Trabluslu Ali Pasha
Georgia
Syria
Cezayirli Ali
Ali Burghol
French campaign in Egypt and Syria
Trabluslu Ali Pasha (Ali Pasha the
Background
Ali Pasha was born in
After procuring a ship, Ali Pasha sailed to his hometown of Tripoli and briefly wrested control over the
Ali Pasha then went on the Hajj (pilgrimage) to Mecca, and there, he was allegedly discovered to be engaging in sexual intercourse with a young boy that he had kidnapped from Tripoli, after which many of the pilgrims attacked him, cut off his beard, and nearly killed him.[6] After the Hajj, Ali Pasha returned to Egypt and stayed as Murad Bey's guest for several years until the arrival of the French in 1798.[2][6] He fought with the Mamluk emirs against the French and escaped with them to southern Egypt during the French rule. He then returned to Constantinople, the Ottoman capital.[6]
After hearing about the overthrow of the governor Koca Hüsrev Mehmed Pasha in 1803, Ali Pasha asked to be made the governor of Egypt, even though it appeared as though the Albanian troops had taken control of the province from the Ottomans.[6] Thus, in June 1803, he became a vizier and was appointed the Ottoman governor of Egypt.[2]
Governorship of Egypt
At the time that Ali Pasha was appointed governor in 1803, Egypt had come under the rule and influence of Ottoman Albanian troops originally sent by the Ottoman sultan in 1801 to fight against the French invasion of Ottoman Egypt under Napoleon, which had occurred in 1798. Although successful in ousting the French with significant help from the British, the Albanian troops, led by Muhammad Ali (who would later seize control of Egypt), chose to remain in Egypt and gain influence for themselves. Playing both long-warring factions in Egypt (the Ottomans and the Mamluks) against each other, the Albanians gained power.
The
Muhammad Ali and his Mamluk ally, Al-Bardisi, therefore descended on
The troubles of Egypt were exacerbated by an insufficient flood of the Nile, resulting in great scarcity, aggravated by the onerous taxation the Mamluk beys were forced to resort to in order to pay their troops. Riots and violence continued in the capital, with the bashi-bazouks (army irregulars) under little or no control.
Meanwhile, Ali Pasha had been behaving with brutality towards the French in Alexandria. He received written instructions from the Ottoman sultan, which, in an effort to sow dissension and mistrust between Muhammad Ali Pasha and his Mamluk allies, he sent to Cairo and caused to be circulated there. The Ottoman sultan announced that the Mamluk beys could live peaceably in Egypt with annual pensions and other privileges, provided the government returned to the hands of the Turkish governor (this being Ali Pasha). To this, many of the beys assented, and in the process opened a rift with Muhammad Ali and the Albanians. The Mamluks had already been suspicious of their Albanian allies, having previously intercepted letters addressed to them from Ali Pasha, endeavoring to win their alliance as well.
Ali Pasha advanced towards Cairo with 3,000 men to discuss his resumption of control. The forces of the beys still with Muhammad Ali Pasha and their Albanian allies advanced to meet Ali Pasha at Shalakan, forcing the Ottoman governor to fall back on a place called Zufayta.[9]
At this point, the Albanians managed to seize Ali Pasha's transport boats, capturing soldiers, servants, ammunition, and baggage. They then demanded to know why he had brought such a large host with him, contrary to both custom and a prior warning to not do so. Finding his advance blocked, reluctant to retreat with his forces to Alexandria, and being surrounded by the enemy in any case, Ali Pasha attempted to give battle, but his men refused to fight. He therefore abandoned his troops and went over to the camp of the Mamluk beys. His army was eventually allowed to retire to Syria.[9]
Death
With Ali Pasha in the hands of the beys, a horseman was seen to leave his tent one night at full gallop, and it was discovered that he bore a letter to a forbidden destination.[10] This gave the Mamluks a welcome pretext to rid themselves of him. Ali Pasha was sent under an escort and guard of 45 troops towards the Syrian frontier; about a week later on February 2, news was received in Cairo that during a skirmish with some of his own soldiers, he had died.[1]
See also
- List of Ottoman governors of Egypt
- List of Ottoman governors of Tripolitania
References
- ^ a b 'Abd al-Rahman Jabarti; Thomas Philipp; Moshe Perlmann (1994). Abd Al-Rahmann Al-Jabarti's History of Egypt. Vol. 3. Franz Steiner Verlag Stuttgart. pp. 394, 423.
On the 20th (July 10 [1803]) news came of the arrival of Ali Pasha al-Tarabulusi in Alexandria, as governor of Egypt... On Thursday night the 20th (Feb. 2 [1804]) news and letters arrived from the amirs who had accompanied [Ali] Pasha, with notice of the pasha's death at al-Qurayn.
- ^ ISBN 9789753330411
- ISBN 975-437-141-5.
- ^ 'Abd al-Rahman Jabarti; Thomas Philipp; Moshe Perlmann (1994). Abd Al-Rahmann Al-Jabarti's History of Egypt. Vol. 3. Franz Steiner Verlag Stuttgart. p. 426.
- ^ a b c 'Abd al-Rahman Jabarti; Thomas Philipp; Moshe Perlmann (1994). Abd Al-Rahmann Al-Jabarti's History of Egypt. Vol. 3. Franz Steiner Verlag Stuttgart. p. 424.
- ^ a b c d e 'Abd al-Rahman Jabarti; Thomas Philipp; Moshe Perlmann (1994). Abd Al-Rahmann Al-Jabarti's History of Egypt. Vol. 3. Franz Steiner Verlag Stuttgart. p. 425.
- ^ 'Abd al-Rahman Jabarti; Thomas Philipp; Moshe Perlmann (1994). Abd Al-Rahmann Al-Jabarti's History of Egypt. Vol. 3. Franz Steiner Verlag Stuttgart. pp. 380, 394.
...'by order of Ibrahim Bey, Governor of the Province, and our Master Muhammad Ali.' [Muftizade] Ahmad Pasha's governorship had lasted one day and one night. ...Ibrahim Bey convoked a diwan at his daughter's house ... and took over the duties of qa'im maqam of Egypt.
- ^ 'Abd al-Rahman Jabarti; Thomas Philipp; Moshe Perlmann (1994). Abd Al-Rahmann Al-Jabarti's History of Egypt. Vol. 3. Franz Steiner Verlag Stuttgart. p. 428.
- ^ a b 'Abd al-Rahman Jabarti; Thomas Philipp; Moshe Perlmann (1994). Abd Al-Rahmann Al-Jabarti's History of Egypt. Vol. 3. Franz Steiner Verlag Stuttgart. p. 418.
- ^ 'Abd al-Rahman Jabarti; Thomas Philipp; Moshe Perlmann (1994). Abd Al-Rahmann Al-Jabarti's History of Egypt. Vol. 3. Franz Steiner Verlag Stuttgart. pp. 421–422.
Political offices | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by Hurshid Ahmed Pasha |
Mayor of Alexandria 1803 |
Succeeded by Hurshid Ahmed Pasha |
Preceded by | Ottoman Governor of Egypt July 1803 – February 1804 With: Ibrahim Bey (in conflict) |
Succeeded by |