fleet despite the Ottoman naval blockade, resisted effectively. In the end, he was forced to call upon the assistance of Ibrahim Pasha of EgyptIbrahim Pasha of Egypt
Ibrahim Pasha was the eldest son of Muhammad Ali, the Wāli and unrecognised Khedive of Egypt and Sudan. He served as a general in the Egyptian army that his father established during his reign, taking his first command of Egyptian forces was when he was merely a teenager...
, whose army had been victorious against Greek forces in the Morea
Morea
The Morea was the name of the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece during the Middle Ages and the early modern period. It also referred to a Byzantine province in the region, known as the Despotate of Morea.-Origins of the name:...
. The Egyptian forces arrived in early November, but a split occurred between the presumptuous Ibrahim and Reşid Mehmed, who withdrew his forces. After the Egyptians failed too in their assaults, Ibrahim acknowledged his error. The two pashas now cooperated, and the siege was intensified. The seaward supply route was cut, forcing threatening the defenders with starvation. Finally, they attempted a desperate escape, breaking out through the besieging forces, on the night of 10 April 1826. The sortie resulted in a massacre of the defenders, and Missolonghi fell to the Ottoman forces.
Campaign in Attica
After this success, Reşid Mehmed turned towards AtticaAttica
Attica is a historical region of Greece, containing Athens, the current capital of Greece. The historical region is centered on the Attic peninsula, which projects into the Aegean Sea...
and Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, where he arrived in July. He besieged the Greek garrison on the Acropolis
Acropolis
Acropolis means "high city" in Greek, literally city on the extremity and is usually translated into English as Citadel . For purposes of defense, early people naturally chose elevated ground to build a new settlement, frequently a hill with precipitous sides...
unsuccessfully for ten months, until his unexpected victory over a Greek relief force at the Battle of Phaleron
Battle of Phaleron
The Battle of Phaleron took place on April 24, 1827. The revolting Greek forces were being besieged inside the Acropolis of Athens by Ottoman forces under the command of Mehmed Reshid Pasha. Greek forces outside the city were desperately trying to break the siege.-Battle:The Scottish Lord Cochrane...
on 24 April 1827 forced the Greeks to surrender the fort.
After the Greek Revolution
A distinguished general, Reşid Mehmed fought in the Russo-Turkish War, where he was defeated by General DiebitschHans Karl von Diebitsch
Count Hans Karl Friedrich Anton von Diebitsch und Narden was a German-born soldier serving as Russian Field Marshal....
at the Battle of Kulevicha
Battle of Kulevicha
The Battle of Kulevicha, also known as the Battle of Kulewtscha, was fought during the Russo-Turkish War, 1828-1829 on June 11, 1829 between Russia and the Ottoman Empire....
. Subsequently, he was appointed Grand Vizier
Grand Vizier
Grand Vizier, in Turkish Vezir-i Azam or Sadr-ı Azam , deriving from the Arabic word vizier , was the greatest minister of the Sultan, with absolute power of attorney and, in principle, dismissable only by the Sultan himself...
of the Ottoman Empire, a post he held from January 1829 to 17 February 1833. From that position, he suppressed the Albanian beys and led the Ottoman armies in Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
in the Egyptian-Ottoman War
Egyptian–Ottoman War (1831–1833)
The First Egyptian-Ottoman War, First Turco-Egyptian War or First Syrian War was brought about by Muhammad Ali Pasha's demand to the Ottoman Empire for control of Arab Greater Syria, as reward for his assistance in Crete against Greece...
. He was captured by the forces of his old antagonist, Ibrahim Pasha, at the war's decisive Battle of Konya
Battle of Konya
The Battle of Konya was fought on December 21, 1832, between Egypt and the Ottoman Empire, just outside the city of Konya in modern-day Turkey. The Egyptians were led by Ibrahim Pasha, while the Ottomans were led by Reşid Mehmed Pasha. The Egyptians were victorious.-Prelude:The Egyptian campaign...
in 1832. Appointed commander-in-chief of the Anatolian armies, he campaigned against the Kurds, and died at Sivas in 1839.
