Ahmed İzzet Pasha

Who was Ahmed İzzet Pasha?

Ahmed Izzet Pasha, known as Ahmet İzzet Furgaç after the Surname Law of 1934, was an Ottoman general in World War I. He was also one of the last grand viziers of the Ottoman Empire and its last Minister of Foreign Affairs.

He was born in Manastır into an Albanian family. His father was prominent civil servant of the area. From 1887 to 1890 he taught strategy and military geography in the Ottoman War College, while later until 1894 he studied in Germany under Colmar Freiherr von der Goltz. As a result of his participation in the Greco-Turkish War he was promoted to the rank of Miralay. In 1908 after the Young Turk Revolution he became chief of the Ottoman general staff. During that period he was opposed to the reprisals of the Ottoman army under Mahmud Shevket Pasha against civilians during the Albanian revolts of the era. His strong opposal to Mahmud Pasha's policies led to his dismissal and reappointment in Yemen in February 1911.

He commanded the Third Army in the Caucasus in the early phases of World War I before being relieved of that command. In 1916, he was appointed commander of the Second Army which fought in the Caucasus alongside the Third Army. In 1917, he was appointed to command the Anatolian group of armies, which comprised the Second and Third Armies. The highest rank he held was that of marshal.