This is an incomplete list that refers to those who were not from the Ottoman Empire, but later served the country. This may be militarily, as a diplomat, a spy, or any other way. Foreigners employed by the Sublime Porte were often renegades, slaves and refugees. They were diverse in their ethnic origins, generally hailing from aristocratic families.
Italian historian Giancarlo Casale posits that it was the ability of the Ottomans to "accommodate diversity" and "embrace it fully as their own" which attracted foreigners to the country. Those who converted to Islam in general, but especially while in the service of the Ottoman state, were considered by Christendom to have 'turned Turk'.
The increased prevalence of foreign military officers in the Ottoman Empire after the mid-1800s is owed to the fact that non-Muslims were no longer required to convert to Islam to serve in the Ottoman army after the passing of the 1856 Reform Edict. However, there are numerous notable cases before the Edict where conversion to Islam was not required. An example is Sinan 'The Great Jew', regarded as the right-hand man of famed Grand Admiral, Hayreddin Barbarossa.
List of notables
This is a list of noteworthy foreigners who were in the service of the Ottoman Empire. This list only includes individuals who were born outside the Ottoman Empire and served the country in some capacity; it does not include those of non-Turkish ethnic origin who were born within the empire and served the country.
This is not an exhaustive list and is therefore subject to additions.
14th century Köse Mihal, Greek renegade to the Ottoman Empire who was previously a Byzantine governor. He accompanied Osman I in his ascent to power and founding the Ottoman Empire. May have been of imperial Palaiologos descent Lala Şahin Pasha, Christian renegade to the Ottoman Empire who is possibly of Bulgarian origins. One of the leaders of the Ottoman campaign into Thrace
15th century
Radu the Handsome, Wallachian noble who converted to Islam and led Ottoman forces against his brother Vlad the Impaler Evrenos, Greek noble Byzantine military commander with an extremely long career in the Ottoman army. He participated in many battles (such as the 1396 Battle of Nicopolis) alongside Süleyman Pasha, Murad I, Bayezid I, Süleyman Çelebi, and Mehmed I. This is a period of over 70 years Orban, Hungarian inventor of massive cannons which would heavily damage the walls of Constantinople during the 1453 siege Suleiman Baltoghlu, Bulgarian admiral who is known for the role he played in the 1453 Fall of Constantinople Yakup Pasha, Jewish-Italian royal physician of Sultans Murad II to Mehmed II Johann Schiltberger, German noble who was a military slave for over 6 years after being captured at the 1396 Battle of Nicopolis Giovanni Maria Angiolello, Italian traveller who was a military slave for 12 years after being captured at the 1470 Siege of Negroponte
16th century
Joachim Strasz, Polish who served as Grand Dragoman from 1551 until his death in 1571 Occhiali, Italian admiral who later became beylerbey of the Regency of Algiers and Kapudan Pasha of the Ottoman fleet Sinan Reis, Jewish-Spanish Barbary Corsair who served in the Ottoman navy for 30 to 40 years and engaged in several key battles against the Spanish and the Holy Roman Empire Alvise Gritti, Italian politician who served as an Ottoman minister and operated spy networks for the sultan. Son of Andrea Gritti, Doge of Venice Gabriel de Luetz, French ambassador to the Sublime Porte who participated in two wars of the Ottoman Empire Hass Murad Pasha, Greek renegade of imperial Palaiologos descent who served as an Ottoman commander and statesman. Brother of Mesih Pasha Mesih Pasha, Greek renegade of imperial Palaiologos descent who served as Kapudan Pasha and Grand Vizier. Brother of Hass Murad Pasha Adam Neuser, German former Protestant pastor who would flee to the Ottoman Empire, convert to