Tepedelenli Ali Pasha and His Material Assets

Abstract

The life of Tepedelenli Ali Pasha (1744-1820) constitutes the subject of this study. Ali Pasha was a notable and a powerful administrator over a vast region that now lies in Albania and Greece. In exchange for certain services performed for the state, he became politically and economically very powerful. On his sons rising to positions of prominence, Ali Pasha became even more powerful, which took on the character of an implied threat to the sultan's position. Thus, the sultan mounted a plot against him, which culminated in his execution in the year 1820. This aspect of the life of Ali Pasha has been previously examined by a number of scholars. But seldom have his material assets, which formed the source of his power, been subjected to scrutiny. Hence, in the context of the pasha's background and careet, inquiry has been here directed to a breakdown of his assets in relation to the sum total and the means by which they were obtained.