Kara Musa Pasha

Kara Musa Pasha ("Musa Pasha the Courageous" in Turkish; died 1649) was an Ottoman soldier and statesman of Bosnian origin who was named grand vizier by Sultan Ibrahim on 16 September 1647 after Nevesinli Salih Pasha's execution, holding the office for only five days until 21 September. He also held the office of Kapudan Pasha (Grand Admiral of the Ottoman Navy) in 1647.

Origins Musa Pasha was born in the Bosnian village of Vikoč, Foča in what was then the Sanjak of Herzegovina. He hailed from the Bosnian family of Vehabegović.

Life in Ottoman politics His first meeting with Sultan Murad IV was in 1630. Later on in his life, he became a member of Sublime Porte/Divan (the Ottoman government council) and was selected three times to serve as deputy of the Budin Eyalet. There in 1643, he reportedly received an endowment for the construction of the Musa-Pasha Mosque in Nova Kasaba, Bosnia and Herzegovina. During the Crete war campaign, after the death of the previous incumbent Koca Musa Pasha, Kara Musa Pasha received the title of Kapudan Pasha in 1647. Also there were offers from the Habsburgs to make an Anti-Swedish Coallition between Denmark-Norway, Poland-Lithuania and Russian Tsardom during 1644-1645, but were rejected due to the bad militar situation on the Imperial Side.

In December 1647, Kara Musa Pasha was made the governor of Baghdad Eyalet in Ottoman Iraq. He held this post for just over a year until January 1649, when he was dismissed and returned to Constantinople. He was executed sometime that year on the orders of queen regent Kösem Sultan, in turn upon the advice of her advisers and grand vizier.