This dissertation traces the rise to power of the Köprülü dynasty of grand viziers, Köprülü Mehmed Pasha, and Fazıl Ahmed Pasha by examining their relationship with the dynasty and their... Show moreThis dissertation traces the rise to power of the Köprülü dynasty of grand viziers, Köprülü Mehmed Pasha, and Fazıl Ahmed Pasha by examining their relationship with the dynasty and their household connections. This study of the political life of the Köprülü grand viziers is intended to provide insight into two main lines of inquiry. Firstly, it offers an important opportunity to analyze the relationship between the sultan and the vizier, two powerful figures of the political system, from the late sixteenth century up until the late seventeenth century. Secondly, it opens up the possibility of providing a detailed analysis of the structure of the vizierial households that appeared on the political scene from the sixteenth century onwards. This dissertation argues that the most decisive factor in the establishment and consolidation of the Köprülü power was the high level of support provided by Hadice Turhan Sultan and Mehmed IV. It also argues that Köprülü Mehmed Pasha and Fazıl Ahmed Pasha established the most efficient political network stretching from the provinces to the central bureaucracy of the seventeenth century by the end of their twenty-year tenure. Show less
