Çandarlı family

The Çandarlı family was a prominent Turkish family which provided the Ottoman Empire with five Grand Viziers during the 14th and 15th centuries. At the time, it was the second most important family after the Ottoman dynasty itself.

Background and history

In contrast to other European monarchies, aside from the Ottoman dynasty, Ottoman Empire had no aristocracy. There was no difference between the noble birth and the humble birth and everybody had equal chance to reach high ranks. The same was true for the ethnic differences; the only prerequisite for an official appointment was conversion to Islam. However in the early years of the empire a Turkish family named Çandarlı was about to gain as much power as the imperial family.

The roots of the family can be traced back to the village of Çandır (now called Cendere) near Sivrihisar, Eskişehir Province in Central Anatolia. After the foundation of the Ottoman beylik, the family settled in İznik (ancient Nicaea), Bursa Province.^[1] They were the members of Ahi tradition and in the early years of the beylik, one member of the family became kadı (judge) of Bilecik in 1326. Between 1365-1499, five members of the family became Grand Viziers. In a period of 88 years (during the first four between 1365-1453), the Çandarlı family held the post for 64 years, a feat unparalleled in Ottoman history.

Decline in 1453

The Çandarlı family was most powerful during the reign of Murat II. Sultan Murat II abdicated, and his 12 year son Mehmet II became the sultan in 1444. But just before the battle of Varna, Mehmet II was forced to call his father to throne and Murat II resumed the throne. Mehmet II never forgot Çandarlı Halil’s role in his deposition and subsequent reinstatement, and awaited a suitable moment to end the power and prestige of Çandarlı Family. After conquering Constantinople (İstanbul), he had Halil executed. After Halil, four of his Grand Viziers were of devshirme (i.e. non-Turkish) origin.

Later years

Although a fifth member of the house was able to reach the post of Grand Vizier during the reign of Beyazıt II, the family never fully recovered from the shock of 1453. In later years two other members of the family also worked for the empire; Isa Pasha (d. 1549) and Halil Bey (d. 1568) served in the imperial bureaucracy, but they were unable to become part of the Ottoman Porte, the central imperial government.^[2]

Çandarlı Grand Viziers

References