Abaza Siyavuş Pasha
Encyclopedia
Siyavuş Pasha also called Abaza Siyavuş, was a short term Ottoman
grand vizier
who held the post during one of the most chaotic periods of the empire.
origin. He was a servant of Köprülü Mehmet Pasha, an able grand vizer who died in 1661. By marrying to Mehmet Pasha's daughter, he became a relative of the powerful Köprülü family. Together with his brothers in law (Köprülü Fazıl Ahmet Pasha and Köprülü Fazıl Mustafa Pasha
) he participated in a number of military campaigns. In 1684, Buda
(a part of Budapest
, the capital of modern Hungary
, then a part of Ottoman Empire) had been sieged by the Austrians under the commanship of Maximilian
. Siyavush Pasha stormed the Austrians and forced them to lift the siege. This was one of the few Turkish victories in the Great Turkish war
.
of the failures in the war. In 1687, the army returned from the front and staged a coup in which both the sultan and the grand vizier were forced to resign. Siyavuş became the new grand vizier on September 18 and Süleyman II became the new sultan on November 8. However Siyavuş wasn't successful as a grand vizier. He couldn't control the troops which encamped in the outskirts of İstanbul
. The soldiers demanded for the payment of bonus sallary ( traditional payments of the new sultans) . But the treasury was unable to make the payment and the soldiers caused unrest in the city. Although, Siyavuş was their candidate for the post, they soon began to oppose Siyavuş and his brother in law Köprülü Mustafa Pasha. The jannissaries raided his house and killed him on 23 February 1688.
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
grand vizier
Grand Vizier
Grand Vizier, in Turkish Vezir-i Azam or Sadr-ı Azam , deriving from the Arabic word vizier , was the greatest minister of the Sultan, with absolute power of attorney and, in principle, dismissable only by the Sultan himself...
who held the post during one of the most chaotic periods of the empire.
Early years
He was of AbkhazianAbkhaz people
The Abkhaz or Abkhazians are a Caucasian ethnic group, mainly living in Abkhazia, a disputed region on the Black Sea coast. A large Abkhazian diaspora population resides in Turkey, the origins of which lie in the emigration from the Caucasus in the late 19th century known as Muhajirism...
origin. He was a servant of Köprülü Mehmet Pasha, an able grand vizer who died in 1661. By marrying to Mehmet Pasha's daughter, he became a relative of the powerful Köprülü family. Together with his brothers in law (Köprülü Fazıl Ahmet Pasha and Köprülü Fazıl Mustafa Pasha
Köprülü Fazil Mustafa Pasha
Fazıl Mustafa Köprülü, Ghazi Fazıl Mustafa Köprülü was an Ottoman grand vizier in the 17th century when the Ottoman Empire was engaged in a war against Holy Alliance countries in the Great Turkish War. He was a member of the Köprülü family of Albanian origin...
) he participated in a number of military campaigns. In 1684, Buda
Buda
For detailed information see: History of Buda CastleBuda is the western part of the Hungarian capital Budapest on the west bank of the Danube. The name Buda takes its name from the name of Bleda the Hun ruler, whose name is also Buda in Hungarian.Buda comprises about one-third of Budapest's...
(a part of Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, the capital of modern Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, then a part of Ottoman Empire) had been sieged by the Austrians under the commanship of Maximilian
Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria
Maximilian II , also known as Max Emanuel or Maximilian Emanuel, was a Wittelsbach ruler of Bavaria and an elector of the Holy Roman Empire. He was also the last Governor of the Spanish Netherlands and duke of Luxembourg...
. Siyavush Pasha stormed the Austrians and forced them to lift the siege. This was one of the few Turkish victories in the Great Turkish war
Great Turkish War
The Great Turkish War refers to a series of conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and contemporary European powers, then joined into a Holy League, during the second half of the 17th century.-1667–1683:...
.
As a grand vizier
Ottoman sultan Mehmet IV (so called the Hunter) was unbothered in the state affairs, especially in the war. The soldiers as well as the other subjects of the empire accused him as well as grand vizier Sarı Süleyman PashaSarı Süleyman Pasha
Sarı Süleyman Paşa also known as was an Ottoman statesman. He was Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire from 18 November 1685 until 18 September 1687. "San" means "blond " in Turkish. Sarı Süleyman Paşa was born in what is today Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was executed after the defeat of the Ottoman...
of the failures in the war. In 1687, the army returned from the front and staged a coup in which both the sultan and the grand vizier were forced to resign. Siyavuş became the new grand vizier on September 18 and Süleyman II became the new sultan on November 8. However Siyavuş wasn't successful as a grand vizier. He couldn't control the troops which encamped in the outskirts of İstanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
. The soldiers demanded for the payment of bonus sallary ( traditional payments of the new sultans) . But the treasury was unable to make the payment and the soldiers caused unrest in the city. Although, Siyavuş was their candidate for the post, they soon began to oppose Siyavuş and his brother in law Köprülü Mustafa Pasha. The jannissaries raided his house and killed him on 23 February 1688.