Bekri Mustafa Pasha ("Mustafa

Pasha Pasha, Pacha or Paşa ( ota, پاشا; tr, paşa; sq, Pashë; ar, باشا), in older works sometimes anglicized as bashaw, was a higher rank in the Ottoman political and military system, typically granted to governors, generals, dignitar ...

the Drunkard"; known by the epithet ''Tekirdağlı'', meaning "from

Tekirdağ Tekirdağ (; see also its other names) is a city in Turkey. It is located on the north coast of the Sea of Marmara, in the region of East Thrace. In 2019 the city's population was 204,001. Tekirdağ town is a commercial centre with a harbour ...

"; died January 1690) was an Ottoman grand vizier during the Great Turkish War. He was a member of the

Janissary A Janissary ( ota, یڭیچری, yeŋiçeri, , ) was a member of the elite infantry units that formed the Ottoman Sultan's household troops and the first modern standing army in Europe. The corps was most likely established under sultan Orhan ...

corps of the

Ottoman army The military of the Ottoman Empire ( tr, Osmanlı İmparatorluğu'nun silahlı kuvvetleri) was the armed forces of the Ottoman Empire. Army The military of the Ottoman Empire can be divided in five main periods. The foundation era covers the ...

. In 1679, he was promoted to be the commander of the Janissaries (

Agha of the Janissaries The Agha of the Janissaries or Janissary Agha () was a top Ottoman military official and courtier, and the commander of the Janissary corps. Apart from the commander-general of the entire corps, the title of "Agha of the Janissaries" was also bor ...

). Two years later, he was given the title of

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 ...

. Beginning in 1683, the Ottoman Empire entered a long and disastrous war called the Great Turkish War. After the execution of Kara Mustafa Pasha in 1683 because of his failure, other pashas were appointed to that post in rapid sequence.Nicolae Jorga: ''Geschichte des Osmanischen Reiches Vol IV'': ,tr:Nilüfer Epçeli, yeditepe Yayınalrı, istanbul, 2009, , p. 199 Bekri Mustafa was the fourth grandvizier after Mustafa Pasha. He succeeded Ayaşlı Ismail Pasha on 30 May 1688 during the reign of

Süleyman II Suleiman II (15 April 1642 – 22 June 1691) ( ota, سليمان ثانى ''Süleymān-i sānī'') was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1687 to 1691. After being brought to the throne by an armed mutiny, Suleiman and his grand vizier Fazıl ...

(reigned 1687–91). The first problem he had to solve was a rebellion, which was aimed to reenthrone the former sultan

Mehmet IV Mehmed IV ( ota, محمد رابع, Meḥmed-i rābi; tr, IV. Mehmed; 2 January 1642 – 6 January 1693) also known as Mehmed the Hunter ( tr, Avcı Mehmed) was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1648 to 1687. He came to the throne at the a ...

(1648-1687). With the support of the Janissaries, he defeated the rebels. According to historian

Nicolae Iorga Nicolae Iorga (; sometimes Neculai Iorga, Nicolas Jorga, Nicolai Jorga or Nicola Jorga, born Nicu N. Iorga;Iova, p. xxvii. 17 January 1871 – 27 November 1940) was a Romanian historian, politician, literary critic, memoirist, Albanologist, poet ...

, 6,000 people died during the clashes between the grand vizier's army and the rebels. However, Bekri Mustafa Pasha was not successful against the advancing

army of the Holy Roman Empire , image = Banner of the Holy Roman Emperor with haloes (1400-1806).svg , image_size = 150 , caption = , dates = 1422–1806 , country ...

, and he was heavily criticized for being inattentive to state affairs. Although Süleyman II initially supported his grand vizier after a series of defeats in the fall of 1689,Prof. Yaşar Yüce-Prof. Ali Sevim: ''Türkiye tarihi Cilt III'', AKDTYKTTK Yayınları, İstanbul, 1991 p.207 he was dismissed on 7 November 1689 and was exiled to

Malkara Malkara ( el, Μάλγαρα, Malgara) 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 ...

(near Tekirdağ). He died there in January 1690.

References

{{Grand Viziers of Ottoman Empire Pashas 17th-century Grand Viziers of the Ottoman Empire 1690 deaths Ottoman people of the Great Turkish War Year of birth unknown People from Tekirdağ

See also

References