Mesih Pasha
Mesih İbrahim Pasha | |
|---|---|
| Succeeded by | Hadım Ali Pasha |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1443 |
| Died | November 1501 (aged 58) |
| Relations | Ottoman–Venetian War (1463–79), Ottoman–Venetian War (1499–1503) |
Mesih Pasha or Misac Pasha
Life
Origin and early life
Mesih was related to the
Career under Mehmed II
Mesih is first attested in historical accounts in 1470, by which time he was the
Mesih was raised to the rank of
Rise under Bayezid II
Following the death of Mehmed II, the leading devşirme military officials were able to place
Mesih's diplomatic credentials were further burnished when Cem fled to the Knights Hospitaller in Rhodes. In the ensuing negotiations, Gedik Ahmed took up an intransigent stance, but Mesih managed to find a mutually acceptable compromise, further elevating him in the eyes of the Sultan.[3] Mesih's support within the palace allowed him to weather the deposition and execution of Gedik Ahmed on 18 November 1482. By February 1483, he had advanced to second vizier within the divan.[3] Some sources suggest that he succeeded Ishak Pasha as Grand Vizier in autumn 1483, remaining in the post until 1485, but most historians consider that Davud Pasha held the position during that time, with Mesih as his deputy, as is recorded in contemporary documents.[3]
Disgrace and restoration to favour
For unknown reasons, in January 1485 Mesih fell into disfavour with Bayezid and was dismissed again from the vizierate, being demoted to
Following his victory, Mesih performed the pilgrimage to Mecca in 1499. This seems to confirm reports of Mesih's religiosity—Spandounes wrote that "he was a fierce enemy of the Christians"—particularly since no other Ottoman viziers or sultans of the period performed the pilgrimage due to the heavy demands of office.[5] In addition, as Halil İnalcık suggests, the pilgrimage was an excellent excuse to leave his post and visit Constantinople, where to work for his recall.[3] Indeed, with another Ottoman–Venetian war having broken out, Mesih's naval expertise and knowledge of the Venetians led to his reinstatement as second vizier in the divan upon his return from Mecca, under the Grand Vizier Yakub Pasha.[3][7]
Grand Vizierate and death
In spring 1501, Mesih was named Grand Vizier, and left Constantinople to suppress the rebellion by the Warsak tribe in
He was buried in a mosque erected by his brother in the Aksaray district of Constantinople, which Mesih had completed after Hass Murad's death in battle.[9] Mesih had also established a mosque in Gallipoli in c. 1478.[8]
Family
Mesih had three known sons: Ali Bey, Mahmud Čelebi, and Bali Bey, who served as sanjak bey of
References
- ^ Mehmed II the Conqueror and the fall of the Franco-Byzantine Levant to the Ottoman Turk, pg. 267, by Marios Philippides
- ^ a b Stavrides 2001, p. 62 (note 190).
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m İnalcık 1991, p. 1025.
- ^ Lowry 2003, p. 115.
- ^ a b Lowry 2003, p. 122.
- ^ Stavrides 2001, p. 62.
- ^ The historian Hedda Reindl, in her prosopographical study of Bayezid's court, erroneously suggests that Mesih directly succeeded Çandarlı Ibrahim Pasha the Younger when he died in August 1499; however, in contemporary documents Mesih is still referred to as second vizier until August 1500. İnalcık 1991, pp. 1025–1026.
- ^ a b c d İnalcık 1991, p. 1026.
- ^ Stavrides 2001, pp. 62 (note 190), 415–416.
Sources
- ISBN 978-90-04-08112-3.
- Lowry, Heath W. (2003). The Nature of the Early Ottoman State. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
- Reindl, Hedda (1983). Männer um Bāyezīd: eine prosopographische Studie über die Epoche Sultan Bāyezīds II. (1481-1512). Berlin: K. Schwarz. OCLC 738694918.
- Stavrides, Théoharis (2001). The Sultan of Vezirs: The Life and Times of the Ottoman Grand Vezir Mahmud Pasha Angelovic (1453–1474). Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-12106-5.
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 Seamen of the Ottoman Empire | |
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| Kapudan Pashas |
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| Other important seamen | |
