List of Ottoman ministers of finance


This is a list of the top officials in charge of the finances of the Ottoman Empire, called Defterdar between the 14th and 19th centuries and Maliye Naziri between 19th and 20th centuries. They were originally in charge of the defters in the Ottoman Empire, hence the name defterdar.

History of the office

The exact date of the formal establishment of the office is unknown. According to some sources, the first defterdar was the Kadı of Mihaliç, Çelebi bin Mehmed, appointed in 1359 or 1360, during the reign of Murad I. During the reign of Bayezid I, the poet Zahiri is mentioned as the defterdar.
In the classical period, the finances of the Empire were organized under a single Defterdar, literally the main bookkeeper, in charge of a single imperial treasury. Starting in 1793, smaller treasuries independent of the imperial treasury were organized, each with a separate defterdar in charge. In 1837, a modern ministry was founded under the name of Maliye Nezareti, merging most of the independent treasuries back to the Imperial Treasury. In 1840, the merging of the remaining independent treasuries was completed.

Rank and title

Ministers of Finance in the classical period were called Defterdar, were members of the Divan-ı Hümayun and held rank higher than agha and bey, and lower than vizier and kazasker. Starting from 1837, Ministers of Finance were called Maliye Nazırı, held the rank of vizier, and were titled Pasha.

List of Defterdars (until 1837)

The office of the Defterdar continued until 1837.

Reign of Sultan [Mehmed II]

  • Titrek Sinan Çelebi
  • Hekim Yakup Pasha
  • Osman Çelebi
  • Fenarı–zade Ahmed Çelebi
  • Nureddin Hamza Ibn–i Ali Efendi, 1st term

Reign of Sultan [Bayezid II]

  • Feylezof–zade Ahmed Çelebi
  • Isa Fakih
  • Nureddin Hamza Ibn–i Ali Efendi, 2nd term
  • Cendereci–zade/Çandarlı Şemseddin
  • Nureddin Hamza Ibn–i Ali Efendi, 3rd term
  • Ahmed Çelebi, 1st term
  • Hüseyin Çelebi
  • Taci Bey
  • Nureddin Hamza Ibn–i Ali Efendi, 4th term
  • Cezeri–zade Koca Kasım Safı Pasha, 1st term
  • Hüsameddin Çelebi
  • Piri Mehmed Pasha

Reign of Sultan [Selim I]

  • Piri Mehmed Çelebi, continued from previous reign
  • Şemsi Bey/Pasha
  • Iskender Çelebi
  • Çömlekçi–zade Kemalettin Çelebi
  • Hoca–zade Mehmed Çelebi
  • Abdülkerim–zade Abdülvehhab Hayali Çelebi
  • Cezeri–zade Koca Kasım Safı Pasha, 2nd term
  • Ahmed Çelebi, 2nd term

Reign of Sultan [Suleiman the Magnificent]

  • Ahmed Çelebi, continued from previous reign
  • Mehmed Çelebi
  • Abdülselam Çelebi
  • Iskender Çelebi
  • Mustafa Çelebi
  • Ramazan–zade Yeşilce Mehmed Çelebi
  • Nazlı Mahmud Çelebi, 1st term
  • Ibrahim Çelebi/Pasha
  • Nazlı Mahmud Çelebi, 2nd term
  • Sinan Çelebi Pasha
  • Çivi–zade Abdullah/Abdi Çelebi
  • Lütfi Bey/Çelebi
  • Hasan Çelebi
  • Muytab–zade Ahmed Çelebi
  • Eğri Abdi–zade Mehmed Bey/Çelebi
  • Baba Nakkaş–zade Derviş Çelebi, 1st term
  • Murad Çelebi

Reign of Sultan [Selim II]

  • Murad Çelebi, continued from previous reign
  • Ebu'l–fazl Mehmed Çelebi
  • Baba Nakkaş–zade Derviş Çelebi, 2nd term
  • Lale–i izar/Lalezar–zade/Laleli–zade Mehmed Çelebi, 1st term

Reign of [Murad III]

Reign of Sultan [Mehmed III]

