Bozoklu Mustafa Pasha


Bozoklu Mustafa Pasha was an Ottoman statesman who served as grand vizier from 1693 to 1694. His epithet Bozoklu means "from Bozok".

Early life

Mustafa was a bureaucrat in the Ottoman Empire. He was appointed as the Kapudan Pasha and then as the commander of the Polish front during the Great Turkish War. In collaboration with the Crimean khan Selim I Giray, he was able to defend Kamianets-Podilskyi, an important fort from Polish attacks. In 1690, he was appointed as the governor of Damascus and Tripoli. On 27 March 1693, he succeeded Çalık Ali Pasha as the grand vizier.

As a grand vizier

was then under Austrian occupation, and in the summer of 1693, Mustafa Pasha campaigned to take it for the Ottomans. However, Austrians sieged Belgrad south of his campaign course and Mustafa Pasha changed his course to defend Belgrad. Austrians had to lift the siege. Mustafa Pasha repaired the fort and returned to Istanbul, the capital. However, being close to the front, Austrians were ready to renew their attacks. Mustafa Pasha, however, was quite unconcerned for the coming Austrian attacks. He was more concerned with hunting than preparing for the next campaign. Sultan Ahmed II dismissed him on 13 March 1694 after a year in the office.

Death

Mustafa Pasha's next post was his former post, the governorship of Tripoli. In May 1698, he was called to Istanbul to be the acting grand vizier during the then-grand vizier's presence at the battle front. Shortly thereafter, however, Mustafa Pasha died in December 1698.