Hadım Suleiman Pasha ( tr, Hadım Süleyman Paşa, ro, Hadâm Suleiman Paşa; 1474–1490) was an Ottoman statesman and general, who served as the governor (''

beylerbey ''Beylerbey'' ( ota, بكلربكی, beylerbeyi, lit=bey of beys, meaning the 'commander of commanders' or 'lord of lords') was a high rank in the western Islamic world in the late Middle Ages and early modern period, from the Anatolian Seljuks ...

'') of the

Rumelia Eyalet The Eyalet of Rumeli, or Eyalet of Rumelia ( ota, ایالت روم ایلی, ), known as the Beylerbeylik of Rumeli until 1591, was a first-level province ('' beylerbeylik'' or ''eyalet'') of the Ottoman Empire encompassing most of the Balkans (" ...

( fl. 1474) and the Anatolia Eyalet. He was later a governor of the Sanjak of

Amasya Amasya () is a city in northern Turkey and is the capital of Amasya Province, in the Black Sea Region. It was called Amaseia or Amasia in antiquity."Amasya" in ''The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th e ...

(1482–90) and the

Sanjak of Smederevo The Sanjak of Smederevo ( tr, Semendire Sancağı; sr, / ), also known in historiography as the Pashalik of Belgrade ( tr, Belgrad Paşalığı; sr, / ), was an Ottoman Empire, Ottoman administrative unit (sanjak), that existed between the 1 ...

(1490–?). He served during the reign of

Mehmed II Mehmed II ( ota, محمد ثانى, translit=Meḥmed-i s̱ānī; tr, II. Mehmed, ; 30 March 14323 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror ( ota, ابو الفتح, Ebū'l-fetḥ, lit=the Father of Conquest, links=no; tr, Fâtih Su ...

. His epithet ''hadım'' means "

eunuch A eunuch ( ) is a male who has been castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function. The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2nd millennium ...

" in Arabic, also used in old Osmanli language.

Life

He was born in

Bosnia Eyalet The Eyalet of Bosnia ( ota, ایالت بوسنه ,Eyālet-i Bōsnâ; By Gábor Ágoston, Bruce Alan Masters ; sh, Bosanski pašaluk), was an eyalet (administrative division, also known as a ''beylerbeylik'') of the Ottoman Empire, mostly based o ...

and was of Albanian descent. He was appointed the sanjak-bey of Albania during the reign of

Mehmed the Conqueror Mehmed II ( ota, محمد ثانى, translit=Meḥmed-i s̱ānī; tr, II. Mehmed, ; 30 March 14323 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror ( ota, ابو الفتح, Ebū'l-fetḥ, lit=the Father of Conquest, links=no; tr, Fâtih Su ...

(r. 1444–46, 1451–81). His office was brief, as contemporary sources attest that he was attacked and captured along with his retainers and servants and afterwards sold to a Catholic state (possibly Venice). In 1474, he besieged the Venetian-held

Shkodër Shkodër ( , ; sq-definite, Shkodra) is the fifth-most-populous city of the Republic of Albania and the seat of Shkodër County and Shkodër Municipality. The city sprawls across the Plain of Mbishkodra between the southern part of Lake Shkod ...

(see Siege of Shkodër). The fortress was defended by Albanians and one Venetian called Antonio Loredano The Ottoman troops managed to damage parts of the fortress, but ultimately failed and Suleyman had to satisfy himself with his pillage he got during the siege. In December he began a march against

Stephen the Great Stephen III of Moldavia, most commonly known as Stephen the Great ( ro, Ștefan cel Mare; ; died on 2 July 1504), was Voivode (or Prince) of Moldavia from 1457 to 1504. He was the son of and co-ruler with Bogdan II, who was murdered in 1451 ...

Moldavia Moldavia ( ro, Moldova, or , literally "The Country of Moldavia"; in Romanian Cyrillic: or ; chu, Землѧ Молдавскаѧ; el, Ἡγεμονία τῆς Μολδαβίας) is a historical region and former principality in Centr ...

, who refused to pay homage to the

Sultan Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) 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 ...

. Suleyman was reluctant in marching against Moldavia, as his troops were exhausted from the failed siege and as winter was approaching, but he couldn't dare to question the Sultan's decision. The two met on 10 January, 1475, at the

Battle of Vaslui The Battle of Vaslui (also referred to as the Battle of Podul Înalt or the Battle of Racova) was fought on 10 January 1475, between Stephen III of Moldavia and the Ottoman governor of Rumelia, Hadım Suleiman Pasha. The battle took place at P ...

. The Ottoman forces suffered a major defeat with high casualties. However, this defeat was re-compensated during next summer when the Ottomans led by Mehmet II defeated Stephen on 17 July, 1476 at Valea Albă.Shaw 1976, p. 68 Occupation of Bessarabia & vital port-fortresses of Chilia/Kilija & Akkerman (Asprokastron/Cetatea Alba) took place in August 1484. In 1482, he was the governor of the Sanjak of

, and then in the

in 1490, where he died.

References

Footnotes

Sources

* Angiolello, Giovanni Maria. ''Historia Turchesca (Turkish History)'' (Romanian) * Orudj bin Adil, ''Tevârîh-i Âl-i Osman (The Chronicles of the House of Osman)'' (Turkish) * Hoca Sadeddin Efendi (ed. İsmet Parmaksızoğlu), ''Tac al-tevarikh (Crown of Histories)'', vol. 3, Kültür Bakanlığı, Ankara, 1974-1979 reprint:1999.(Turkish) * Shaw, Stanford, (1976) ''History of the Ottoman Empire - Vol.1: Empire of Gazis" Cambridge University Press, Cambridge p. 68 {{DEFAULTSORT:Suleiman Pasha, Hadim 15th-century people from the Ottoman Empire Pashas Eunuchs from the Ottoman Empire Year of birth missing Year of death missing Ottoman Bosnian nobility Ottoman generals Governors of the Ottoman Empire