Rami Mehmet Pasha
Encyclopedia
Rami Mehmed Pasha was an Ottoman
Grand Vizier
who was also known as a talented poet of divan literature
(the epithet rami is his pseudonym in his poems).
to Terazici Hasan Aga. After completing his education, he started his career as a bureaucrat. In 1690, he was appointed as a clerk in the office of the reisülküttap
. In 1696, he was promoted to be the reisülküttap (a post roughly equivalent to foreign minister) and three years later he represented the Ottoman Empire in the peace talks of the Treaty of Karlowitz
which ended the War of the Holy League. The Ottoman Empire was defeated in the war, but Mehmed Rami tried his best to minimize the losses.
. However he soon realized that the Sheikh ul-Islam
Feyzullah, who wielded great influence on the sultan Mustafa II
, was the de facto ruler of the empire. The Sultan gave strict orders to Rami Mehmed to seek Feyzullah's approval in all of his decisions, a regulation which reduced the status of the Grand Vizier to a subordinate of the Sheikh ul-Islam. Even under this unfavorable situation, Rami tried to reform the post-war economy and the navy, but his term was too short to carry these reforms through.
Both Feyzullah’s almost unlimited authority and the Sultan’s insistence on residing in Edirne
rather than Istanbul, the capital, caused reactions among the soldiers and the citizens in Istanbul. In the summer of 1703, they revolted against the Sultan. At the end of this revolt known as Edirne event
, Rami Mehmed as well as the Sultan were deposed on 22 August 1703.
and then Egypt
, but in 1704 he was exiled to Rhodes
island (now a part of Greece
), where he died.
. He also wrote about his diplomatic career. His book named Karlofça Sulhnamesi is about the talks during the Treaty of Karlowitz.
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
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...
who was also known as a talented poet of divan literature
Ottoman poetry
The poetry of the Ottoman Empire, or Ottoman Divan poetry, is fairly little known outside of modern Turkey, which forms the heartland of what was once the Ottoman Empire...
(the epithet rami is his pseudonym in his poems).
Early years
He was born in IstanbulIstanbul
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...
to Terazici Hasan Aga. After completing his education, he started his career as a bureaucrat. In 1690, he was appointed as a clerk in the office of the reisülküttap
Reisülküttap
Reisülküttap was a bureaucratic post in the Ottoman Empire.Katip means clerk and reis means chief. So Reisülküttap was the chief of clerks in the Ottoman divan . There were three offices under his supervision...
. In 1696, he was promoted to be the reisülküttap (a post roughly equivalent to foreign minister) and three years later he represented the Ottoman Empire in the peace talks of the Treaty of Karlowitz
Treaty of Karlowitz
The Treaty of Karlowitz was signed on 26 January 1699 in Sremski Karlovci , concluding the Austro-Ottoman War of 1683–1697 in which the Ottoman side had been defeated at the Battle of Zenta...
which ended the War of the Holy League. The Ottoman Empire was defeated in the war, but Mehmed Rami tried his best to minimize the losses.
As a grand vizier
On 25 January 1703 he was promoted to the post of Grand Vizier, the highest post of the Ottoman Empire other than that of the SultanSultan
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...
. However he soon realized that the Sheikh ul-Islam
Sheikh ul-Islam
Shaykh al-Islām is a title of superior authority in the issues of Islam....
Feyzullah, who wielded great influence on the sultan Mustafa II
Mustafa II
Mustafa II Ghazi was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1695 to 1703.-Life:...
, was the de facto ruler of the empire. The Sultan gave strict orders to Rami Mehmed to seek Feyzullah's approval in all of his decisions, a regulation which reduced the status of the Grand Vizier to a subordinate of the Sheikh ul-Islam. Even under this unfavorable situation, Rami tried to reform the post-war economy and the navy, but his term was too short to carry these reforms through.
Both Feyzullah’s almost unlimited authority and the Sultan’s insistence on residing in Edirne
Edirne
Edirne is a city in Eastern Thrace, the northwestern part of Turkey, close to the borders with Greece and Bulgaria. Edirne served as the capital city of the Ottoman Empire from 1365 to 1453, before Constantinople became the empire's new capital. At present, Edirne is the capital of the Edirne...
rather than Istanbul, the capital, caused reactions among the soldiers and the citizens in Istanbul. In the summer of 1703, they revolted against the Sultan. At the end of this revolt known as Edirne event
Edirne event
The Edirne event was a chain of events in 1703 in the Ottoman Empire, which resulted in dethroning of Sultan Mustafa II.-Background:By the Treaty of Karlowitz , Ottoman Empire had to cede vast territories to Holy League countries. It was clear that both the army and the civil institutions had to be...
, Rami Mehmed as well as the Sultan were deposed on 22 August 1703.
Death
Rami Mehmed was then appointed as the governor of CyprusCyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
and then Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, but in 1704 he was exiled to Rhodes
Rhodes
Rhodes is an island in Greece, located in the eastern Aegean Sea. It is the largest of the Dodecanese islands in terms of both land area and population, with a population of 117,007, and also the island group's historical capital. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within...
island (now a part of Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
), where he died.
As a man of letters
He was poet and a friend of the famous Ottoman poet of NabiYusuf Nabi
Yusuf Nabi was a Turkish Divan poet in the court of Mehmet IV. He was famous for "his brilliant lyrics filled with popular sayings and critiques of the age and verses commenorating innumerable important occasions."...
. He also wrote about his diplomatic career. His book named Karlofça Sulhnamesi is about the talks during the Treaty of Karlowitz.