Öküz Mehmed Pasha
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"Öküz" Mehmed Pasha ("Mehmed Pasha the Ox"), also known as Kara Mehmed Pasha ("the Black") or "Kul Kıran" Mehmed Pasha ("the Disciple-breaker"), was an
Ottoman Turk The Ottoman Turks () were a Turkic ethnic group in Anatolia. Originally from Central Asia, they migrated to Anatolia in the 13th century and founded the Ottoman Empire, in which they remained socio-politically dominant for the entirety of the ...
ish statesman, administrator, and military figure of the early 17th century. He served as
Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire The grand vizier of the Ottoman Empire ( or ''Sadr-ı Azam'' (''Sadrazam''); Ottoman Turkish language, Ottoman Turkish: or ) was the ''de facto'' prime minister of the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, sultan in the Ottoman Empire, with the absolute p ...
twice: October 17, 1614 – November 17, 1616 (during the reign of
Sultan Ahmed I Ahmed I ( '; ; 18 April 1590 – 22 November 1617) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1603 to 1617. Ahmed's reign is noteworthy for marking the first breach in the Ottoman tradition of royal fratricide; henceforth, Ottoman rulers would no ...
), and January 18, 1619 – December 23, 1619 (during the reign of
Osman II Osman II ( ''‘Osmān-i sānī''; ; 3 November 1604 – 20 May 1622), also known as Osman the Young (), was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 26 February 1618 until his regicide on 20 May 1622. Early life Osman II was born at Topkapı Pa ...
).İsmail Hâmi Danişmend, Osmanlı Devlet Erkânı, Türkiye Yayınevi, İstanbul, 1971 (Turkish) He also served as the
Ottoman governor of Egypt The Ottoman Empire's governors of Egypt Eyalet, Egypt from 1517 to 1805 were at various times known by different but synonymous titles, among them ''beylerbey'', viceroy, governor, governor-general, or, more generally, ''wāli''. Furthermore, th ...
from 1607 to 1611. Öküz Mehmed's nickname, "Kul Kiran" (disciple-breaker), came from his success in crushing the mutiny in
Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
during the early 1600s. Soldiers were often known as a ''kul'', meaning disciple or acolyte in the
Ottoman military The Military of the Ottoman Empire () was the armed forces of the Ottoman Empire. It was founded in 1299 and dissolved in 1922. Army The Military of the Ottoman Empire can be divided in five main periods. The foundation era covers the years ...
context.


Background

Öküz Mehmed Pasha was born in the
Karagümrük Karagümrük is a neighbourhood in the municipality and district of Fatih, Istanbul Province, Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called E ...
district of
Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
. He was of Turkish ancestry. His father was reportedly an oxen blacksmith.Uzunçarşılı, İsmail Hakkı, (1954) ''Osmanlı Tarihi III. Cilt, 2. Kısım, XVI. Yüzyıl Ortalarından XVII. Yüzyıl Sonuna kadar)'', Ankara: Türk Tarih KurumuAvcı, Casim, "Mehmed Paşa (Öküz, Damat)" (1999) ''Yaşamları ve Yapıtlarıyla Osmanlılar Ansiklopedisi'', İstanbul:Yapı Kredi Kültür Sanat Yayıncılık A.Ş. C.2 s.164 ISBN 975-08-0072-9 He was nicknamed "Black" and "Ox" by his enemies, alluding to his father's profession. Before his governmental duties, Mehmed Pasha served as a ''
silahdar The Silahdar Agha was a palace office of the Ottoman Empire, denoting the principal page of the Ottoman Sultan. As such its holders were persons of great influence, and provided many senior officials and even Grand Viziers. The title derives fro ...
'', a high-ranking position responsible for safeguarding the sultan. He married Gevherhan Sultan, daughter of
Sultan Ahmed I Ahmed I ( '; ; 18 April 1590 – 22 November 1617) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1603 to 1617. Ahmed's reign is noteworthy for marking the first breach in the Ottoman tradition of royal fratricide; henceforth, Ottoman rulers would no ...
and
Kösem Sultan Kösem Sultan (; 1589 – 2 September 1651), also known as Mahpeyker Sultan (;), was the Haseki sultan, Haseki Sultan as the chief consort and legal wife of the List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman Sultan Ahmed I, Valide sultan, Vali ...
in 1612. They had a son who died in infancy.


