Mehmed Ali’s expansion operates within his legal role as Ottoman vali

Evidence

Given the Pasha’s legal position within the Empire and given the ambivalent feelings he had towards his Sultan it is therefore crucial to place his military activities within the larger Ottoman context. Mehmed Ali might have had desires to expand his dominions out of Egypt, but he certainly took his legal position as a vali very seriously. The question that should be asked in this respect is why Mehmed Ali agreed to fight along with the Sultan against the Wahhabis and the Greeks and then turn against him in 1831. — Khaled Fahmy, All the Pasha_s Men_ Mehmed Ali, his…, 182

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the wider Ottoman-tributary legal framework theme; relevant to reader’s comparative interest in Ottoman pashas vs British actors.