Mustafa Pasha belonged to the Kızıl Ahmed Bey family, the last ruling house of the Candar dynasty of northern Anatolia, whose members entered Ottoman service and rose to prominent positions within the imperial administration and military.[1] His father was Mirza Mehmed Bey and his mother Kamer Sultan, a daughter of Bayezid II.[2] As a senior official and commander, Mustafa Pasha participated in several major Ottoman campaigns under Sultan Suleiman I and his successors.[1]
Mustafa Pasha was particularly noted for his role in the Great Siege of Malta (1565), where he served as the Ottoman land commander (serasker) of the expedition sent against the Knights Hospitaller.[3] He commanded the main Ottoman expeditionary force that landed on Malta in May 1565 and oversaw the initial strategy of the campaign, including the decision to besiege the island’s principal fortifications. Under his command, Ottoman forces concentrated first on the capture of Fort Saint Elmo, whose fall in June allowed the Ottomans to establish positions dominating the Grand Harbour.[5]
Following the capture of Fort Saint Elmo, Mustafa Pasha directed further assaults against the fortified towns of Birgu and Senglea, coordinating large-scale infantry attacks supported by artillery bombardment and engineering works. Despite repeated offensives and heavy fighting throughout the summer, the Ottoman army failed to overcome the defenses of the Knights Hospitaller and their allies.[7] After the arrival of a Spanish relief force in September 1565, Mustafa Pasha ordered the withdrawal of Ottoman troops from Malta, bringing the unsuccessful siege to an end.
He later took part in the Siege of Szigetvár (1566), another major campaign of the later reign of Suleiman I, and accompanied his brother Şemsi Pasha, beylerbey of Rumelia, during the conquest of the Bobofça Fortress.
He died in 1568 or 1569 while setting out on the Hajj, after a long career in imperial service.[10] He left three sons and one daughter.[2] His son-in-law was the grand vizier Serdar Ferhat Pasha.