Governor of Egypt

Before his first term as grand vizier, Mehmed Pasha was appointed as
Ottoman governor of Egypt The Ottoman Empire's governors of Egypt Eyalet, Egypt from 1517 to 1805 were at various times known by different but synonymous titles, among them ''beylerbey'', viceroy, governor, governor-general, or, more generally, ''wāli''. Furthermore, th ...
in 1607, a post he held until 1611. In 1604, three years before he assumed office, the governor of Ottoman Egypt,
Maktul Hacı Ibrahim Pasha Ibrahim Pasha (died 24 September 1604) was an Ottoman statesman who served shortly as the governor of Egypt in 1604 before he was murdered by mutinying sepahi soldiers of the Ottoman Army. He also served as defterdar (finance minister) of th ...
, was murdered by mutinying
sipahi The ''sipahi'' ( , ) were professional cavalrymen deployed by the Seljuk Turks and later by the Ottoman Empire. ''Sipahi'' units included the land grant–holding ('' timar'') provincial ''timarli sipahi'', which constituted most of the arm ...
soldiers from his own troops. This event caused three years of instability in Egypt, with the subsequent two governors,
Hadım Mehmed Pasha Hadım Mehmed Pasha () was a Georgianİsmail Hâmi Danişmend, ''Osmanlı Devlet Erkânı'', Türkiye Yayınevi, İstanbul, 1971, p. 32. Ottoman statesman. He was Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire between 21 September 1622 and 5 February 16 ...
and Yemenli Hasan Pasha, unable to completely quell the rebellion. Upon assuming office, Mehmed Pasha's strong leadership allowed him to suppress the sipahis and abolish the illegal '''tulba protection tax they had been imposing on the Egyptian countryside. After landing at
Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...
, he gained public support by visiting the tombs of local saints and treating the
Mamluk Mamluk or Mamaluk (; (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural); translated as "one who is owned", meaning "slave") were non-Arab, ethnically diverse (mostly Turkic, Caucasian, Eastern and Southeastern European) enslaved mercenaries, slave-so ...
s well, ordering repairs on Mamluk-built buildings and structures. He then proceeded to execute district governors who had allowed the sipahis to impose the ''tulba'' and warned others of the same fate. Tensions peaked in February 1609, when the rebels gathered in the city of
Tanta Tanta ( ' ) is a city in Egypt. Tanta had a population of 658,798 in 2018, making it the fifth most populous city in Egypt. Tanta is located between Cairo and Alexandria: north of Cairo and southeast of Alexandria. The capital of Gharbia Gove ...
and met at the tomb of
Ahmad al-Badawi Aḥmad el-Badawī (, ), also known as Elsayyid Elbadawī ( ), or as Elsayyid for short, or reverentially as Elsayyid Elbadawi by Sufi Muslims who venerate saints, was a 13th-century Arab Sufi Muslim mystic who became famous as the founder o ...
, Egypt's most popular saint, to swear resistance to Mehmed Pasha's efforts. They then began to gather troops and pillage villages for supplies. Mehmed Pasha also gathered troops, although some of his officers suggested diplomacy, which Mehmed agreed to. He sent a mufti named Altıparmak Mehmed Efendi and an officer to negotiate with the rebels. The mufti advised the rebels to give in to "those in authority," and upon their refusal, Mehmed Pasha's forces began to mobilize. Mehmed Pasha's forces met the rebels just north of Cairo. The rebels, discouraged, lost the battle, and the pasha's forces summarily executed over 250 of them, while others were later exiled to
Yemen Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...
. In the aftermath, Mehmed Pasha became known as ''Kul Kıran'' ("slavebreaker" in Turkish) for subjugating the Mamluks and the soldiers to Ottoman rule. He promoted public works and attempted to reform the fiscal and military organization of the Egypt Eyalet, reducing the number of local
bey Bey, also spelled as Baig, Bayg, Beigh, Beig, Bek, Baeg, Begh, or Beg, is a Turkic title for a chieftain, and a royal, aristocratic title traditionally applied to people with special lineages to the leaders or rulers of variously sized areas in ...
s to 12, although this measure was later abandoned. In 1611, he was recalled to the capital,
Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...
, by the sultan.


