Zagan Pasha

Who is Zagan Pasha?

Zaganos Pasha was an Ottoman military commander, with the titles and ranks of kapudan pasha and the highest military rank, grand vizier, during the reign of Sultan Mehmed II "the Conqueror". Originally a Christian who was conscripted and converted through the Devşirme system, he became a Muslim and rose through the ranks of the janissaries. He became one of the prominent military commanders of Mehmed II and a lala – the sultan's advisor, mentor, tutor, councillor, protector, all at once. He removed his rival, Halil Pasha, when he was the Grand Vizier amid the fall of Constantinople. He later served as the governor of Thessaly of Macedonia.