Koca Sinan Pasha |
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Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire | |
In office 1 December 1595 – 3 April 1596 |
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Monarch | Mehmed III |
Preceded by | Lala Mehmed Pasha |
Succeeded by | Damat Ibrahim Pasha |
In office 7 July 1595 – 19 November 1595 |
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Monarch | Mehmed III |
Preceded by | Ferhad Pasha |
Succeeded by | Lala Mehmed Pasha |
In office 28 January 1593 – 16 February 1595 |
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Monarch | Murad III |
Preceded by | Kanijeli Siyavuş Pasha |
Succeeded by | Ferhad Pasha |
In office 14 April 1589 – 1 August 1591 |
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Monarch | Murad III |
Preceded by | Kanijeli Siyavuş Pasha |
Succeeded by | Ferhad Pasha |
In office 7 August 1580 – 6 December 1582 |
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Monarch | Murad III |
Preceded by | Lala Kara Mustafa Pasha |
Succeeded by | Kanijeli Siyavuş Pasha |
Ottoman Governor of Egypt | |
In office 1571–1573 |
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Preceded by | Çerkes Iskender Pasha |
Succeeded by | Hüseyin Pasha Boljanić |
In office 1567–1569 |
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Preceded by | Mahmud Pasha |
Succeeded by | Çerkes Iskender Pasha |
Personal details | |
Born | 1520 Topojan, Ottoman Empire (Modern Albania) |
Died | 3 April 1596 Constantinople, Ottoman Empire (Modern Turkey) |
Nationality | Ottoman |
Ethnicity | Albanian |
Koca Sinan Pasha (Turkish: Koca Sinan Paşa, "Sinan the Great"; 1506–3 April 1596) was an Ottoman grand vizier, Ottoman military figure, and statesman. From 1580 till his death he served five times as Grand Vizier.
Sinan Pasha, also known as Koca Sinan (Sinan the Great), was born in Topojan in Luma territory and was of Albanian origin. In a Ragusan document of 1571 listing members of the Ottoman Sultan's governing council, Sinan is described as having been a "Catholic Albanian" by origin. His father was named Ali Bey and Sinan Pasha had family ties with Catholic relatives such as the Giubizzas. Austrian orientalist Joseph von Hammer-Purgstall called him the ‘‘unbridled Albanian’’. Austrian orientalist Joseph von Hammer-Purgstall called him the ‘‘unbridled Albanian’’. Mustafa Ali of Gallipoli repeatedly criticized Sinan to have promoted an Albanian clique in the administration.
Sinan Pasha was appointed governor of Ottoman Egypt in 1569, and was subsequently involved until 1571 in the conquest of Yemen, becoming known as Fātiḥ-i Yemen ("Victor of Yemen").
In 1580, Sinan commanded the army against the Safavids in the Ottoman–Safavid War (1578–1590), and was appointed grand vizier by Sultan Murad III. He was, however, disgraced and exiled in the following year, owing to the defeat of his lieutenant Mehmed Pasha, at Gori (during an attempt to provision the Ottoman garrison of Tbilisi).