Islam, and serve as a spy Markus Penckner, Transylvanian renegade and convert to Islam who would serve as a spy for the Ottomans Jácome de Olivares, Cochin Jewish businessman who served as a spy for Sultan Selim II in Portuguese India Strongilah, Karaite Jewish businesswoman who was the Kira (business agent) of Hafsa Sultan and Hürrem Sultan Esther Handali, Jewish-Spanish businesswoman who was the Kira of Hürrem Sultan and later Nurbanu Sultan and then Safiye Sultan besides being a financial advisor to Sultan Murad III Joseph Nasi, Jewish-Portuguese businessman and diplomat. He also served as a financial advisor to multiple Sultans. Jozef Hamon, Jewish royal physician to Bayezid II and Selim I. Father of Moses Hamon Moses Hamon, Jewish royal physician to Suleiman the Magnificent Payzen Yusuf Pasha, French statesman who became Agha of the Janissaries and the beylerbey of Budin and Temeşvar Pál Márkházy, Hungarian noble who served as governor of multiple Sanjaks Samson Rowlie, English renegade who served as Chief eunuch and treasurer of Ottoman Algeria Hasan Agha, Italian renegade who ruled Algiers in the absence of Hayreddin Barbarossa. He commanded the garrison of the city during the 1541 invasion, resulting in catastrophic losses for Holy Roman Emperor Charles V Hasan Corso, Italian renegade who was kaymakam of Algiers from 1549 until his assassination in 1556 Cafer Ağa, Italian who was Kapudan Pasha from 1516 to 1520 Hassan Veneziano, Italian regent of Ottoman Algiers from 1577 to 1580, and then 1582–1587 Bertrand d'Ornesan, French admiral who fought alongside the Ottomans at the 1537 Siege of Corfu Hayır Bey, Abkhazian governor of the Mamluk Sultanate who supported the Ottoman invasion of the country Abraham de Castro, Jewish financialist who served as the head of the mint for Selim I and played an active role in the Cairo Purim Chirana, Italian spy who served at the Ottoman court
17th century
Cığalazade Yusuf Sinan Pasha, Italian renegade to the Ottoman Empire who would serve as Grand Vizier and Kapudan Pasha. As one of the most capable military commander and statesman of the early modern age, he contributed to the eastwards expansion of the empire, and successfully defended Ottoman Hungary from Habsburg invasion Wojciech Bobowski, Polish musician and Dragoman who mastered 17 languages. He served in the Ottoman state for nearly 40 years Francis Verney, English adventurer who became one of the leading Barbary corsairs. Close friend of Jack Ward Jack Ward, English Barbary Corsair operating out of Ottoman Tunisia for over 20 years. Inspiration for Jack Sparrow of the Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise Robert Walsingham, English Barbary Corsair who served as a captain of an Ottoman man-of-war Solomon Aben Yaesh, Jewish-Portuguese statesman who is regarded as one of the most influential figures in Ottoman foreign affairs history Solomon Eskenazi, Jewish-German statesman who is regarded as one of the most influential figures in Ottoman foreign affairs history David Passi, Jewish spy and closest confidant of Sultan Murad III. He served as Kapudan Pasha between 1595/6 to 1599 Gazanfer Agha, Italian politician who served in the Ottoman court for 37 years Moses bin Jehuda Bebri, Jewish diplomat who served as the Ottoman ambassador to Sweden Carlo Cigala, Italian spy who regularly gave information on Spain to the Ottoman Sultan. He was the younger brother of Cığalazade Yusuf Sinan Pasha Esperanza Malchi, Jewish-Italian businesswoman who was the Kira (business agent) of Valide Safiye Sultan and financial advisor to Sultan Murad III Sarı Kenan Pasha, Russian statesman who served as Kapudan Pasha and served as governor in multiple states Zymen Danseker, Dutch Barbary Corsair based in Ottoman Algeria who commanded a vast squadron made up of English and Turks Sulayman Reis, Dutch Barbary Corsair who commanded the Algiers corsair fleet during his later years Jan