ʿABDALLĀH PAŠA KÖPRÜLÜZĀDE, Ottoman statesman and commander-in-chief, d. 1148/1735, who campaigned in Azerbaijan. His father was the grand vizier Moṣṭafā Paša Köprülüzāde; on 2 Šaʿbān 1112/23 January 1700 he married the daughter of Fayżallāh Efendi, the šayḵ-al-eslām. Patronized by his father-in-law, he became vizier (12 Šaʿbān 1113/22 January 1701) and gained later the dignified rank of the military commander of Constantinople, the so-called Istanbul qāʾim-maqāmı. During the revolt of 9 Rabīʿ II 1115/22 August 1703 (the so-called Edirne vaqʿası) ʿAbdallāh restrained the persecution directed against Fayżallāh Efendi and his family. Within the following years he held various posts as governor (Khania, Khios, Sivas) and in 1135/1723 was appointed vālī of Van (eastern Anatolia) and seṛʿasker (saṛʿaskar, commander-in-chief) for the planned Ottoman campaign against Tabrīz. This campaign (1136/1724) resulted in the conquest of Ḵoy and Čowrs, but the siege of Tabrīz failed after twenty-nine days, owing to the lateness of the year. After having spent the whole winter in camps near Ṭasūǰ, ʿAbdallāh led the Ottoman army, the strength of which at the time was about 70,000 troops, for a second attempt against Tabrīz. After the conquest of Zonūz and Marand, he besieged Tabrīz for six days until the surrender of her defenders (23 Ḏu’l-qaʿda 1137/3 August 1725). In 1138/1726, according to his demand, ʿAbdallāh gained the governorship of Raqqa (Syria), and so he resigned his rank as seṛʿasker (1139/1727). After having held various governorships (Candia, Egypt, Euboia, and Qaramān) he was again appointed seṛʿasker for a campaign towards Iranian soil. Against a lesser Iranian army led by Nāder Shah, ʿAbdallāh gave battle at the Arpačāy river in Armenia, near Baḡāvard. The battle ended with a severe defeat of the Ottoman troops and the death of ʿAbdallāh (26 or 27 Moḥarram 1148/18 or 19 June 1735).
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(M. Kohbach)
Originally Published: December 15, 1982
Last Updated: July 15, 2011
This article is available in print.
Vol. I, Fasc. 2, p. 203
M. Kohbach, “ʿABDALLĀH PAŠA KÖPRÜLÜZĀDE,” Encyclopædia Iranica, I/2, p. 203; an updated version is available online at http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/abdallah-pasa-kprlzade-ottoman-statesman-and-commander-in-chief-d-1735 (accessed on 17 January 2014).
