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The “reluctant” admiral: Damad Halil Pasha and the Ottoman navy (1595-1598) 29

Halil Pasha’s international and domestic image and his rivalries

Several contemporary sources allow us to figure out Halil Pasha’s in-
ternational and domestic image. Venetian ambassadors’ portrayal of Halil
Pasha in their relazioni and dispacci, the Spanish ministers’ impressions
about Halil Pasha’s use of the Ottoman navy and the attitude of the con-
temporary Ottoman historians towards Halil Pasha’s grand admiralty
provide essential information about his personal, political and profes-
sional profile. In these sources, Halil Pasha’s character, his wealth, his
relationship with the dynasty, his rivalry with other viziers, and his image
as grand admiral stand out as the most salient topics.
Many contemporaries coincide with regarding Halil Pasha as a “calm”
and “temperate” person. The Venetian ambassadors Venier and Cappello,
who met Halil Pasha personally and witnessed the whole three years of
his admiralty, defined his character with expressions such as “di natura
quieta et pacifica” or “natura troppo piacevole” . The Ottoman historian
97
Mehmed b. Mehmed’s posthumous description of Halil Pasha as a “vizier
of moderate manners without any harm or damage to anyone” demon-
strates that he was perceived in similar terms in Ottoman elite culture .
98
Besides, Halil Pasha was frequently portrayed as a “poor” statesman (egli
è molto povero) , which might explain the fact that the dynasty intended
99
to increase his prestige and image. Before the marriage, the sultan had
transferred vizier Hızır Pasha, a member of the Imperial Council, from
Istanbul to Bagdad and allocated his palace for Halil Pasha so that he
used it as the groom’s house when he married Fatma Sultan 100 . In fact,
in contemporary eyes, the support of the dynasty became the defining
characteristic of Halil Pasha’s career. In Leonardo Dona’s words, “by vir-
tue of this marriage, he is what he is” and “he keeps the admiralty of the
sea in his person by virtue of the favours of the sultanas, his mother-in-
law and wife” 101 . The support of the dynasty not only allowed Halil Pasha
to perform his admiralty without navigation but also enabled him to cover
up some of his failures. For example, Halil Pasha, on his return from his
first and only expedition in 1596, had lost almost 15 galleys due to a

97 Marco Venier to the Senate, Constantinople, 31 January 1595, Asv, Sdc, 40, f. 482v;
Girolamo Cappello to the Senate, Constantinople, 1 May 1598, Asv, Sdc, 47, n. 14.
98 A. Sağırlı, Mehmed b. Mehmed Er-Rumî (Edirneli)’nin Nuhbetü’t-tevârîh ve’l-ahbâr’ı
ile Târîh-i Âli Osmân’ının Metni ve Tahlilleri, unpublished PhD thesis, Istanbul Univer-
sity, 2000, p. 65.
99 «È povero e indebitato assai, ma nel grado che si ritrova anderà sempre avanzan-
dosi». Relazione di Matteo Zane (1594) cit., p. 433; Marco Venier to the Senate, Cons-
tantinople, 31 January 1595, Asv, Sdc, 40, f. 483r.
100 E. Türkçelik, Damad Halil Paşa cit., p. 1644.
101 «In virtù di questo matrimonio, egli è quello che egli è» and «sostenta nella sua
persona per forza delli favori delle Sultane suocera et moglie il capitaneato del mare».
Relazione di Leonardo Dona (1595) cit., p. 293.

Mediterranea - ricerche storiche - Anno XX - Aprile 2023
ISSN 1824-3010 (stampa) ISSN 1828-230X (online)