Istanbul-born Enver Pasha, who came into the world on November 22, 1881, in a modest family on Divanyolu Street, had a father named Ahmet, who was one of Abdulhamid's generals. Enver, the eldest of six children (1881-1922), grew up in Istanbul and Manastir. His father's lineage traced back to the Gagauz Turks. After graduating from high school in Istanbul, he first completed military preparatory school and then entered the Military Academy. He graduated with honors in 1902 and was appointed as a captain to the Third Army in Thessaloniki.
Enver Pasha's entrance into the Ottoman Freedom Society, which would later transform into the Committee of Union and Progress, took place after a conversation with his uncle Captain Halil Pasha (who would later take the surname Kut due to his heroism in the Siege of Kut).
Enver played a significant role in the Young Turk movement, particularly through the Committee of Union and Progress. He was assigned to quell insurgent activities against Sultan Abdulhamid in Macedonia, where he conducted successful military operations against rebels and was promoted to the rank of major in 1906.
Influenced by French trends and the efforts of the group known as Young Ottomans (also known as Young Turks), which later evolved into the Committee of Union and Progress, Enver Pasha and his comrade Mustafa Kemal Pasha (later known as Atatürk) took prominent roles in different parts of the empire, with one contributing to its downfall and the other playing a leading role in the establishment of a new republic from its remnants.
After a successful coup against Sultan Abdulhamid was planned in Istanbul, Enver Pasha emerged as a prominent figure in the opposition within his sphere of influence. However, Sultan Abdulhamid, a politically astute ruler, was well-informed about the situation. To prevent damaging reports from reaching the Sultan, Enver's only option was to eliminate the Sultan's inspector, which he did. The Sultan's move was more strategic; he promoted Enver and assigned him to Istanbul. Nevertheless, on the night of June 12, 1908, Enver and his troops rebelled against the Sultan. This event marked the beginning of the process that would lead to the downfall of the empire. The Committee of Union and Progress forced the declaration of the Second Constitutional Era when they stormed the government headquarters in Thessaloniki. Enver Pasha was hailed as a hero of freedom, as he was the highest-ranking officer in the rebel army.
However, the situation became increasingly chaotic, and when opposition to the Committee of Union and Progress, which was perceived as religiously conservative, intensified, particularly in April 1909, the Committee took action. The movement's army, which arrived from Thessaloniki, suppressed the events on April 24, 1909. The reassembled parliament, under the control of the Committee of Union and Progress, blamed Abdulhamid and replaced him with Mehmet Reşat. During this time, Enver Pasha, who was in Berlin, returned to Istanbul and then went back to Berlin after the situation had calmed down.
Following this event, Enver Pasha's authority and influence increased significantly. He took on a new role and went to Berlin as a military attaché. This marked the beginning of the ever-present German influence in his life. In 1911, after the start of the Tripolitanian War, disguised as a Syrian merchant on a camel, he secretly went to Libya. Due in part to his status as a royal family member, he successfully organized a local army of 20,000 and waged a guerrilla war against the Italians. Enver also served as the envoy in Benghazi and later, in 1912, with other Turkish officers, he had to return to Istanbul with the onset of the Balkan Wars.
After returning to Istanbul, Enver Pasha, whose eyes were already set on the city, not only aimed to reclaim lost territories but also dreamed of adding new ones. He led the army towards Edirne in 1913. The recapture of the city, which had fallen during the Balkan Wars, was relatively easy due to Bulgaria's involvement in other conflicts. This victory further elevated Enver's status.
In the early days of World War I, Enver Pasha initiated negotiations with Germany. Meanwhile, the Sultan, confined to one of the palaces, watched events unfold in an increasingly powerless state. As is well known, when two German warships were taken under Ottoman protection, it was Enver Pasha's decision that signaled the empire's entry into the war.
From that moment on, Enver's military command was not as successful as expected. He shifted troops needed in the Azerbaijan front to the European front. Forces in Arabia were neglected, and German advisors allowed Ottoman officers to override their orders. Worse yet, Enver's leadership of the powerful Third Army, which numbered around 750,000, against the smaller Russian Third Army in the Caucasus was marked by poor decision-making, resulting in the collapse of the Third Army. Many Ottoman soldiers perished from cold and disease in the harsh conditions.
Upon his return to Istanbul, Enver Pasha managed to keep the country in a state of inertia until 1922. However, the truth about the Sarıkamış disaster began to emerge. Meanwhile, Mustafa Kemal, whom he constantly saw as a rival, began to rise as a leader of a new struggle to reclaim the lands.
At the end of the war, the Ottoman Empire, considered defeated with Germany's defeat, was partitioned according to the Treaty of Sèvres, which was unfavorable to the empire. In November 1918, Enver Pasha was forced to flee to Russia through Berlin. Although initially acting with the approval of the USSR, when he started inciting Turkish populations in the region against the authorities, he clashed with Bolshevik forces on August 4, 1922, in the Pamir region, which is now within the borders of Tajikistan. He passed away at the age of 42. While it has been claimed that he was killed not by Russian soldiers but by an Armenian, this has never been substantiated.
Enver Pasha graduated from the military academy with high honors and demonstrated his prowess as a capable soldier in the defense of Libya and the recapture of Edirne.
Together with Cemal and Talat Pashas, he needlessly dragged the country into war, subjected minorities, especially Armenians, to forced relocations, and left the country without permission, leading to his referral to the Military Tribunal. On January 1, 1919, he was discharged from the military by the government. It is believed that he laid the foundations of cinema in Turkey by bringing in film equipment under the name of the Central Army Film Department in 1915.
His remains, which were originally in Tajikistan, were brought to Turkey in 1996. On August 4, 1996, the anniversary of his death, he was laid to rest at Şişli Freedom Monument.
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