Sokollu, Mehmed Pasa

(also Muhammad Pasha Sokolli). Born 1505 or 1506 in Sokol, Bosnia; died Sept. 30,1579, in Istanbul. State figure of the Ottoman Empire.

Sokollu was descended from Christians. He held several high government posts in the 1540’s and 1550’s and became grand vizier in 1565. Under Sultan Selim II (reigned 1566–74), Sokollu was the virtual ruler of the state. He organized and led many of Turkey’s aggressive campaigns in the 16th century and brutally suppressed peasant movements.