The Çandarlı family was an important Ottoman

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...

 family which provided the empire with five 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...

s during the 14th and 15th centuries. At the time, it was the second most important family after the Ottoman dynasty

Ottoman Dynasty

The Ottoman Dynasty ruled the Ottoman Empire from 1299 to 1922, beginning with Osman I , though the dynasty was not proclaimed until Orhan Bey declared himself sultan...

 itself.

Background and history

In contrast to other European monarchies, aside from the Ottoman dynasty

Ottoman Dynasty

The Ottoman Dynasty ruled the Ottoman Empire from 1299 to 1922, beginning with Osman I , though the dynasty was not proclaimed until Orhan Bey declared himself sultan...

, Ottoman Empire had no aristocracy

Aristocracy

Aristocracy , is a form of government in which a few elite citizens rule. The term derives from the Greek aristokratia, meaning "rule of the best". In origin in Ancient Greece, it was conceived of as rule by the best qualified citizens, and contrasted with monarchy...

. There was no difference between the noble birth and the humble birth and everybody had equal chance to reach high ranks. The same was true for the ethnic differences; the only prerequisite for an official appointment was conversion to Islam

Islam

Islam . The most common are and .   : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...

. However in the early years of the empire a Turkish family named Çandarlı was about to gain as much power as the imperial family.

The roots of the family can be traced back to the village of Çandır (now called Cendere) near Sivrihisar

Sivrihisar

Sivrihisar is a town and district of Eskişehir Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. According to 2010 census, population of the district is 23 488 of which 9,817 live in the town of Sivrihisar...

, Eskişehir Province

Eskisehir Province

Eskişehir Province is a province in northwestern Turkey. Its adjacent provinces are Bilecik to the northwest, Kütahya to the west, Afyon to the southwest, Konya to the south, Ankara to the east, and Bolu to the north. The provincial capital is Eskişehir. Most of the province is laid down in...

 in Central Anatolia

Central Anatolia Region

The Central Anatolia Region is one of Turkey's seven census-defined geographical regions.- Provinces :Total population: 12,105,975* Aksaray Province* Ankara Province* Çankırı Province* Eskişehir Province* Karaman Province* Kayseri Province...

. After the foundation of the Ottoman beylik, the family settled in İznik

Iznik

İznik is a city in Turkey which is primarily known as the site of the First and Second Councils of Nicaea, the first and seventh Ecumenical councils in the early history of the Church, the Nicene Creed, and as the capital city of the Empire of Nicaea...

 (ancient Nicaea), Bursa Province

Bursa Province

Bursa Province is a province in western Turkey, along the Sea of Marmara. Its adjacent provinces are Balıkesir to the west, Kütahya to the south, Bilecik and Sakarya to the east, Kocaeli to the northeast and Yalova to the north. The province has an area of 11,043 km2 and a population of 3,187,000...

. They were the members of Ahi tradition and in the early years of the beylik, one member of the family became kadı

Qadi

Qadi is a judge ruling in accordance with Islamic religious law appointed by the ruler of a Muslim country. Because Islam makes no distinction between religious and secular domains, qadis traditionally have jurisdiction over all legal matters involving Muslims...

 (judge) of Bilecik

Bilecik

-External links:* http://www.eksisozluk.com/show.asp?t=bilecik%20diye%20bir%20yerin%20asl%C4%B1nda%20olmamas%C4%B1%20 Bilecik Conspiracy* http://www.bilecikaktuel.com* * http://www.voyagerbook.com/eng/iller/11/11.asp*...

 in 1326. Between 1365-1499, five members of the family became Grand Viziers. In a period of 88 years (during the first four between 1365-1453), the Çandarlı family held the post for 64 years, a feat unparalleled in Ottoman history.

Decline in 1453

The Çandarlı family was most powerful during the reign of Murat II. Sultan Murat II abdicated, and his 12 year son Mehmet II became the sultan in 1444. But just before the battle of Varna

Battle of Varna

The Battle of Varna took place on November 10, 1444 near Varna in eastern Bulgaria. In this battle the Ottoman Empire under Sultan Murad II defeated the Polish and Hungarian armies under Władysław III of Poland and János Hunyadi...

, Mehmet II was forced to call his father to throne and Murat II resumed the throne. Mehmet II never forgot Halil’s role in his deposition and subsequent reinstatement, and awaited a suitable moment to end the power and prestige of Çandarlı Family. After conquering Constantinople

Fall of Constantinople

The Fall of Constantinople was the capture of the capital of the Byzantine Empire, which occurred after a siege by the Ottoman Empire, under the command of Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II, against the defending army commanded by Byzantine Emperor Constantine XI...

 (İstanbul), he had Halil executed. After Halil, four of his Grand Viziers were of devshirme (i.e. non-Turkish) origin.

Later years

Although a fifth member of the house was able to reach the post of Grand Vizier during the reign of Beyazıt II, the family never fully recovered from the shock of 1453. In later years two other members of the family also worked for the empire; Isa Pasha (d. 1549) and Halil Bey (d. 1568) served in the imperial bureaucracy, but they were unable to become part of the Ottoman Porte, the central imperial government.

Çandarlı Grand Viziers

Name	Term of office	Sultan(s)
Çandarlı Kara Halil Hayreddin Pasha Çandarli Kara Halil Hayreddin Pasha Çandarlı Kara Halil Hayreddin Pasha was the first vizier of Murad I's reign. He was also the first in Ottoman history who held the title "Grand Vizier", the first who had a military background and the first member of the illustrious Çandarlı Family to hold high office...	1364–1387	Murat I
Çandarlı Ali Pasha	1387–1406	Murat I – Beyazıt I – (Ottoman Interregnum Ottoman Interregnum The Ottoman Interregnum began in 20 July 1402, when chaos reigned in the Ottoman Empire following the defeat of Sultan Bayezid I by the Turco-Mongol warlord Timur... )
Çandarlı Ibrahim Pasha Çandarlı Ibrahim Pasha Çandarlı Ibrahim Pasha was an Ottoman statesman. He was Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire under Murad II from 1421-1429, the third member of the Çandarlı Family to do so. His son, Çandarlı Halil Pasha and his namesake grandson also became Grand Viziers....  the Elder	1421–1429	Murat II
Çandarlı Halil Pasha	1439–1453	Murat II – Mehmet II
Çandarlı Ibrahim Pasha Çandarlı Ibrahim Pasha (died 1499) Çandarlı Ibrahim Paşa was an Ottoman statesman. He was the scion of the Çandarlı family, which provided a series of Grand Viziers during the first centuries of the Ottoman Empire. His father, Çandarlı Halil Pasha, had also served as Grand Vizier from 1443 to his execution in 1453...  the Younger	1498–1499	Beyazıt II