Janszoon, Dutch Barbary Corsair operating out of Ottoman Algeria for over 20 years Usta Murad, Italian renegade who served in the Ottoman navy for nearly 50 years. He became Dey of Tunis 3 years before his death Ali Bitchin, Italian renegade who made a fortune in Algiers from privateering with the Ottoman navy Frenk Cafer Pasha, Italian renegade who served as Kapudan Pasha for 3 years and served in the Ottoman navy for decades Mikołaj Chabielski, Polish noble who was a military slave for 18 years after being captured during Jan Zamoyski's expedition to Moldavia in 1595 Beatrice Michiel, Italian spy who served in the Ottoman court
18th century
Claude Alexandre de Bonneval, French count who was a renegade in the Ottoman Empire. Served in the Ottoman army and state in the last decades of his life Mezzo Morto Hüseyin Pasha, Spanish privateer and renegade who served as the Dey of Algiers and Kapudan Pasha Emeric Thököly, Hungarian prince who was an important ally for the Ottomans in Central Europe. He helped the Ottomans in many of their battles such as the 1683 Battle of Vienna Stanisław Poniatowski, Polish noble who fought with the Ottomans during the 1710–1711 Pruth River Campaign against Russia François Baron de Tott, French aristocrat of Slovak-Hungarian origin who played a great role in the 1768–1774 Russo-Turkish war and was pivotal in the modernisation of the Ottoman army Campbell Mustafa Ağa, Scottish convert to Islam who from 1775 was the chief instructor in the new Ottoman naval mathematical academy (the Hendishâne) Antoine Le Picard de Phélippeaux, French military engineer who helped fortify Acre against the invasion of his lifelong enemy Napoleon Frenk Abdurrahman Pasha, French or Italian who served as Kapudan Pasha from 1704 to 1706 and participated in numerous naval battles and raids Aaron ben Isaac Hamon, Jewish doctor and printer who served as physician to the Ottoman royal court Daniel de Fonseca, Jewish-Portuguese who irregularly served as royal physician from the early to mid 1700s Hark Olufs, Danish who was a slave servant to Ottoman Algerian aristocrats for 11 years Sheikh Mansur, Chechen Islamic and military leader who fought with the Ottomans in the 1787–1792 Russo-Turkish war André-Joseph Lafitte-Clavé, French military engineer who from 1784 to 1788 helped train Ottoman soldiers in naval warfare and fortification building Antoine-Charles Aubert, French engineer who accompanied Lafitte-Clavé in the modernisation of the Ottoman army Salomea Halpir, Polish female medic of Russian-Jewish descent who was the personal physician of many Ottoman officials from 1732 to 1739. She is considered the first Polish and Lithuanian female doctor
19th century
Charles de Schwartzenberg, French-born Belgian aristocrat of German descent who fought in the Ottoman army irregularly between 1854 until his death in 1878 Adam Mickiewicz, famed Polish poet who served in the Crimean War and died in Istanbul (possibly from cholera) Antoni Aleksander Iliński, Polish military officer and general who served in the Ottoman army from 1844 until his death in 1861 Augustus Charles Hobart-Hampden, British admiral in the Ottoman Navy irregularly between 1867 and the 1880s. He played a big role in suppressing the Cretan Revolt, and went on to serve in the 1877–1878 Russo-Turkish war Adolphus Slade, British admiral in the Ottoman Navy from 1849 to 1866. He most notably served in the Crimean War Józef Jagmin, Polish noble who served as an Ottoman officer in the Crimean War and the 1877–1878 Russo-Turkish war as the founder of the Polish Legion in Turkey Stanislas Saint Clair, Scottish-Polish-Lithuanian officer who served in the Crimean and 1877–1878 Russo-Turkish Wars Omar Pasha, Serbian Field marshal who fled from Austria and served in the Ottoman army for nearly 30 years Mustafa Celalettin Pasha, Polish noble who served in the Ottoman army for nearly 25 years. Great-grandfather of Nâzım Hikmet