Sulejman Pasha of Uskoplje ( tr, Süleyman Paşa, sh, Sulejman-paša Skopljak; 1804–1816) was an Ottoman Bosnian military commander and governor active in

Rumelia Rumelia ( ota, روم ايلى, Rum İli; tr, Rumeli; el, Ρωμυλία), etymologically "Land of the Names of the Greeks#Romans (Ῥωμαῖοι), Romans", at the time meaning Eastern Orthodox Christians and more specifically Christians f ...

(the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

), who distinguished himself fighting Serb rebels in the 1800s and 1810s. He served as the first

Vizier A vizier (; ar, وزير, wazīr; fa, وزیر, vazīr), or wazir, is a high-ranking political advisor or minister in the near east. The Abbasid caliphs gave the title ''wazir'' to a minister formerly called ''katib'' (secretary), who was a ...

of Belgrade (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 ...

) after crushing the

First Serbian Uprising The First Serbian Uprising ( sr, Prvi srpski ustanak, italics=yes, sr-Cyrl, Први српски устанак; tr, Birinci Sırp Ayaklanması) was an uprising of Serbs in the Sanjak of Smederevo against the Ottoman Empire from 14 February 18 ...

(1804–1813).

Origin

Sulejman hailed from Uskoplje, a town near

Bugojno Bugojno ( sr-cyrl, Бугојно) is a town and municipality located in Central Bosnia Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated on river Vrbas, to the northwest from Sarajevo. Acco ...

in central

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 ...

. According to Sulejman's great-grandson, the poet Omer-beg Sulejmanpašić (1870–1918), the family originated from Mihailo, a Bosnian nobleman that held the fort of Vesela Straža, then after the Ottoman conquest converted into Islam, becoming Ali Pasha (''Ali-paša'').

Career

The

broke out in the

(today central Serbia) in 1804, and echoed in other Serb-inhabited lands in the Ottoman Empire. After the Drobnjak Rebellion broke out in March 1805, and expanded in the eastern

Sanjak of Herzegovina The Sanjak of Herzegovina ( tr, Hersek Sancağı; sh, Hercegovački sandžak) was an Ottoman administrative unit established in 1470. The seat was in Foča until 1572 when it was moved to Taşlıca (Pljevlja). The sanjak was initially part of ...

(now in

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...

), the Ottoman government sent Sulejman Pasha in the beginning of October to suppress it. Suleiman Pasha was one of the most courageous and resolute Ottoman commanders at that time. By January 1806, the Drobnjak rebellion was suppressed, and Sulejman Pasha had the rebel leaders punished, and forced the population of Drobnjak and Morača to pay tribute. In March 1806, Suleiman Pasha defeated the Serbian rebel band of

Radič Petrović Radič Petrović ( sr-cyr, Радич Петровић; 1738–1816), known as Captain Radič (''kapetan Radič''), was a Serbian Revolutionary commander (''vojvoda''), earlier a Military Frontier guard and volunteer in the Austro-Turkish War ( ...

near the

Studenica Monastery The Studenica Monastery ( sr, / ), ) is a 12th-century Serbian Orthodox monastery situated southwest of Kraljevo and east of Ivanjica, in central Serbia. It is one of the largest and richest Serb Orthodox monasteries. Stefan Nemanja, the foun ...

. He commanded the Ottoman army sent from

that was decisively defeated at Mišar by the Serbian rebels in August 1806. After the defeat, he retreated to

Šabac Šabac (Serbian Cyrillic: Шабац, ) is a city and the administrative centre of the Mačva District in western Serbia. The traditional centre of the fertile Mačva region, Šabac is located on the right banks of the river Sava. , the city p ...

, but was forced to hand over the town to

Karađorđe Đorđe Petrović ( sr-Cyrl, Ђорђе Петровић, ), better known by the sobriquet Karađorđe ( sr-Cyrl, Карађорђе, lit=Black George, ; – ), was a Serbian revolutionary who led the struggle for his country's independ ...

, the leader of the Serbian Uprising, in February 1807. In the Ottoman campaign in Serbia in 1813, Suleiman commanded part of the forces that took

Loznica Loznica ( sr-cyrl, Лозница, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city located in the Mačva District of western Serbia. It lies on the right bank of the Drina river. In 2011 the city had a total population of 19,572, while the administrative ar ...

, and also participated in the battle of Ravnje, in which he was wounded, at the end of August. After the Ottoman suppression of the First Serbian Uprising (by October 1813), Suleiman was appointed the Vizier of Belgrade (the Sanjak of Smederevo). The Ottoman atrocities against the Serb population sparked

Hadži Prodan's Revolt Hagi, Hadži, or Hadzhi (Хаджи) is a name derived from hajji, an honorific title given to a Muslim person who has successfully completed the Hajj to Mecca, which was later adopted by Christian peoples as a word for ''pilgrim''. People Surname ...

(1814), which was violently suppressed by Suleiman. The

Second Serbian Uprising The Second Serbian Uprising ( sr, Други српски устанак / ''Drugi srpski ustanak'', tr, İkinci Sırp Ayaklanması) was the second phase of the Serbian Revolution against the Ottoman Empire, which erupted shortly after the re ...

broke out in 1815, and after Sulejman was unable to suppress it, his forces having suffered heavy defeats in the battles of Palež,

Čačak Čačak ( sr-Cyrl, Чачак, ) is a city and the administrative center of the Moravica District in central Serbia. It is located in the West Morava Valley within the geographical region of Šumadija. , the city proper has 73,331 inhabitants, wh ...

and

Požarevac Požarevac ( sr-cyr, Пожаревац, ) is a city and the administrative centre of the Braničevo District in eastern Serbia. It is located between three rivers: Danube, Great Morava and Mlava and below the hill Čačalica (208m). As of 2011, ...

, and generally failing in restoring order in the Belgrade Pashalik, he was replaced by

Marashli Ali Pasha Marashli Ali Pasha ( tr, Maraşlı Ali Paşa, sr, Marašli Ali-paša) was an Ottoman Empire governor, serving as the Vizier of Belgrade (Sanjak of Smederevo The Sanjak of Smederevo ( tr, Semendire Sancağı; sr, / ), also known in historiogr ...

and transferred to Bosnia.

References

Sources

* * {{s-end 19th-century Ottoman military personnel Governors of the Ottoman Empire Ottoman Bosnian nobility People of the First Serbian Uprising People of the Second Serbian Uprising 18th-century births 1820s deaths