Çalık Ali Pasha
Encyclopedia
Çalık Ali Pasha (died 1698) was an Ottoman
grand vizier during the reign of Ahmet II.
from Merzifon
a city in central-north Anatolia
and a subordinate of Merzifonlu Kara Mustafa Pasha who also from Merzifon. Although his senior was executed after the unsuccessful siege of Vienna
in 1683, Ali continued to work as a civil servant. He travelled to Mecca
(now in Saudi Arabia
) for pligrimage to gain the title Hacı
and in 1688 he was appointed as governor of Sakız island (now Chios
of Greece
). In 1690 he was appointed as the governor of Erzurum
and then as the governor of Diyarbakır
(borth in Turkey
).
. His first activity as a grandvizier was to travel to the battle ground to watch the course of the war so called The Great Turkish War
. He made the necessary arrangements like repairing the rampart of Belgrad (now in Serbia
). Upon returning to İstanbul
, the capital, he concentrated on improving the treasury which had a deficit because of the costly war. He authorized Canibi Ahmet, the defterdar
, for this task. However, although the treasury was recovered, he became the target of severe critics and oppositions because of the policy of retrenchment. The sultan asked him to dismiss Canibi Ahmet. But Çalık Ali Pasha tried to defend Ahmet Canibi and failing to convince the sultan, he resigned on 27 March 1693 after a year in the office.
(of Crete
an island, now in Greece) where he died in 1698.
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...
grand vizier during the reign of Ahmet II.
Early life
He was a TurkTurkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
from Merzifon
Merzifon
Merzifon is a town and district in Amasya Province in the central Black Sea region of Turkey. It covers an area of 970 km², and the population is 69,237 of which 52,947 live in the town of Merzifon, the remainder spread throughout the surrounding countryside...
a city in central-north Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
and a subordinate of Merzifonlu Kara Mustafa Pasha who also from Merzifon. Although his senior was executed after the unsuccessful siege of Vienna
Battle of Vienna
The Battle of Vienna took place on 11 and 12 September 1683 after Vienna had been besieged by the Ottoman Empire for two months...
in 1683, Ali continued to work as a civil servant. He travelled to Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
(now in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
) for pligrimage to gain the title Hacı
Hajji
Hajji or El-Hajj, is an honorific title given to a Muslim person who has successfully completed the Hajj to Mecca, and is often used to refer to an elder, since it can take time to accumulate the wealth to fund the travel. The title is placed before a person's name...
and in 1688 he was appointed as governor of Sakız island (now Chios
Chios
Chios is the fifth largest of the Greek islands, situated in the Aegean Sea, seven kilometres off the Asia Minor coast. The island is separated from Turkey by the Chios Strait. The island is noted for its strong merchant shipping community, its unique mastic gum and its medieval villages...
of Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
). In 1690 he was appointed as the governor of Erzurum
Erzurum
Erzurum is a city in Turkey. It is the largest city, the capital of Erzurum Province. The city is situated 1757 meters above sea level. Erzurum had a population of 361,235 in the 2000 census. .Erzurum, known as "The Rock" in NATO code, served as NATO's southeastern-most air force post during the...
and then as the governor of Diyarbakır
Diyarbakır
Diyarbakır is one of the largest cities in southeastern Turkey...
(borth in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
).
As a grandvizier
On 27 March 1692, he was appointed as the grand vizierGrand 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...
. His first activity as a grandvizier was to travel to the battle ground to watch the course of the war so called The Great Turkish War
Great Turkish War
The Great Turkish War refers to a series of conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and contemporary European powers, then joined into a Holy League, during the second half of the 17th century.-1667–1683:...
. He made the necessary arrangements like repairing the rampart of Belgrad (now in 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...
). Upon returning to İstanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, the capital, he concentrated on improving the treasury which had a deficit because of the costly war. He authorized Canibi Ahmet, the defterdar
Defterdar
Defterdars were top officials in charge of the finances in the Ottoman Empire, including heads of the Ottoman provincial treasuries; they were responsible for defters....
, for this task. However, although the treasury was recovered, he became the target of severe critics and oppositions because of the policy of retrenchment. The sultan asked him to dismiss Canibi Ahmet. But Çalık Ali Pasha tried to defend Ahmet Canibi and failing to convince the sultan, he resigned on 27 March 1693 after a year in the office.
Later years
In the centralised system of the Ottoman Empire, objection to the sultan’s order was unheard of. But Ahmet II being one of the more tolerant sultans, didn’t punish Çalık Ali Pasha. Instead, he offered Ali Pasha a governorship. Ali Pasha spent the rest of his life in Bursa (in Turkey) and in CandiaCandia
-Places:* The old Venetian name for Heraklion, Crete* Kingdom of Candia, colony of the Republic of Venice * Candia Canavese, Italy* Candia Lomellina, Italy...
(of Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
an island, now in Greece) where he died in 1698.