List of Kapudan Pashas

The Kapudan Pasha (Ottoman Turkish: قپودان پاشا‎, Modern Turkish: Kaptan Paşa), also known in Turkish as Kaptan-ı Derya ("Captain of the Seas"), was the commander-in-chief of the navy of the Ottoman Empire. Around 160 captains served between the establishment of the post under Bayezid I and the office's replacement by the more modern Ottoman Ministry of the Navy (Bahriye Nazırlığı) during the Tanzimat reforms.

The title of Kapudan Pasha itself is only attested from 1567 onwards; earlier designations for the supreme commander of the fleet include derya begi ("beg of the sea") and re'is kapudan ("head captain").^[1]

Name	Appointed	Vacated	Notes
Kara Mürsel Bey	1324		[2]
Saruca Pasha	1390		Turk?[2][3][4]
Çavlı Bey		1412	Turk?[2][3]
Baltaoğlu Süleyman Bey	1451	1453	Bulgarian?[2][3][5]
Hamza Bey	1453	1456	Albanian[2][3]
Has Yunus Bey	1456	1459	[2][3][5]
Kasım Bey	1459	1460	[2][3]
Kadim İsmail Bey	1461	1462	Devşirme?[2][3]
Yakup Bey	1462	1463	Albanian[2][3]
Zagan Pasha	1463	1466	Albanian;,[6][7][8] Greek or Serb;[9] previously grand vizier[2][3]
Veli Mahmud Pasha	1466	1478	Serb[10]Devşirme; later grand vizier[2][3][11]
Gedik Ahmed Pasha	1478	1480	Albanian or Serb[12]>Devşirme; invaded Mediterranean and seized Santa Maura, Kefalonia, and Zante; later grand vizier[2][3]
Mesih Pasha	1480	1491	Greek, converted member of the Palaiologoi; later grand vizier[2][3]
Güveği Sinan Pasha	1491	1492	Albanian , Devşirme,[2][3] founder of Vlora dynasty of Albanian generals and politicians [13]
Kara Nişancı Davud	1492	1503	Devşirme?[2][3]
Küçük Davud Pasha	1503	1506	[2][3]
Hersekzade Ahmed Pasha	1506	1511	Slav; later grand vizier[2][3]
İskender Ağa Pasha	1511	1514	Devşirme?[2][3]
Sinan Bey	1514	1516	Devşirme?[2][3]
Frenk Cafer Ağa Pasha	1516	1520	Devşirme[2][3]
Parlak Mustafa Pasha	1520	1522	Bosniak[2][3]
Bayram Pasha	1522		[2][3]
Kurdoğlu Muslihiddin Reis
Süleyman Pasha		1531	[2][3]
Kemankeş Ahmed Bey	1531	1533	Devşirme?[2][3]
Hayreddin Barbarossa	1533	1546	Greek,[14][15] Albanian,[16][17] or Turk;[3][18][19] position raised to beylerbey, granted Eyalets of the Islands of the Mediterranean and Ottoman Algeria[2]
Sokollu Mehmed Pasha	1546	1550	Bosniak>Devşirme; invaded Libya; later grand vizier[2][3]
Sinan Pasha	1550	1554	Croat; supported Turgut Reis's western raids; later grand vizier[2][3]
Piyale Pasha	1554	1567	Held the title of Kapudan Beg.[1] Croat;[20][21][22] captured Corsica with the French in 1554, defeated Spanish at Piombino in 1555, raided Calabria, Salerno, Tuscany, Spain, and seized the Balearics in 1558, won crushing Battle of Djerba in 1560; captured Naples in 1563[2][3]
Müezzinzade Ali Pasha	1567	7 October 1571	First to hold the title of Kapudan Pasha.[1] Effected conquest of Cyprus from Venice, but killed at Lepanto[3]
Kılıç Ali Paşa	1571	21 June 1587	Italian, born Giovanni Dionigi Galeni, known after conversion as Uluç and Uluç Ali Reis;[3] rebuilt Turkish fleet, recaptured Tunis from Don Juan and ended War of Cyprus, raided Calabria and put down numerous revolts
Cigalazade Yusuf Sinan Pasha	1591	1595	Italian, born Scipione Cicala; first term; later grand vizier[3]
Cigalazade Yusuf Sinan Pasha	1599	1604	second term; previously grand vizier[3]
Derviş Pasha	1604		Bosniak[3]
Güzelce Ali Pasha	1617	?
Cataldjali Hasan Pasha	1625	1631	[3]
Gazi Hüseyin Pasha	1632	1635	Turk; later grand vizier[3][23]
Kemankeş Mustafa Pasha	17 October 1635	24 December 1638	Albanian, later grand vizier[2][3]
Gazi Hüseyin Pasha	1639	1641	Turk[3]
Yusuf Pasha	164X	164X	Dalmatian Slav; executed by Sultan
Koca Musa Pasha	1645	1647	Bosniak;[3] died at Kandiye during Cretan War before he could receive his promotion to grand vizier
