Gürcü Yusuf Pasha

Gürcü Yusuf Pasha (1652–1713, Rhodes) was an Ottoman statesman, Grand Vizier, military leader and diplomat of Georgian origin. He was captured as a child, sold, and conscripted into the Janissary Corps.

In 1702, he became the head of one of the Janissary units. His duty was to accompany and serve the Sultan during hunting. Gürcü Yusuf Pasha was first sent to Crete as the head of the Janissaries, and then to Cyprus. In 1707, he retired, but in 1710 he was appointed Agha (head) of the Janissaries. In 1711, he was given the rank of vizier.

On November 9, 1710, the Ottomans declared war on Russia, Gürcü Yusuf Pasha took part in the Pruth River Campaign. On June 9, 1711, the Janissaries under his command attacked and surrounded the Russian army. On July 10, Gürcü Yusuf Pasha demanded the Grand Vizier, Baltacı Mehmet Pasha, to start an attack, but Peter the Great sent a large bribe to the Grand Vizier and offered a truce. On July 12, a peace treaty was signed. The Crimean Khan Devlet II Giray, the King of Sweden Charles XII (who had been living in the Ottoman Empire since his defeat in the Battle of Poltava), and other opponents of the Grand Vizier believed that the terms of the truce were unfavorable to the Ottomans and demanded a renewal of the war.

On November 9, 1711, Baltacı Mehmet Pasha was dismissed from his post (and executed shortly afterwards) and Gürcü Yusuf Pasha was appointed Grand Vizier. On November 20, the Ottoman army, led by Gürcü Yusuf Pasha, returned to Istanbul. On December 9, 1711, the Ottoman Empire declared war on Russia again, although peace negotiations continued under the leadership of Gürcü Yusuf Pasha, and on April 9, 1712, a new peace treaty was signed in Istanbul. Russia made certain concessions.

Despite the opposition of Gürcü Yusuf Pasha, on October 31, the Ottoman Sultan decided to resume the Russo-Ottoman War. Gürcü Yusuf Pasha was dismissed from his post as the Grand Vizier. On June 24, 1713, a new Treaty of Adrianople was signed, consisting of 12 articles, including 7 articles drafted by Gürcü Yusuf Pasha, which were unchanged from the Treaty of Istanbul, which testifies to his great diplomatic skills.

Gürcü Yusuf Pasha was exiled to Rhodes, and then executed.

Literature: Орешкова С. Ф., Русcко-турецкие отношения в начале XVIII в., М., 1981; Danişmend I. H., Izahli Osmanlι Tarihi Kronolojisi, c. 4, Istanbul, 1961; Mufassal Osmanlι Tarihi, c.4, Ankara, 1963.

M. Svanidze