Lala Kara Mustafa Pasha

Lala Mustafa Pasha (c. 1500 – 7 August 1580), also known by the additional epithet Kara, was an Ottoman general and Grand Vizier from the Sanjak of Bosnia.

He was born around 1500, apparently near the Glasinac Plateau in Bosnia, the younger brother of Deli Husrev Pasha, who apparently helped him rise through the system's ranks more quickly.

Mustafa Pasha briefly served as kaymakam (acting governor) of Egypt Eyalet in 1549. He had risen to the position of Beylerbeyi of Damascus and then to that of Fifth Vizier.

The honorific "Lala" means "tutor to the Sultan"; he was tutor to Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent's sons, including Şehzade Bayezid. He also had a long-standing feud with his cousin, Sokollu Mehmed Pasha.

He commanded the Ottoman land forces during the conquest of previously Venetian Cyprus in 1570/71, and in the campaign against Georgia and Persia in 1578. During the campaign on Cyprus, Lala Mustafa Pasha, who was known for his cruelty towards vanquished opponents, ordered the Venetian commander of Famagusta Marco Antonio Bragadin flayed alive and other Venetian military officers killed in sight or executed, even though he had promised safe passage upon surrendering the city to the Turkish army. It also meant that Mustafa had indicated his aggressive intentions to the Sultan's court.

He was a Damat ("bridegroom") to the Imperial family through his marriage to Hümaşah Sultan, a daughter of Şehzade Mehmed, son of Suleiman the Magnificent and his consort Hurrem Sultan. The two together had a son named Sultanzade Abdülbaki Bey.

In the final three months of his life, he was Grand Vizier from 28 April 1580 until his death. He is buried in the courtyard of the Eyüp Sultan Mosque in Istanbul. His tomb was designed by Ottoman architect Sinan.

He has a street named after him in cities including Larnaca, Cyprus. His invasion and brutal treatment of the Venetian leaders in Cyprus led to Pope Pius V promoting a Roman Catholic coalition against the Ottomans which turned into the Battle of Lepanto in 1571.

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