Grand Vizierates

Mehmed Pasha was
Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire The grand vizier of the Ottoman Empire ( or ''Sadr-ı Azam'' (''Sadrazam''); Ottoman Turkish language, Ottoman Turkish: or ) was the ''de facto'' prime minister of the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, sultan in the Ottoman Empire, with the absolute p ...
from October 17, 1614, to November 17, 1616, and again from January 18, 1619, to December 23, 1619. While in office, he was usually called Kara Mehmed Pasha; the nickname "ox" was invented behind his back (though he almost certainly overheard it) due to his heavy build and his father's profession as a blacksmith for cattle in the
Karagümrük Karagümrük is a neighbourhood in the municipality and district of Fatih, Istanbul Province, Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called E ...
quarter of
Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...
. History retained this nickname rather than ''Kara'', which means "black" in Turkish and may refer to one's complexion or hair or, figuratively, to courage and daring. One episode during his time as grand vizier involved an attack on
Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
with only 47 raiders, without informing the
sultan Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...
or any other authority in the Ottoman capital. It ended in complete failure and nearly cost him his life. Some historians consider this foray a third siege of Vienna by the
Ottoman Turks The Ottoman Turks () were a Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group in Anatolia. Originally from Central Asia, they migrated to Anatolia in the 13th century and founded the Ottoman Empire, in which they remained socio-politically dominant for the e ...
, alongside the better-known incidents, undertaken first by sultan
Süleyman the Magnificent Suleiman I (; , ; 6 November 14946 September 1566), commonly known as Suleiman the Magnificent in the Western world and as Suleiman the Lawgiver () in his own realm, was the Ottoman sultan between 1520 and his death in 1566. Under his adminis ...
in 1529 and later by grand vizier
Kara Mustafa Pasha Kara Mustafa Pasha (; ; "Mustafa Pasha the Courageous"; 1634/1635 – 25 December 1683) was an Ottoman nobleman, military figure and Grand Vizier, who was a central character in the Ottoman Empire's last attempts at expansion into both Centr ...
in 1683.


First Grand Vizierate

After the execution of
Nasuh Pasha Nasuh Pasha was an Ottoman statesman of Albanian origin. He was grand vizier of the Ottoman Empire from 5 August 1611 until 17 October 1614.İsmail Hâmi Danişmend, Osmanlı Devlet Erkânı, Türkiye Yayınevi, İstanbul, 1971 (Turkish) He was f ...
, Mehmed was made grand vizier, October 17, 1614. An ambassador, İncili Çavuş, had been sent to Persia in 1612, but had not sent back word for two years, nor had Persia sent tribute. For this reason, Mehmed was ordered east with an army. In the meantime, word came that İncili Çavuş and a Persian ambassador had arrived in
Van A van is a type of road vehicle used for transporting goods or people. There is some variation in the scope of the word across the different English-speaking countries. The smallest vans, microvans, are used for transporting either goods or ...
. Mehmed’s expedition was not called off, however, and the army set out in June 1615. The army wintered in Maraş and set out again in April 1616, reaching
Erivan Yerevan ( , , ; ; sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia, as well as one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerev ...
in September 1616. On the advice of the
agha of the Janissaries The Agha of the Janissaries or Janissary Agha (; ) was a top Ottoman Empire, Ottoman military official and courtier, and the commander of the Janissary corps. Apart from the commander-general of the entire corps, the title of "Agha of the Janissar ...
, Mehmed had not brought heavy artillery or siege weapons. Erivan was besieged for a month or two (44, 55, or 60 days), but unsuccessfully, because of lack of weapons. The Ottomans agreed to a reduction in tribute from Persia and retreated to Erzurum in November 1616. Mehmed was dismissed as grand vizier for this failure, 17 November 1616.


