Patrona Halil

Patrona Halil (c. 1690–1730) was an Albanian-born Janissary from a village near Bitola and a veteran of the Niš and Vidin mutinies; he led the Vidin mutiny in 1720, and in the capital he lived by petty trade and bathhouse work.

In September 1730, angered by new taxes, wartime shortages and the extravagance of the Tulip Period court, he rallied artisans, shopkeepers and Janissaries at Bayezid Square. The revolt forced Sultan Ahmed III to execute Grand Vizier Ibrahim Pasha and then abdicate in favour of Mahmud I. Halil dominated the capital for weeks, but on 25 November 1730 the new sultan had him murdered at the palace, and his followers were then massacred.