  • Baş–Hasan Efendi/Pasha
  • Emir Mehmed Pasha, 2nd term
  • Mezbeleturpu Mahmud Efendi/Pasha
  • Maktul Hacı Ibrahim Pasha, 4th term
  • Ali Çavuş/Efendi
  • Tophaneli Mahmud Efendi/Pasha, 1st term
  • Ali Çavuş/Efendi
  • Tophaneli Mahmud Efendi/Pasha, 2nd term
  • Tezkireci–zade Mahmud Pasha
  • Burhaneddin Pasha, 2nd term
  • Tophaneli Mahmud Efendi/Pasha, 3rd term

Reign of Sultan [Ahmed I]

  • Tophaneli Mahmud Efendi/Pasha, continued from previous reign
  • Musa Çelebi–zade Mehmed Pasha
  • Hafız Mahmud Efendi
  • Tophaneli Mahmud Efendi/Pasha, 4th term
  • Ekmekcioğlu Ahmed Pasha
  • Lanka–zade Mustafa Efendi, 1st term
  • Abdülbaki/Baki Efendi/Pasha, 1st term
  • Lanka–zade Mustafa Efendi, 2nd term
  • Rizeli Hasan Pasha, 1st term

1st Reign of Sultan [Mustafa I]

  • Rizeli Hasan Pasha, continued from previous reign
  • Yahnikapan Abdulkerim Efendi/Pasha, 1st term

Reign of Sultan [Osman II]

  • Yahnikapan Abdulkerim Efendi/Pasha, continued from previous reign
  • Rizeli Hasan Pasha, 2nd term
  • Abdulbaki/Baki Pasha, 2nd term

2nd Reign of Sultan [Mustafa I]

  • Rizeli Hasan Pasha, 3rd term

Reign of Sultan [Murad IV]

Reign of Sultan Ibrahim">Ibrahim of the Ottoman Empire">Ibrahim

Reign of Sultan [Mehmed IV]

  • Halıcızade Mehmed Pasha, 2nd term
  • Halıcızade Mehmed Pasha, 3rd term
  • Halıcı Damadı Mustafa Pasha
  • Cebeci Ahmed Pasha

List of ministers of finance (1837 and later)

In 1837, a modern ministry was founded under the name of Maliye Nezareti.

Reign of Sultan [Mahmud II]

  • Abdurrahman Nafiz Pasha, 1st term

Reign of Sultan [Abdülmecid I]

Reign of [Abdülaziz]

Reign of [Murad V]

  • , 2nd term

Reign of [Abdulhamid II]

  • Mehmed Kani Pasha, 2nd term
  • Ahmet Zühdü Pasha, 1st term
  • Ahmet Zühdü Pasha, 2nd term
  • Ibrahim Edib Efendi, 1st term
  • Hüseyin Tevfik Pasha, 1st term
  • Ahmet Münir Pasha, 1st term
  • Mehmet Münir Bey
  • Ibrahim Edib Efendi, 2nd term
  • Ahmet Münir Pasha, 2nd term
  • Agop Ohannes Kazasyan Pasha, 1st term
  • Mustafa Zihni Pasha
  • Agop Ohannes Kazasyan Pasha, 2nd term
  • * He embezzled funds and therefore received an official termination. He would have otherwise received capital punishment, but he paid a fine to avoid it. Evangelia Balta and Ayșe Kavak, authors of "Publisher of the newspaper Konstantinoupolis for half a century," wrote that the fine was "large" and that the newspaper Servet had a "militant stance" on the behavior.
  • Agop Kazazyan Pasha
  • Ahmet Nazif Pasha, 1st term
  • Hüseyin Sabri Bey, 1st term
  • Ahmet Nazif Pasha, 2nd term
  • Hüseyin Tevfik Pasha, 2nd term
  • Ahmet Reşad Pasha, 1st term
  • Ahmed Reşad Pasha, 2nd term
  • Mehmet Ziya Pasha, 1st term
  • Mehmet Ragıb Bey
  • Mehmet Ziya Pasha, 2nd term
  • Mehmet Rifat Bey, 1st term
  • Osman Nuri Bey

Reign of Sultan [Mehmed V]

Reign of Sultan [Mehmed VI]

  • , 2nd term
  • Mehmet Ata Bey
  • Mehmet Tevfik Biren, 1st term
  • Faik Nüzhet Bey, 1st term
  • Ahmed Reşad Bey
  • Mehmed Nazif Bey
  • Raşid Bey
  • Hüseyin Sabri Bey, 2nd term
  • Abdullah Lami Bey
  • Faik Nüzhet Bey, 2nd term
  • Mehmet Tevfik Biren, 2nd term