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Kasım Pasha or Kasem Pasha (Turkish: Kasım Paşa; fl. 1442–43) was an Ottoman general and governor, the beylerbey of Rumelia and one of the commanders of the Ottoman forces during the Crusade of Varna (1443–44).

When Rumelian beylerbey and vizier Hadım Şehabeddin was defeated by John Hunyadi in 1442, he was replaced by Kasım Pasha at both positions.

Crusade of Varna

At the beginning of the Crusade of Varna John Hunyadi crossed the Danube and rushed south along the river Morava to attack forces of Kasım Pasha before he could mobilize his complete army. The cavalry forces of 12,000 commanded by Kasım Pasha were defeated near Aleksinac during the Battle of Niš in 1443. After an Ottoman defeat, the retreating forces of Kasım Pasha and Turakhan Bey burned all villages between Niš and Sofia. Turakhan Bey and Kasım Pasha met each other again in Sofia from where Kasım sent the messenger to Edirne to alert Sultan.

Kasım Pasha commanded Ottoman forces that chased Christian army after the Battle of Zlatica held at the end of 1443. His army was defeated on 24 December 1444 on Melštica near Sofija and many Ottoman officers were captured by Christian army.

There was a big mutual animosity between Kasım and Turahan and some Ottoman sources blame Turahan for Kasım's defeat at Melštica claiming that Serbian Despot Branković bribed Turahan not to participate in the battle which ended with the defeat of his rival, Kasım.

When the Sultan banished Turahan Bey to a prison, Kasım allegedly complained to Çandarlı Halil Pasha that Turahan's subordinated officers should be banished too. When his complaint was refused, Kasım resigned from the position of Rumelia beylerbey.

References

1. Jefferson 2012, p. 280

   (12 May 1442–30 April 1443 ad) Şehabeddin is listed as beylerbey, a position which he held until his defeat by Hunyadi in 1442 whereupon he was replaced as beylerbey by Kasım Pasha... he thus succeeded Şehabeddin in both offices.

2. Jefferson 2012, p. 326
3. Babinger, Franz (1992), Mehmed the Conqueror and His Time, Princeton University Press, p. 25, ISBN 978-0-691-01078-6, The combined host met Ottoman forces first on November 3, 1443, between the castle of Bolvan (near Aleksinac) and the city of Niš. Here Kasim Bey, then governor of Rumelia, Ishak Bey and other standard bearers were defeated.
4. Konstantin Mihailović (1975). Memoirs of a Janissary. Published under the auspices of the Joint Committee on Eastern Europe, American Council of Learned Societies, by the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, University of Michigan. p. 214.
5. Imber, Colin (2006), The Crusade of Varna, 1443-45, Aldershot; Burlington (Vt.) : Ashgate, cop., p. 16, ISBN 978-0-7546-0144-9, OCLC 470458159, In the course of their flight Kasım and Turahan burned all villages between Niš and Sofia.
6. Colin Imber (1990). The Ottoman empire: 1300-1481. Isis. p. 123. ISBN 978-975-428-015-9.
7. Srpska akademija nauka i umetnosti. Odeljenje društvenih nauka (1970). La liberation des villes en Serbie de domination Turque. Srpska akademija nauka i umetnosti. p. 137.
8. Skopsko naučno društvo (1925). Glasnik Skopskog naučnog društva.
9. Željko Fajfrić (1999). Sveta loza Brankovića. Grafosrem. Успео је да дође у везу са Турахан Бегом и да га убеди (златом вероватно) да у боју не узме учешће, а све играјући на међусобну нетрпељивост Турахан бега и главнокомандујућег Касим бега.
10. Srpska akademija nauka i umetnosti. Odeljenje društvenih nauka (1970). La liberation des villes en Serbie de domination Turque. Srpska akademija nauka i umetnosti. p. 138.

Sources

• Jefferson, John (2012). The Holy Wars of King Wladislas and Sultan Murad: The Ottoman-Christian Conflict from 1438-1444. BRILL. ISBN 978-90-04-21904-5.

• Muslims of the Crusade of Varna
• 14th-century Ottoman military personnel
• 14th-century generals
• 15th-century Ottoman military personnel
• 15th-century generals
• 14th-century births
• 15th-century deaths
• Ottoman governors of Rumelia
• 15th-century governors