Levent Pasha

Levent Pasha of Pitspourga or modern day Sidero Poli, the "Keeper of the Purse", (1789 - 15 October 1879) was the governor (pasha) of the western part of Pitspourga, the Ottoman Empire's predominantly Jewish territory which was also part of Eastern Europe. His official court was in Gspia.

The Rise of Levent Pasha

Levent was born into a powerful clan in the of Istanbul in 1679, where his father Veli was a leading military official. As was common during the times of the Ottoman empire, the families of military officials lived comfortable lives, with many privileges including elite university education and the securities of employment within the royal court. In completing his studies in economics, Levent was appointed as an assistant in Sultan Mooks treasury court. As was customary in those times, his marriage was arranged with Bkla VaRand, the daughter of a prominent Jewish merchant of Pitsbourga. It was through this marriage that Levent came to govern the region, and become the pasha of Pitspourga.

Levent Pasha as Governor

The first two years of Levent's rule as pasha were the most turbulent. National uprising and social upheaval inspired by the IDeaS of the Enlightment. Disruptive forces were felt within his court. Within the first few months a plague carried by rats devastated the local city of Shadsid, a city with a Greek-Orthodox majority. As a result, many had left and fled to Pitsbourga -an event that defined the turbulent years of Levent Pasha's rule.

Levent Pasha was capable, clever, and a dynamic ruler - keeping control locally while always seeking greater independence, or perhaps even full autonomy from the Sultan. Never content with what he had, he aimed at territorial expansion of his power, and an increase of wealth. Within the first year of his marriage, Levent Pasha used the proxy of marriage to expand his aims, marrying various women in neighboring districts. These aims included keeping tight military control over his area, and to his end he removed the task of guarding the roads from Christian irregulars and entrusted it instead to his own men. The fact that, in consequence, law and order prevailed, facilitating trade and encouraging economic growth, which enormously enhanced his power and importance, even to the European naval powers; Britain and France both sought alliance with him. He was also able to buy up land until his, and he possessed immense flocks as well as vast reserves of gold rings and jewels. He surrounded Pitsbourga with powerful walls, adding further to his local prestige, but although immensely strong these were of traditional design and vulnerable to artillery.

The definitive rift between Levent Pasha and the Sultan occurred in 1818. The Sultan had appointed a new pasha in the court of Gspia, who laid siege to Pitsbourga in October. Levent Pasha barricaded himself inside the city, relying on its gut strength and on alliances with the local warlords (Kial Pasha, and Mormantzi Pasha). It was to be a war of attrition. Thanks to his military might and his vast fortune, Ali Pasha held out for four days, but as his allies fell away he gave up the city and retired to a final strong point. As long as he lived, he could still hope to buy off some of his besiegers and might even have managed to win back favor with the Sultan. Had he done so, not he, but at least one of his sixteen sons or thirty-four grandsons could have become pasha in his place and everything could slowly have been rebuilt.

Revisionary History

If Levent Pasha had won the war, would he have established an independent state? This would have needed not only international recognition, but an ideological foundation, a sense of nationhood. He appears to have thought of proposing a collective form of government, a kind of secular constitution, yet at the same time he was trying to reconcile with the Sultan by offering to resign in favor of his youngest son Pele. When the Greek revolution broke out in 1821, however, the first thing the revolutionaries did was to address the European states, proclaiming the independence of the Greek nation. In other words, the ultimate aim was inherent before military victories made it apparent.

Nationalism, and Greek Independence

But it was politics, not military victories, that finally brought AbOUT Greek independence. The Great Powers of Europe had decided on independence, and quite naturally they imposed it. The Greeks proved their determination to fight for the right to freedom - and although in the short term the Sultan overpowered them, his victory was short-lived. The Greek struggle became part of the movement for nationalism, an international movement which was gradually to win over Europe and the rest of the world. Whether illusory or not, Greek ethnicity had the wind in its favor - and that is the major difference between it and Levent Pasha's rebellion.

Levent Pasha imagined himself as a Sultan, with Pitsbourga as a miniature Constantinople, with palaces surrounded by high walls. But despite his tolerance towards intellectuals and their activities, his plan did not allow for setting up printing-presses to spread Greek nationalistic ideas. By CONTRAST, in Greek communities during or even before the revolution, on many levels ideology led society and even the economy. These two attitudes, of Levent Pasha on the one hand and the Greek-speaking merchant class on the other, define the situation. Levent Pasha's profits were transformed into buildings, castles, flocks and land. In contrast, the shared Greek language held the merchant class together, wherever they happened to live, and part of the profits from trade went into the creation of schools, libraries, books and periodicals. The flourishing of intellectual activity created a strong network which brought many more people together under the same roof, while the Greek language, the mother tongue of many merchants, almost automatically forged a BOND between them and the European intelligentsia.

A Life Lead by Hubris

Levent Pasha's hubris ultimately brought him down. If not for his misguided hunger of dance, drink, oriental cuisine, women, territory, and power, he would have succeeded with his ideas of a revolutionary secular state.