Rüstem Pasha

Timeline

1. c. 1510–1538Palace school in Constantinople · IstanbulSent as a child through the devshirme to the palace school in Istanbul, he gained military and administrative experience, became a sanjakbey, and rose to beylerbey of Diyarbakır and beylerbey of Anatolia. By this stage he was already known for financial management and administration, becoming a candidate for marriage into the imperial family.
2. 1539–1544Istanbul · IstanbulIn 1539 he married Mihrimah Sultan, daughter of Suleiman and Hurrem, becoming an imperial son-in-law. The marriage cemented his alliance with the Haseki faction, after which he entered the vizierate, paving the way for his appointment as grand vizier in 1544.
3. 1544–1553Istanbul · IstanbulFrom 1544 he directed the empire's daily administration and finances, cutting military expenditure and expanding tax-farming and vakf revenues, swelling both the treasury and his private fortune while drawing accusations of corruption. He worked with Hurrem and Mihrimah on succession matters; after Şehzade Mustafa's execution in 1553, Suleiman dismissed him under pressure from army opinion, reinstating him in 1555 until his death in 1561.