Köprülü Fazıl Ahmed Pasha

Who was Köprülü Fazıl Ahmed Pasha?

Köprülü Fazıl Ahmed Pasha was a member of the renowned Köprülü family originating from Albania, which produced six grand viziers of the Ottoman Empire.

He served as a grand vizier from 1661 to 1676 after he inherited the title from his father, Köprülü Mehmed Pasha, the founder of the Köprülü political family.

He was dubbed Fazıl, meaning "wise", for reducing taxation and promoting education. On the other hand, he was brutal in war. He led the Ottoman army in the Austro-Turkish War. At the beginning of July 1664, he succeeded in destroying Zrin Castle in northern Croatia after nearly a month-long siege. Although defeated in the Battle of Saint Gotthard, he was able to gain territory by the Treaty of Vasvar in 1664. Following this treaty, he concentrated on the Cretan War and captured Candia from the Republic of Venice in 1669. At the end of the war against the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, he signed the Treaty of Buchach in 1672 and the Treaty of Zurawno in 1676.