Sarı Süleyman Pasha



Sarı Süleyman Paşa or Sarı Süleyman Ağa (Sari Sulejman-paša; died 14 October 1687) was an Ottoman statesman of Bosnian origin. He was grand vizier of the Ottoman Empire from 18 November 1685 to 18 September 1687. He was executed after the defeat of the Ottoman forces in the Battle of Mohács (1687).

In Turkish, his epithet sarı means "blond (haired)".

Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire
After Sarı Süleyman Pasha was appointed grand vizier, he immediately began to write desperate letters to the Great Khan of the Crimean Khanate and the pashas of Timișoara, Székesfehérvár and Osijek in order to reorganize and reinforce the battered Ottoman Army in Hungary, struggling during the Battle of Buda (1686). Although Sarı Süleyman Pasha made several attempts to break the blockade around Buda, the city was ultimately captured by Charles V, Duke of Lorraine. Soon afterwards the Ottomans had even lost Székesfehérvár.

Süleyman Pasha thereafter commanded his forces to hold what remained of the Ottoman north against their opponents and even sent Mehmet Agha to negotiate peace with Donat John Heissler at Guttentag.

In 1685, Bajo Pivljanin defeated a large Ottoman army of Süleyman. After the defeat at Mohács, the Ottoman army started a rebellion against the grand vizier. Süleyman Pasha, fearful that the rebellion would result in his death, escaped from the commanding position, first to Belgrade and then to Istanbul. At the beginning of September 1687, news about his defeat and escape came to Istanbul. After Mehmed IV received this news, he proclaimed Abaza Siyavuş Pasha as the new commander of the armed forces, and, eventually, as the new grand vizier. Soon after this, Süleyman Pasha was apprehended and executed. Two months later, the sultan himself was also removed from power as the result of the defeat in the Battle of Mohács, and was replaced by sultan Süleyman II.