Lala Şahin Paşa

Lala Shahin Pasha, was an Ottoman military commander and the first Beylerbey of Rumelia. A mentor to Sultan Murad I, he played a central role in the Ottoman expansion into the Balkans, commanding key campaigns during the Byzantine–Ottoman wars and the Ottoman wars in Europe. He led forces at the Battle of Maritsa, the conquest of Adrianople and the Siege of Sofia, helping to establish lasting Ottoman control over much of modern-day Bulgaria, Macedonia and part of Serbia.