Isa-Beg Isaković

Isa-Beg Ishaković (İshakoğlu İsa Bey) was an Ottoman general of Bosnian origin and the first governor of the Ottoman province of Bosnia. He ruled during the 1450s and 1460s. He made much of the initial conquests for the Ottoman Empire in the region, and was one of the then Sultan's most trusted generals. He was succeeded by Gazi Husrev-beg.

Origin
There are two main theories about his identity.


 * Isak Hranić Kosača, brother of Bosnian nobleman Stefan Vukčić Kosača who sent him to sultan Mehmed II as hostage and guarantee of his loyalty. After being adopted by Isak-beg (hence the surname Isaković) he was converted into Islam and had by contemporary measures a significant military and political career within the Ottoman Empire.


 * Isak Hranić/Hranušić, taken prisoner when the akinci intruded a holding of the magnate family of Pavlović (lords of eastern Bosnia including medieval župa of Vrhbosna). He proved himself exceptionally able while a prisoner, so the akinci leader freed him (prompted him to leave the property, as well as his title).

Life
Isa-Beg Isaković was appointed as sanjakbeg of Sanjak of Skopje in spring of 1439, instead of his father, Isak-Beg who was sent to lead military actions in Serbia.

As governor of the province of Bosnia, Isa-Beg assured its future prosperity. He founded Sarajevo in 1461 in the former Bosnian province of Vrhbosna. Between then and 1463 he built the core of the city's Old Town district, including a mosque, a closed marketplace, a public bath, a hostel, and the Governor's castle (Saray), which gave the city its present name. In much the same way and year he also founded Novi Pazar in Serbia, rendered from Yeni Pazar literally meaning new marketplace. In addition, he decided to built Novi Pazar eleven kilometers from medieval settlement Trgovište. At first he built a mosque, a marketplace, a public bath, a hostel, and a compound. The city was the capital of the Ottoman Sanjak of Novi Pazar that existed between the 15th and the 20th century as a constitutive part of Bosnia Eyalet. He is also responsible for establishing a number of other cities and towns in the region.

Isaković built many important buildings in Old Bazaar in Skopje in Skopje, like Cifte hammam, Kapan an, Isak-Beg's Mosque (dedicated to his father Isak-Beg, also known as Isaklija or Aladža), madressa and library (within Isak-Beg's Mosque, one of the first Islamic libraries in Europe ) and many other buildings that belonged to his endowment (vakuf).

He had three sons and a daughter, Muhamed, Mehmed-Beg, Masa Arifovic, and Ali-Beg.

Family tree
After Franz Babinger in the Encyclopedia of Islam:

Annotations

 * Name: He is referred to as Isa-Beg Ishaković in most Serbo-Croatian sources. Some sources spell his surname "Isaković". Based on his possible origins, he may be referred to as Isak Hranić or Isak Pavlović.