What was the title used by the chief minister of the Ottoman sultan?

The title used by the chief minister of the Ottoman sultan was Grand Vizier. In Ottoman Turkish, the office was known as sadrazam or sadr-ı azam, meaning roughly “highest” or “chief vizier.”

The Grand Vizier served as the sultan’s principal deputy and, in practice, as the empire’s chief executive officer. He held the imperial seal, presided over the Imperial Council, coordinated military and diplomatic affairs, and supervised the empire’s senior officials. In the classical period, he could exercise the sultan’s authority through a formal power of attorney.

The position was powerful but precarious. A sultan could dismiss a Grand Vizier, confiscate his property, or even order his execution. Several Grand Viziers rose through the devshirme system, demonstrating how recruits from Christian communities could reach the highest levels of Ottoman government.

The other options describe different offices or honorifics. A kadi was a judge, a beylerbey governed a large province or military district, and pasha was a high-ranking title rather than the specific name of the sultan’s chief minister. The office survived until the Ottoman Empire ended in 1922.