Edhem Pasha (; 1844–1909) was an Ottoman Turkish

field marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...

and leading figure in the propagation of the Ottoman

military doctrine Military doctrine is the expression of how military forces contribute to campaigns, major operations, battles, and engagements. A military doctrine outlines what military means should be used, how forces should be structured, where forces shou ...

Life and career

Edhem was born to a Muslim Turkish family in

Trabzon Trabzon, historically known as Trebizond, is a city on the Black Sea coast of northeastern Turkey and the capital of Trabzon Province. The city was founded in 756 BC as "Trapezous" by colonists from Miletus. It was added into the Achaemenid E ...

which was then part of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

. He was the deputy of Osman Nuri Pasha during the

Siege of Plevna The siege of Plevna or Pleven, was a major battle of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, fought by the joint army of the Russian Empire and the Kingdom of Romania against the Ottoman Empire. After the Russian army crossed the Danube at ...

in 1877. He was the leading commander of the Ottoman army that defeated the Greek army on the

Thessalian Thessaly ( ; ; ancient Thessalian: , ) is a traditional geographic and modern administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, Thessaly was known as Aeolia (, ), and appea ...

front during the

Greco-Turkish War (1897) The Greco-Turkish War of 1897 or the Ottoman-Greek War of 1897 ( or ), also called the Thirty Days' War and known in Greece as the Black '97 (, ''Mauro '97'') or the Unfortunate War (), was a war fought between the Kingdom of Greece and the O ...

, which would end in a decisive Ottoman victory. Edhem Pasha was especially successful in the

Battle of Domokos The Battle of Domokos () took place between the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Greece. This battle was a part of the Greco-Turkish War (1897). Background After Greece tried to annex the island Crete the Ottoman porte declared war on Greece. T ...

on the front. He captured

Larissa Larissa (; , , ) is the capital and largest city of the Thessaly region in Greece. It is the fifth-most populous city in Greece with a population of 148,562 in the city proper, according to the 2021 census. It is also the capital of the Larissa ...

and

Trikala Trikala () is a city in northwestern Thessaly, Greece, and the capital of the Trikala (regional unit), Trikala regional unit. The city straddles the Lithaios river, which is a tributary of Pineios (Thessaly), Pineios. According to the Greek Natio ...

, but other European states intervened in favor of Greece because of the danger that the Ottomans again could once again capture the rest of the

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

. As a result, the Greco-Ottoman War resulted in a strategic stalemate despite the Ottoman military victory on the field. Edhem Pasha died in Constantinople (modern-day

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

) in 1909.

References

1844 births 1909 deaths People from Trabzon Turks from the Ottoman Empire Ottoman military personnel of the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) Ottoman military personnel of the Greco-Turkish War (1897) Field marshals of the Ottoman Empire Pashas {{Ottoman-bio-stub