HERCEGOV1C, AHMED PASHA Croatian
Commencing in 1496, served four terms as Grand Vizier of the Turkish Empire totaling seven years of service for two sultans. His last term ended in 1514,
when, due to his advanced age, he was replaced by Sinan-pasa Borovinic, another Croatian.
Hercegovic was a son of Herceg Stjepan Vukcic-Kosaca and a Bavarian princess. His parents sent him as young boy to Istanbul as a hostage with the
gifts for his father's promise to keep the peace agreement with the sultan.
He was immediately selected for the Palace school where he was educated together with the sultan's sons. Interestingly enough, during his schooling
for several years, he remained a christian of Bosnia until he voluntarily accepted Islam. He was appointed to his first high position when only
eighteen years old and four years later he became the beglerbeg of Anatolia. He was given the sultan's daughter for a wife.
Later captured during the war In Egypt as a prisoner, he was received royally at the court of Cairo and offered any power position if he would stay
to serve the Egyptian ruler. He somehow managed to diplomatically turn down all these attractive offers and, after one year, was returned to Istanbul.
During his entire career, he was a friend and protector of the Croatian city republic of Dubrovnik and their political and economic interests everywhere.
Similar to most of the great viziers, he built several religious and educational institutions in and around Istanbul as well as in his homeland,
which he, with the sultan's approval, renamed Hercegovina in honor of his family's political legacy.