Müezzinzade Ali Pasha

Ali Pasha (also Müezzinzade Ali Pasha, † October 7, 1571 at Lepanto ) was an Ottoman admiral, commander of the Ottoman fleet in the Battle of Lepanto 1571st

Career

Ali Pasha was the son of a muezzin (hence his nickname ) in Istanbul and a favorite of both the Sultan Selim II and his harem ladies who were able to hear Ali's melodious voice from the minaret of the mosque when it to instead of his father 's reputation prayer had sung.

Ali pursued a successful military and administrative career on land and water. In May 1560 took part in the Battle of Djerba. From 1563 to 1566 he was a Wali ( governor) of Egypt, and in 1565 he commanded the Egyptian contingent during the siege of Malta. In the summer of 1570, Ali Pasha commanded the fleet that transported the Ottoman invasion forces of Lala Kara Mustafa Pasha to the conquest of Cyprus and then by their presence in the southern Aegean Venetian attempts to bring reinforcements to Cyprus defeated. In 1571 he was appointed commander in chief ( " Kapudan Pasha " and " Kaptan -ı Derya ") of the Ottoman fleet, after his predecessor Piale Pasha had lost the favor of the sultan. How Piale Pasha had also Ali Pasha Selim's daughter to wife.

Lepanto

Ali Pasha commanded the Ottoman fleet was decisively defeated in the Battle of Lepanto in 1571 by a combined fleet of Christian states under Don Juan de Austria. In order to strengthen the morale of his troops, Selim had passed his Admiral of the most valuable symbols of the Empire, the great " Banner of the Caliphs ", a green banner embroidered with Koranic texts and the name of Allah 28,000 times in golden letters.

Still very young, as well as his opponent Don Juan, and also not really a lake but a country soldier, was Ali Pasha less an accomplished tactician than a swashbuckling fighter. At the start of the battle, he immediately sought the direct duel with his counterpart. His flagship, the Sultana, fought deck to deck with Don Juan's real. Here, Ali was severely wounded by musket fire, fell down, and was, in spite of the command to capture him alive, beheaded by an overzealous Spanish soldiers. His head was placed on a pike on display. This, and the conquest of the Banner of the Caliphs, reduced the morale considerably in the Turkish fleet and probably contributed to the defeat of the Ottoman fleet.

Ali Pasha both young sons were captured during the battle. The elder of them died very soon in captivity, while the second was sent at the request of his mother of Don Juan back to Istanbul.

Successor

Ali Pasha's successor as supreme commander of the Ottoman naval forces ( " Kaptan -ı Derya " ) in 1572 Kilic Ali Pasha ( = Uludsch Ali Pasha ), who had distinguished himself at Lepanto and had escaped with part of the fleet to Istanbul.

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