Hersekzade or Hersekli Ahmed Pasha ("Ahmed Pasha, son of the Herzog";

Serbo-Croatian Serbo-Croatian () – also called Serbo-Croat (), Serbo-Croat-Bosnian (SCB), Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian (BCS), and Bosnian-Croatian-Montenegrin-Serbian (BCMS) – is a South Slavic language and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and ...

: ''Ahmed-paša Hercegović''; Aхмед-паша Херцеговић; 1459 – 21 July 1517), born as Stjepan Hercegović, he was the youngest son of the

Duke of Saint Sava Duchy of Saint Sava ( sr-Cyr, Војводство Светог Саве, Vojvodstvo Svetog Save) was a late medieval polity in southeastern Europe, that existed from 1448 up to 1482, when it was absorbed by the Ottoman Empire. It was ruled by ...

Stjepan Vukčić Stjepan is a Croatian masculine given name, variant of Stephen, used by ijekavian speakers. In Croatia, the name Stjepan was among the top ten most common masculine given names in the decades up to 1969. Notable people with the name include: * S ...

. In his adolescence he was taken to Constantinople, where he adopted

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

along with the peculiar way of life of the

Ottoman court Ottoman court was the culture that evolved around the court of the Ottoman Empire. Ottoman court was held at the Topkapı Palace in Constantinople where the sultan was served by an army of pages and scholars. Some served in the Treasury and the ...

, which made possible his advancement through the Ottoman government and military ranks, eventually occupying highest offices of the Empire's government and military as a

statesman A statesman or stateswoman typically is a politician who has had a long and respected political career at the national or international level. Statesman or Statesmen may also refer to: Newspapers United States * ''The Statesman'' (Oregon), a n ...

and navy's

grand admiral Grand admiral is a historic naval rank, the highest rank in the several European navies that used it. It is best known for its use in Germany as . A comparable rank in modern navies is that of admiral of the fleet. Grand admirals in individual n ...

Early life

Stjepan was born into the Kosača family in 1459. He was third and youngest son of Herceg Stjepan Vukčić, at the time most powerful Bosnian noblemen. Stjepan's half-siblings from his father's first marriage included Queen Katarina, wife of King Stjepan Tomaš,

Vladislav Hercegović Vladislav Hercegović ( sr-Cyrl, Владислав Херцеговић; 1426 or 1427 – 1489) was oldest son of Stjepan Vukčić. The Kosača noble family held lands in the region of Herzegovina. Vladislav received his father's land and the tit ...

, and

Vlatko Hercegović Vlatko Hercegović (Cyrillic: Влатко Херцеговић), (born 1428 – died 1489), was the second and the last ''Herzog of Saint Sava'', succeeding his father Stjepan Vukčić in 1466. Succession After the fall of the kingdom in 146 ...

, their father's successor. Stjepan's family belonged to the

Bosnian Church The Bosnian Church ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=/, Crkva bosanska, Црква Босанска) was a Christian church in medieval Bosnia and Herzegovina that was independent of and considered heretical by both the Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox ...

, but were "shaky Christians" like most of their countrymen. His half-sister, Catherine, converted to Roman Catholicism upon marriage and became pious follower of the church, while Stjepan himself adopted Islam and changed his name to Ahmed after moving to Constantinople in about 1473.

Career

Hersekli Ahmed Pasha was a five-time Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire and

Grand Admiral Grand admiral is a historic naval rank, the highest rank in the several European navies that used it. It is best known for its use in Germany as . A comparable rank in modern navies is that of admiral of the fleet. Grand admirals in individual n ...

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 ...

, serving five times as Grand Vizier in the period from 1497 to 1515. He died on 21 July 1517 of natural causes, toward the end of the reign of

Selim I Selim I ( ota, سليم الأول; tr, I. Selim; 10 October 1470 – 22 September 1520), known as Selim the Grim or Selim the Resolute ( tr, links=no, Yavuz Sultan Selim), was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1512 to 1520. Despite last ...

Family

He married Hundi Sultan, a daughter of Sultan

Bayezid II Bayezid II ( ota, بايزيد ثانى, Bāyezīd-i s̱ānī, 3 December 1447 – 26 May 1512, Turkish: ''II. Bayezid'') was the eldest son and successor of Mehmed II, ruling as Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1481 to 1512. During his reign, ...

by his concubine

Bülbül Hatun Bülbül Hatun ( ota, بلبل خاتون; "''Songbird''" died 1515) was a consort of Sultan Bayezid II of the Ottoman Empire. Life Bülbül Hatun entered in the Bayezid's harem when he was still a prince and the governor of Amasya. She had tw ...

, in 1484. They had at least two sons and two daughters: * Sultanzade Musa Bey * Sultanzade Mustafa Bey * Kamerşah Hanımsultan * Hümaşah Hanımsultan

References

;Bibliography * {{Authority control Grand Viziers of Selim I Kapudan Pashas Civil servants from the Ottoman Empire Military personnel of the Ottoman Empire 1459 births 1517 deaths 15th-century Grand Viziers of the Ottoman Empire 16th-century Grand Viziers of the Ottoman Empire 1490s in the Ottoman Empire 1500s in the Ottoman Empire 1510s in the Ottoman Empire Kosača noble family Pashas Damats Slavs from the Ottoman Empire Bosnian Muslims from the Ottoman Empire Bosnia and Herzegovina former Christians Converts to Islam from Christianity Ottoman Bosnian nobility Hercegović noble family

Early life

Career

Family

See also

References