Öküz Mehmed Paşa’nın Kafkasya Seferi
Caucasian Campaign of Okuz Mehmed Pasha

Summary/Abstract: Mehmed Pasha, who is a member of a Turkish family from Karagumruk and who is known for his nickname of the Ox, started to move upwards in state ranks rapidly after receiving a good education by attending Enderun-u Humayun in 1583, was appointed to be the Governor of Egypt during the first years of the reign of Ahmed I after serving in various state ranks until the era of Mehmed III (1595-1603). Despite having a successful administration here, Mehmed Pasha was made the Admiral in Chief with the rank of second vizier; and despite restoring order in Beirut, he fell from the grace by losing seven ships to the Spanish navy in the same year. However, with the death of Nasuh Pasha and having this in an era already known as the kaht-ı rical, Mehmed Pasha was appointed to the Iranian expedition to end the hostile attitude of Shah Abbas against the Ottoman Empire. Mehmed Pasha, who marches forward by restoring the order in the countryside during the Caucasian Expedition that started with the marching from Istanbul to Uskudar on 22 May 1615, will reach to Erzurum through Konya-Aleppo approximately one year later; and then will advance upon Shah Abbas after taking necessary precautions. In the meanwhile, the Ottoman ambassador, who was not allowed to return for more than ten years, reverted to Istanbul despite the accompany of the representative of the Shah Abbas.

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