Mehmed Ali legitimated his rule through personal authority rather than institutions.

Evidence

In short, Mehmed Ali’s position vis-à-vis the Ottoman Sultan, on the one hand, and the fellah subjects, on the other, is very similar to that of a feudal lord. Above him loomed the authority of the Sultan, an authority that resembled that of a feudal overlord above that of his vassals and an authority that Mehmed Ali could, and did, challenge. Similarly, the Pasha viewed Egypt as his own personal fief. … Most telling is the answer he gave to Ibrahim when the latter had reached Kütahia, a day’s marching distance from Istanbul, and when his victorious son was pleading with him to press for independence. In response to these repeated pleas, and finding no plausible excuses to legitimate his rebellion against the Sultan, Mehmed Ali replied saying, “My Mehmed Ali-ness is enough for me.” — Khaled Fahmy, All the Pasha_s Men_ Mehmed Ali, his…, 1550

Categorization

• XREF: Parallels Weber’s charismatic authority and how pre-national rulers legitimated rule through the person, echoing the ‘Namesake’-style fixation on one’s own name as identity anchor.
• SHARE: The ‘My Mehmed Ali-ness is enough for me’ line is a compact, memorable anecdote for anyone interested in charismatic autocratic self-legitimation.