Kara Mehmed Pasha

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kara Mehmed Pascha († August 10, 1684 in Buda ) was Grand Ambassador of the Ottoman Empire in Vienna in 1665/1666. After his return to the Sublime Porte , he wrote a report on his trip. His birthplace and date are unknown. He fell on August 10, 1684 while defending the Buda fortress, which was besieged by the imperial troops .

Life

Meeting of Kara Mehmed Pasha with the imperial ambassador near Komorn on May 30, 1665

The great vizier Köprülü Fâzıl Ahmed Pascha concluded the peace of Eisenburg with the Habsburg Empire after the lost battle near Mogersdorf . A mutual exchange of ambassadors was agreed to secure the peace relationship. The Grand Vizier asked Sultan Mehmet IV to send a suitable man. On the advice of the then Deputy Grand Vizier Kara Mustafa , Kara Mehmed Ağa, a member of the elite corps of the Müteferrikas (imperial adjutants at court), assigned this task. Kara Mehmed was a favorite of Kara Mustafa. The Sultan appointed him Beylerbey (governor) of Rumelia , so that he was allowed to carry the title of pasha.

On January 30, 1665, Kara Mehmed Pasha left the Sultan's court in Edirne . As gifts for the emperor, he carried a diamond aigrette , a splendid tent, some carpets, ambergris and two noble Arab horses with sumptuous dishes. On 25th Zilka'de 1075 according to the Islamic calendar (9th June 1665 AD, according to Viennese reports on 8th June) he solemnly entered the city.

After completing his job at the imperial court, he held a few offices. In 1671 he became a vizier and in 1683 marched with Grand Vizier Kara Mustafa as military leader against Vienna, which was well known to him from his journey. After the defeat of the Ottomans, he took over the defense of the fortress of Ofen, where he fell in 1684.

The report

Entry of the Turkish Grand Ambassador Kara Mehmed Pascha into Vienna on June 8, 1665

His report to the Sublime Porte about his ambassadorial activities was passed down by some Ottoman chroniclers. A very ornate version is contained in Volume VII of the Seyahatnâme (Eng. "Travel and journey log") by Evliya Çelebi . The chronicler Silâhdar Fındıklılı Mehmed Ağa cited the report in full in his Nusratname ( Eng . “The Victory Book ” or “History of the Silihdar”). A slightly edited Latin version was apparently made as an official translation of the legation report on behalf of the Sublime Porte and handed over to the court in Vienna. The usual denigration of Christians in Ottoman language was softened and the end of the report with information about the fortress of Vienna was completely omitted. A censorship to hide the “espionage activities” of the delegation, which Evliya Çelebi also reports as his task. The text of the deleted passage in the Latin version:

“Finally we visited the Vienna Fortress in its entirety and measured its bastions and ditches: the inner fortress measures 2000 cubits in length and 1300 cubits in width. It has 12 bastions connected to the wall and 17 bastions made of earth outside the main trench. The width of the trench is 80 cubits on one side and 65 cubits on the other. There are 6 gates for riders and 2 gates for pedestrians. The wall at the gates is 36 cubits thick. The distance from the earth bastions outside the main trench and their trenches and the palisades outside them to the main trench is 260 cubits. "

literature

  • Stefan Schreiner (editor): The Ottomans in Europe. Memories and reports by Turkish historians. Verlag Styria, Graz / Vienna / Cologne 1985, ISBN 3-222-11589-3 .
  • Evliya Çelebi: In the realm of the golden apple. The Turkish globetrotter Evliyâ Çelebi made a memorable trip to the Giaurenland and the city and fortress Vienna in 1665. Translated and introduced by Richard Franz Kreutel / Erich Prokesch / Karl Teply, Volume 2 of the series: Ottoman historians. Verlag Styria, Graz / Vienna / Cologne 1987, ISBN 3-222-11747-0 .

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Stefan Schreiner (editor): The Ottomans in Europe. Memories and reports by Turkish historians. Verlag Styria, Graz / Vienna / Cologne 1985, ISBN 3-222-11589-3 , pp. 189,190,193.
  2. ↑ Evliya Çelebi: In the realm of the golden apple. The Turkish globetrotter Evliya Çelebi made a memorable trip to the Giaurenland and the city and fortress Vienna in 1665. Translated and introduced by Richard Franz Kreutel / Erich Prokesch / Karl Teply, Volume 2 of the series: Ottoman historians. Verlag Styria, Graz / Vienna / Cologne 1987, ISBN 3-222-11747-0 .
  3. ^ Stefan Schreiner (editor): The Ottomans in Europe. Memories and reports by Turkish historians. Verlag Styria, Graz / Vienna / Cologne 1985, ISBN 3-222-11589-3 , p. 196.
personal data
SURNAME Kara Mehmed Pasha
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Mehmed Pasha
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Ottoman ambassador and vizier
DATE OF BIRTH 17th century
DATE OF DEATH August 10, 1684
Place of death Furnace (Budapest)