Lala Mustafa Pasha

He was born around 1500, near the Glasinac in Sokolac Plateau in Bosnia to a Christian family, the younger brother of Deli Husrev Pasha, who apparently helped him rise through the system's ranks more quickly. He was of Bosnian origin.

Mustafa Pasha briefly served as kaymakam (acting governor) of Egypt Eyalet in 1549.[1] He had risen to the position of Beylerbeyi of Damascus and then to that of Fifth Vizier.

The honorific "Lala" means "tutor to the Sultan"; he was tutor to Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent's sons, including Şehzade Bayezid. He also had a long-standing feud with his cousin, Sokollu Mehmed Pasha.[2]

He commanded the Ottoman land forces during the conquest of previously Venetian Cyprus in 1570/71, and in the campaign against Georgia and Persia in 1578. During the campaign on Cyprus, Lala Mustafa Pasha, who was known for his cruelty towards vanquished opponents, ordered the Venetian commander of Famagusta Marco Antonio Bragadin flayed alive and other Venetian military officers killed in sight or executed, even though he had promised safe passage upon surrendering the city to the Turkish army. It also meant that Mustafa had indicated his aggressive intentions to the Sultan's court.[3][4]

He was a Damat ("bridegroom") to the Imperial family through his marriage to Hümaşah Sultan, a daughter of Şehzade Mehmed, son of Suleiman the Magnificent and his consort Hurrem Sultan. The two together had a son named Sultanzade Abdülbaki Bey.[5]

In the final three months of his life, he was Grand Vizier from 28 April 1580 until his death. He is buried in the courtyard of the Eyüp Sultan Mosque in Istanbul. His tomb was designed by Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan.

Lala Mustafa Pasha died in 1580 in Constantinople due to his old age or a heart attack, his tomb is located in Eyup Sultan. He was succeeded by the famous Albanian Koca Sinan Pasha.

Tomb of Lala Mustafa Pasha in Eyup Sultan

He has a street named after him in cities including Larnaca,[6] Cyprus. His invasion and brutal treatment of the Venetian leaders in Cyprus led to Pope Pius V promoting a Roman Catholic coalition against the Ottomans which turned into the Battle of Lepanto in 1571. He is well known in Bosnia as a Grand Vizier and a famous Bosniak from the Ottoman period in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

• Lala Mustafa Pasha's Caucasian campaign
• Ferhad Pasha Sokolović
• List of Ottoman governors of Egypt
• Bosniaks
• List of Bosniaks
• Ottoman Bosnia and Herzegovina

• Bicheno, Hugh. Crescent and Cross: the Battle of Lepanto 1571. Phoenix, London, 2003. ISBN 1-84212-753-5.
• Currey, E. Hamilton, Sea-Wolves of the Mediterranean,, London, 1910
• Foglietta, U. The sieges of Nicosia and Famagusta. London: Waterlow, 1903.