Kara Murat Pasha

Kara Dev Murat Pasha
Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire
In office 11 May 1655 – 19 August 1655
Monarch	Mehmed IV
Preceded by	Ibşir Mustafa Pasha
Succeeded by	Ermeni Süleyman Pasha
In office 21 May 1649 – 5 August 1650
Monarch	Mehmed IV
Preceded by	Sofu Mehmed Pasha
Succeeded by	Melek Ahmed Pasha
Ottoman Governor of Damascus
In office 1655–1655
Preceded by	Defterzade Mehmed Pasha
Succeeded by	Haseki Mehmed Pasha
Personal details
Died	1655 Hama, Ottoman Syria
Nationality	Ottoman
Religion	Sunni Islam
Military service
Allegiance	Ottoman Empire
Service/branch	Ottoman Navy  Ottoman Army
Rank	Kapudan Pasha (grand admiral; 1653–55) Janissary agha (1648–49)
Battles/wars	Cretan War (1645–1669) Battle of the Dardanelles (1654)

Kara Murat Pasha, or Kara Dev Murat Pasha (Turkish, lit. Black Giant Murat Pasha; died 1655), was an Ottoman statesman and military officer. He served as Kapudan Pasha and twice as Grand Vizier. His epithet Kara ("black") refers to his courage and Dev ("giant") to his physical size.

Early years

Murat was a devşirme of Albanian origin. He distinguished himself in the early phases of Cretan War between the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Venice. He was assigned to various posts in the Janissary corps (the professional regiments that formed the core of the Ottoman army), and in 1648, during the enthronement of Mehmed IV, he was promoted to be commander of the Janissary corps (Turkish: Yeniçeri ağası).^[1] When the Ottoman Navy was defeated by the Venetians in the Battle of Focchies on 12 May 1649, the Grand Vizier Sofu Mehmed Pasha was blamed for the defeat, and he was replaced by Kara Murat Pasha on 21 May. Murat had Sofu Mehmed Pasha exiled and then executed.

First term as Grand Vizier

At the time of Murat's appointment as Grand Vizier, the sultan was only seven years old and the two Valide sultans (his mother Turhan Hatice and grandmother Kösem), who were acting as regents, were locked in a power struggle. While Kösem supported Murat, Turhan Hatice was against him. Moreover, the leaders of the Janissaries, Murat's former colleagues, were also against him. Feeling that his life was in danger, Murat resigned on 5 August 1650.^[2] Upon his suggestion, he was succeeded by Melek Ahmed Pasha.

After his resignation, Murat was appointed as the governor of Budin (modern Budapest, Hungary). In 1653, he returned to Istanbul and was appointed Kapudan Pasha (grand admiral) and tasked with transporting reinforcements and ammunition to Crete by sea. The Venetian navy was blockading the Dardanelles Strait at the time, but Murat managed to defeat the Venetians and break their blockade in the First Battle of the Dardanelles.^[1]

Second term as Grand Vizier and death

Murat Pasha was reappointed as the Grand Vizier on 11 May 1655. His second term was very short; due to economic problems as well as opposition from the Janissaries, he had to resign on 19 August 1655. He was then appointed to the governorship of the Damascus Eyalet in Syria, but along the way to take up the post, he fell ill and died. In the five years between his two terms as Grand Vizier, six different pashas were appointed to the office, an indication of the political instability of the empire in the mid-17th century.

See also

• List of Ottoman Grand Viziers
• List of Ottoman governors of Damascus

References

1. Ayhan Buz:Osmanlı Sadrazamları, Neden Kitap, istanbul, 2009, ISBN 978-975-254-278-5 pp105-106
2. Prof. Yaşar Yüce-Prof. Ali Sevim: Türkiye tarihi Cilt III, AKDTYKTTK Yayınları, İstanbul, 1991 p 103-104