Rexhep Pasha Mati

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Rexhep Pasha Mati (Matlı Recep Paşa) (1842–14 August 1908) was an Ottoman-Albanian military leader, governor, and war minister.

Born in 1842 in the Mat region (in today’s Albania), Mati rose to high rank as a marshal and as the governor of Tripoli and later as Ottoman war minister. In Kerbela, he defended a Bektashi convert from an attack, earning praise from Bektashis. The sultan Abdul Hamid II saw Mati as politically suspicious because of his independence.

In the early 1900s, the sultan appointed Mati as the military commander in Tripoli and the governor of Tripolitana (Libya). In Tripoli, Mati allowed exiles to operate and even escape to Europe, giving the province a reputation for freedom of speech. His aide in Tripoli was Câmi Baykut.

Mati opposed the Italian Banco di Roma’s activities in Libya and rewarded local leaders who defended the area. He also faced religious tensions, such as a dispute when the Italian consul tried to stop the Isawiyya Sufi practices, which the local community opposed.

There was a long-standing tax issue with the Jewish community, and Mati worked to collect taxes while allowing some compromise reductions.

From 1902 to 1903, leaders of the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP) plotted a coup against Abdul Hamid II. Mati showed interest and offered military support, meeting with CUP leaders in Malta. The plan evolved, but it ultimately did not succeed, with disagreements over timing and ships.

In 1904, Mati was involved in a plan for a local uprising in Tripoli to pressure the sultan to reinstate the constitution.

After the Young Turk Revolution in 1908, Mati became the Ottoman War Minister in Kamil Pasha’s cabinet. He briefly installed Bekir Sami Bey as governor of Tripoli but faced strong local opposition and left for Istanbul with CUP exiles. He died of a heart attack on 14 August 1908 in Istanbul; rumors linked his death to the excitement after the revolution.

Mati is remembered by some as both a soldier and a political thinker. After his death, some European reports did not mention his Albanian origin, which angered Albanian nationalists.