Hadži Mustafa Pasha assassinated in Belgrade (1801)

Hadži Mustafa Pasha, Vizier of the Belgrade Pashalik, was assassinated in December 1801 by renegade Janissaries known as the Dahije. Kučuk-Alija personally shot him after the Dahije captured Belgrade. The murder established the Dahije as the ruling power in the Sanjak of Smederevo, replacing the Vizier with a puppet administration.

Episodes

Background and detail

Background. Hadži Mustafa Pasha served as Vizier of the Sanjak of Smederevo from 1793. He previously expelled Janissaries from the Pashalik, causing them to flee to the Sanjak of Vidin. In 1800, the Janissaries returned under the leadership of Mehmed-aga Fočić, Kučuk-Alija, Aganlija, and Mula Jusuf. They took control of most of the province and eventually seized Belgrade itself, setting the stage for the assassination.

Assassination. In December 1801, the Dahije captured Belgrade and Mustafa Pasha. On 27 December, three Janissaries infiltrated Mustafa Pasha's private quarters. Following a brief exchange, Kučuk-Alija shot and killed the Vizier. This act removed the legitimate Ottoman authority in the region, allowing the Dahije to rule the Pashalik directly through a puppet Vizier.

Aftermath. Following the murder, the four supreme Dahije leaders—Mehmed-aga Fočić, Kučuk Alija, Aganlija, and Mula Jusuf—chose to rule the sanjak. The assassination triggered terror against the Serbs and led to failed revolts in 1802. The Dahije eventually fled Belgrade in fear of conspiracy, marking the end of their direct rule in the capital.

People involved

Sources

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