Governor of Aidin

Between his two terms as grand vizier, he held the office of governor of
Aidin Vilayet The Vilayet of Aidin or Aydin (, ) also known as Vilayet of Smyrna or İzmir after its administrative centre, was a first-level administrative division (vilayet) of the Ottoman Empire in the south-west of Asia Minor, including the ancient regi ...
(then a province covering a large part of western
Anatolia Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...
). His governorship is marked by the construction of a
caravanserai A caravanserai (or caravansary; ) was an inn that provided lodging for travelers, merchants, and Caravan (travellers), caravans. They were present throughout much of the Islamic world. Depending on the region and period, they were called by a ...
in
Kuşadası Kuşadası () is a municipality and district of Aydın Province, Turkey. Its area is 265 km2, and its population is 130,835 (2022). It is a large resort town on the Aegean coast. Kuşadası is south of İzmir, and about west of Aydın. T ...
, named the
Öküz Mehmed Pasha Caravanserai The Öküz Mehmed Pasha Caravanserai (; ALA-LC: ) is a caravanserai located in Kuşadası, Aydın Province, western Turkey, built by Ottoman Empire, Ottoman statesman and military commander Öküz Mehmed Pasha, "Öküz" Mehmed Pasha (died 1619 ...
after him, intended to attract international trade through the port. Over time, trade shifted much more towards the port of İzmir due to the preference displayed by
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
and merchants. The caravanserai in Kuşadası is used as a luxury hotel and shopping center today. He also had another caravanserai built in
Ulukışla Ulukışla is a town in Niğde Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. It is the seat of Ulukışla District.
on the way to a campaign against the
Safavids The Guarded Domains of Iran, commonly called Safavid Iran, Safavid Persia or the Safavid Empire, was one of the largest and longest-lasting Iranian empires. It was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often considered the begi ...
during the Ottoman–Safavid War (1603–18), which eventually ended with a decisive Ottoman defeat.


Second Grand Vizierate

When Grand Vizier
Halil Pasha Halil Pasha () was an Ottoman Empire, Ottoman statesman who served as the List of Ottoman governors of Egypt, governor of Egypt Eyalet, Ottoman Egypt from 1631 to 1633. He was known for his "gentle, impartial, and prosperous administration"d'Avenn ...
was dismissed, Mehmed was appointed in his place, on January 18, 1619. During this viziership, Mehmed began coinage reform and finalized the Treaty of Serav with Persia. However, later in 1619, Mehmed fell out with the sultan’s current favorite,
Güzelce Ali Pasha Güzelce Ali Pasha (''Ali Pasha the Handsome''; died 9 March 1621), also known as Çelebi Ali Pasha or İstanköylü Ali Pasha, was an Ottoman statesman and military figure. He was Kapudan Pasha (grand admiral of the Ottoman Navy) around 1617 and ...
. This conflict led to Mehmed’s dismissal and Ali’s appointment as grand vizier by Sultan
Osman II Osman II ( ''‘Osmān-i sānī''; ; 3 November 1604 – 20 May 1622), also known as Osman the Young (), was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 26 February 1618 until his regicide on 20 May 1622. Early life Osman II was born at Topkapı Pa ...
on December 23, 1619.


Death and Burial

The new grand vizier had Mehmed's property confiscated and had him sent away from Istanbul to be governor of
Aleppo Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...
. In Aleppo, Mehmed suffered financial difficulties and illness and died within one and a half years. He was buried near the Sheikh Abu Bakr
Takiyya A Sufi lodge is a building designed specifically for gatherings of a Sufi brotherhood or ''tariqa'' and is a place for spiritual practice and religious education. They include structures also known as ''khānaqāh'', ''zāwiya'', ''ribāṭ'' ...
in Aleppo. (His wife was then married to
Recep Pasha Recep Pasha (also transliterated in the past as Rajab Pasha or Ragab Pasha or Redjep Pasha or Redjeb Pasha, or Rajab Bacha or even Rajab Basha; died 1726) was an Ottoman statesman. Recep Pasha became a vizier in September 1707 and served as the O ...
on December 9, 1621.)


