Midhat Pasha

Who was Midhat Pasha?

Ahmed Şefik Midhat Pasha was one of the leading Ottoman statesmen during the late Tanzimat era. He is most famous for leading the Ottoman constitutional movement of 1876, but was also a leading figure of Ottoman reform in the educational and provincial administrations. He was part of a governing elite which understood clearly the profound crisis in which the empire versed, and considered reform to be a dire need.

He was described by Caroline Finkel as "a true representative of Tanzimat optimism, who believed that separatist tendencies could be best countered by demonstrating the benefits of good government." For the British, his reforming zeal was an aberration, based on individual strength of personality. They believed Midhat Pasha could not succeed, citing the inefficient and corrupt nature of the Ottoman state, and the fractured nature of its society.

Despite his progressive credentials, and having pressured Sultan Abdul Hamid II into emancipating the slaves of the palace, he was at times known to give and receive gift of slaves. His second wife, with whom he had three children, was a Circassian slave he had purchased and then freed.