Ali Pasha

Ali Pasha (surnamed Arslan, 'the Lion') was born in 1741, at Tepeleni, a village of Albania. His mother, a vindictive and merciless woman, inspired him with the remorseless sentiments that animated herself. His youth was passed in extreme peril and hardship, for the neighbouring pashas had robbed his father of nearly all his possessions, in the effort to recover which, young Ali was repeatedly defeated. It is said that the change in his fortunes arose from his accidental discovery of a chest of gold, with which he raised an army of 2000 men, gained his first victory, and entered Tepeleni in triumph. On the very day of his return, he murdered his brother, and then, on the charge of having poisoned him, imprisoned his mother in the harem, where she soon after died. He next reconciled himself to the Porte by helping to subdue the rebellious Vizier of Scutari. Appointed lieutenant to the Derwend Pasha, an officer charged with the suppression of brigandage, he rendered the high-roads more insecure than ever, sharing in the plunder of the klephts (robbers). The result was his deposition by the Porte; but he speedily bought back its favour, for he was a master-hand at bribery. Shortly after this, he did such good service to the Turks in their Austro-Russian war of 1787, that he was named pasha of Trikala in Thessaly; at the same time he seized Janina, of which he got himself appointed pasha by the instrumentality of terror, a forged firman, and bribery. In 1797 he entered into alliance with Napoleon, who sent him engineers; but next year, after the battle of Aboukir Bay, he wrested the seaport Prevesa from the French. After a three years' war, he subdued the Suliots, for which the Porte promoted him to be governor of Rumili. About this time, he revenged on the townsfolk of Gardiki an outrage done to his mother forty years before, by the murder of 739 male descendants of the original offenders, who themselves were all dead. Within his dominions, Ali maintained strict order and justice. Security and peace reigned, high-roads were constructed, and industry flourished, so that the European travellers, with whom he willingly held intercourse, considered him an active and intelligent governor. From 1807, when he once more formed an alliance with Napoleon, Ali's dependence on the Porte was merely nominal. Having failed, however, to obtain at the peace of Tilsit, Parga, on the coast of Albania, and the Ionian Islands, he now entered into an alliance with the English, to whom he made many concessions. In return, they granted Parga nominally to the sultan, but really to Ali. As he now deemed his power securely established, he caused the commanders of the Greek Armatoles (or militia), who had hitherto aided him, to be assassinated one by one, while at the same time he put to death the assassins, to save himself from the suspicion of having been their instigator. The Porte resolved at length to end the power of this daring rebel; and in 1820, Sultan Mahmoud sentenced him to be deposed. Ali resisted for a time several pashas that were sent against him; but at last surrendered, on the security of an oath that his life and property would be granted him. Regardless of this, he was put to death, February 5, 1822.