Campaign against Bosnia Eyalet
Bosniak kapitan's led by Husein GradaščevićHusein Gradašcevic
Husein-kapetan Gradaščević was a Bosnian Muslim general who fought for Bosnian autonomy in the Ottoman Empire. He is often referred to as "Zmaj od Bosne", meaning "Dragon of Bosnia"...
were completely outraged when Sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
Mahmud II
Mahmud II
Mahmud II was the 30th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1808 until his death in 1839. He was born in the Topkapi Palace, Istanbul, the son of Sultan Abdulhamid I...
granted the newly autonomous Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
with six Bosniak districts during the Treaty of Adrianople
Treaty of Adrianople
The Peace Treaty of Adrianople concluded the Russo-Turkish War, 1828-1829 between Russia and the Ottoman Empire. It was signed on September 14, 1829 in Adrianople by Russia's Count Alexey Fyodorovich Orlov and by Turkey's Abdul Kadyr-bey...
. Husein Gradaščević had already began to support the cause of the fallen Janissary
Janissary
The Janissaries were infantry units that formed the Ottoman sultan's household troops and bodyguards...
after the Auspicious Incident and would not allow Sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
Mahmud II
Mahmud II
Mahmud II was the 30th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1808 until his death in 1839. He was born in the Topkapi Palace, Istanbul, the son of Sultan Abdulhamid I...
to further disintegrate Bosniak territories.
Instead of negotiating with Husein Gradaščević
Husein Gradašcevic
Husein-kapetan Gradaščević was a Bosnian Muslim general who fought for Bosnian autonomy in the Ottoman Empire. He is often referred to as "Zmaj od Bosne", meaning "Dragon of Bosnia"...
, the Grand Vizier
Grand Vizier
Grand Vizier, in Turkish Vezir-i Azam or Sadr-ı Azam , deriving from the Arabic word vizier , was the greatest minister of the Sultan, with absolute power of attorney and, in principle, dismissable only by the Sultan himself...
Reşid Mehmed Pasha (already engaged in an aggressive campaign against Albanian Pasha
Pasha
Pasha or pascha, formerly bashaw, was a high rank in the Ottoman Empire political system, typically granted to governors, generals and dignitaries. As an honorary title, Pasha, in one of its various ranks, is equivalent to the British title of Lord, and was also one of the highest titles in...
s and Bey
Bey
Bey is a title for chieftain, traditionally applied to the leaders of small tribal groups. Accoding to some sources, the word "Bey" is of Turkish language In historical accounts, many Turkish, other Turkic and Persian leaders are titled Bey, Beg, Bek, Bay, Baig or Beigh. They are all the same word...
s) mobilized the Ottoman Turks towards Travnik
Travnik
Travnik is a city and municipality in central Bosnia and Herzegovina, 90 km west of Sarajevo. It is the capital of the Central Bosnia Canton, and is located in the Travnik Municipality. Travnik today has some 27,000 residents, with a metro population that is probably close to 70,000 people...
. Disappointed by the Grand Vizier
Grand Vizier
Grand Vizier, in Turkish Vezir-i Azam or Sadr-ı Azam , deriving from the Arabic word vizier , was the greatest minister of the Sultan, with absolute power of attorney and, in principle, dismissable only by the Sultan himself...
s move Husein Gradaščević marched forward with an army of 52,000 strong Bosniaks into Priština
Pristina
Pristina, also spelled Prishtina and Priština is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous municipality and district....
. Husein Gradaščević later fought and defeated Reşid Mehmed Pasha at Štimlje.
A Bosnian delegation reached the Grand Vizier's camp in Skopje
Skopje
Skopje is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Macedonia with about a third of the total population. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre...
in November of that year. The Grand Vizier promised this delegation that he would insist to the Sultan that he accept the Bosniak demands. His true intentions, however, were manifested by early December when his cannons attacked Bosnian units stationed on the outskirts of Novi Pazar
Novi Pazar
Novi Pazar is a city and municipality located in southwest Serbia, in the Raška District. According to the official census in 2011, number of inhabitants of municipality is 92,776, while the city itself has a population of 60,638...
. Reşid Mehmed Pasha later began an aggressive campaign into Bosnia with the assistance of the renegade kapetan Ali-paša Rizvanbegović
Ali-paša Rizvanbegovic
Ali Rizvanbegović was the Herzegovinian Muslim Bosniak Ottoman captain of Stolac from 1813 to 1833 and the semi-independent ruler of Herzegovina from 1833 to 1851.-Early Life:...
and defeated the entire army of Bosnia Eyalet
Bosnia Eyalet
The Eyalet of Bosnia or Bosnia Beylerbeylik was a eyalet and beylerbeylik of the Ottoman Empire, mostly based on the territory of the present-day state of Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as most of Slavonia, Lika, and Dalmatia in present-day Croatia...
led by Husein Gradaščević outside the town of Stup
Stup
Stup is a village in the municipality of Sjenica, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the village has a population of 193 people.-References:...
.