Murat Bey Tardić or Murat-beg Tardić (Croatian: Murat-beg Tardić or Murad-beg Tardić; also Amurat Vaivoda[1]) was an Ottoman general.
Biography
Tardić was born to a Croatian family in Šibenik,[2] where he had a brother called Zorzi or Juraj.[3][4] As a young man he became a prisoner of war. After being released he converted to Islam[4] and entered the Ottoman military serving under Gazi Husrev Bey as his vojvoda, where he quickly rose through the ranks.[5][6]
As a close associate of Gazi Husrev Bey, he led numerous military conquests against the Croatian army in northern Bosnia and Croatia.[7][8] In 1528, Murat Bey led the conquest of Jajce.[4]
In 1536, Murat Bey Tardić was charged by Suleiman the Magnificent with 8,000 men to lay siege to the Klis Fortress under Petar Kružić.[1] He was successful in the Siege of Klis, occupying it in 1537.[9] For his military services he was put in charge of the Klis Sanjak with the title Beg. As the first Sanjak-Bey of Klis, he built a notable mosque in the town.[5]
He was later made the beg of the Sanjak of Pojega in 1541 or in 1543.[9]
He is believed to have died in May 1545.[9]
He was buried in one of the two mausoleums (türbe) next to the Gazi Husrev Bey Mosque in Sarajevo.[8][10] Bosnian-American author Aleksandar Hemon and others infer a lover relationship between Tardić and Gazi Husrev Bey.[11][12]
References