Hadım Suleiman Pasha (; 1474–1490), also known as Suleiman Pasha al-Khadim, was an Ottoman statesman and general, who served as the governor (''

beylerbey ''Beylerbey'' (, meaning the 'commander of commanders' or 'lord of lords’, sometimes rendered governor-general) was a high rank in the western Islamic world in the late Middle Ages and early modern period, from the Anatolian Seljuks and the I ...

'') of the

Rumelia Eyalet The Eyalet of Rumeli, or Eyalet of Rumelia (), known as the Beylerbeylik of Rumeli until 1591, was a first-level province ('' beylerbeylik'' or ''eyalet'') of the Ottoman Empire encompassing most of the Balkans ("Rumelia"). For most of its history ...

(

fl. ''Floruit'' ( ; usually abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for 'flourished') denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indic ...

1474) and the

Anatolia Eyalet The Eyalet of Anatolia () was one of the two core provinces (Rumelia being the other) in the early years of the Ottoman Empire. It was established in 1393. By Gábor Ágoston, Bruce Alan Masters Its capital was first Ankara in central Anatolia, bu ...

. He was later a governor of the Sanjak of

Amasya Amasya () is a city in northern Turkey, in the Black Sea Region. It was called Amaseia or Amasia in antiquity."Amasya" in ''Encyclopædia Britannica, The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th edn., 1992, Vol ...

(1482–90) and the

Sanjak of Smederevo The Sanjak of Smederevo (, ), also known in historiography as the Pashalik of Belgrade (, ), was an Ottoman Empire, Ottoman administrative unit (sanjak) centered on Smederevo, that existed between the 15th and the outset of the 19th centuries. It ...

(1490–?). He served during the reign of

Mehmed II Mehmed II (; , ; 30 March 14323 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror (; ), was twice the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from August 1444 to September 1446 and then later from February 1451 to May 1481. In Mehmed II's first reign, ...

. His epithet ''hadım'' means "

eunuch A eunuch ( , ) is a male who has been castration, castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function. The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2 ...

" in Arabic, also used in old Osmanli language.

Life

Hadım Suleiman Pasha was born in

Bosnia Eyalet The Eyalet of Bosnia (; By Gábor Ágoston, Bruce Alan Masters ; ), was an eyalet (administrative division, also known as a ''beylerbeylik'') of the Ottoman Empire, mostly based on the territory of the present-day state of Bosnia and Herzegovina. ...

. He was appointed the sanjak-bey of Albania during the reign of

Mehmed the Conqueror Mehmed II (; , ; 30 March 14323 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror (; ), was twice the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from August 1444 to September 1446 and then later from February 1451 to May 1481. In Mehmed II's first reign, ...

(r. 1444–46, 1451–81). His office was brief, as contemporary sources attest that he was attacked and captured along with his retainers and servants and afterwards sold to a Catholic state (possibly Venice). In 1474, he besieged the Venetian-held

Shkodër Shkodër ( , ; sq-definite, Shkodra; historically known as Scodra or Scutari) is the List of cities and towns in Albania, fifth-most-populous city of Albania and the seat of Shkodër County and Shkodër Municipality. Shkodër has been List of o ...

(see Siege of Shkodër). The fortress was defended by Albanians and one Venetian called Antonio Loredano The Ottoman troops managed to damage parts of the fortress, but ultimately failed and Suleyman had to satisfy himself with his pillage he got during the siege. In December he began a march against

Stephen the Great Stephen III, better known as Stephen the Great (; ; died 2 July 1504), was List of rulers of Moldavia, Voivode (or Prince) of Moldavia from 1457 to 1504. He was the son of and co-ruler with Bogdan II of Moldavia, Bogdan II, who was murdered in ...

Moldavia Moldavia (, or ; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ) is a historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially in ...

, who refused to pay homage to the

Sultan Sultan (; ', ) 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 came to be use ...

. Suleyman was reluctant in marching against Moldavia, as his troops were exhausted from the failed siege and as winter was approaching, but he couldn't dare to question the Sultan's decision. The two met on 10 January 1475, at the

Battle of Vaslui The Battle of Vaslui (also referred to as the Battle of Podul Înalt or the Battle of Racova) was fought on 10 January 1475, between Stephen III of Moldavia and the Ottoman governor of Rumelia, Hadım Suleiman Pasha. The battle took place at ...

. The Ottoman forces suffered a major defeat with high casualties. However, this defeat was re-compensated during next summer when the Ottomans led by Mehmet II defeated Stephen on 17 July 1476 at Valea Albă.Shaw 1976, p. 68 Occupation of Bessarabia & vital port-fortresses of Chilia/Kilija & Akkerman (Asprokastron/Cetatea Alba) took place in August 1484. In 1482, he was the governor of the Sanjak of

, and then in the

in 1490, where he died.

References

Footnotes

Sources

* Angiolello, Giovanni Maria. ''Historia Turchesca (Turkish History)'' (Romanian) * Orudj bin Adil, ''Tevârîh-i Âl-i Osman (The Chronicles of the House of Osman)'' (Turkish) * Hoca Sadeddin Efendi (ed. İsmet Parmaksızoğlu), ''Tac al-tevarikh (Crown of Histories)'', vol. 3, Kültür Bakanlığı, Ankara, 1974–1979 reprint:1999.(Turkish) * Shaw, Stanford, (1976) ''History of the Ottoman Empire – Vol.1: Empire of Gazis" Cambridge University Press, Cambridge p. 68 {{DEFAULTSORT:Suleiman Pasha, Hadim 15th-century Ottoman military personnel 15th-century generals 15th-century Albanian people Pashas Eunuchs from the Ottoman Empire Year of birth missing Year of death missing Albanian Pashas Ottoman generals Governors of the Ottoman Empire by sanjak 15th-century governors Governors of the Ottoman Empire by eyalet 15th-century governors of the Ottoman Empire 15th-century slaves in the Ottoman Empire