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Kuyucu Murad Pasha (Ottoman Turkish for "Murad Pasha the Well-digger", i.e. "Gravedigger"; sh, Murat-paša Kujudžić; 1535 – 1611) was an Ottoman statesman who served as
Grand Vizier Grand vizier ( fa, وزيرِ اعظم, vazîr-i aʾzam; ota, صدر اعظم, sadr-ı aʾzam; tr, sadrazam) was the title of the effective head of government of many sovereign states in the Islamic world. The office of Grand Vizier was first ...
of the Ottoman Empire during the reign of
Ahmed I Ahmed I ( ota, احمد اول '; tr, I. Ahmed; 18 April 1590 – 22 November 1617) was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1603 until his death in 1617. Ahmed's reign is noteworthy for marking the first breach in the Ottoman tradition of royal f ...
between December 9, 1606, and August 5, 1611.


Early life

He was born in
Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and He ...
.Safvet Bašagić: Znameniti Hrvati Bošnjaci i Hercegovci u turskoj carevini He is thought to have been a Slav or Albanian either born as a Muslim or converted later on during Devshirme conscription.


Career

He was ''
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 ...
'' (governor-general) of Karaman in 1585 and Cyprus before being appointed to
Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...
in 1593, as well as
Aleppo )), is an adjective which means "white-colored mixed with black". , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_caption = , image_map1 = ...
. Upon arriving at the port of Sidon to take up his Damascus office he was received by the
Druze The Druze (; ar, دَرْزِيٌّ, ' or ', , ') are an Arabic-speaking esoteric ethnoreligious group from Western Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, syncretic, and ethnic religion based on the teachings of ...
chieftain of the Chouf, Fakhr al-Din, who furnished him with numerous gifts. He reciprocated by appointing Fakhr al-Din '' sanjak-bey'' (district governor) of Sidon-Beirut. Murad Pasha and Fakhr al-Din eliminated the latter's rival Mansur ibn Furaykh, the leader of a local
Sunni Muslim Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word ''Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagree ...
Bedouin The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu (; , singular ) are nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia. The Bedouin originated in the Syrian Desert and A ...
clan and onetime ''sanjak-bey'' of Safad. He participated in the Long Turkish War and impressed Mehmed III in particular at the
Siege of Eger (1596) The Ottomans laid siege to the city of Eger which launched a siege of Eger (Turkish: Eğri), that lasted from September 20 to October 12, 1596, as part of the Long War, successfully conquering it after the 7,000 defenders of the fortress, mostl ...
after which he became military commander of Ottoman Hungary for a while.


Grand vizierate

Following the dispatch of Grand Vizier Dervish Pasha to the Safavid front, Murad Pasha was appointed grand vizier and oversaw the Peace of Zsitvatorok in Hungary in the summer of 1606. By then, he had accumulated around seven decades of government and military service under five successive sultans. According to the historian William Griswold, Murad Pasha "represented the traditional devsirme warrior class, a Serb with the fanaticism to lead his troops to the limits of their endurance for Islam and the sultan".


