Hasan Predojević
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Hasan Predojević ( 1530 – 22 June 1593), also known as Telli Hasan Pasha ( tr, Telli Hasan Paşa), was the fifth Ottoman
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 ...
( vali) of
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 ...
and a notable Ottoman Bosnian military commander, who led an invasion of the Habsburg Kingdom of Croatia during the
Ottoman wars in Europe A series of military conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and various European states took place from the Late Middle Ages up through the early 20th century. The earliest conflicts began during the Byzantine–Ottoman wars, waged in Anatolia in ...
.


Early life

He was born Nikola Predojević into the Predojević clan, of either Serb or Vlach ethnic background, from
Eastern Herzegovina East Herzegovina ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Istočna Hercegovina, Источна Херцеговина) is the eastern part of the historical Herzegovina region in Bosnia and Herzegovina, east of the Neretva river, part of the Republika Srpska entity. Maj ...
. According to Muvekkit Hadžihuseinović he was born in Lušci Palanka, in the Bosanska Krajina region, however, according to his nickname ''Hersekli'', he was from Herzegovina. The birthplace has been given specifically as
Bijela Rudina Bijela Rudina ( sr-cyrl, Бијела Рудина) is a village in the Municipalities of Republika Srpska, municipality of Bileća, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It consists of three smaller villages: Krstače, Bijela Rudina and Milić ...
,
Bileća Bileća ( sr-cyrl, Билећа) is a town and municipality located in Republika Srpska, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, the town has a population of 7,476 inhabitants, while the municipality has 10,807 inhabitants. History ...
. His family originated from
Klobuk Klobuk of Patriarch Philaret of Moscow (1619-33), Kremlin museum A klobuk is an item of monastic clothing worn by monks and, in the Russian tradition, also by nuns, in the Byzantine Rite, composed of a kamilavka (stiffened round black headco ...
. An Ottoman sultan wrote in a book that he had requested from a notable lord in Herzegovina, named Predojević, that 30 small Serb children (including Predojević's only son Jovan, and his nephew Nikola) to be sent to Ottoman service (see devshirme). The very young Nikola was then taken to Constantinople as ''acem-i oğlan'' (foreign child) and brought up in the Sultan's court, and was forced to convert to
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 ...
, adopting the name Hasan and advancing to the post of ''çakircibaşa'' (chief falconer and commander of falconers in the Sultan's court). After having been appointed Beglerbeg of
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 ...
, Telli Hasan Pasha had the
Rmanj Monastery The Rmanj Monastery ( sr, Манастир Рмањ, Manastir Rmanj) is a Serbian Orthodox monastery dedicated to Saint Nicholas and located in Martin Brod in north-western Bosnia and Herzegovina, at the left bank of the Unac River near its conflu ...
renewed as a seat of his brother, Serbian Orthodox monk Gavrilo Predojević. He also founded a mosque in Polje, Grabovica, in the Bileća municipality.


Ottoman service


Sanjak-bey of Segedin

During the rule of Murat III (1574–1595) he became Sanjak-bey of the Sanjak of Segedin, where he stayed until June 1591.


