Bayram Pasha

Damat
Bayram
Pasha
Damat Bayram Pasha
Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire
	In office; 2 February 1637 – 26 August 1638
Monarch	Murad IV
Preceded by	Tabanıyassı Mehmed Pasha
Succeeded by	Tayyar Mehmed Pasha
Ottoman Governor of Egypt
	In office; 1626–1628
Preceded by	Kara Mustafa Pasha
Succeeded by	Tabanıyassı Mehmed Pasha
Personal details
Died	26 August 1638; Urfa, Ottoman Empire
Nationality	Ottoman
Spouse	Hanzade Sultan (m. 1623)
Children	Fülane Hanımsultan

Bayram Pasha (Ottoman Turkish: بایرام پاشا, died 26 August 1638) was an Ottoman grand vizier from 1637 to 1638 and the Ottoman governor of Egypt from 1626 to 1628.

Life

Bayram, was from Ladik, near the Anatolian city of Amasya. He was of Armenian origin and was a member of the Janissary corps, which recruited heavily from Christian families of Greek, Georgian and Armenian origin from different parts of Anatolia. Although the Janissary corps was originally based on the devshirme system, beginning in the reign of Murad III (1574–1595), Armenians were also admitted into the corps. In 1622, his title was turnacıbaşı (chief of recruiting teams), and in 1623, the kethüda (chamberlain). In 1625, he was appointed to Egypt (then an Ottoman territory) as the beylerbey (governor-general). In 1628, he was promoted to the rank of vizier. In 1635, Bayram Pasha was the kaymakam (a title almost equivalent to modern mayor) of the Ottoman capital, Constantinople. In 1637, during the reign of Murad IV (1623–1640), he was promoted to the rank of grand vizier, the highest office in the empire next to that of the sultan. Bayram Pasha participated in the Baghdad campaign led by the sultan. He died (of natural causes) near Urfa.^[1]

As a groom

Bayram was also a damat (groom) of the palace. In Ottoman tradition, the daughters and sisters of the sultans usually married viziers. But Bayram's case was an exception, because Bayram was married to Hanzade Sultan, the daughter of Ahmed I (1603–1617) in 1623 while he was still a turnacıbaşı. They had a daughter.^[2]

As a governor and a vizier

Bayram Pasha was reputed both in Egypt and in Anatolia for his efforts in construction of public works. He repaired the city walls of Constantinople and commissioned a mosque and a külliye (religious complex) in the city. Today, the Istanbul district of Bayrampaşa bears his name. He commissioned an irrigation facility and a caravansarai in Amasya. Bayram Pasha is also known as the commissioner of various inns in Anatolian towns.

As grand vizier, Bayram Pasha executed two princes by the order of the sultan. He is also known as the name behind the execution of the famous poet Nef'i for writing satirical poems. Nef'i had earlier promised not to compose any more satire, but when he broke this promise, he was executed at the request of Bayram Pasha.

References

^ On line history (in Turkish) Archived 2 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine
^ Tezcan, Baki (November 2001). Searching for Osman: A reassessment of the deposition of the Ottoman Sultan Osman II (1618–1622). pp. 334 n. 58.

Political offices
Preceded by Kara Mustafa Pasha	Ottoman Governor of Egypt 1626–1628	Succeeded by Tabanıyassı Mehmed Pasha
Preceded by Tabanıyassı Mehmed Pasha	Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire 2 February 1637 – 26 August 1638	Succeeded by Tayyar Mehmed Pasha