Suppression of Janbulad rebellion

Imperial alarm grew at the power of the rebel Kurdish chieftain and ''beylerbey'' of Aleppo, Ali Janbulad, who in 1606 had extended his control over the eyalets of Tripoli and Damascus and formed a secret alliance with the Duke of Tuscany. Ali's rise coincided with the failed Tuscan expedition against Chios in 1607 and the strengthening of the
Celali revolts The Celali rebellions ( tr, Celalî ayaklanmaları), were a series of rebellions in Anatolia of irregular troops led by bandit chiefs and provincial officials known as ''celalî'', ''celâli'', or ''jelālī'', against the authority of the Ottoma ...
in Anatolia. Murad Pasha was appointed to sort the significant challenges to imperial power. He determined that a further year of revolt would cement the power of the Celali chiefs of Anatolia and of the Janbulads in Cilicia and northern Syria, with the possible direct support of the Safavids. Murad Pasha resolved first to suppress Janbulad's rebellion, though kept his plans secret to maintain the element of surprise. At the time, Janbulad was not officially considered a rebel despite his usurpation of power in Aleppo, expeditions throughout Syria and foreign ties. Murad Pasha framed the target of his campaign to be the Safavids and the Anatolian Celali rebels en route to Iran; such campaigns had been undertaken in the preceding years by his predecessors. Unlike his predecessor Ferhad Pasha, Murad Pasha had full control of the Ottoman armies, including the Rumelis whom he freed up by negotiating the Peace of Zsitvatorok, and was in the position to initiate military action and make direct call to arms throughout the Empire. The most trusted core of his army consisted of the Balkan veterans of the
Danubian The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...
front led by Tiryaki Hasan Pasha. His Anatolian troops nearly all had connections to varying degrees with the Celali rebels and were put under the command of the veteran Balkan general Maryol Huseyn Pasha and backed up by two ex-Celali leaders who had proven their loyalty to the Ottomans: Zulfiqar Pasha, the sanjakbey of Marash, and Karakas Ahmed Pasha. Before the march Murad Pasha called on the sanjak-beys and beylerbeys to provision men, munitions, transport animals, grain, road repairs and bridge preparations. In early July Murad Pasha disembarked from Üsküdar and marched through Maltepe, Tuzla and Gebze. Fear of his army compelled minor Celali chiefs to submit; the grand vizier treated those he considered less dangerously with favorable treatment to spread the message to others that submission would spare and reward them, while those who he considered threatening were executed. To the latter category belonged the well-known Celali Akmirza who was decapitated whilst pledging loyalty to Murad Pasha at Afyon. Upon arriving in Konya he revealed that Janbulad was the target of the campaign, not Iran, and the hasty and arduous march deep through Celali Anatolia was meant to avoid counter movements by Janbulad or his allies. The last major obstacle on his way to Janbulad's sphere of influence was the most powerful Celali chief Kalenderoglu Mehmed Pasha. The latter and another major Celali chief, Kara Said, had offered to join Murad Pasha's army, but the grand vizier had no use for aggrandizing his army with Celali rebels who could defect to Janbulad mid-battle and threaten his rear. Instead, he neutralized Kalenderoglu, who long sought high government office, by appointing him ''beylerbey'' of Ankara. Before departing Konya the grand vizier sent orders to Janbulad and Cemsid, the Celali chief of Adana and Tarsus in
Cilicia Cilicia (); el, Κιλικία, ''Kilikía''; Middle Persian: ''klkyʾy'' (''Klikiyā''); Parthian: ''kylkyʾ'' (''Kilikiyā''); tr, Kilikya). is a geographical region in southern Anatolia in Turkey, extending inland from the northeastern coas ...
demanding their loyalty. He sought control of Adana and the mountain passes of the
Taurus range The Taurus Mountains (Turkish: ''Toros Dağları'' or ''Toroslar'') are a mountain complex in southern Turkey, separating the Mediterranean coastal region from the central Anatolian Plateau. The system extends along a curve from Lake Eğird ...
, which guarded Janbulad's northern Syrian heartland. Murad Pasha's army stormed Cemsid's position at Tekir Beli, routing his 2,000 '' sekban''. Murad Pasha proceeded through the Cilician Gates to Adana, where he confiscated a significant payment that had been sent to Cemsid probably by Janbulad. He led an army of well-paid, local non-Anatolians and Devshirme (forcibly recruited Balkan Christian converts to Islam) which defeated Ali Janbulad, a leader of the
Celali revolts The Celali rebellions ( tr, Celalî ayaklanmaları), were a series of rebellions in Anatolia of irregular troops led by bandit chiefs and provincial officials known as ''celalî'', ''celâli'', or ''jelālī'', against the authority of the Ottoma ...
against the Ottomans in
Aleppo )), is an adjective which means "white-colored mixed with black". , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_caption = , image_map1 = ...
, in 1607 near Lake Amik. Janbulad and Fakhr al-Din allied and defeated the Ottoman governor of Damascus and looted the city two years prior, but Fakhr al-Din had dissociated from Janbulad by the time of Murad Pasha's expedition and sent the grand vizier 300,000 piasters and his young son Ali as a hostage to win his favor; Murad Pasha pardoned Fakhr al-Din.