Kara Musa Pasha	1647	21 September 1647
Kılavuz Köse Ali Pasha	1647	1648
Koca Dervish Mehmed Pasha	1652	1653	Circassian; later grand vizier[2][3]
Kara Murad Pasha	1653	11 May 1655	Albanian;[3][24] effected the breakout First Battle of the Dardanelles during the Cretan War; prior and later grand vizier
Merzifonlu Kara Mustafa Pasha	1666	1670	Albanian; later grand vizier[2][3]
Bozoklu Mustafa Pasha	1680	1684	Later grand vizier
Mezzo Morto Hüseyin Pasha	1695	1701	Turk[3][25] or Aragonese;[26] commanded at Andros in 1696 during the Morean War, attempted moderate reforms and published the Kannunname
Baltacı Mehmet Pasha	1704	1704	Turk; later grand vizier[3]
Veli Mehmed Pasha	1706	1707	Turk
Moralı Ibrahim Pasha	November 1707	1709
Küçük Ali Pasazade Mehmed Pasha	1709	1711	Turk
Canım Hoca Mehmed Pasha	December 1714	February 1717	Turk from Koroni, former galley slave in the Venetian fleet. Led the Ottoman navy in the Ottoman–Venetian War (1714–18); first term.[27]
Kaymak Mustafa Pasha	1721	1730	Bosniak[3][28]
Canım Hoca Mehmed Pasha	1730	1730	Second term, lasted for only a few days.[27]
Hacı Hüseyin Pasha	1732	1732	[3][29]
Koca Bekir Pasha	1732	1732	Turk; first term[3][30]
Canım Hoca Mehmed Pasha	1732	1736	Third term.[27]
Hacı Mehmed Pasha			c. 1735. Turk?[3]
Hatibzade Yahya Pasha	1743	1743
Râtip Ahmed Pasha	1743	1744	Turk[2][3]
Koca Bekir Pasha	1750	1753	Turk; second term[3]
Macar Hacı Hasan Pasha	February 1761	December 1761	[31]
Ahıskalı Mehmed Pasha	December 1761	August 1762	[32]
Eğribozlu İbrahim Pasha		1769	Turk?[3][33]
Mandalzade Hüsameddin Pasha	1770	1770	Removed following the disastrous naval defeat at Chesma during the Russo-Turkish War of 1768–1774[3]
Cezayirli Gazi Hasan Pasha	1770	1789[3] or 1790[2]	Georgian;[34] Dislodged Russians from Aegean, commanded forces during the Russo-Turkish Wars of 1768–1774 and 1787–1792; later grand vizier
Koca Yusuf Pasha	19 December 1789		Georgian; former grand vizier[3]
Giritli Hüseyin Pasha	1789	1792	[35]
Küçük Hüseyin Pasha	11 March 1792	7 December 1803	Georgian; commanded the Turkish invasion fleet of French-occupied Egypt[3][36][37]
Mehmed Kadri Pasha	1803	1804	[3]
Hafız İsmail Pasha	1804	1805	[3] later grand vizier
Hacı Salih Pasha	1805	1805	Turk;[3] later grand vizier
Hacı Mehmed Pasha II	21 November 1806	1808	Turk[3][38]
Seydi Ali Pasha	1807[2] or 1808[3]	1808	Abkhaz
Abdullah Ramiz Efendi	1808	1808	Crimean Tatar[3]
Koca Hüsrev Mehmed Pasha	1811	1818	Abazin; later grand vizier[3][39]
Deli Abdullah Pasha		1821	Turk[3] later grand vizier
Nasuhzade Ali Pasha	1821	7 June 1822	Albanian;[3] also known as Kara-Ali Pasha; commanded Turkish fleet during the Greek War of Independence: directed Massacre of Samothrace, killed by fireship directed by Constantine Kanaris following Massacre of Chios;[40] ancestor of Turkish author Nasuh Mahruki
Kara Mehmet	1822
Husrev Pasha	December 1822	1826
Aghan Ephrikian Pasha	1828		Governor
Damat Gürcü Halil Rifat Pasha	1830	1832
Çengeloğlu Tahir Mehmed Pasha	November 1832	1836	Turk[3]
Ahmed Fevzi Pasha	10 November 1836	1839	Greek, defected to Egypt[3]
Topal İzzet Pasha	1840		Reformer
Damat Gürcü Halil Rifat Pasha	1843	1845
Damat Gürcü Halil Rifat Pasha	1847	1848
unknown			Lost administrative control of the Eyalet of the Islands c. 1848[2]
Mahmud Pasha	1853	1854
Damat Gürcü Halil Rifat Pasha	1854	1855
unknown		13 March 1867	Office abolished[41]

See also

• List of Fleet Commanders of the Ottoman Navy, for the Kapudan Pasha's replacements after 1877
• List of Ottoman admirals, for Turkish commanders beneath the rank of the Kapudan Pashas

Sources

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