Rebel-turned Governor: Abaza Mehmed Paşa in Rumelia (1629-1634)

Abstract

This paper examines the activities of the seventeenth century’s notorious Abaza Mehmed Pasha during his governorship in the European provinces of the Ottoman Empire between 1629 and 1634. It is puzzling that academic literature has never evaluated Abaza Pasha outside the framework of the chronicles of the time. Furthermore, the lack of any modern biography regarding the pasha makes it dif-ficult to study even his term in Anatolia when he was quite influential in Ottoman domestic politics due to his rebellion, let alone his period of office in the Balkan provinces of the Empire, where the pasha rose to prominence as an internationally influential figure. The present paper hence describes the chronology of the pasha’s governor-generalship in Bosnia and Silistra by relying both on documentation from European archival holdings (major European embassy reports sent from the Porte and the correspondence of provincial officials) and on Ottoman fiscal evidence, however limited the information that the latter offers might be. Accordingly, the pasha was a proxy participant in European politics during his term in Bosnia, whereas he exerted influence on the Ottoman-Polish relations while administering Silistra. Moreover, the paper touches on the pasha’s gradual fall from political power during Sultan Murad IV’s (unfulfilled) Polish campaign in 1634. Ultimately, it points to the tension in Ottoman daily politics, leading to Abaza Mehmed Pasha’s execution.