Gazi Hüsrev Pasha (died March 1632), also called Boşnak Hüsrev Pasha ("Hüsrev Pasha the Bosnian") or Ekrem Hüsrev Pasha ("Hüsrev Pasha the Kind"), was an Ottoman

Grand Vizier Grand vizier (; ; ) was the title of the effective head of government of many sovereign states in the Islamic world. It was first held by officials in the later Abbasid Caliphate. It was then held in the Ottoman Empire, the Mughal Empire, the Soko ...

of Bosnian descent during the reign of

Murad IV Murad IV (, ''Murād-ı Rābiʿ''; , 27 July 1612 – 8 February 1640) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1623 to 1640, known both for restoring the authority of the state and for the brutality of his methods. Murad I ...

Early life

He hailed from the Sanjak of Bosnia. He studied in the Enderun palace school. In 1625, he was promoted to be a

vizier A vizier (; ; ) is a high-ranking political advisor or Minister (government), minister in the Near East. The Abbasids, Abbasid caliphs gave the title ''wazir'' to a minister formerly called ''katib'' (secretary), who was at first merely a help ...

(minister). During the second Abaza rebellion, Damad Halil Pasha, then

grand vizier Grand vizier (; ; ) was the title of the effective head of government of many sovereign states in the Islamic world. It was first held by officials in the later Abbasid Caliphate. It was then held in the Ottoman Empire, the Mughal Empire, the Soko ...

, attempted to capture the fort of

Erzurum Erzurum (; ) is a List of cities in Turkey, city in eastern Anatolia, Turkey. It is the largest city and capital of Erzurum Province and is 1,900 meters (6,233 feet) above sea level. Erzurum had a population of 367,250 in 2010. It is the site of an ...

(in eastern

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

), then under the control of Abaza Mehmed Pasha, the leader of the rebellion. However, after a siege of 70 days, Damad Halil Pasha failed to capture the city and was dismissed from the post. Hüsrev Pasha was appointed as the new grand vizier on April 6, 1628.

As grand vizier

Hüsrev Pasha laid siege on Erzurum once again on September 5, 1628. The operation was faster than Abaza Mehmed Pasha had anticipated, and the city was not ready for a long siege. On September 18, Abaza Mehmed surrendered. Hüsrev's easy victory, ending a long and costly rebellion, gained him fame and favor. He became the ''de facto'' ruler of the Empire, since, according to historian Joseph von Hammer, Hüsrev's instructions were more effective than the instructions of the 15-year-old sultan

. Hüsrev Pasha decreased the number of viziers in the porte and made a habit of executing his political opponents.

Baghdad campaign

Hüsrev's next mission was to reconquer

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

(capital of modern

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

), which had recently been captured by the

Safavid The Guarded Domains of Iran, commonly called Safavid Iran, Safavid Persia or the Safavid Empire, was one of the largest and longest-lasting Iranian empires. It was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often considered the begi ...

shah Abbas I. In late 1629, he began invading Persian territory around Baghdad. However, it happened so that the invasion was during the rainy season, and it was impossible to lay a siege on the city itself. Thus, Hüsrev Pasha chose to capture other cities around Baghdad, one of his subordinates defeating a Persian army. The siege of Baghdad began on June 22, 1630, and continued until November 14, 1630, without success. After this failure, Hüsrev Pasha decided to continue the operation the next year, in 1631. When the next year arrived, however, he delayed beginning the siege citing a lack of reinforcements. On October 25, 1631, he was dismissed from office.

Death

The news about Hüsrev's dismissal caused a general unrest in the empire. Hüsrev's successor, Hafız Ahmed Pasha, was killed by rebels in the palace.

blamed Hüsrev for the unrest and sent another pasha to

Tokat Tokat is a city of Turkey in the mid-Black Sea region of Anatolia. It is the seat of Tokat Province and Tokat District.

(northern Turkey), the city where Hüsrev was residing, to execute him. After some minor clashes, Hüsrev was executed in March 1632.Prof.Yaşar Yücel-Prof Ali Sevim: ''Türkiye Tarihi III'', AKDTYKTTK Yayınları, 1991, p 69-71

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Husrev Pasha, Gazi 17th-century grand viziers of the Ottoman Empire Bosnian Muslims from the Ottoman Empire Pashas Executed people from the Ottoman Empire Devshirme 17th-century executions by the Ottoman Empire Executed Bosnia and Herzegovina people Ottoman people of the Ottoman–Persian Wars Year of birth unknown 1632 deaths 17th-century slaves in the Ottoman Empire

Early life

As grand vizier

Baghdad campaign

Death

See also

References