- Damat İbrahim Pasha
Damat İbrahim Pasha was an Ottoman statesman who held the office of
Grand Vizier three times (the first time from4 April to27 October 1596 ; the second time from5 December 1596 to 3 November 1597; and for the third and last time, from6 January 1599 to10 July 1601 . He is known as the conqueror ofKanije .He is also called with the title "Damat", because he was a bridegroom to the ruling Ottoman monarch. He is not to be confused with either
Pargalı İbrahim Pasha , illustrious grand vizier of Süleyman the Magnificent with Greek origins, also a "Damat", or withNevşehirli Damat İbrahim Pasha , who held office in early 18th century during theTulip Era in the Ottoman Empire .Biography
Damat İbrahim Pasha was of
Serb ian extraction. He rose in the ranks during the period when virtual authority and influence was held byMehmed-paša Sokolović . In 1581, shortly after Mehmet Pasha's death, İbrahim Pasha marriedAyşe Sultan , daughter of the reigningMurad III and became the Governor ofEgypt . But due to his absence from the capital and withSokollu Mehmet Pasha dead, his influence waned for the rest of the reign of Murad III.He made a comeback under the reign of
Mehmed III , becoming grand vizier in 1596 for the first time. His recall was particularly due to the loss of territories in the border regions between theOttoman Empire and theHabsburg Monarchy in Hungary. Rather than dashing toward immediate action, he distinguished himself as an orderly, methodical and prudent statesman who preferred to start by conducting a review of the entire Ottoman administrative system based on the focal point of the prepared campaign against Austria. The campaign as such proved a success and the İbrahim Pasha acquired the title of "the conqueror ofEger " (north-east ofBudapest ) for his sultan, although he was the one who held the effective command. Since he favored solidifying the state structure and the gains acquired rather than pursuing Austrians, for which he has been dismissed from the post of grand vizier, at first for a short interval of forty-five days at the end of 1596, and then for a second time at the end of the following year.He had been called back to the post in 1599 on the condition that he was to launch a campaign against
Austria . He started his campaign by feigning to menaceVienna directly by heading towardEsztergom (conquered bySüleyman the Magnificent in 1543 and lost back in 1595) but finally spent the winter inBelgrade . Then he began to put pressure onAustria through a more southern route by besieging the castle ofKanije . The Turkish slaves in the castle exploded the powder magazines and very badly damaged the walls. But the castle had still not surrendered and an army of 20,000 soldiers commanded byPhilippe Emanuel arrived to the assistance of the besieged. But the Ottoman Army finally defeated both of the armies and the castle surrendered.Tiryaki Hasan Pasha had been appointed as the governor of the newly conquered city.Kanije had been transformed into the centre of new Ottoman attacks in Central Europe. In September 1601, an attempt by a huge Austrian army to take back the castle was thwarted by the governor Tiryaki Hasan Pasha. Damat İbrahim Pasha died the same year. Esztergom was retaken by the Ottoman Empire in 1605.
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