Celali campaign

En route to Syria, Murad Pasha had appointed Kalenderoglu Mehmed, a Celali rebel chief, governor of Ankara Sanjak, but the people of Ankara denied him entry and he proceeded to raid
Bursa ( grc-gre, Προῦσα, Proûsa, Latin: Prusa, ota, بورسه, Arabic:بورصة) is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in the ...
. After Kalenderoglu departed the vicinity of Bursa in the summer of 1608, Murad Pasha, departing from Syria, attempted to intercept him in west central Anatolia. With reinforcements from Constantinople Murad Pasha defeated Kalenderoglu in a deep Taurus mountain pass near Adana on 5 August. His victory, despite logistical challenges, was attributed to "his skill and experience as a military commander and his ability to hold the loyalty of his army" by the historian Caroline Finkel. About 10,000 surviving Celali rebels, including Kalenderoglu and his band, fled into
Safavid Safavid Iran or Safavid Persia (), also referred to as the Safavid Empire, '. was one of the greatest Iranian empires after the 7th-century Muslim conquest of Persia, which was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often conside ...
Iranian territory in eastern Anatolia. Rather than a full-scale assault into Iranian territory during peace between the Ottomans and Safavids, Murad Pasha sent detachments under his lieutenants against various Celali commanders. They were eventually killed with their fighters, including Kalenderoglu, by May 1610, after which surviving rebels were incorporated as an elite cavalry force of the Ottomans. In stamping out the Celali revolts Murad Pasha "achieved a victory that had eluded the Ottomans for years" according to Finkel. He received a ceremonious welcome on his return to Constantinople. Murad Pasha's nickname ''Kuyucu'' (the Well-digger, i.e. the "grave-digger") derives from the mass graves he had dug to bury the condemned of the harsh methods he employed in order to suppress (and eventually put an end) to the Celali revolts. Tens of thousands of Turks, Kurds and other Muslims were killed during Murad Pasha's office in his several campaigns against separate large rebel groups.


Death and legacy

Murad Pasha died in 1611. He died in Diyarbakır during the Ottoman–Safavid War (1603–1618).Selcuk Aksin Somel
''The A to Z of the Ottoman Empire''
Rowman & Littlefield, 2010 p 160
Murad Pasha had a complex built in Istanbul, about 300 meters northwest of the Bayezid II Mosque on the Third Hill of Istanbul. The complex also includes Murad Pasha's mausoleum where he was buried after his death in 1611, the walls of whose entrance gate have become darkened due to time. Cleanup on the building has been halted, leading to its current state, because of strong reactions by several Anatolian groups, such as Yörüks, Alevis, and Bektashis, against honoring Murad Pasha, who they hold responsible for killing thousands of members of their groups.Yavaşoğlu, Salim
"Alevilerden “Kuyucu” Tepkisi."
''
Yeniçağ ''Yeniçağ'' or ''Yeni Çağ'' ("New Era" in Turkish) is a nationalist newspaper in Turkey. It was established in 2002. In 2008 ''Yeniçağ'' criticized the Turkish Journalists' Association for giving an award to Doğan Özgüden (co-founder of ...
''. Yeniçağ, 31 Dec. 2011. Web. 3 Nov. 2013.
Some have suggested that the mausoleum be made into a museum for the massacres and called the government's intention to conduct repairs on the building "shameful" in light of Murad Pasha's legacy. However, Karen Barkey suggests that Murad Pasha's methods were standard for the time and were often equalled or exceeded by many predatory rebel leaders (bandits and bureaucrats). In 1593 Murad Pasha built a
souk A bazaar () or souk (; also transliterated as souq) is a marketplace consisting of multiple small stalls or shops, especially in the Middle East, the Balkans, North Africa and India. However, temporary open markets elsewhere, such as in the W ...
in Damascus called the Qaysariyya Muradiyya after him at Bab al-Barid, the western entrance of the Umayyad Mosque. It consisted of a
caravanserai A caravanserai (or caravansary; ) was a roadside inn where travelers ( caravaners) could rest and recover from the day's journey. Caravanserais supported the flow of commerce, information and people across the network of trade routes covering ...
, a
coffeehouse A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non-ca ...
and forty-seven shops. Its connection with the Umayyad Mosque was demonstrated by the construction of a large dome over its entrance on the remains of the Roman propylaeum of Jupiter. In the process of the souk's construction, Murad Pasha had existing buildings demolished. The souk's revenues were a '' waqf'' (religious endowment) designated for the poor of Mecca and Medina.


See also

* List of Ottoman Grand Viziers


References


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Murad Pasha, Kuyucu 1611 deaths 17th-century Grand Viziers of the Ottoman Empire Converts to Islam Devshirme Ottoman governors of Damascus Ottoman people of the Ottoman–Persian Wars Pashas Slavs from the Ottoman Empire Year of birth unknown