Hüseyin | |
|---|---|
 Ideal portrait of Gazi Hüseyin Pasha on a 20th-centurybook cover | |
| Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire | |
| In office 28 February 1656 – 5 March 1656 | |
| Monarch | Mehmed IV |
| Preceded by | Ermeni Suleyman Pasha |
| Succeeded by | Zurnazen Mustafa Pasha |
| Ottoman Governor of Egypt | |
| In office 1635–1637 | |
| Monarch | Murad IV |
| Preceded by | Bakırcı Ahmed Pasha |
| Succeeded by | Semiz Mehmed Pasha |
| Personal details | |
| Born | |
| Died | 1659 (1660) |
| Nationality | Ottoman |
| Origins | Turkish |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Ottoman Empire |
| Branch/service | Ottoman Navy |
| Rank | Kapudan Pasha (grand admiral) |
Never exercised the office of grand vizier | |
Gazi Hüseyin Pasha ("Hüseyin Pasha the Warrior"; died 1659), also known asDeli Hüseyin Pasha ("the Mad") orSarı Hüseyin Pasha ("the Blonde") orBaltaoğlu Hüseyin Pasha ("of theAxe"), was anOttoman military officer and statesman. He wasgovernor of Egypt (1635–1637),[1][2]Kapudan Pasha in the 1630s, and brieflyGrand Vizier in 1656.
Hüseyin was ofTurkish origin[3][4] and was born inYenişehir nearBursa in northwestAnatolia.[5] Other than that, little is known about his early days inConstantinople (present-day İstanbul), the Ottoman capital. During the reign of SultanMurad IV, he was a member of palace staff. TheShah Safi ofPersia had sent Murad IV a prestigious gift, a bow which was reputed as being undrawable. Hüseyin attracted attention when he easily drew the bow. After winning sultan's appreciation, he was promoted to various posts: chief stable man, governor ofSilistria in (now in modernBulgaria),beylerbey (high governor) ofEgypt, beylerbey ofAnatolia,Kapudan Pasha (grand admiral), etc. He participated in campaigns around Baghdad in modern Iraq (Capture of Baghdad (1638)) Azov in modern Russia (Siege of Azov (1637–1642)) and Yerevan (now in modernArmenia). During the reign of SultanIbrahim, he served in various European provinces as a governor, and in 1646, he became the governor ofChania, Crete (now inGreece).
Hüseyin Pasha was appointed thegovernor ofEgypt Eyalet in 1635, succeedingBakırcı Ahmed Pasha and serving until 1637.[6][1][2][7] He was reportedly a cruel and violent governor who murdered for sport.[8] From the very first day of his arrival in Egypt, when he confiscated his finance minister and advisors' temporary tents for his own, Hüseyin Pasha began a series of actions that made him widely disliked by the local populace.[7] He brought with him to Egypt a large number ofDruzes, who committed robberies inCairo, the capital, and his men extorted money from the locals for an upcoming feast celebrating his arrival.[7] Hüseyin Pasha was also involved in stealing wealthy locals' inheritances, so much so that it became a reliable way to exact revenge on an enemy by reporting to the Pasha that he or she had received an inheritance from a relative.[8] He also often reportedly rode a horse through crowds of people and animals, swinging a sword, for recreation.[8] Each month, he forced locals to trade in theirbullion coin for adulterated metal and sent bureaucrats and officials to remote locations for sport.[8] During his rule, he had over 1,200 people executed, not including those that he killed by his own hand.[9]
Despite his cruelty, Hüseyin Pasha was an able commander and leader of the local troops, which was a particularly difficult task in Egypt.[10] He was attentive to government details in thedivan and successfully decreased robbery and burglary in Egypt.[10]
After his dismissal from office in 1637,[6]SultanMurad IV demanded of him an audit of the Egyptian provincial treasury and public revenues, and for him to pay what he owed to the treasury. When he refused, thekaymakam (acting governor) who replaced him until the arrival of his successor jailed Hüseyin, and he was freed only when he paid a large sum.[10]
During the Baghdat Campaign of Murad IV he was successful in capturing several forts. The sultan rewarded him, and appointed him as a member of his divan[11]. He later on was appointed as the admiral of the Ottoman fleet. He was able to capture 30 corsair galleys in the Black sea. His next missions were in Ochakiv (now in Ukraine), Baghdad and Budapest.
Gazi Hüseyin Pasha became theOchakiv guard for 8 months in 1641. While he was performing this duty, theAzov Fortress was occupied by the Cossacks. The task of saving this fortress was given to Hüseyin Pasha, who was the Ochakiv Guard. Under his command, theSilistra provincial military forces; Kapudan PashaSiyavuş Pasha, janissary kethüdaHaydar Ağazâde, Crimean KhanBahadır I Giray and theKefe Governor Yusuf Pasha and their military units laid siege to the Azov Fortress. However, ammunition shortages immediately arose and new supplies did not arrive. In addition, disagreements arose between Kapudan Pasha Siyavuş Pasha and Hüseyin Pasha. For these reasons, the siege lasted only about 3 months. Then, he was forced to abandon the siege, failing.[12]
Conquest of theAegean islandCrete fromVenice was uncharacteristically trying for Ottoman Empire. While the Ottoman Empire was in stagnation, the military and naval technology of theEuropeans was on the rise. AlthoughChania, a major Cretan city, had beencaptured in 1645, the rest of the island, especially the capital Candia (Heraklion), was able to resist the Ottomans. The Ottoman Empire was unable to send reinforcements to Crete because thestrait of Dardanelles (Çanakkale) was blocked by the Venetian navy.
Thus, the Ottoman army in Crete was deadlocked. Even under these circumstances, Hüseyin captured several forts includingRethymno[13] and laid a siege to Heraklion. He also reconstructed many buildings and the fort of Chania. SultanMehmed IV promoted him to be theGrand Vizier on 28 February 1656.[14]
However he never exercised the post. Long before Huseyin's return to Constantinople, the sultan changed his mind and appointed Hüseyin's rivalZurnazen Mustafa Pasha as grand vizier on 6 March 1656 (although Zurnazen's term was even shorter than that of Hüseyin).
Hüseyin was assigned to be thebeylerbey (governor) ofRumeli, a post inferior to that of grand vizier, but superior to those of the beylerbeys of other provinces. Nevertheless, the new grand vizierKöprülü Mehmet Pasha was afraid of Hüseyin's prestige.[15] He called Hüseyin to Constantinople and persuaded the sultan to jail and later to execute Hüseyin in 1659.
Turkish: [...] Ali Paşa, 1637'de Bayram Paşa, 1638'de Tayyar Mehmed Paşa, 1656'da Deli Hüseyin Paşa ve Boynueğri Mehmed Paşa gibi Türk kökenli veziriazamlar vardı. (English: [...] there were grand viziers of Turkish origin such as Ali Pasha, Bayram Pasha in 1637, Tayyar Mehmed Pasha in 1638, Deli Hüseyin Pasha in 1656 and Boynueğri Mehmed Pasha.)
Turkish: Öz be öz Türk olan Deli Hüseyin Paşa, Anadolu'nun Yenişehir (Bursa) [...] (English: Deli Hüseyin Pasha, who was a trueTurk, was born inYenişehir (Bursa) inAnatolia [...])
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Ottoman Governor of Egypt 1635–1637 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire 28 February 1656 – 5 March 1656 | Succeeded by |
| Seamen of the Ottoman Empire | |
|---|---|
| Kapudan Pashas |
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| Other important seamen | |
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