Mehmet Emin Rauf Paşa (1780-1860)

Abstract

Mehmet Emin Rauf Paşa, the state man who witnessed the reign of the pro-innovation Sultans such as Selim III, Mahmud II and Abdülmecid, is the subject of our thesis. In the 19th century, Mehmet Emin Rauf Paşa, who preferred civil bureaucrats instead of military bureaucrats because of the fact that they had come out of pen, needed cadres to implement the reforms of Babali. Mahmud II, planning to rebuild the centre’s sovereignty over the provinces by eliminating the focus of power in the provinces so that reforms can be placed on a solid ground. Rauf Paşa, supported Mahmud II in his decisions. Rauf Paşa, worked with Mustafa Reşid Paşa for the implementation of bureaucratic reforms that prepared the institutional transformation that would rise above the Tanzimat which was near the death of Mahmud II. Rauf Paşa, after the announcement of the Tanzimat, has been focused on carrying out military and financial reforms that will ensure the continuation of the Empire by taking a stand for innovations in an ever-increasing innovative-traditionalist conflict. Therefore, the life of Rauf Paşa, who had been in the Ottoman Empire for 15 years, was very important because of his efforts both to understand the political balances of his life and to clarify his ages dark points. Rauf Paşa, witnessed the removal of the Janissary during his long civil service life, the establishment of the Asakir-i Mansure and the uprising of the Egyptian governor who became an international problem shortly after his departure. The portrait of the Ottoman statesman who found his expression in Rauf Paşa’s personality was built on the union of two times, both before and after the Tanzimat. However, this union did not lead to a conflict in the political life of Rauf Paşa and managed to maintain its existence from the conflict together.