Alâeddin Paşa

Alâeddin ALI, or Alâeddin Ali Bey (Alâeddin Paşa), was the first Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire. He was born in Söğüt, as the son of Osman Ghazi and his wife Bala Hatun. He was the first member of the dynasty to use the title of Pasha.

Alâeddin Pasha

Biography[]

Alâeddin Pasha, or Alâeddin Bey (Alâeddin Paşa) was born in 1280 to Osman Ghazi and Bala Hatun. He was the brother of Orhan Ghazi .

Passage of Power[]

According to the Ottoman sources , after the death of Osman Ghazi , together with Orhan Ghazi , the name of Şehzade Alâeddin was spoken for the principality; At the end of the meeting between the two brothers, Şehzade Alâeddin voluntarily renounced the principality. His humble personality is highlighted in historical sources.

According to researcher Hüseyin Hüsameddin Bey, Şehzade Alâeddin was 20 years old when his father died. The first Ottoman historians ( Aşıkpaşazade, Oruç Bey, Nesri, İbn-i Kemal ) and the notables of the Principality and Osman Bey's children held a meeting, according to the traditionally accepted narrative; In this meeting, Şehzade Orhan suggested that his brother Şehzade Alaeddin be the Bey, but Alaeddin did not accept this and stated that he considered his younger brother Orhan suitable for the throne of the Principality, as the dignitaries saw fit, and Orhan ascended the throne.

Osman Gazi retired in 1324, and Orhan succeeded him. According to Ottoman tradition, when Orhan succeeded his father, he proposed to his older brother, Alâeddin, that they should share the emerging empire. The latter refused on the grounds that their father had designated Orhan as sole successor, and that the empire should not be divided. He only accepted as his share the revenues of a single village near Bursa.

Family[]

Alâeddin Pasha married the daughter of Balad (name unknown) and had around 8 children from this marriage. They were Kılıç Bey (son), Hızır Bey (son), Mehmed Bey (son), Ibrahim Bey (son), Şahi Çelebi (son), Taci Hatun (daughter), Ayşe Hatun (daughter), Paşa Hatun (daughter).

▪︎Kılıç Bey, who had issue:

▪︎Hızır Bey, who had issue:

▪︎Mehmed Bey. He had issue, one son and one daughter:

▪︎Ibrahim Bey. He had issue, one son and one daughter:

▪︎Şahi Çelebi. He had issue, a daughter:

▪︎Taci Hatun

▪︎Ayşe Hatun

▪︎Paşa Hatun

Viziership[]

Although Alâeddin Bey abdicated the throne and preferred to work as a dervish in a dervish lodge in Fodra village (today's Alaaddinbey Mahallesi), which is west of Bursa for a while, he accepted the duty of vizier upon the invitation of Orhan Bey. While Orhan Gazi was busy with conquests, he dealt with administrative restructuring as the first vizier of the Ottoman Empire. The intimacy between the two brothers has been compared by some historians to the relationship between the Prophets Musa and Harun.

In 1328 or 1329, Alâeddin met with Orhan in order to congratulate him on his recent acquisition of İzmit. During this visit, Alâeddin made his most important contribution to the Ottoman Empire. He made three suggestions to Orhan in order to improve the efficiency and legitimacy of the early Ottoman Empire. These three suggestions include the introduction of a monetary system, the selection of an official Ottoman costume, and a complete reorganization of the army.

During the years 1328 and 1329 silver coins were indeed stamped in Orhan's name. On the front, they showed the Islamic article of faith. On the other side, it said (in Arabic): "May Allah make his reign eternal."

In the same tradition as the Byzantines who had headdresses and costumes of richly embroidered material, an official, but more modest, costume was chosen for government and military workers. While the general public was allowed to wear whatever they wanted, a "coniform cap of white felt was prescribed on the grounds of the highly esteemed Arabic maxim, 'the best garment is a white one'". This way, military and government officials were able assert their legitimacy in leadership.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the organization of the military received a complete overhaul. Alâeddin proposed that the military be divided into subsets, and an officer be placed in control of each section. This organization seems extremely simple, which leads to the conclusion that before this, there was no control over the army. Also, Alâeddin proposed that a contingent of foot soldiers be instituted that could be summoned in war time to fight. These soldiers, when instituted, had no training and the idea failed. Later on, this failed idea was replaced by the Janissary Corps, but there is no evidence that Alâeddin had anything to do with the development of the janissaries.

