Tardić was born to a Croatian family in Šibenik,[2] where he had a brother called Zorzi or Juraj.
After being released he converted to Islam[4] and entered the Ottoman military serving under Gazi Husrev Bey as his vojvoda, where he quickly rose through the ranks.
[5][6] As a close associate of Gazi Husrev Bey, he led numerous military conquests against the Croatian army in northern Bosnia and Croatia.
[4] In 1536, Murat Bey Tardić was charged by Suleiman the Magnificent with 8,000 men to lay siege to the Klis Fortress under Petar Kružić.
[8][10] Bosnian-American author Aleksandar Hemon and others infer a lover relationship between Tardić and Gazi Husrev Bey.