Süleyman Pasha (; 1306 – 1357) was an Ottoman prince and the son of Sultan

Orhan Orhan Ghazi (; , also spelled Orkhan; died 1362) was the second sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1323/4 to 1362. He was born in Söğüt, as the son of Osman I. In the early stages of his reign, Orhan focused his energies on conquering mos ...

. He played a major role in early Ottoman expansion into

Thrace Thrace (, ; ; ; ) is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe roughly corresponding to the province of Thrace in the Roman Empire. Bounded by the Balkan Mountains to the north, the Aegean Sea to the south, and the Black Se ...

in the 1350s. He was Orhan's eldest son and his favorite and, until his death due to a hunting accident, his heir presumptive.

Motherhood

Traditional Ottoman historiography wrote that Süleyman Pasha's mother was Nilüfer Hatun, who was also the mother of

Murad I Murad I (; ), nicknamed ''Hüdavendigâr'' (from – meaning "Head of state, sovereign" in this context; 29 June 1326 – 15 June 1389) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1362 to 1389. He was the son of Orhan Gazi and Nilüfer Hatun. Mura ...

. This has been refuted by modern historiography: Süleyman's mother was actually the consort Efendize Hatun, while Nilüfer entered the

harem A harem is a domestic space that is reserved for the women of the house in a Muslim family. A harem may house a man's wife or wives, their pre-pubescent male children, unmarried daughters, female domestic Domestic worker, servants, and other un ...

in 1325, twenty years after Süleyman's birth. Efendize was Orhan's cousin, the daughter of his uncle Gündüz Bey.

Biography

Süleyman Pasha was a great warrior, so much so that he deserved the title Ghazi. He was one of Orhan's main generals, especially in

, and became known as the "Conqueror of

Rumelia Rumelia (; ; ) was a historical region in Southeastern Europe that was administered by the Ottoman Empire, roughly corresponding to the Balkans. In its wider sense, it was used to refer to all Ottoman possessions and Vassal state, vassals in E ...

". He conquered Iznik (

Nicaea Nicaea (also spelled Nicæa or Nicea, ; ), also known as Nikaia (, Attic: , Koine: ), was an ancient Greek city in the north-western Anatolian region of Bithynia. It was the site of the First and Second Councils of Nicaea (the first and seve ...

) in 1331, Karesioğulları in 1335, and Izmit (

Nicomedia Nicomedia (; , ''Nikomedeia''; modern İzmit) was an ancient Greece, ancient Greek city located in what is now Turkey. In 286, Nicomedia became the eastern and most senior capital city of the Roman Empire (chosen by the emperor Diocletian who rul ...

) in 1337. His father appointed him governor of all his conquests. Between 1349 and 1354 he conquered

Gallipoli The Gallipoli Peninsula (; ; ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles strait to the east. Gallipoli is the Italian form of the Greek name (), meaning ' ...

and its region. He failed in the siege of

Sofia Sofia is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the western part of the country. The city is built west of the Is ...

, but he killed its governor Ivan Asen, son of tsar Ivan Alexander. In 1355 he crossed the

Dardanelles The Dardanelles ( ; ; ), also known as the Strait of Gallipoli (after the Gallipoli peninsula) and in classical antiquity as the Hellespont ( ; ), is a narrow, natural strait and internationally significant waterway in northwestern Turkey th ...

and conquered parts of

, where he created a nucleus of Ottoman settlements, including Bulair (

Bolayır Bolayır is a village in the Gelibolu District of Çanakkale Province, situated on the Gallipoli Peninsula in the European part of Turkey. Its population is 1,053 (2021). Between 1958 and the 2013 Turkish local government reorganisation, 2013 reor ...

), Rodosto (

Tekirdağ Tekirdağ () is a city in northwestern Turkey. It is located on the north coast of the Sea of Marmara, in the region of East Thrace. The city forms the urban part of the Süleymanpaşa district, with a population of 186,421 in 2022. Tekirdağ ...

), Ipsala, and Malgara (

Malkara Malkara () is a municipality and district of Tekirdağ Province, Turkey. Its area is 1,243 km2 (the largest in Tekirdağ Province), and its population is 50,988 (2022). It is located at 55 km west of Tekirdağ and 190 km from Ist ...

), which were then exploited as a base for future conquests. In the same year, he killed a second son of Ivan Alexander, Michael. He died in 1357, due to a fall from his horse while hunting with falcon between

and Seydikavağı. His father had him buried in Bolayır, even though Süleyman had already had a mausoleum built in Yenişehir, near

Bursa Bursa () is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in the Marmara Region, Bursa is one of the industrial centers of the country. Most of ...

. He is also remembered for his religious and charitable constructions in the territories he administered: he built

mosques A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were simple p ...

madrasas Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , ), sometimes Romanization of Arabic, romanized as madrasah or madrassa, is the Arabic word for any Educational institution, type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whet ...

caravanserais A caravanserai (or caravansary; ) was an inn that provided lodging for travelers, merchants, and caravans. They were present throughout much of the Islamic world. Depending on the region and period, they were called by a variety of names inc ...

and schools in Bursa, Göynük, Geyve,

Akyazı Akyazı is a municipality and district of Sakarya Province, Turkey. Its area is 628 km2, and its population is 94,494 (2022). The mayor is Bilal Soykan ( AKP). Composition There are 76 neighbourhoods in Akyazı District: * Akbalık * Alaa ...

, İzmit, İznik and

Gelibolu Gelibolu is a town in Çanakkale Province of the Marmara Region, located in Eastern Thrace in the European part of Turkey. It is located on the southern shore of the Gallipoli, peninsula named after it on the Dardanelles strait, away from Lapsek ...

Family

Consorts

Süleyman Pasha had two known consorts: * Selçuk Hatun, daughter of Seyyid Hüseyin Çelebi. * Gülbahar Hatun, daughter of Kötürüm Bayezid.

Sons

Süleyman Pasha had at least three sons: * Ishak Bey, Rumelia's bey. * Melik Nasir Bey, drowned in the sea near Bolayır. * Ismail Bey, Rumelia's bey.

Daughters

Süleyman Pasha had at least two daughters: * Efendize Hatun (died in July 1397, buried in Akşehir, Imaret Cami's cemetery). * ''Fülane'' Sultan Hatun (died in 1395, buried at Sinop), married Candaroğlu Süleyman Pasha, brother of Gülbahar Hatun, and was mother of Mubariz al-Din Isfendiyar Bey. She had also a daughter who married

, Süleyman's younger half-brother.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * {{Authority control Ottoman princes Ottoman people of the Byzantine–Ottoman wars 1306 births 1357 deaths 14th-century people from the Ottoman Empire Deaths by horse-riding accident Heirs apparent who never acceded Sons of sultans