Beylerbey of Bosnia

He was elevated and appointed Beglerbeg (Governor-General) of the Bosnia Eyalet in 1591. A bellicose and dynamic military leader, Hasan strengthened the army of the
Eyalet Eyalets ( Ottoman Turkish: ایالت, , English: State), also known as beylerbeyliks or pashaliks, were a primary administrative division of the Ottoman Empire. From 1453 to the beginning of the nineteenth century the Ottoman local government ...
equipping it with better horses and erecting a bridge at Gradiška with the purpose of easier maneuvering between
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 ...
and Slavonia.R. Lopašić, ''Spomenici Hrvatske krajine, III.'' (Zagreb, 1889) In August 1591, without a declaration of war, Hasan Pasha attacked
Habsburg Croatia The Kingdom of Croatia ( hr, Kraljevina Hrvatska; la, Regnum Croatiae; hu, Horvát Királyság, german: Königreich Kroatien) was part of the lands of the Habsburg monarchy from 1527, following the Election in Cetin, and the Austrian Empire from ...
and reached Sisak, but was repelled after 4 days of fighting. Thomas Erdődy, the Ban of Croatia, launched a counterattack and seized much of the Moslavina region. The same year Hasan Pasha launched another attack, taking the town of
Ripač Ripač ( sr-cyrl, Рипач) is a village in the municipality of Bihać, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Ripač is the location of a border crossing with Croatia, across Užljebić. Demographics According to the 2013 census, its population was 1,31 ...
on the Una River. These raids forced the Ban to declare a general uprising to defend the country in late January 1592. These actions of the Ottoman regional forces under Hasan Pasha seem to have been contrary to the interest and policy of the central Ottoman administration in Constantinople,Moačanin, Nenad: ''Some Problems of Interpretation of Turkish Sources concerning the Battle of Sisak in 1593'', in: Nazor, Ante et al (ed.), ''Sisačka bitka 1593''
, Proceedings of the Meeting from 18–19 June 1993. Zagreb-Sisak (1994); pp. 125–130.
and due rather to aims of conquest and organized plundering by the war-like Bosnian '' sipahi'', although perhaps also under the pretext of putting an end to
Uskok The Uskoks ( hr, Uskoci, , singular: ; notes on naming) were irregular soldiers in Habsburg Croatia that inhabited areas on the eastern Adriatic coast and surrounding territories during the Ottoman wars in Europe. Bands of Uskoks fought ...
(Balkan Habsburg-sided pirates and bandits engaged in
guerrilla warfare Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which small groups of combatants, such as paramilitary personnel, armed civilians, or Irregular military, irregulars, use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, Raid (military), raids ...
against the Ottomans) raids into the Eyalet; since the two realms had signed a nine-year peace treaty earlier in 1590. Hasan Pasha's forces of approximately 20,000
janissaries 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 ( ...
continued to raid the region, with the goal of seizing the strategically important town of Senj and its port, and to eliminate the Uskoci; because all of this, the
Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans ( la, Imperator Romanorum, german: Kaiser der Römer) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period ( la, Imperat ...
sent his ambassador so he would beg that Hasan Pasha be removed from his post, or otherwise an end would be put to the existing truce. The ambassador was told in reply, that it belonged to the
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 ...
and to Derviš-paša, 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 ...
's favourite, to repel their aggressions against the Ottoman Empire; that, the imperial ambassador was told, was a sufficient answer. After learning this, Hasan Pasha felt himself encouraged enough to lead his forces towards Bihać, which was conquered on 19 June 1592 after eight days of siege, along with several surrounding forts. Records show that nearly 2,000 people died in defense of the town, and an estimated 800 children were taken for Ottoman servitude (see devshirme), to be educated in
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 ...
and become
janissaries 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 ( ...
, as Hasan had been himself. After having placed a sufficient garrison in Bihać, he erected two other fortresses in its vicinity; the command of which he conferred to Rustem -beg, who was the leader of the
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 ...
Ferhad Pasha's militia. In all, during this two-year campaign, the Ottoman Bosnian regional invading forces, led by Hasan Pasha, burned to the ground 26 cities throughout the Croatian Frontier and took some 35,000 war captives. At the same time, at Predojević's order,
Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pag ...
Serbs were settled in the "whole region around Bihać" from 1592 to 1593. Predojevic fully relied on Vlachs, recruiting them specially for his army; according to an official report, in 1593, after the fall of Bihać, Vlachs were, at Hasan's order, settled in the areas around Brekovica, Ripač, Ostrvica, and Vrla Draga up to Sokolac, while
Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pag ...
Vlachs from
Eastern Herzegovina East Herzegovina ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Istočna Hercegovina, Источна Херцеговина) is the eastern part of the historical Herzegovina region in Bosnia and Herzegovina, east of the Neretva river, part of the Republika Srpska entity. Maj ...
, and with them some Turkish and Bosnian Muslim aristocratic feudal landlords as well, were settled in the same areas, in such numbers that they formed a significant population of this region. At first, Telli Hasan Pasha's troops met little resistance, allowing them to capture numerous Uskoci settlements, where they enslaved or slaughtered the entire population and burned the settlements. His forces soon besieged and captured Senj and exterminated the Uskoci population. For his successes, the Pasha was awarded the title of " Vizier" by the Sultan. However, the following year, Telli Hasan Pasha decided to advance further into Croatia. His force of some twenty-thousand was soundly defeated in his third attempt to conquer Sisak, in the battle that took place near by that fortified town,Luthar 2008, p. 215 in which Hasan Pasha is generally reported to have died, alongside his brother Džafer Bey (governor of the
Sanjak of Pakrac-Cernica The Sanjak of Pakrac ( hr, Pakrački sandžak) or Sanjak of Čazma or Sanjak of Cernica was one of the sanjaks of the Ottoman Empire whose capital was first Zaçasna and then Pakrac and Cernik in Ottoman Slavonia. It was established after the O ...
), Mehmed Pasha (the sultan's nephew and governor of the Sanjak of Herzegovina), Arpadi Bey (governor of the Sanjak of Klis- Livno),Alfred H. Loebl, ''Das Reitergefecht bei Sissek vom 22. Juni 1593.'' Mitteilungen des Instituts für Österreichische Geschichtsforschung IX (1915): p. 767-787.Peter Radics, ''Die Schlacht bei Sissek, 22. Juni 1593.'' (Ljubljana: Josef Blasnik, 1861) and many other
Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...
and Bosnian Muslim Pashas, Beys and Aghas, who accompanied the Vizier in his campaign, having been routed. According to Mustafa Naima: "The brave Hasan Pasha himself also met with his fate, having fallen into the river with one of the bridges which had been cut to prevent the pursuit of the enemy. Such was the result of this terrible day." Indeed, after he had drowned in the river, his dress was taken as a trophy to Ljubljana where it was remade into the sacerdotal coat worn by the bishop during the celebration of the Thanksgiving mass.


