Köprülü family
He was a member of the renowned Köprülü family, originated from Albania, that had produced six Grand Viziers of the Ottoman Empire (four counting Kara Mustafa Pasha, who was an adopted son). After serving as nişancı circa 1702, Köprülü rose through the ranks of the Ottoman army to the rank of General during the reign of Sultan Ahmed III. In 1716, he was the first appointment at the rank of Pasha (though not yet at that of a governor), to the hitherto small but fastly growing international trade town of İzmir.