Mehmed Ali repeatedly petitioned for the eyalet of Damascus between 1812 and 1815.

Evidence

As early as 1810 Mehmed Ali showed his interest in the neighboring province and his willingness to interfere in its internal affairs, as well as his ability to influence developments there to suit his interests. Capitalizing on the enmity between Süleyman Pasha, the vali of Sidon, and Yusuf Genç Pasha, the vali of Damascus, Mehmed Ali decided to side with the latter and mediated with the Sublime Porte to reinstate him in his pashalɩks. — Khaled Fahmy, All the Pasha_s Men_ Mehmed Ali, his…, 182 (#expands, via linked claim)

After sending his troops to Syria and after undertaking what could only be taken as a blatant act of rebellion against the authority of the Sultan, Mehmed Ali was still hoping to acquire Syria and to be pardoned by Mahmud at the same time. Documents abound showing how Mehmed Ali in 1832 still thought that he could get away with his act and that he could, in effect, both have his cake and eat it too. While besieging the fortress of Acre for eight months during which numerous letters were sent from Istanbul urging him to desist and warning him of the consequences if he did not, he was still pleading for forgiveness from the Sultan and asking to be given Syria without being declared a rebel. — Khaled Fahmy, All the Pasha_s Men_ Mehmed Ali, his…, 258 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

Category: Factual Claims

Related

• Mehmed Ali sought Syria and a Sultan’s pardon simultaneously (similarity 0.92)
• Mehmed Ali hoped to gain Syria while remaining a pardoned Ottoman vassal (similarity 0.91)
• The Sultan’s denial of Syria turned Mehmed Ali toward outright defiance (similarity 0.90)
• Mehmed Ali conducted rebellion while still begging the Sultan’s pardon (similarity 0.88)
• The military build-up of the early 1820s was long preparation for invading Syria. (similarity 0.87)
• Mehmed Ali repeatedly petitioned for the Syrian eyalet before invading (similarity 0.86)
• Mehmed Ali’s ambivalence toward the Sultan stemmed from his imperial ambitions (similarity 0.85)
• Syria’s forests were essential for building Mehmed Ali’s naval fleet. (similarity 0.85)
• Egypt’s acute timber shortage drove Mehmed Ali to covet Syria’s forests. (similarity 0.84)
• Mehmed Ali interfered in Syrian provincial politics as early as 1810. (similarity 0.84)
• Mehmed Ali’s Syrian campaign ran from 1831 to 1840. (similarity 0.84)
• Mehmed Ali leveraged his Hijaz campaign to meddle in Syria’s politics by 1810 (similarity 0.82)
• Mehmed Ali’s ambivalence stemmed from rebellion against the Sultan while seeking his forgiveness (similarity 0.82)
• Ottoman sultans distrusted Mehmed Ali from his earliest years in power (similarity 0.81)
• Mehmed Ali leveraged military readiness to influence Syrian politics by 1810 (similarity 0.80)

Broader Connections

• Mehmed Ali interfered in Syrian provincial politics as early as 1810. #expands (0.70) — Khaled Fahmy, All the Pasha_s Men_ Mehmed Ali, his…, 182
• Mehmed Ali sought Syria and a Sultan’s pardon simultaneously #expands (0.60) — Khaled Fahmy, All the Pasha_s Men_ Mehmed Ali, his…, 258
• Mehmed Ali hoped to gain Syria while remaining a pardoned Ottoman vassal #expands (0.60)
• Mehmed Ali invaded Syria in 1831 without the Sultan’s consent. #complicates (0.50)
• Ibrahim’s forces captured Acre and Damascus and defeated a major Ottoman army in 1832. #complicates (0.40)