Sinan Pasha
Encyclopedia
Sinan Pasha or Sinan Pashë Kahremanliu (1506 – 3 April 1596) was an Albanian
Grand Vizier
, Ottoman
military commander
(pasha
) and statesman.
. In 1574 he commanded the great expedition against Tunis, which, in spite of the resistance of the Spanish
garrison, was added to the Ottoman Empire.
In 1580, Sinan commanded the army against the Safavids
in the Ottoman–Persian (1578–1590)
, and was appointed grand vizier
by Sultan
Murad III
. He was, however, disgraced and exiled in the following year, owing to the defeat of his lieutenant Mehmed Pasha
, at Gori
(during an attempt to provision the Ottoman garrison of Tbilisi
).
He subsequently became governor of Damascus
and, in 1589, after the great revolt of the Janissaries
, was appointed grand vizier for the second time. He was involved in the competition for the throne in Wallachia
between Mihnea Turcitul
and Petru Cercel
, and ultimately sided with the former (overseeing Petru's execution in March 1590). Another revolt of Janissaries led to his dismissal in 1591, but in 1593 he was again recalled to become grand vizier for the third time, and in the same year he commanded the Ottoman army in the Long War
against the Habsburgs
(see Battle of Sisak
).
In spite of his victories he was again deposed in February 1595, shortly after the accession of Mehmed III
, and banished to Malkara
. In August, Sinan was in power again, called on to lead the expedition against Prince Michael the Brave of Wallachia. His defeat in the Battle of Călugăreni
and the series of unsuccessful confrontations with the Habsburgs (culminating in the devastating siege and fall of Ottoman-held Esztergom
), brought him once more into disfavour, and he was deprived of the seal of office (November 19).
The death of his successor, Lala Mehmed Pasha
, three days later, was looked on as a sign from heaven, and Sinan became grand vizier for the fifth time. He died suddenly in the spring of 1596, leaving behind a large fortune.
Sinan Pasha is remembered with disdain by the Serbs
for ordering, in 1595, the relics of Saint Sava
, the founder of the independent Serbian Orthodox Church
in the 12th century and considered the holiest Serbian Christians in history, to be taken from their depository and burned as a revenge for Serbs siding with the Habsburg
s in the preceding border skirmishes. Only the saint's right hand, which was kept elsewhere, remains. Today there stands the grandiose Cathedral of Saint Sava on the assumed spot of the bonfire.
Albanians
Albanians are a nation and ethnic group native to Albania and neighbouring countries. They speak the Albanian language. More than half of all Albanians live in Albania and Kosovo...
Grand Vizier
Grand Vizier
Grand Vizier, in Turkish Vezir-i Azam or Sadr-ı Azam , deriving from the Arabic word vizier , was the greatest minister of the Sultan, with absolute power of attorney and, in principle, dismissable only by the Sultan himself...
, Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
military commander
Military of the Ottoman Empire
The history of military of the Ottoman Empire can be divided in five main periods. The foundation era covers the years between 1300 and 1453 , the classical period covers the years between 1451 and 1606 , the reformation period covers the years between 1606 and 1826 ,...
(pasha
Pasha
Pasha or pascha, formerly bashaw, was a high rank in the Ottoman Empire political system, typically granted to governors, generals and dignitaries. As an honorary title, Pasha, in one of its various ranks, is equivalent to the British title of Lord, and was also one of the highest titles in...
) and statesman.
Life
In 1569, he was appointed governor of Ottoman Egypt, and was subsequently involved until 1571 in the conquest of YemenIslamic history of Yemen
Islam came to Yemen around 630 during Muhammad's lifetime and the rule of the Persian governor Badhan. Thereafter, Yemen was ruled as part of Arab-Islamic caliphates, and Yemen became a province in the Islamic empire....
. In 1574 he commanded the great expedition against Tunis, which, in spite of the resistance of the Spanish
Spanish Empire
The Spanish Empire comprised territories and colonies administered directly by Spain in Europe, in America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It originated during the Age of Exploration and was therefore one of the first global empires. At the time of Habsburgs, Spain reached the peak of its world power....
garrison, was added to the Ottoman Empire.
In 1580, Sinan commanded the army against the Safavids
Safavid dynasty
The Safavid dynasty was one of the most significant ruling dynasties of Iran. They ruled one of the greatest Persian empires since the Muslim conquest of Persia and established the Twelver school of Shi'a Islam as the official religion of their empire, marking one of the most important turning...
in the Ottoman–Persian (1578–1590)
Ottoman–Safavid War (1578–1590)
The Ottoman–Safavid War was a war between Safavid Persia under Mohammed Khodabanda and later Abbas I, and the Ottoman Empire under Murad III. It began in 1577-1578 and ended in 1590....
, and was appointed grand vizier
Grand Vizier
Grand Vizier, in Turkish Vezir-i Azam or Sadr-ı Azam , deriving from the Arabic word vizier , was the greatest minister of the Sultan, with absolute power of attorney and, in principle, dismissable only by the Sultan himself...
by Sultan
Ottoman Dynasty
The Ottoman Dynasty ruled the Ottoman Empire from 1299 to 1922, beginning with Osman I , though the dynasty was not proclaimed until Orhan Bey declared himself sultan...
Murad III
Murad III
Murad III was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1574 until his death.-Biography:...
