Ali Paşa, Semiz

ALI PASHA SEMIZ

Ottoman Grand Vizier. Born at Brazza in Herzegovina, he was carried off at an early age during a devshirme operation to be brought up at Istanbul; in 953/1546 he became agha of the Janissaries, and later beylerbeyi of Rumelia. Appointed governor of Egypt in 1549, he took part in Sulayman I's Persian campaign, and succeeded Rustam Pasha as Grand Vizier in Shawwal 968/July 1561, a post which he held until his death in Dhu 'l-Kacda 972/June 1565. Immediately after his appointment, he negotiated with the Austrian ambassador Busbecq a peace treaty which was signed at Prague in June 1562. But the peace policy of CA1I Pasha was wrecked by the new Emperor Maximilian II; on the death of the Grand Vizier, Sultan Sulayman I had to undertake a fresh campaign against Austria. An intelligent and shrewd man, CA1I Pasha was famous for his corpulence (hence his cognomen Semiz, "the fat") and his wit.

Bibliography:

• - Mustafa Selaniki, Td>rikh, 7-11,
• - Ibrahim Pedewl, Ta*rikh, i, 24;
• - cOthman-zade Ta3ib, ffadifyat al-Wuzard*, 31 ft;
• - J. von Hammer, Histoire de VEmpire Ottoman, vi, 86 ff., 146 ff., 199, 208;
• - I A, s.v. (by Tayyib Gokbilgin)