From official correspondence to diplomacy
Born in Istanbul in 1800, Reshid advanced through official correspondence, missions and negotiations. He participated in the Adrianople peace talks of 1829, went to Paris in 1834, served in London and became foreign minister in 1837. European diplomacy became central to his response to imperial crises.
The conflict between the Ottoman government and Muhammad Ali of Egypt shaped his work. He sought British support and helped secure the commercial treaty of 1838. Diplomacy, trade and domestic reform were intertwined attempts to preserve Ottoman rule within an unequal international environment.
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The Gülhane proclamation
On 3 November 1839 he publicly read the Gülhane Edict. It promised security of life, honour and property, regular taxation, and regulated military recruitment and service. It required investigation and public judgment before punishment and extended its assurances across religious communities.
Reshid was an important promoter, but administrative preparations and reform ideas had developed under Mahmud II. The sultan and other senior officials also approved the document. Its emergence involved accumulated institutional pressures and collective decisions alongside Reshid’s initiative.
Administration and patronage
First appointed grand vizier in 1846, he returned to the office repeatedly amid competition at court. Commercial justice, educational administration and archival development figured among the reforms associated with his terms. He encouraged simpler official writing and patronized figures including Ali, Fuad and Cevdet.
He died in 1858. Beydilli also notes the tension between reformist objections to misuse of public resources and Reshid’s own pursuit of wealth and court connections. His career illustrates both institutional reform and the personal networks through which Ottoman high politics operated.
References: [1]