Ca'fer Pascha

Ca'fer Pascha the Elder (* between 1630 and 1640; † September 11, 1697 in Zenta ), called büyük or koca (both in English "the great"), was a commandant in Belgrade and Timisoara and fell in the battle of Zenta .

Life

The chronicler Alî from Timisoara , Ca'fer Pascha's seal keeper, wrote a detailed report on the period from 1688 to 1697. However, it hardly contains any personal data about the pasha, neither how he looked, nor whether he was married or when he was born. The Ottoman historiography of the time praised Ca'fer Pascha for his war experience, bravery and wisdom, but here too only contradicting and apparently incorrect data can be found. From all these sources, especially the Ottoman national biography Sicill-i 'Osmanî by Mehmed Süreyya , his curriculum vitae can be represented to some extent.

He was born between 1630 and 1640, the place is unknown. Page of the Sultan's court , from 1670 Kethüda (prefect) of some dignitaries, he was appointed Sancakbeği (banner lord) of Kars in Eastern Anatolia in 1682 . Then he became governor of Erzerum , Van (May 25, 1684) and in 1684/1685 of Sivas . In the spring of 1686 he became a vizier and Beğlerbeği in Diyarbakir . He led his provincial troops to Belgrade as a fortress garrison. In 1687 or 1688 he became garrison commander in Timisoara, which he successfully defended against the imperial troops from September 1688 to October 1690. Then he took command of the troops that supported Tököly in Transylvania until January 1691 .

In 1691 Ca'fer Pascha was governor in Bosnia , then he took over the expansion and defense of Belgrade. In 1693 he fended off an attack against the fortress, but was injured in the leg. This victory strengthened his position in the council of war. The Haleb province that was awarded to him was administered for him by his brother Yusuf Beğ, and he himself participated in the unsuccessful siege of Peterwardein (September and October 1694). After a short stay in Belgrade and the conquest of the fortress Titel on the Tisza (summer 1695) he spent some time in his province Haleb.

In the summer of 1696 Ca'fer Pascha took part in the successful campaign in Banat and then repaired the Timisoara fortress. His campaign plan drafted at this time was approved in the war council, but not adhered to. The Ottoman army therefore lost the battle of Zenta against Prince Eugene of Savoy , where he fell on September 11, 1697 while defending a bridgehead during the retreat along with over 10,000 Ottoman fighters.

Contemporary view

The personal courage, the cleverness in the council meeting, the cool head and the circumspection in battle, the war experience of an old warrior is praised in Ca'fer Pascha by Ottoman chroniclers of his time. But his severity and cruelty as well as his alleged guilt for the defeat at Zenta are mentioned. More details about him can only be read in the report of the keeper Alî. Above all, however, he wants to erect a monument to his apparently very honored gentleman, so any criticism is left out.

“But since I have eaten this great gentleman bread for so long and enjoyed his favor and generosity, the fire of zeal penetrated deeper and deeper into me, and so I made the resolution to write down everything and the well-known truth in the form of a chronicle to represent. " (Beginning of the final chapter of the chronicle)

According to Alî, Ca'fer's advice not to cross the river would probably have been better and might have prevented defeat. He denies the quarrels between his Pasha and the Grand Vizier Elmas Pasha, described by contemporaries, and justifies the severity of the imposition of punishments with the necessity of a governor's severity.

literature

Richard Franz Kreutel / Karl Teply (translator): The lion of Timisoara. Memories of Ca'fer Pascha the Elder, recorded by his keeper 'Alî. From the series: Ottoman historians. Volume 10, Verlag Styria, Graz / Vienna / Cologne 1981.
Stefan Schreiner (editor): The Ottomans in Europe. Memories and reports by Turkish historians. Part IX, Verlag Styria, Graz / Vienna / Cologne 1985, ISBN 3-222-11589-3 .

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b Stefan Schreiner (editor): The Ottomans in Europe. Memories and reports by Turkish historians. Part IX, Verlag Styria, Graz / Vienna / Cologne 1985, ISBN 3-222-11589-3 , pp. 308-310.
^ Stefan Schreiner (editor): The Ottomans in Europe. Memories and reports by Turkish historians. Part IX, Verlag Styria, Graz / Vienna / Cologne 1985, ISBN 3-222-11589-3 , p. 346.
^ Stefan Schreiner (editor): The Ottomans in Europe. Memories and reports by Turkish historians. Part IX, Verlag Styria, Graz / Vienna / Cologne 1985, ISBN 3-222-11589-3 , p. 348ff.

personal data
SURNAME	Ca'fer Pascha
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Buyuk, Koca; Ca'fer Pasha the Elder
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Ottoman pasha and general
DATE OF BIRTH	between 1630 and 1640
DATE OF DEATH	September 11, 1697
Place of death	Senta

[Schr-1] Stefan Schreiner (editor): The Ottomans in Europe. Memories and reports by Turkish historians. Part IX, Verlag Styria, Graz / Vienna / Cologne 1985, ISBN 3-222-11589-3 , pp. 308-310.

[2] Stefan Schreiner (editor): The Ottomans in Europe. Memories and reports by Turkish historians. Part IX, Verlag Styria, Graz / Vienna / Cologne 1985, ISBN 3-222-11589-3 , p. 346.

[3] Stefan Schreiner (editor): The Ottomans in Europe. Memories and reports by Turkish historians. Part IX, Verlag Styria, Graz / Vienna / Cologne 1985, ISBN 3-222-11589-3 , p. 348ff.