MIDHAT PASHA (1822-1884), Turkish statesman, the son of a civil judge, was born at Constantinople in 1822. His father trained him for an administrative career, and at the age of 22 he was attached as secretary to Falk Effendi, whom he accompanied in Syria for three years. On his return to Constantinople Midhat was appointed chief director of confidential reports, and after a new financial mission in Syria was made second secretary of the grand council. His enemies caused him to be given the nearly impossible task of settling the revolt and brigandage rampant in Rumelia. His measures were drastic and their success was startling and the Government made him an official of the first rank and restored him to his place in the grand council. He restored order in Bulgaria in 1857. In 186o he was made vizier and pasha, and entrusted with the government of Nisch, where his reforms were so beneficial that the sultan charged him, in conjunction with Fuad Pasha and Ali Pasha, to prepare the scheme for adapting them to the empire which was afterwards known as the law of the vilayets. He organized the council of State in i866, and was then made governor of Baghdad, where his success was as decisive as at Nisch, but attended with much greater difficulties. In 1871 the anti-reform influence of the grand vizier, Mahmoud Nedim, seemed to Midhat a danger to the country, and in a personal interview he boldly stated his views to the sultan, who appointed Midhat grand vizier in place of Mahmoud. Too independent, however, for the court, Midhat remained in power only three months, and after a short governorship of Salonica he lived apart from affairs at Constantinople until 1875.
While sympathizing with the ideas and aims of the "Young Turkey" party, Midhat was anxious to restrain its impatience, but the sultan's obduracy led to a coalition between the grand vizier, the war minister and Midhat Pasha, which deposed the sultan in May 1876, and he was murdered in the following month. His nephew Murad V. was in turn deposed in the following August and replaced by his brother, Abdul Hamid II. Midhat Pasha now became grand vizier, reforms were freely promised, and the Ottoman parliament was inaugurated with a great flourish. In the following February, however, Midhat was dismissed and banished for supposed complicity in the murder of Abdul Aziz. Again recalled in 1878, he was appointed governor of Syria, and in August exchanged offices with the governor of Smyrna. But in the following May the sultan again ordered him to be arrested, and although he effected his escape and appealed to the Powers, he shortly afterwards surrendered, claiming a fair hearing. The trial took place in June, when Midhat and the others were sen tenced to death. On the intercession of the British Government the sentence was commuted to banishment. The remaining three years of his life were spent in exile at Taif in Arabia, where he died, probably by violence, on May 8, 1884. To great ability, wide sympathies and patriotism he added absolute honesty.
(G. F. B.)