Veli Pasha ( 1787–1822) was an Ottoman Albanian governor (''pasha'') of the

Pashalik of Yanina The Pashalik of Yanina, sometimes referred to as the Pashalik of Ioanina or Pashalik of Janina, was an Autonomous administrative division, autonomous Albanian Pashaliks, pashalik within the Ottoman Empire between 1787 and 1822 covering large a ...

Epirus sq, Epiri rup, Epiru , native_name_lang = , settlement_type = Historical region , image_map = Epirus antiquus tabula.jpg , map_alt = , map_caption = Map of ancient Epirus by Heinri ...

, and the second son of Ali Pasha. As an Ottoman commander, he is known for his participation against the

Souliotes The Souliotes were an Orthodox Christian Albanian tribal community in the area of Souli in Epirus from the 16th century to the beginning of the 19th century, who via their participation in the Greek War of Independence came to identify with the ...

, the

Septinsular Republic The Septinsular Republic ( el, Ἑπτάνησος Πολιτεία, Heptanēsos Politeia; it, Repubblica Settinsulare) was an oligarchic republic that existed from 1800 to 1807 under nominal Russian and Ottoman sovereignty in the Ionian Islan ...

, and the Serbian rebels.

History

An attendant to Veli Pasha of Thessaly, by Louis Dupré - 1827

In 1787 or 1788, following his father's conquest of Ioannina and formation of the

, a 17-year-old Veli was appointed by Ali as ruler of the

Sanjak of Trikala The Sanjak of Tirhala or Trikala (Ottoman Turkish: ; el, λιβάς/σαντζάκι Τρικάλων) was second-level Ottoman province ( or ) encompassing the region of Thessaly. Its name derives from the Turkish version of the name of the town ...

with the title ''Pasha of Trikala''. He married Zeivenie, a daughter of Ibrahim Pasha of

Berat Berat (; sq-definite, Berati) is the ninth most populous city of Albania and the seat of Berat County and Berat Municipality. By air, it is north of Gjirokastër, west of Korçë, south of Tirana, and east of Fier. Berat is located in ...

, in 1798. His second wife was Zybeide H. Vlora, the daughter of Sylejman Pasha. He was a well-educated man and fluent in Albanian,

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

, Turkish and

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

. Between 1807-1812, he ruled the

Morea The Morea ( el, Μορέας or ) was the name of the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece during the Middle Ages and the early modern period. The name was used for the Byzantine province known as the Despotate of the Morea, by the Ottom ...

as ''Pasha''. In 1803, his father sent him with an army to fight the

. In 1806, following renewed conflict between the Ottomans and Russians, Veli Pasha was sent to attack the

. Veli Pasha seized

Vonitsa Vonitsa ( el, Βόνιτσα) is a town in the northwestern part of Aetolia-Acarnania in Greece, seat of the municipality of Aktio-Vonitsa. Population 4,916 (2011). The beach town is situated on the south coast of the Ambracian Gulf, and is domina ...

Preveza Preveza ( el, Πρέβεζα, ) is a city in the region of Epirus, northwestern Greece, located on the northern peninsula at the mouth of the Ambracian Gulf. It is the capital of the regional unit of Preveza, which is part of the region of Epiru ...

and

Butrint Butrint ( el, Βουθρωτόν and Βουθρωτός, ''Bouthrōtón'', la, Buthrōtum) was an ancient Greek and later Roman city and bishopric in Epirus. "Speakers of these various Greek dialects settled different parts of Greece at differe ...

. Ali Pasha married Veli Pasha to his neighbour Ibrahim Pasha's daughter. Veli Pasha was sent to suppress the Serbian rebels in the

sanjak of Smederevo The Sanjak of Smederevo ( tr, Semendire Sancağı; sr, / ), also known in historiography as the Pashalik of Belgrade ( tr, Belgrad Paşalığı; sr, / ), was an Ottoman administrative unit (sanjak), that existed between the 15th and the out ...

(

First Serbian Uprising The First Serbian Uprising ( sr, Prvi srpski ustanak, italics=yes, sr-Cyrl, Први српски устанак; tr, Birinci Sırp Ayaklanması) was an uprising of Serbs in the Sanjak of Smederevo against the Ottoman Empire from 14 February 1 ...

). By 1804, Veli was the

sanjakbey ''Sanjak-bey'', ''sanjaq-bey'' or ''-beg'' ( ota, سنجاق بك) () was the title given in the Ottoman Empire to a bey (a high-ranking officer, but usually not a pasha) appointed to the military and administrative command of a district (''sanjak' ...

of Delvina and Beylerbey of Rumelia. By 1807, Veli Pasha had 10,000 soldiers at his disposal. Veli and his brother Muhtar attempted to convince their father to come to terms with the

Sublime Porte The Sublime Porte, also known as the Ottoman Porte or High Porte ( ota, باب عالی, Bāb-ı Ālī or ''Babıali'', from ar, باب, bāb, gate and , , ), was a synecdoche for the central government of the Ottoman Empire. History The name ...

but to no avail. Nonetheless, Ali Pasha would entrust

to Veli, and

Parga Parga ( el, Πάργα ) is a town and municipality located in the northwestern part of the regional unit of Preveza in Epirus, northwestern Greece. The seat of the municipality is the village Kanallaki. Parga lies on the Ionian coast between the ...

to Veli's eldest son Mehmet. In 1812, upon the appearance of Ottoman troops - who had arrived to subdue Ali Pasha - the Muslim population of Preveza threatened to revolt and forced Veli into the citadel. Preveza was blockaded by Turkish and Souliote forces, and the Ottoman government attempted to negotiate his surrender. In order to save his captured son Mehmet (at the pleas of Veli's other son Selim), and in return for an appointment to the Pashalik of St. John of Acre, Veli finally surrendered Preveza and deserted his father's cause.

Legacy

Apart from his appointment as Pasha in multiple regions, Veli Pasha was also known for plundering multiple ancient sites. He plundered the

Treasury of Atreus The Treasury of Atreus or Tomb of Agamemnon is a large ''tholos'' or beehive tomb constructed between 1350 and 1250 BC in Mycenae, Greece.Wace, A. J. (1940). The Treasury of Atreus. ''Antiquity, 14'', 233. ISSN 0003-598X The tomb was used for an un ...

Mycenae Mycenae ( ; grc, Μυκῆναι or , ''Mykē̂nai'' or ''Mykḗnē'') is an archaeological site near Mykines in Argolis, north-eastern Peloponnese, Greece. It is located about south-west of Athens; north of Argos; and south of Corinth. ...

. In April, 1808, he had people dig in Mycenae; he unearthed the Tomb of Clytemnestra among multiple other tombs containing human remains and jewellery, valuable stones and gems. He also unearthed around 25 statues and a marble table. He had them all transported to Tripolitza where he is said to have thrown out the mortal remains and the gems. He sold all other findings to western travellers for 80,000.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pasha, Veli 19th-century Ottoman military personnel Ottoman Epirus People from Epirus (region) Albanians from the Ottoman Empire People of the First Serbian Uprising Ottoman military personnel of the Serbian Revolution Ali Pasha of Ioannina