Army Command[]

Alâeddin Bey also participated in some expeditions as an army commander. The expression " emîrkebir mujahid " in his charter shows that he was the commander of the army. Some historians write that he participated in the Battle of Maltepe and played a role in winning the war, but there is no definite information about this.

It is thought that the practice of wearing white headgear for Ottoman soldiers to distinguish them from other principality soldiers was introduced by Alâeddin Bey, and Orhan Bey had white bork produced in Bilecik upon his recommendation. Together with Çandarlı Kara Halil Pasha , he pioneered the establishment of permanent pedestrian and Müsellem units for the first time. The organization of the other units of the army, the establishment of the divan organization , the wearing of twisted turbans and the printing of money are attributed to Alâeddin Bey, but it is not certain.

Alâeddin Pasha's Works[]

In addition to his participation in Ottoman Empire state affairs, Alâeddin seems to have led a very pious, quiet life. He had several mosques built. He had a mosque built in Hisar in Bursa; This masjid is known as the first mosque built in Bursa. It is known that he had a lodge built inside the Hot Spring Gate in Kükürtlü, but the location and time of the building at the Hot Spring Gate are not known. The Alâeddin Bey Cami in Bursa, completed in 1335, is a typical example of the single unit mosque. It is very advanced architecture, with 8.2 square meters and a three-bay portico. The dome is supported by Turkish triangles and there is a single minaret. Accordingly, the “near perfection of the (Alâeddin Bey) Bursa Mosque lies in the simplicity of which an ideal space is expressed” (Goodwin 18). Although, now after having undergone restoration in the 19th century, the east and west windows are no longer directly across, but slightly askew. The minaret, if it is the original, is the first example of a minaret, but due to architectural weaknesses brought on by the placement of the minaret, it is very likely a later addition.

Later Life and Death[]

After serving as a vizier and army commander for a while, Alâeddin Bey returned to his lodge life. He lived in his lodge in Kükürtlü. Known for his philanthropy. It is not known exactly how old he was and for what reason he died. It is thought that he died in Bursa in 1333. Some sources also report that he was martyred in a war. It is also said that he died in the Biga Castle in 1333. His lineage continued through his son Hızır Bey. Alâeddin Bey died in 1331 or 1332 and is buried in Bursa. He lies in his brother Orhan's tomb.

In Kuruluş Osman[]

In the historical fiction series, KuruluşOsman, Alâeddin Ali Pasha was born as the second son of Osman Ghazi and his first wife Bala Hatun. He had three siblings namely Orhan Bey, Halime Hatun and Fatma Hatun. He was both intellectually smart and skilled in combat. Alâeddin's relationship with his mother Bala, to whom he was blessed to after numerous hardships was a very special one. He carried the traits not only of both his parents but also those of his maternal grandfather, Sheikh Edebali. He was quite intellectual and mature for his age. Always sought the guidance of Allah, as taught by his parents and never questioned their decisions. He handled any given situation with calm and patience. His mother had never differentiated between him and his siblings and always treated them equally. She prayed for and taught them to stand by each other even in the most difficult of times. Later, when Orhan was assigned to take over as the Bey of Karacahisar, Alâeddin was overjoyed for his brother but was left disappointed when his father did not assign him any duty. He disclosed his hurt and disappointment to his mother, and confessed that perhaps his father did not think of him as worthy and strong as to take on any duty. His mother tried to make him understand that he was not weak and in time, would be assigned a duty worthy of his right. When Alâeddin was taken hostage by Olof and his men, his parents had pledged that they would not spare anyone who dared to hurt their beloved son. Alâeddin, while being held captive became aware that his kidnapping was in fact a trap to lure his parents to their deaths. He left a hidden message forewarning his parents of the impending trap, asking them not to come after him. His father Osman planned accordingly and saved Alâeddin, while outplaying his enemies with a trap of his own.

Personality[]

Alaeddin Ali Bey as a child was both intellectually smart and skilled in combat. He was humble and down to earth and always respected his parents. He was passive in nature in way that he believed making decisions in haste will not always lead to the desired outcome. Taking time to pause and think can help one make stronger, more informed decisions.

Gallery[]

Alaeddin Ali's beloved mother Bala Hatun

Alaeddin Ali's beloved father Osman Ghazi

Alaeddin Pasha's maternal grandfather Sheik Edebali

Alaeddin Pasha's paternal grandfather Ertuğrul Ghazi

Alaeddin Ali with his mother bala and father Osman.

Alaeddin Ali with Edebali

Alaeddin with his sister Fatma

Alaeddin with his Malhun Ana

Alaeddin with his brother Orhan