Sokullu Mehmed Paşa was an Ottoman grand vizier for fourteen years, spanning the rules of three sultans. He was taken as part of a levy on Bosnian villages in his childhood and served in the military. Due to his prowess, he was married to Ismihan Sultan, the daughter of sultan Selim II, and was eventually promoted to the position of third vizier under Kanuni Suleyman. He is known both as an effective vizier and, along with his wife, as a patron of great architectural works.
Sources:
Necipoğlu, Gülru. The Age of Sinan: Architectural Culture in the Ottoman Empire, 331-333. London: Reaktion Books, 2005.
