Sultanzade Mehmed Pasha
| Sultanzade Civankapıcıbaşı Mehmet Pasha | |
|---|---|
| Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire | |
|
In office January 31, 1644 – December 17, 1645 | |
| Monarch | Ibrahim |
| Preceded by | Kemankeş Kara Mustafa Pasha |
| Succeeded by | Nevesinli Salih Pasha |
| Ottoman Governor of Egypt | |
|
In office 1637–1640 | |
| Preceded by | Gazi Hüseyin Pasha |
| Succeeded by | Nakkaş Mustafa Pasha |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1603 |
| Died | July 1646 |
| Mother | Ayşe Sultan |
| Father | Yemişçi Hasan Pasha |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
Sultanzade Mehmed Pasha (1603-1646) was a 17th-century Ottoman grand vizier. The epithet Sultanzade means son of a sultana.
Biographies
He was born January 1, 1603. His father Yemişçi Hasan Pasha was executed on 16 October 1603, and his mother Ayşe Sultan, a daughter of Murad III and Safiye Sultan, died on 15 May 1605. So he was a little orphan boy of two years, adopted by the grandson of Mihrimah Sultana, "Abdurrahman Bey" and grew up in his family.
Early years
In 1637 he was appointed as the governor of Egypt. Three years later, during the reign of İbrahim, he returned to İstanbul as a vizier in the Ottoman divan. In 1641 he was appointed as the governor of Özü (modern Ochakiv in Ukraine) and tasked with capturing the fort of Azak (modern Azov in Russia) which had recently been lost to Cossacks. He was successful in recapturing the fort. In 1643 he was appointed as the governor of Damascus (in modern Syria). This appointment was probably due to the secret power struggle between him and the grand vizier Kemankeş Mustafa Pasha.[1]
As a grand vizier
In 1644 he succeeded the grand vizier Kemankeş Mustafa Pasha, who was executed. Kemankeş Mustafa Pasha was a victim of palace intrigues and a quack hodja named Cinci Hoca. Well aware of hodja’s influence on the sultan and the tragedy of the previous grand vizier, he was too cautious in governance and became an ineffective grand vizier. He became a yes man of the sultan. According to Lord Kinross[2] one day the sultan asked why he never opposed any opinion to which he replied "Every opinion of the sultan has a deep aphorism even if subjects are unable to understand." Although he was against declaring war on the Republic of Venice,[3] his cautious objections were not taken into consideration and the Cretan War (1645–1669) soon began in 1645 (which was financially disastrous to both sides).
Later years
In 1645 Sultan Ibrahim deposed him. His next mission was on the island of Crete (in modern Greece) which was the theatre of the recently started war as the commander of the army (Turkish: serdar). But he soon died of natural causes.[1]
See also
References
- 1 2 Ayhan Buz: Osmanlı Sadrazamları, Neden Kitap, İstanbul, 2009, ISBN 978-975-254-278-5
- ↑ Lord Kinross: The Ottoman centuries (translated by Meral Gaspıralı), Altın Kitaplar, İstanbul, 2008, ISBN 978-975-21-0955-1, p. 306
- ↑ Prof. Yaşar Yüce-Prof. Ali Sevim: Türkiye tarihi Cilt III, AKDTYKTTK Yayınları, İstanbul, 1991 p. 90
| Preceded by Kemankeş Mustafa Pasha |
Grand Vizier 31 January 1644 – 17 December 1645 |
Succeeded by Nevesinli Salih Pasha |
