Rüstem Pasha

Rüstem Pasha was taken as a child to Constantinople, where he rose through military and bureaucratic ranks under the protection of Hürrem Sultan, Süleyman the Magnificent's favorite wife. In 1539 he married the sultan's daughter, Mihrimah Sultan — Hürrem's daughter — sealing a bond that had already lifted him. He served as Grand Vizier, the empire's top post, steering policy at the height of Ottoman power. His brother Sinan Pasha became grand admiral. When Rüstem died in July 1561, he left a record as one of the most influential grand viziers the empire ever had.