Çandarlı family

The Çandarlı family was a prominent Turkish political family which provided the Ottoman Empire with five grand viziers during the 14th and 15th centuries. At the time, it was the second most important family after the Ottoman dynasty itself.

In contrast to other European monarchies, aside from the Ottoman dynasty, Ottoman Empire had no . There was no difference between the noble birth and the humble birth and everybody had equal chance to reach high ranks. The only prerequisite for an official appointment was conversion to Islam. However, families like the Çandarlı (and later the Köprülü) were able to gain favor with the royal family, creating multi-generational political dynasties and amassing large amounts of wealth.

The roots of the family can be traced back to the village of Çandar (now called Cendere, part of Eskişehir Province, Turkey) in Central Anatolia. After the foundation of the Ottoman beylik (the precursor to the Ottoman Empire), the family settled in İznik (ancient Nicaea; today in Bursa Province, Turkey). They were the members of Ahi tradition and in the early years of the beylik, one member of the family became kadı (judge) of Bilecik in 1326. Between 1365 and 1499, five members of the family became grand viziers. In a period of 88 years (during the first four between 1365 and 1453), the Çandarlı family held the post for 64 years, a feat unparalleled in Ottoman history.

...
Wikipedia