On 17 August 1562, Sokollu Mehmed married Princess Ismihan Sultan, who was the daughter of Price Selim and granddaughter of Sultan Suleiman. Some sources often refer to her with the alternative pronunciation Esma Han Sultan. Ismihan was also a member of a royal family in Venice, which made her a very influential person in the Mediterranean. The connections that Mehmed gained through his marriage with Ismihan lasted for years and proved to be a valuable piece to his success as a politician, even during the war between Venice and the Ottomans in the 1570s. Mehmed spent the following years in peace, governing and administrating the realm.