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]
Şemsi Ahmed | |
|---|---|
| Beylerbeylik of Rumeli | |
| Beylerbey | |
| In office 1564–1569 | |
| Sultan | Suleiman I |
| Sultan | Selim II |
| Beylerbeylik of Anatolia | |
| Beylerbey | |
| In office 1562–1564 | |
| Sultan | Suleiman I |
| Beylerbeylik of Damascus | |
| Beylerbey | |
| In office 1552–1555 | |
| Sultan | Suleiman I |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Candaroğlu Sultanzade Şemsi Ahmed Paşa 1516 Bolu, Eyalet of Anatolia, Ottoman Empire |
| Died | 5 March 1580 Constantinople, Ottoman Empire |
| Nationality | Ottoman |
| Alma mater | Enderun School |
| Issue |
|
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Ottoman Empire |
| Branch/service | Ottoman Army |
| Years of service | 1552 – 1569 |
Ancestry edit
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.[1][2][3][4]
Meanwhile his mother was Şahnisa Sultan of the imperial Ottoman dynasty,[1][2][5] youngest daughter of Şehzade Abdullah, son of the Ottoman sultan Bayezid II,[1][2][5] making Şemsi Pasha the great-grandson of Mehmed the Conqueror.
Life edit
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 edit
Şemsi Pasha had one daughter and two sons:[1]
- Fahrünnisa Hatun
- Mahmud Pasha
- Mustafa Bey
See also edit
References edit
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b c d e f g Beg, İsmail. Hulviyyât-ı Sultânî (Fiqh) (in Turkish).
- ^ a b c "CANDAROĞULLARI". TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi (in Turkish). Retrieved 2023-08-05.
- ^ "Candar Dynasty | Ottoman Empire, Anatolia, Seljuks | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2023-08-05.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Bayraktar, Nimet (1982). "Şemsi Ahmed Paşa; Hayatı ve Eserleri". Edebiyat Fakültesi Tarih Dergisi (33): 99–114.
- ^ İnbaşı, Mehmet (2005). "Şemsi Paşa Vakfiyesi". Türkiyat Araştırmaları Enstitüsü Dergisi (in Turkish). I (27) (Zekeriya Kurşun v.dğr. ed.). İstanbul: 182–190, 257–270.
- ^ Jorgji Kote. Diplomacia per te gjithe. p. 24.
- ^ 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 edit
- 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.