Aftermath and legacy

A monastery was built on the location of his grave, after requests of a Predojević to
Sultan Murad Sultan Murad may refer to: Rulers * Sultan Murad (Aq Qoyunlu) * Murad I * Murad II * Murad III * Murad IV * Murad V Armed groups

* Sultan Murad Division {{disambiguation ...
, who also granted
Kolunić Kolunić ( sr-cyrl, Колунић) is a village in the municipality of Bosanski Petrovac, Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known inform ...
and Smiljan ('' metochion'').
Safvet-beg Bašagić Dr. Safvet-beg Bašagić ( sr-cyrl, Сафвет-бег Башагић; 6 May 1870 – 9 April 1934), also known as Mirza Safvet, was a Bosnian writer who is often described by Bosniak historians as the "father of Bosnian Renaissance", and one of ...
praises him as a ''meritorious'' general and statesman, as well as a ''great and fearless hero''.


Annotations


References


Bibliography

* {{Cite book, last=Malcolm , first=Noel , date=2015 , title=Agents of Empire: Knights, Corsairs, Jesuits and Spies in the Sixteenth-century Mediterranean World , publisher=Oxford University Press , isbn=9780190262785 16th-century Ottoman military personnel Pashas Bosnia and Herzegovina Sunni Muslims Ottoman governors of Bosnia 1530 births 1593 deaths Ottoman military personnel killed in action Converts to Islam from Eastern Orthodoxy Former Serbian Orthodox Christians Generals of the medieval Islamic world People of the Long Turkish War Bosnian Muslims from the Ottoman Empire 16th-century Eastern Orthodox Christians Eastern Romance people