. He was, however, disgraced and exiled in the following year, owing to the defeat of his lieutenant Mehmed Pasha
Mehmed Pasha
Mehmed Pasha or Mehmet Pasha may refer to:*Koca Mehmed Nizamüddin Pasha , Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire*Rum Mehmed Pasha , Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire...
, at Gori
Gori, Georgia
Gori is a city in eastern Georgia, which serves as the regional capital of Shida Kartli and the centre of the homonymous administrative district. The name is from Georgian gora , that is, "heap", or "hill"...
(during an attempt to provision the Ottoman garrison of Tbilisi
Tbilisi
Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
).
He subsequently became governor of Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
and, in 1589, after the great revolt of the Janissaries
Janissary
The Janissaries were infantry units that formed the Ottoman sultan's household troops and bodyguards...
, was appointed grand vizier for the second time. He was involved in the competition for the throne in Wallachia
Wallachia
Wallachia or Walachia is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians...
between Mihnea Turcitul
Mihnea Turcitul
Mihnea II Turcitul was Prince of Walachia between September 1577 and July 1583, and again from April 1585 to May 1591....
and Petru Cercel
Petru Cercel
Petru II Cercel was a Voivode of Wallachia from 1583 to 1585, bastard son to Pătraşcu cel Bun and alleged half-brother of Mihai Viteazul. A polyglot and a minor figure as a poet, Petru is noted for having written his verses in Tuscan...
, and ultimately sided with the former (overseeing Petru's execution in March 1590). Another revolt of Janissaries led to his dismissal in 1591, but in 1593 he was again recalled to become grand vizier for the third time, and in the same year he commanded the Ottoman army in the Long War
Long War (Ottoman wars)
The Long War took place from 1591 or 1593 to 1604 or 1606 and was one of the numerous military conflicts between the Habsburg Monarchy and the Ottoman Empire that developed after the Battle of Mohács.- History :The major participants of this war were the Habsburg Monarchy ,...
against the Habsburgs
Habsburg Monarchy
The Habsburg Monarchy covered the territories ruled by the junior Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg , and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine , between 1526 and 1867/1918. The Imperial capital was Vienna, except from 1583 to 1611, when it was moved to Prague...
(see Battle of Sisak
Battle of Sisak
The Battle of Sisak was fought on June 22, 1593, between Ottoman forces of the Bosnian governor-general, or Beylerbeyi, Hasan-paša Predojević, and forces of the Holy Roman Empire under the supreme command of the Styrian general Ruprecht von Eggenberg...
).
In spite of his victories he was again deposed in February 1595, shortly after the accession of Mehmed III
Mehmed III
Mehmed III Adli was sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1595 until his death.-Biography:...
, and banished to Malkara
Malkara
Malkara is a town and district of Tekirdağ Province in the Marmara region of Turkey. It is located at 55 km west of Tekirdağ and 190 km from Istanbul. It covers an area of 1,225 km², which makes the district the largest in Tekirdağ. Population of the town is 25,000 with another...
. In August, Sinan was in power again, called on to lead the expedition against Prince Michael the Brave of Wallachia. His defeat in the Battle of Călugăreni
Battle of Calugareni
The Battle of Călugăreni was one of the most important battles in the history of medieval Romania. It took place on 23 August 1595 between the Wallachian army led by Michael the Brave and the Ottoman army led by Sinan Pasha...
and the series of unsuccessful confrontations with the Habsburgs (culminating in the devastating siege and fall of Ottoman-held Esztergom
Esztergom
Esztergom , is a city in northern Hungary, 46 km north-west of the capital Budapest. It lies in Komárom-Esztergom county, on the right bank of the river Danube, which forms the border with Slovakia there....
), brought him once more into disfavour, and he was deprived of the seal of office (November 19).
The death of his successor, Lala Mehmed Pasha
Lala Mehmed Pasha
Lala Mehmed Pasha was a Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire between 19 November and 28 October 1595 under the reign of Mehmed III.Born in Gölmarmara in western Anatolia, he became a lala to the sultan Murad III and then to his son Mehmed III, whence his nickname, and after having married the...
, three days later, was looked on as a sign from heaven, and Sinan became grand vizier for the fifth time. He died suddenly in the spring of 1596, leaving behind a large fortune.
Sinan Pasha is remembered with disdain by the Serbs
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
for ordering, in 1595, the relics of Saint Sava
Saint Sava
Saint Sava was a Serbian Prince and Orthodox monk, the first Archbishop of the autocephalous Serbian Church, the founder of Serbian law and literature, and a diplomat. Sava was born Rastko Nemanjić , the youngest son of Serbian Grand Župan Stefan Nemanja , and ruled the appanage of Hum briefly in...
, the founder of the independent Serbian Orthodox Church
Serbian Orthodox Church
The Serbian Orthodox Church is one of the autocephalous Orthodox Christian churches, ranking sixth in order of seniority after Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, and Russia...
in the 12th century and considered the holiest Serbian Christians in history, to be taken from their depository and burned as a revenge for Serbs siding with the Habsburg
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...
s in the preceding border skirmishes. Only the saint's right hand, which was kept elsewhere, remains. Today there stands the grandiose Cathedral of Saint Sava on the assumed spot of the bonfire.