Amasya’nın Hızır Paşa Mahallesi’nden olup esbak Amasya mütesellimi olan el-Hâc Hızır Ağa bin Ahmed Ağa’nın hafîdi “Hızıroğlu” demekle meşhûr Mustafa Ağa bin el-Hâc Mehmed Ağa bin el-Hâc Hızır Ağa’nın mahdûmudur.
Altıncı bölükte mukayyed yeniçeri olup iştihâr ederek hayli müddet meydan ağası oldu. 1163’den itibâren altı defa Amasya serdârı olup tahsîlât vak’asında hizmeti görüldüğünden turnacıbaşı pâyesini aldı. 1172 muharreminde yedinci defa serdâr [655] olup sonunda meclis-i a’yân azâsı olduğu halde 1176’da vefât etdi. Nâfizü’l-kelim, âkil, müdebbir bir yeniçeri zâbiti idi. Amasya a’yânından Kâsım Ağazâde es-Seyyid el-Hâc Ahmed Ağa da bu esnâlarda vefât etdi.
In Modern English
He was from the Hızır Pasha quarter of Amasya. He is the son of Mustafa Ağa, famed as "Hızıroğlu", grandson of Hacı Hızır Ağa, who had earlier served as mütesellim (deputy governor) of Amasya; Mustafa Ağa's father was Hacı Mehmed Ağa, and his father in turn Hacı Hızır Ağa.
He became known as a janissary registered in the sixth company and for a long time served as meydan ağası. Beginning in 1163 [1749-50] he was six times serdar of Amasya; for his service in the tax-collection affair he received the rank of turnacıbaşı. In Muharrem 1172 [August-September 1758] he became serdar for the seventh time, and finally, while a member of the council of notables, died in 1176 [1762-63]. He was a janissary officer whose word carried weight, intelligent and prudent. Seyyid Hacı Ahmed Ağa, son of Kâsım Ağazâde, of the notables of Amasya, died about this time too.
Notes and Research
Old Words in the Text
- mütesellim: an authorized deputy in the administration of a place, a city governor
- hafîd: grandson
- mukayyed: registered
- meydan ağası: the official heading the janissary company in the city
- serdâr: military commander; here, the head of the janissaries in Amasya
- tahsîlât vak'ası: the tax-collection affair
- turnacıbaşı: a higher rank in the janissary corps
- nâfizü'l-kelim: one whose word carries weight and is heeded
- âkil, müdebbir: intelligent, prudent
The Chain of Descent
In the chain Hüsameddin gives, Ahmed Ağa is the son of Mustafa Ağa, the grandson of the mütesellim Hacı Hızır Ağa; the chain counts four generations in the form Hızır, Mehmed, Mustafa, Ahmed. It is striking that the name of the quarter, Hızır Pasha, is the same as the family's first name, Hızır. Whether there is a connection between them cannot be understood from the text.
Janissary Service and Notability
The entry shows how a janissary officer in Amasya entered the class of notables. Ahmed Ağa began as a registrant in the sixth company, served as meydan ağası, was six times serdar, and finally entered the council of notables. The order Hüsameddin gives is as follows: six serdarships from 1163, then the seventh in Muharrem 1172.
The expression "tahsîlât vak'ası" recurs in later entries: in entry 668 Hüsameddin writes that Ahmed Bey in 1170 [1756-57] rendered good service in this affair and became kapıcıbaşı. Here Ahmed Ağa received the rank of turnacıbaşı for his service in the same affair after 1163. Since there are seven years between the two dates, it cannot be understood from the text whether the same event or different events concerning tax collection are meant. No information was found in other sources about this affair or about the Hızıroğlu family.
Bibliography
- Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar, Amasya Tarihi, Amasya Belediyesi Kültür Yayınları, 2022, vol. 6, p. 204–204. amasya.bel.tr