Karamanlı Mehmet Pasha
Encyclopedia
Karamanlı or Karamani Mehmed Pasha was an Ottoman
statesman who served as Grand Vizier
in 1477–1481.
he travelled to Constantinople (present day Istanbul
) to study in the medrese founded by Mahmud Pasha. Later on, he worked as a teacher in the medrese. Being a man of letters, in various occasions he acted as a consultant to sultan. He was appointed as the court calligrapher (nisanci
) and he contributed to the kanunname of Mehmed II
, a series of laws regularising the Ottoman Empire. He also helped the sultan in writing letters of high literary value to Aq Qoyunlu sultan Uzun Hasan.
and the execution of Grand Vizier Çandarlı Halil Pasha, Mehmed II had preferred to appoint Grand Viziers of devsirme origin instead of Ethnic Turks to avoid possible crises caused by over-powerful Grand Viziers. After executing his last Turkish , his next four grand viziers were of devsirme origin. Karamani Mehmed's appointment as Grand Vizier in 1476 therefore marks a notable exception, for he was a Turk from the recently conquered Karamanid territory in Anatolia
. In his short term in the office, Karamani Mehmed tried to reform the Ottoman administration.
) was in Amasya
and Cem
was in Karaman, Karamani Mehmed’s home town. Karamani Mehmed sent messengers to both princes, but as Karaman was nearer to the capital, Cem had a better chance to reach it before his older brother. Nevertheless, the Janissaries who were supporting Bayezid learned about the Sultan’s death and they further suspected that Karamani Mehmed was backing Cem. They revolted and killed Karamani Mehmed a few days after the death of the Sultan.
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...
statesman who served as 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...
in 1477–1481.
Early years
Born in KaramanKaraman
Karaman is a town in south central Turkey, located north of the Taurus Mountains, about south of Konya. It is the capital district of the Karaman Province. According to 2000 census, the population of the province is 231 872 of which 132,064 live in the town of Karaman. The district covers an area...
he travelled to Constantinople (present day Istanbul
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...
) to study in the medrese founded by Mahmud Pasha. Later on, he worked as a teacher in the medrese. Being a man of letters, in various occasions he acted as a consultant to sultan. He was appointed as the court calligrapher (nisanci
Nisanci
Nisanci was a high post in Ottoman bureaucracy . The word nisancı literally means court calligrapher or sealer and the original duty of the nisancı was to seal royal precepts.-History:...
) and he contributed to the kanunname of Mehmed II
Mehmed II
Mehmed II , was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire for a short time from 1444 to September 1446, and later from...
, a series of laws regularising the Ottoman Empire. He also helped the sultan in writing letters of high literary value to Aq Qoyunlu sultan Uzun Hasan.
As a grand vizier
After conquering ConstantinopleFall 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...
and the execution of Grand Vizier Çandarlı Halil Pasha, Mehmed II had preferred to appoint Grand Viziers of devsirme origin instead of Ethnic Turks to avoid possible crises caused by over-powerful Grand Viziers. After executing his last Turkish , his next four grand viziers were of devsirme origin. Karamani Mehmed's appointment as Grand Vizier in 1476 therefore marks a notable exception, for he was a Turk from the recently conquered Karamanid territory in Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
. In his short term in the office, Karamani Mehmed tried to reform the Ottoman administration.
Death of Mehmed II and Karamani Mehmed
In 1481, Mehmed II died. In the Ottoman Empire, it was the duty of the Grand Viziers to delay the announcement of a Sultan's death before the claimant to throne arrived in the capital, in order to avoid chaos. However in this case, the sultan’s sons were far away; Bayezid (later Bayezid IIBayezid II
Bayezid II or Sultân Bayezid-î Velî was the oldest son and successor of Mehmed II, ruling as Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1481 to 1512...
) was in Amasya
Amasya
- History :Its location in this steep valley makes the city a mountain stronghold, easy to defend, and thus Amasya has had a long and prominent history.-Antiquity:...
and Cem
Cem
Prince Cem , December 22, 1459 – February 25, 1495) was a pretender to the Ottoman throne in the 15th century. He was a son of Mehmed II the Conqueror and younger brother of Sultan Bayezid II. He was banished to Europe, first under the protection of the Knights Hospitaller of St...
was in Karaman, Karamani Mehmed’s home town. Karamani Mehmed sent messengers to both princes, but as Karaman was nearer to the capital, Cem had a better chance to reach it before his older brother. Nevertheless, the Janissaries who were supporting Bayezid learned about the Sultan’s death and they further suspected that Karamani Mehmed was backing Cem. They revolted and killed Karamani Mehmed a few days after the death of the Sultan.