Grand Vizier
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- This article is about the Ottoman Empire. For other uses, see Vizier.
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State organisation of the Ottoman Empire |
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| House of Osman | ||
| Grand Vizier (1320-1922) Divan (1586? - 1908) |
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| Imperial Government (1908 - 1920) | ||
| See also | Subdivisions - Phanariotes | |
Grand Vizier (in Ottoman Turkish "sadrazam" or "vezir-i âzam"; see below for the evolution of the term), deriving from the originally Persian word "Vizier" (وزير) was the first minister of the Sultan with absolute power of attorney and, in principle, dismissable only by the Sultan himself. He held the imperial seal and he could convene all other viziers to attend to affairs of the state, their whole conference being called "Kubbealtı viziers" (viziers of the dome) in reference to the architecture of their meeting place.
During the nascent phases of the Ottoman state, "Vizier" was the only title used. The first of these Ottoman Viziers who was titled "Grand Vizier" was Çandarlı Kara Halil Hayreddin Pasha. The purpose in instituting the title "Grand Vizier" was to distinguish the holder of the Sultan's seal from other viziers who seconded him. The initially more frequently used title of "vezir-i âzam" was gradually replaced by "sadrazam", both meaning grand vizier in practice. Throughout Ottoman history, the grand viziers have also been termed under such titles as "sadr-ı âlî (high vizier)", "vekil-i mutlak (absolute attorney)", "sâhib-i devlet (holder of the state)" and "zât-ı âsafî (vizierial person)".
In the Köprülü Era (1656-1703) the Empire was controlled by a series of powerful grand viziers. The relative ineffectiveness of the coming sultans and the diffusion of power to lower levels of the government was behind of the Köprülü Era
After the Tanzimat period of the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century, the grand viziers came to assume a role more similar to that of a "chief of cabinet" in the Western sense.
[edit] See also
| House of Osman | Ottoman Dynasty | Imperial Harem | Palace Schools | Ottoman Caliphate |
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| Porte (Divan) | Grand Vizier | Vizier | Sheikh ul-Islam | Ottoman Senate (2nd Constitutional Era) |
| Imperial Government | Prime Minister | Minister of War | Education Minister | List of parties |
| Provincial Governing | Bey, Millet (Ottoman Empire), Elder (religious) | |
| Vassal States |
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