Ibrahim Pasha - one of the brightest and most powerful figures of the reign of Suleiman I - was the son of a sailor from Parga, a Greek and a Christian.
As a child, he was kidnapped by pirates and sold to the home of a wealthy widow in Manisa. She took care of the child, gave him an education, and then gave the boy to the future Sultan Suleiman I, who was at that time the governor of Manisa.
Ibrahim quickly became friends with the future Sultan, who was his peer. After the accession of Suleiman to the Ottoman throne in 1520, Ibrahim was awarded various titles, including the post of guardian of the Sultan's chambers.
In 1523, Sultan Suleiman appointed Ibrahim to the position of Grand Vizier.
In 1524 Ibrahim marries Mukhsina Khatun. She was of noble origin, and according to the latest historical data, she was the daughter of the same widow, in whose house Ibrahim got after being abducted by pirates.
In 1524, magnificent celebrations were held on the occasion of the marriage of Ibrahim Pasha.
Sultan Suleiman was present at the celebration and presented the newlyweds with a huge palace at the hippodrome in Istanbul. Now it houses a museum of Turkish and Islamic art.
On the diplomatic front, Ibrahim Pasha was very successful. He negotiated lucrative deals with the leaders of the Catholic powers.
In 1533, he negotiated with the ambassadors of King Charles V of Spain about Hungary.
In 1535, Ibrahim Pasha, in the course of negotiations with France, signed an agreement with Francis I - which gave France favorable trading rights in the Ottoman Empire in exchange for joint action against the Habsburgs.
After his appointment as Grand Vizier, Ibrahim Pasha continued to receive other additional offices and titles from the Sultan, and his influence in the Ottoman Empire became almost as absolute as that of Suleiman himself. He became Seraskier - the commander of the army of the Ottoman Empire.
Ibrahim Pasha achieved a level of power and influence that only a very few Grand Viziers in the history of the Ottoman Empire could rival, but in 1536 he was executed by order of Sultan Suleiman, and his property was confiscated by the state.
So what was the reason for this decision of the Sultan?
There were several obvious nuances during the life of the Grand Vizier Ibrahim Pasha, which inexorably brought him closer to death and forced Sultan Suleiman to take such a difficult step:
The incredible wealth of the Grand Vizier of the Empire, which the Sultan endowed him with
powers, irritated subjects.
Numerous gossip and dissatisfaction of people were regarding the ancient statues located in the palace of the Grand Vizier. Since Islam forbids the depiction of people and animals, as well as the creation of statues, the presence of "idols" in Ibrahim Pasha raised a lot of questions.
Ibrahim removed from his path people who were objectionable to him in not the most honest ways.
In the Persian campaign, Ibrahim Pasha, under the influence of his own vanity, called himself Sultan - Seraskir, which was a serious insult to Suleiman.
As we can see, the main reason for the death of Ibrahim Pasha was his pride. When from a simple falconer he suddenly rose to the second person in the state, he was seized by megalomania, which was impossible to cope with. This behavior upset Suleiman so much that he decided to execute his colleague and close friend.
On March 15, 1536, the padishah invited the vizier to have dinner. They had a long and peaceful conversation at dinner, as in the good old days. When the meal was over, Ibrahim wanted to go to his palace, but the sovereign wished him to stay overnight. When it was clear that Ibrahim fell asleep, the sovereign ordered the executioners to be called, who then threw a rope around the neck of the condemned.
Suleiman ordered the vizier to be buried secretly. The body was transported across the river and buried in a secret place in the forest on the opposite bank.
The grave of Ibrahim Pasha was discovered only two centuries after the burial of the vizier. Until that moment, the location of the burial was unknown.
Now the grave of Ibrahim Pasha is located in the Istanbul district of Findikli, on the outskirts of Canfeda Street.
But, a few years ago, Turkish archaeologist Murat Sav discovered another burial, which, in his opinion, belongs to Ibrahim Pasha.
Murat Sav believes that Ibrahim was buried near the mosque built by his order and bearing his name, which is located in the Galata region.
Opposite the mosque was the abode of the dervishes, and it was there that Ibrahim was buried.
In the basement of the store, located directly opposite the Ibrahim mosque, on the site of the former monastery, an unknown burial was discovered. And the archaeologist has good reason to believe that it is there that Ibrahim Pasha rests.
Now the entrance to this basement is closed, they plan to carry out restoration work there.