pasha

 

(päsh'ə, păsh'ə, pəshä') , highest honorary title in official usage in the Ottoman Empire and with slight variation in the states formed from its territories, where it is sometimes still employed (although Turkey formally abolished it in 1934 and Egypt in 1953). The designation, which is a personal rather than a hereditary distinction, was given under the Ottoman rulers to individuals of both civilian and military status, notably ministers, provincial governors, and army officers.

Pasha, pacha or bashaw (Turkish: paşa) was a high rank in the Ottoman Empire political system, typically granted to governors and generals. As an honorary title, "Pasha" in one of its various ranks is equivalent to the British title of "Lord".

Linguistics

Etymologists variously derive the word pasha from the Persian padshah, equivalent to "king" or "emperor" (well above his station, though: used for the Great Sultan himself), and from the Turkish bash ağa^[1] (in some dialects pash), "head lord", tribal "chief" etc. (more likely for an officer). Old Turkish had no fixed distinction between /b/ and /p/. As first used in western Europe, the title appeared in writing with the initial "b". The English forms bashaw, bassaw, bucha etc., general in the 16th and 17th century, derive from the medieval Latin and Italian word bass.

Role in Ottoman political system

The Ottoman sultan of Turkey and (by delegation) the viceroyal khedive of Egypt had the right to bestow the title of Pasha. The title appears, originally, to have applied exclusively to military commanders, but subsequently it could distinguish any high official, and also unofficial persons whom the court desired to honour.

It was also part of the official style of the Kapudan Pasha (Great Admiral of the entire Ottoman fleet).

Pashas ranked above Beys and Aghas, but below Khedives and Viziers.

Three grades of Pasha existed, distinguished by the number of yak- or horse-tails (three, two and one respectively; a symbol of Turco-Mongol tradition) or peacock tails, which the bearers were entitled to display on their standard as a symbol of military authority when on campaign. Only the Sultan himself was entitled to four tails, as sovereign commander in chief.

The following military ranks entitled the holder to the style Pasha (lower ranks were styled Bey or merely Effendi):

• The Vizier-i-Azam (Grand Vizier, the prime minister, but also often taking the field as Generalissimo instead of the Sultan)
• Mushir (Field marshall)
• Ferik (army Lieutenant-general or navy Vice-admiral)
• Lewa=Liva (major general or Rear-admiral)
• The Kizlar Agha (chief black eunuch, the highest officer in the Topkapı Palace; three tails, as commander of the baltaci corps of the halberdiers in the imperial army
• Istanbul's Shaikh ul-Islam, the highest Muslim clergyman, of cabinet rank.

If a Pasha governed a provincial territory, it could be called a pashaluk after his military title, besides the administrative term for the type of jurisdiction, e.g. eyalet, vilayet. Both Beylerbeys (governors-general) and Valis (the most common type of Governor) were entitled to the style of Pasha (typically with two tails). The word pashalik designated any province or other jurisdiction of a Pasha.

Ottoman authorities conferred the title upon both Muslims and Christians without distinction. They also frequently gave it to foreigners in the service of the Turks or of the Egyptians, e.g. *Hobart Pasha.

Honorific

In usage, the title followed the given name. Although the word serves as a non-hereditary title, English speakers have commonly used Pasha as if it formed part of a personal name, as for instance in Ibrahim Pasha or Emin Pasha, similar to the practice of referring to a British Peer as Lord X, since in both cases it substitutes for a more precise rank title.

The sons of a Pasha were styled Pashazada or Pasha-zade, which means just that.

In modern Egyptian and (to a lesser extent) Levantine Arabic, it is used as an honorific closer to "Sir" than "Lord," especially by older people.

List of notable pashas

• Abbas I of Egypt
• Abbas II of Egypt
• Ahmed Pasha (Claude Alexandre de Bonneval)
• Ahmed Pasha Eletreby
• Ali Pasha — Ottoman admiral
• Ali Pasha — statesman
• Ali Pasha Eshghi
• Ali Pasha Suleman Bey
• Arabi Pasha
• Barbarossa Khair ad-Din Pasha
• Cigalazade Yusuf Sinan Pasha
• DR. F. A. Pasha
• Emin Pasha
• Enver Pasha
• Essad Pasha
• Fakhri Pasha
• Faraz Pasha
• Fuad Pasha
• Glubb Pasha (John Bagot Glubb)
• Gordon Pasha
• Hagop Kazazian Pasha
• Ibrahim Pasha
• Iskander Pasha
• Ismet Pasha (İsmet İnönü)
• Jafar al-Askari
• Jamal Pasha
• Kazazian Pasha
• Kilic Ali Pasha
• Multiple members of the Köprülü family, especially Kara Mustafa Pasha
• Lala Kara Mustafa Pasha
• Liman von Sanders Pasha
• Maher Pasha
• Mehmet Ali
• Mehmed Pasha Sokolović
• Melling Pasha
• Midhat Pasha
• Mustafa Pasha
• Mustafa Reshid Pasha
• Mustafa Kemal Pasha, subsequently known as Kemal Atatürk, founder of the post-Ottoman Turkish republic
• Nadeem Pasha
• Nashed Pasha
• Nubar Pasha
• Osman Pasha
• Piyale Pasha
• Rayees Pasha
• Resat Pasha
• Riyad Pasha — Egyptian statesman
• Said Pasha
• Sinan Pasha
• Sulejman Pasha
• Tewfik Pasha
• Tewilk Pasha
• Turhan Pasha Përmeti
• Tusun Pasha
• Valentine Baker
• Woods Pasha

See also

• Ottoman Empire
• Ottoman titles

Sources and references

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
• AllAboutTurkey

1. ^ Online Etymology Dictionary - Pasha

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