Abstract
In the fifteenth century, there were two different Iskender Bey serving in Rumelia. These two historically important figures, serving in the same century and in the same geography, often caused confusion. The main aim of this article is to discuss Iskender Pasha, the servant of Mehmed II and explain his activities in the fifteenth century Rumelia. Iskender Pasha was appointed by Mehmet II. as the Bey of Bosnia Sanjak in 1475. He served in this position until the end of the reign of Mehmed II. and continued his successful raids during the reign of Bayezid II. who appointed him as the Gavernor of Rumelia in 1483. After serving in this position for two years, he was appointed back as the bey of Bosnia sanjak in 1485. The appointment of Iskender Pasha multiple times as the bey of Bosnia sanjak is closely related to his successful raids as well as his knowledge of the region. He was promoted to the rank of vizier by Bayezid II. in 1489 and served in this position for ten years. Towards the end of his life, with the starting of the Ottoman-Venetian Wars, Bayezid II, with the aim of benefiting from his experience, reassigned him once again as the bey of Bosnia sanjak. Iskender Pasha continued his military and administrative activities until the last years of his life and died in 1505. Iskender Pasha is also famous for the intelligence network that he has established. In this context, he gathered information through his spies about the operations of various states in the Italian Peninsula. Through this he tried to change the balance of power in the region in favor of the Ottoman Empire. This study discusses the historical personality of Iskender Pasha and his activities in Rumelia in the light of the documents from the Ottoman archives, chronicles and copyright-review works.
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