Zagan Pasha

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Mahmud Pasha Angelovic
Personal details
Bornc. 1426
Died1469(1469-00-00) (aged 42–43)
Ottoman Army
RankKapudan Pasha (grand admiral; 1463–1466)
Battles/warsFall of Constantinople
Siege of Belgrade (1456)
Expedition to the Morea (1458)

Zaganos or Zagan Pasha (

tutor, councillor, protector, all at once. He removed his rival, the previous Grand Vizier Çandarlı Halil Pasha the Younger, amid the fall of Constantinople
. He later served as the governor of Thessaly of Macedonia.

Life

Origin and early life

Zaganos was conscripted through the

Catholic of Albanian descent. Some sources mention him as of Albanian noble descent like Skanderbeg or Hamza Kastrioti.[1][2] The majority of sources describe him as an Albanian, with a smaller number ascribing a Serb, Greek, South Slavic or unknown origin. [3] [1][4][5] He became a committed Muslim after conversion.[4]

In a vakfiye (foundation) his name appears as "Zağanos bin Abdullah", which indicates that he was of devshirme origin.[6]

When Mehmed II was exiled in 1446, Zagan accompanied him.[4]

Second Vizier

Young Mehmed II had after his return and accession (18 February 1451) confirmed Çandarlı Halil Pasha the Younger as his first Vizier (even though he seems to have disliked him), and raised Zaganos Pasha from third to second Vizier.[4][5] Halil Pasha had been appointed first Vizier in 1439, after the demotion of Ishak Pasha.[7] Zaganos, who was younger, was jealous of the position of Halil Pasha.[8]

Conquest of Constantinople

Main article: Fall of Constantinople
Sultan Mehmed II's entry into Constantinople, painting by Fausto Zonaro (1854–1929).

During the

counter-mines dug, allowing Byzantine troops to enter the mines and kill the Turkish workers. The Byzantines intercepted the first Serbian tunnel on the night of 16 May. Subsequent tunneling efforts were interrupted on 21, 23, and 25 May, destroying them with Greek fire and vigorous combat. On 23 May, the Byzantines captured and tortured two Turkish officers, who revealed the location of all the Turkish tunnels, which were then destroyed.[10] On 21 May, Mehmed sent an ambassador to Constantinople and offered to lift the siege if they gave him the city. Constantine XI accepted to pay higher tributes to the sultan and recognized the status of all the conquered castles and lands in the hands of the Turks as Ottoman possession. Around this time, Mehmed had a final council with his senior officers. Here he encountered some resistance; one of his Viziers, the veteran Halil Pasha, who had always disapproved of Mehmed's plans to conquer the city, now admonished him to abandon the siege in the face of recent adversity. Halil was overruled by Zaganos, who insisted on an immediate attack. Having been accused of bribery, Halil Pasha was put to death later that year.[11]
Mehmed planned to overpower the walls by sheer force, expecting that the weakened Byzantine defense by the prolonged siege would now be worn out before he ran out of troops and started preparations for a final all-out offensive.

After the Ottoman occupation of Constantinople, the Sultan ordered Zaganos to set out with his galleys for Galata, to prevent the Byzantine ships from setting sail.[12][when?]

The stories of Halil Pasha's collaboration with the Byzantines were most likely spread by the faction of Zaganos.

kapudan pasha of the fast-growing Ottoman navy, and the next year he was the governor of Thessaly and Macedonia.[4]

Personality and appearance

Zaganos was said to be a tall and intelligent man.[citation needed] He has been called the most cruel Ottoman captain of his time,[13] and was said to be an enemy of Christians.[8] He was in absolute loyalty to Mehmed II, even when he was just a prince, knowing that his prospects depended on his master's success.[4] Zaganos was a soldier who believed that the Ottoman Empire must always expand in order to keep the enemies off-balance.[4] He was known for his warlike beliefs and played an important role in the 1453 Fall of Constantinople.

He was one of the prominent Ottoman

military commanders of Mehmed II (Mehmed the Conqueror) and a lala, at once an advisor, mentor, tutor, councilor, and protector, for the sultan
.

Military achievements

During the final siege of Constantinople, Zagan Pasha's troops were the first to reach the towers. Ulubatlı Hasan was the first soldier who reached the tower. During the siege many of the sappers were placed under the command of Zagan Pasha. Mehmed took Zaganos' advice almost exclusively.

Mehmed II honored him for his loyalty and honesty, along with the Sultan's two other Viziers, Halil Pasha and Sarica Pasha, by naming the three great towers of

Rumeli Hisari
after them. The tower to the south is named after Zaganos Pasha.

Family

Wives

He had three wifes:

  • Sitti Nefise Hatun. Daughter of Timurtaşoğlu Oruç Pasha, governor-general of Anatolia under Murad II. By her he had two sons and two daughters. She died or Zagan divorced by her before 1444.
  • Fatma Hatun (1430 - 1464 or after). Daughter of Sultan Murad II and Hüma Hatun and full-sister of Sultan Mehmed II. They married in 1444 and divorced in 1462. By her he had two sons. [14]
  • Anna Hatun (m. 1463). Daughter of Emperor David of Trebizond and Helena Kantakouzene, daughter of Demetrios I Kantakouzenos. Mehmed II ospited her in his harem after defeating her father and offered her in wife to him in exchange for permission to marry Zaganos' daughter, Hatice Hatun.[15][16]

Sons

He had at least four sons:

Daughters

He had at least two daughters:

Legacy

His, as well as his family's, mausoleum is located in his endowment (1454), Zagan Pasha Mosque, in Balıkesir.[4]

Portrayals

References

  1. ^ a b Stavrides, p. 63
  2. ^ Jones 1973, p. 7
  3. ^ Goldberg-Kasaba-Migdal 1993, p. 153
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Nicolle 2007, p. 189
  5. ^ a b Philippides 2007, p. 95
  6. ISBN 978-975-389-785-3
    .
  7. ^ Philippides 2007, p. 171
  8. ^ a b Jones 1973, p. 32
  9. ^ Runciman 1965, pp. 94–95.
  10. ISBN 1-4013-0850-3
  11. ^ Runciman 1965, pp. 126–128, 169–170
  12. ^ Jones 1973, p. 53
  13. ^ Philippides 2007, pp. 177–179
  14. ^ Babinger 1992, p. 173.
  15. ISBN 0-521-45531-6
    .
  16. ^ Babinger 1992, p. 230.

Sources

Political offices
Preceded by
Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire

1 June 1453 – 1456 		Succeeded by
Mahmud Pasha Angelovic
Military offices
Preceded by Kapudan Pasha
1463–1466 		Succeeded by
Mahmud Pasha Angelovic
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