Mehmed Riza Pasha
Serasker of Ottoman Empire
Mehmed Riza Pasha, also known as Serasker Riza Pasha (Turkish: Serasker Rıza Paşa; 1844–1920) was an Ottoman military commander. He achieved the rank of Serasker, the highest military rank of the Ottoman Empire. He actively participated in the Russo-Turkish War (1877–78). Born into a family of Turkish origin, he was promoted to Serasker by Sultan Abdul Hamid II. The house owned by the Pasha can still be found on the Bosphorous. He was exiled to live in France following the end of the Ottoman Dynasty. He had three sons: Sureyya Pasha, Ziya Bey and Sukru Bey. Ziya Bey accompanied his father to France, where they resided in Nice. The home in Nice still bears a plaque indicating his residency in the property. He had a grip upon the Ottoman Empire as the Sultan by all accounts was weak, having inherited the title from his brother Abdülaziz. He is buried in the courtyard where the tomb of Mahmud II is located, along with other notable figures of that period.
A bostanji (also spelled bostandji or bostangi; from Turkish: bostancı, literally "gardener") was a member of one of the types of imperial guards of the Ottoman Empire. The bostanji were mainly responsible for protecting the sultan's palace and its premises. They also guarded the seraglio and rowed the Sultan's barge. Their chief was called the Bostanji-bashi (Turkish: bostancıbası), and he had the rank of a pasha. The bostanji at one time numbered 3000, and were united with the janissaries, another Ottoman imperial guard corps, in military duty. In war time their strength was 12,000. By the beginning of the 20th century their number was about 600.
Serasker, or seraskier (Ottoman Turkish: سرعسكر; Turkish pronunciation: [ˈseɾaskeɾ]), is a title formerly used in the Ottoman Empire for a vizier who commanded an army. Following the suppression of the Janissaries in 1826, Sultan Mahmud II transferred the functions of the old Agha of the Janissaries to the serasker. The latter now became a distinct office at the head of the Ottoman military, combining the functions of a commander-in-chief and a minister of war. He also took over the Janissary Agha's former duties regarding the upkeep of order in Istanbul. Indeed, as the police system developed and expanded with the empire's progressive centralization, it became one of the main duties of the serasker until 1845, when policing became a separate agency. The seat of the serasker and his department (bab-i seraskeri, or serasker kapısı—"Gate of the serasker") initially was in the Eski Saray, but these functions transferred to dedicated buildings in 1865. In 1879 the office was renamed to Ministry of War (Harbiye Nezareti) until 1890, when it reverted to its old name; it was finally renamed again to Ministry of War in 1908.
Awards: Sash and star of the Order of Osmanieh, Insignia of the Order of Glory (Nichani-Iftihar), Star of the Order of Distinction (Nishan-e-Imtiaz).
