Vezírs of Sultán Ibráhím.
Kara Mustafá Páshá was vezír when Ibráhím came to the throne, and was confirmed in his office. Fearing he should fall a victim to the rebels, he fled from the garden of the Seráï to his own palace, and changed his dress, but he was shot by a bústánjí opposite the palace of Músá Páshá. He was buried in his own mausoleum at the Pármak-kapú. He was followed by Juván Kapújí-báshí, who died at the siege of Candia. Sáleh Páshá, a Bosnian by birth, from the village of Lúbin in Herzegovina, was put to death by the intrigues of Tezkerehjí Ahmed Páshá. Ahmed Páshá succeeded him, but he too was intimidated by the rebels, which being discovered by Mohammed Páshá, he was strangled, his body thrown into the At-Maidán, and instantly torn to pieces by the rebels. The same day Pezavenk, and the emperor’s mosáhib, Khoajeh Jenjí, were also torn to pieces by the permission of the Ulemá.
The Vezír who rebelled against Sultán Ibráhím.
Várvár Alí Páshá, the governor of Sívás, having refused to give to Mavrúl for Sultán Ibráhím, his daughter, the wife of Ibshír Páshá, on the ground that such a demand was contrary to law, he was dismissed from his office; after which he placed himself at the head of a party of troops to maintain his cause against the order issued for his death. Kopreilí Mohammed Páshá took the field against him; but he vanquished Kopreilí, and on his arrival at Cherkesh, he was assailed and put to death by Ibshír Páshá, on whose account he had rebelled.
Ibráhím built several koshks in the New Seráï, on which many chronograms were composed.
Conquests, &c. during the reign of Sultán Ibráhím.
Nasúh Páshá Zádeh was defeated in the plains of Scutari by Kara Mustafá Páshá. The Cossacks became masters of Azov, the khán of the Tatars having been tardy in affording it the necessary succours; in consequence of which, seven hundred vessels were sent to besiege Azov. The siege continued two months, during which time the Moslems reduced the walls of the fortress to dust; but the infidels held out, by subterraneous trenches, a month longer, when, on account of the approach of winter, the brave army of Moslems was obliged to return without victory. In the following year Juván Kapújí Báshí equipped three hundred ships, and filling them with Moslem warriors, renewed the siege of Azov. The Cossacks, being much alarmed, left the castle without the least attempt to defend it; and hence the well-known proverb, “Husain Páshá gave battle, but Mohammed Páshá conquered without battle.” Mohammed Páshá kept the whole army of Moldavia, Valachia, Circassia, and the Ottoman troops, in order to rebuild the fortress, which was effected in the space of seven months. I, the humble Evliyá, saw it in the fourth campaign when I remained in the Crimea, and the Tátár Khán wintered with his army in Azov. The grand vezír at the same time returned with the imperial fleet to the Sublime Porte.
The second conquest of Sultán Ibráhím is that of Valachia and Moldavia by the khán of the Tátárs. Mátí Voivode, the prince of Valachia, and Lipúl, the prince of Moldavia, having reigned twenty years and acquired the wealth of Kárún (Crœsus), they cherished a deadly enmity against each other. Lipúl gave one of his daughters in marriage to the Hettman of the Cossacks, Prince Khmelentski, who assisted him with 20,000 Cossacks; whilst Mátí Voivode collected an army of 100,000 men at Bucharest. The accounts of this quarrel having reached Constantinople, the troops of Rúmeilí and of the Tátár Khán were ordered out to prevent their coming to battle. The armies of the two infidels, however, met at Fokshán, on the frontiers of Moldavia and Valachia. Lipúl was beaten, and upwards of 70,000 men were killed on both sides. The Ottoman army and the Tátár troops availed themselves of this opportunity to make numerous inroads into the countries of Moldavia and Valachia, whence they carried off more than 100,000 prisoners, besides many thousands of cattle. They, moreover, wasted the country, reduced the towns to ruins, and carried the Voivode Lipúl to Constantinople, where he was imprisoned in the Seven Towers. The Voivode of Valachia was pardoned for the sum of two thousand purses (a million of piastres), and confirmed in his principality. Heaven be praised that I was in the Tátár army at the time of this splendid victory; and after sharing plentifully in the plunder, returned to the Crimea.
The third conquest is that of Canea in the island of Candia, by Salihdár Yúsuf Páshá. This glorious victory must be ascribed to the piety of Sultán Ahmed Khán, who prayed that he might obtain that island from the Venetians, with the view of appropriating its revenues to the endowment of two mosques. Another cause, however, of the conquest was, that a large caravella, carrying 3,000 pilgrims, with the late chief of the eunuchs Sunbul Aghá, to Egypt, was attacked off Degirmenlik by six Maltese vessels. After a fierce battle of two days, in which Sunbul Aghá, and the master of the caravella were killed, the Maltese became masters of it, and carried it to Canea in Candia, where they anchored; although this was contrary to the treaty entered into by Khair-ud-dín Páshá, according to which the infidels were not allowed to shelter in their harbour any vessels taken by the enemies of the Ottoman empire. The Venetians however favoured the Maltese, and even allowed all the horses and property of the deceased chief of the eunuchs to be sold at Canea. Sultán Ibráhím, displeased with this proceeding, feigned an expedition against Malta, and appointed Salihdár Yúsuf Páshá to the command of seven hundred ships. These first sailed as far as Navarino, where they took in water, left twenty of the slowest sailing vessels behind, filled the others with troops, and sailed directly for the castle of San Todors on Candia, which immediately surrendered. They then laid siege to Canea, which was the sixth conquest, and shall be described shortly. Thank God! I was present at this sixth conquest, being on board the frigate of Dúrák-beg, who plundered the islands of Cerigo and Cerigotto. Yúsuf Páshá, the conqueror of Canea, having returned to Constantinople, as a reward for his services, was killed at the instigation of Jinjí Khoájeh.
The fourth victory was that over Várvár by Ibshír Páshá the traitor. Várvár Alí preferred losing his place to giving up his daughter, the wife of Ibshír Páshá, to Sultán Ibráhím. The infamous traitor Ibshír joined his father-in-law at Tokát, and persuading him that he would accompany him to Constantinople, there to seek redress for the outrage committed on their family, lulled him into a sleep of security; and on arriving at a place called Cherkess, attacked him suddenly, sent his head to Constantinople, and as a reward, received the government of Síwás.