Şemsi Pasha

"Shamsi Pasha" redirects here. For the Ottoman Albanian general, see Shemsi Pasha (general).
Şemsi Ahmed
Pasha
Beylerbeylik of Rumeli
Beylerbey
In office
1564–1569
SultanSuleiman I
SultanSelim II
Beylerbeylik of Anatolia
Beylerbey
In office
1562–1564
SultanSuleiman I
Beylerbeylik of Damascus
Beylerbey
In office
1552–1555
SultanSuleiman I
Personal details
Born
Candaroğlu Sultanzade Şemsi Ahmed Paşa

Bolu, Eyalet of Anatolia, Ottoman Empire
Died5 March 1580
Constantinople, Ottoman Empire
NationalityOttoman
Alma materEnderun School
Issue
  • Fahrünnisâ Hatun
  • Mahmud Pasha
  • Mustafa Bey
ReligionSunni Islam
Military service
Allegiance Ottoman Empire
Branch/service Ottoman Army
Years of service1552 – 1569

Sultanzade Şemsi Ahmed Pasha, known simply as Şemsi Pasha (Ottoman Turkish: شمسي أحمد پاشا; d. 5 March 1580),[1] was a distinguished Ottoman nobleman and beylerbey who occupied several high-ranking posts, serving at various stages as the Ottoman governor-general of the beylerbeyliks of Damascus, Anatolia and Rumeli.[1][2]

Ancestry

Born in Bolu,[1][2] in the Ottoman Eyalet of Anatolia, Şemsi Pasha was the son of Mirza Mehmed Pasha, of the princely Candaroğulları dynasty[1][2][3] that reigned in the principality of Eflani, Kastamonu and Sinop, and a descendant of Şemseddin Yaman Candar Bey,[2][3] the dynasty's eponymous founder and first bey. His paternal grandfather was Kizil Ahmed Bey, son of Ibrahim II of Candar and an unknown consort. Ibrahim subsequently married Selçuk Hatun, daughter of Mehmed I.[1][2][3][4]

His mother was Şahnisa Sultan of the Ottoman dynasty,[1][2][5] youngest daughter of Şehzade Abdullah, son of Sultan Bayezid II,[1][2][5] making Şemsi Pasha the great-grandson of Mehmed the Conqueror.

Life

Raised in the imperial residence of the period, Topkapı Palace, Şemsi Pasha attended the prestigious Ottoman Enderun School,[6] and in the family tradition, participated in various Ottoman military campaigns, notably the Siege of Szigetvár in 1566 alongside Suleiman the Magnificent in his capacity as Beylerbey of Rumeli,[1] in addition to the conquest of several fortresses across Europe.[5] During the reign of Suleiman I, Şemsi Pasha served as beylerbey.[7]

Widely renowned as a hunter of distinction, Şemsi Pasha was appointed hunting companion to Sultan Murad III.[5]

Following his service, he charged pre-eminent Ottoman imperial architect Mimar Sinan with the task of building a mosque and adjoining complex near his main seat, the Şemsi Pasha Palace on the Bosphorus shoreline in Constaninople. The Şemsi Pasha Mosque is one of the smallest mosques of Mimar Sinan's works in the city, yet is one of the most well-known due to a combination of its miniature dimensions and waterfront location. It is mentioned as a chief example of Mimar Sinan's skill in organically blending architecture with the natural landscape.[8][9]

Issue

Şemsi Pasha had one daughter and two sons:[1]

  • Fahrünnisa Hatun
  • Mahmud Pasha
  • Mustafa Bey

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Afyoncu, Erhan (2010). "ŞEMSİ AHMED PAŞA". Türkiye Diyanet Vakfı İslâm Ansiklopedisi (in Turkish). Vol. 38. TDV İslâm Araştırmaları Merkezi. pp. 527–529.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Beg, İsmail. Hulviyyât-ı Sultânî (Fiqh) (in Turkish).
  3. ^ a b c "CANDAROĞULLARI". TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi (in Turkish). Retrieved 2023-08-05.
  4. ^ "Candar Dynasty | Ottoman Empire, Anatolia, Seljuks | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2023-08-05.
  5. ^ a b c d Darke, Diana (2018). The Merchant of Syria: A History of Survival. London: Hurst & Company. pp. 31–35. ISBN 978-1-84904-940-5.
  6. ^ Bayraktar, Nimet (1982). "Şemsi Ahmed Paşa; Hayatı ve Eserleri". Edebiyat Fakültesi Tarih Dergisi (33): 99–114.
  7. ^ İnbaşı, Mehmet (2005). "Şemsi Paşa Vakfiyesi". Türkiyat Araştırmaları Enstitüsü Dergisi (in Turkish). I (27) (Zekeriya Kurşun v.dğr. ed.). İstanbul: 182–190, 257–270.
  8. ^ Jorgji Kote. Diplomacia per te gjithe. p. 24.
  9. ^ Necipoğlu, Gülru; Sinan; Arapi, Arben N.; Günay, Reha (2011). The Age of Sinan: Architectural Culture in the Ottoman Empire (Repr. with corr ed.). London: Reaktion Books. pp. 452–498. ISBN 978-1-86189-253-9.

Sources

  • Kuran, Aptullah. 1986. Mimar Sinan. Istanbul: Hürriyet Vakfı Yayınları, p. 193–196.
  • Gültekin, Gülbin. 1994. "Semsi Pasa Külliyesi." In Dünden Bugüne Istanbul Ansiklopedisi. Istanbul: Tarih Vakfi, VII, p. 158–159.
  • Necipoglu, Gülru. 2005. The Age of Sinan: Architectural Culture in the Ottoman Empire. London: Reaktion Books, p. 452–498.