- Öküz Kara Mehmed Pasha
Öküz Mehmet Pasha ("Mehmet Pasha the Oxen") or Kara Mehmet Pasha was an Ottoman statesman and military commander of the early 17th century, who held the office of
Grand Vizier twice, the first time from17 October 1614 to17 November 1616 (during the reign of Ahmet I), and the second time from18 January 1619 to23 December 1619 , (underOsman II the Young) (seeList of Ottoman Grand Viziers ).In between the above two periods as Grand Vizier, he held the office of Governorship of the Ottoman
Vilayet ("province") ofAydın (then covering a large part of westernAnatolia ), and his governorship is marked by the construction of a remarkable caravanserail inKuşadası , aimed at attracting international trade through the port there (which shifted, in time, much more towards the port ofİzmir upon the preference displayed by European merchants). The caravanserail in Kuşadası is used as luxury hotel and shopping center today. He has had another solid caravanserail built inUlukışla on the way to a campaign againstIran of theSafavids .During his offices he was usually called "Kara Mehmet Pasha", the nickname "oxen" having been invented behind his back (although he certainly must have overheard it) by virtue of his heavy build and his father having been a blacksmith for cattle in the
Karagümrük quarter ofİstanbul . History retained this nickname rather than "Kara", which means "black" in Turkish and which may refer to one's complexion or hair or, in the figurative, to courage and daring.He certainly did distinguish himself with his courage and daring all along his career, although one less known episode involving an attack on
Vienna accompanied with only 47 raiders, and without having informed theSultan or any other authority in the Ottoman capital, ended in complete failure and was nearly going to cost him his head. Some historians consider his foray as a third siege of Vienna by the Ottoman Turks, alongside the better known incidences, undertaken first bySüleyman the Magnificent in 1529 and later byKara Mustafa Pasha in 1683.He had been strangled to death in 1619 by a young
Janissary whose favors he sought.
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