Abstract:

Gazi Ahmet Muhtar Pasha was a notable Ottoman soldier and grand vizier, and he is especially known for his successful acts during Yemen and Crete movements, and during the 1877-1878 Ottoman-Russian War, which is known as the '93 War. Sultans of his time appreciated and rewarded Muhtar Pasha, whose almost entire life passed with wars, rebellions, high degrees, and nishans. Pasha, after going to Europe with Sultan Abdulaziz almost twenty years ago, was sent as the “extraordinary ambassador” to Germany and Italy, which were having good relationships with the Ottoman Empire that time, by Sultan Abdulhamid II. The reasons for these trips were both to follow the military developments in Europe and present gifts to the kings, and there were not any diplomatic reasons. In this study, the trip of Gazi Ahmet Muhtar Pasha to Italy in January, 1884 is examined in the light of Ottoman archival documents and Ottoman and Italian press of that time. Pasha also prepared a report including what they did with his group on a day to day basis, his meeting with the king and the queen, what they talked about, what they lived and where they went, and he presented this report as layiha to the sultan. This layiha includes some important details about the Ottoman and Italian histories.