Ahmed Muhtar Pasha
An Ottoman military old guard who commanded in lost wars and was brought in as a figurehead Grand Vizier during the empire's final crisis.
1839–1919 (age 80)·Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire·Birthday: November 1
Biography
Ahmed Muhtar Pasha served as Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire in 1912, a 72-year-old field marshal appointed to symbolically stabilize a collapsing state. He earned his stripes as a young officer in the Crimean War. His reputation was complicated by command during the disastrous Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78. Though he achieved some tactical successes in the Caucasus, the overall war was a catastrophic defeat that stripped the empire of vast territories. This paradox of being a respected soldier associated with military failure defined his later years. His 'Great Cabinet' was less a government of action than a symbol of stability. It could not stem the tide of the imminent Balkan Wars. He resigned after a few months as military collapse loomed. Muhtar Pasha was a transitional relic, a military hero whose final duty was to preside over an empire he could no longer save.
#1 When Ahmed Was Born
The biggest hits of 1839
Ahmed's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1839Born
1844Started school
1852Became a teenager
1855Could drive
1857Could vote
1860Turned 21
1869Turned 30
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1879Turned 40
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
1889Turned 50
Eiffel Tower opens in Paris
President: Benjamin Harrison
1899Turned 60
President: William McKinley
1909Turned 70
Robert Peary claims to reach the North Pole
President: William Howard Taft
1919Turned 80
Treaty of Versailles signed; Prohibition ratified
President: Woodrow Wilson
Key Achievements
- Served as the Grand Vizier (head of government) of the Ottoman Empire from July to October 1912.
- Commanded Ottoman forces in the Caucasus front during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78.
- Served as a field marshal and held the title of Gazi (veteran) for his military service.
- Was appointed as the governor of the Crete province during a period of unrest in the late 1870s.
Did You Know?
His father was a famous Ottoman scholar and astronomer, Giritli Sırrı Pasha.
He was known as 'Ahmed Muhtar Pasha the Victorious' (Gazi Ahmed Muhtar Paşa) for his early military successes.
He served as the Ottoman Minister of War in the 1870s.
A district in Istanbul, Fatih, is home to the Ahmed Muhtar Pasha Mosque, which he commissioned.
“The empire's strength lies in its ability to modernize, not in clinging to the past.”