Legacy

Mehmed funded and directed civil, religious, and military repair and construction in many of the places to which he was connected, such as ten mosques and '' mescit''s, foundation houses (''vakıf evler''),
hamam A hammam (), also often called a Turkish bath by Westerners, is a type of steam bath or a place of public bathing associated with the Islamic world. It is a prominent feature in the Islamic culture, culture of the Muslim world and was inherited ...
s, wells, water ways, fountains, shops, bakeries, inns, schools, and mills. Some of these works include * a complex (''
külliye A külliye () is a complex of buildings associated with Turkish architecture centered on a mosque and managed within a single institution, often based on a waqf (charitable foundation) and composed of a madrasa, a Dar al-Shifa (clinic), kitchens ...
'') made up of a mosque, fountain, and school in Karagümrük, Istanbul (burned in the Balat fire of 1729, but with the mosque reconstructed in 1987) * a complex in Ulukışla, Niğde, with caravanserai, mosque, school, covered market (''arasta''), hamam,
madrasa Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , ), sometimes Romanization of Arabic, romanized as madrasah or madrassa, is the Arabic word for any Educational institution, type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whet ...
, fountain, bakery, coffeehouse, soup kitchen, and '' zawiya'' (the school, bakery, coffeehouse, soup kitchen and ''zawiya'' no longer standing) * a caravanserai in Kuşadası, with mosque, school, hamam, han, textile market, bakery, coffeehouse, houses, warehouses, rooms, shops and a mill (the mosque, hamam, and han still standing) * barracks for the
Janissary A janissary (, , ) was a member of the elite infantry units that formed the Ottoman sultan's household troops. They were the first modern standing army, and perhaps the first infantry force in the world to be equipped with firearms, adopted dur ...
and Azab corps in Cairo * mosques in Egypt * a ''vikâle'' (a kind of "city caravanserai" or "trade center") in
Rashid Rashid or Rachid ( ) and Rasheed ( ), which means "rightly guided", may refer to: *Rashid (name), also Rachid and Rasheed, people with the given name or surname *Rached, a given name and surname *Rashad, a surname *Rishad, a given name Places * ...
, Egypt * facilities for travelers along the roads to
Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...
in Egypt and Syria * a
Mevlevi The Mevlevi Order or Mawlawiyya (; ) is a Sufi order that originated in Konya, Turkey (formerly capital of the Sultanate of Rum) and which was founded by the followers of Jalaluddin Muhammad Balkhi Rumi, a 13th-century Persian poet, Sufi ...
''zawiya'' with shops in Cairo * a mosque on
Chios Chios (; , traditionally known as Scio in English) is the fifth largest Greece, Greek list of islands of Greece, island, situated in the northern Aegean Sea, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, tenth largest island in the Medi ...
* fountains in the
Çanakkale Çanakkale is a city and seaport in Turkey on the southern shore of the Dardanelles at their narrowest point. It is the seat of Çanakkale Province and Çanakkale District.Kilitbahir known as the Damat İbrahim Paşa Fountain


See also

*
List of Ottoman grand viziers The grand vizier of the Ottoman Empire ( or ''Sadr-ı Azam'' (''Sadrazam''); Ottoman Turkish language, Ottoman Turkish: or ) was the ''de facto'' prime minister of the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, sultan in the Ottoman Empire, with the absolute p ...
*
List of Ottoman governors of Egypt The Ottoman Empire's governors of Egypt from 1517 to 1805 were at various times known by different but synonymous titles, among them ''beylerbey'', viceroy, governor, governor-general, or, more generally, ''wāli''. Furthermore, the Ottoman sult ...
*
Öküz Mehmed Pasha Caravanserai The Öküz Mehmed Pasha Caravanserai (; ALA-LC: ) is a caravanserai located in Kuşadası, Aydın Province, western Turkey, built by Ottoman Empire, Ottoman statesman and military commander Öküz Mehmed Pasha, "Öküz" Mehmed Pasha (died 1619 ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mehmed Pasha, Kara Okuz Pashas 17th-century grand viziers of the Ottoman Empire 17th-century Ottoman governors of Egypt Ottoman people of the Ottoman–Persian Wars Turks from the Ottoman Empire Ottoman governors of Egypt Year of birth unknown Damats