AMASYA 05

Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar · BİRİNCİ BÂB · ONUNCU FASIL · İKİNCİ DEVRE

Ahmed Bey

Encyclopedia · History of Amasya, Volume 3, p. 522–524 • Edited by: Prof. Dr. Mehmet ARSLAN

Original Text (Ottoman Turkish)

Aslında Köprülü Debbâğ Mehmed Ağa'nın oğludur. Amasya debbâğ-hânesinde [350] çalışıp mültezimlerden oldu. Deli İbrâhim Paşa'nın zulüm ve seyyi'âtı yüzünden isyân etmekle "Yaramaz Ahmed" dendi. Sonra müfettiş Hüseyin Paşa'nın arzıyla mîrlivâ oldu. 1008 senesi şa'bânında Abdulhalîm'e Çorum sancağı verildikde Amasya beyi olup geldi.

Alacaatlı Ahmed Paşa, meşâhîr-i şuc'ândan bir zât idi. Dâ'iresi mükemmeldi. Diyârbekir'den sür'atle gelip Sivas'ı sardı. Mahmûd Paşa'yı kaçırdı. Cebren Sivas'ı zabt etdi. Yaramaz Ahmed Bey de bu ayârda bir adamdı. Ma'iyyetiyle gelip Amasya'yı zabt etdi.

Ahmed Bey, Amasya'nın a'yân ve ulemâsına istinâd ederek Abdulhalîm'i Geldiklan sahrâsından kaldırdı. İki tarafdan muhârebeler oldu. Amasya sipâhîleri Ahmed Bey'e mu'în olarak Abdulhalîm'e galebe etmişdi. Erbâb-ı ihtilâl arasında hakîkaten şakîler de vardı. Ahmed Bey Amasya'yı en ziyâde bu şakîlerden korudu.

1009 senesi rebî'ulevvelinde müftü Köse Ahmed Efendi, eşkıyâ korkusundan ikinci def'a isti'fâ edib derhâl İstanbul'a gitdi. Yerine Manav Hasan Efendizâde Abdullah Efendi Amasya müftüsü olduğu hâlde gelmeğe cesâret edemedi. Bunun da yerine cumadelûlâsında Eyüplü Emîr Alî Efendi ta'yîn edildi.

Alî Efendi, "Emîr-i Sâhib-i Tâc" demekle meşhûrdu. İlmi ve kalbi zayıf adamdı. İstanbul'dan kalkıp gemi ile Samsun'a çıkdı. Buradan güç hâl ile Lâdik'e kadar geldi. Fakat yolların kapalı olması hasebiyle Lâdik voyvodası Tayyâr Mustafa Ağa ile Amasya'ya geldi. [351]

1009 senesinde bâb-ı âlî Haleb vâlîsi vezîr el-Hâc İbrâhim Paşa'yı erbâb-ı ihtilâl üzerine serdâr ta'yîn edib gönderdi. Hacı İbrâhim Paşa fenâ hâlde bozulup kaçdı. Ordusu yağmâ edildi. Erbâb-ı ihtilâl bundan fevkalâde kuvvet aldı.

1010 senesinde bâb-ı âlî Bağdâd vâlîsi Sokullu Mehmed Paşazâde Hasan Paşa'yı serdâr gönderdi. Fakat Abdulhalîm tamamiyle azıtmış, erbâb-ı ihtilâlin makâsıd-ı asliyyesini bırakıp kendi nüfûz ve saltanatı hevâsına tâbi' olarak erbâb-ı ihtilâlin rü'esâsını tanımaz olmuşdu.

Hâlbuki erbâb-ı ihtilâl, cumhûrî bir şekil ve tarzı kabûl ederek gâyelerine ermek istiyorlardı. Abdulhalîm'in tarz ve tavrı erbâb-ı ihtilâli kızdırdı. 1010 senesi recebinde erbâb-ı ihtilâl arasında çıkan muhâlefet ve nizâ' üzerine Abdulhalîm ifnâ edildi.

Bunun üzerine erbâb-ı ihtilâl, uzun mükâleme ve mücâdeleden sonra Halîm'in birâderi Deli Hasan Ağa'yı re'îs yapdılar. Tokat'a kadar gelen serdâr Hasan Paşa'yı muhâsara edib 1010 senesi zilhiccesinde şehîd ve ma'iyyetini perîşân, ordusunu talân etdiler.

Deli Hasan, bundan fevkalâde kuvvet buldu. Anadolu'yu istîlâya kıyâm edib Amasya sancağına Deli Zülfikâr Ağa'yı ta'yîn ve i'zâm eyledi. Fakat Tokat şehri yanıp kül oldu. Pek çok adamlar kılıçdan geçdi. Çünkü kendilerine uymayanları "Osmanlı" diye öldürüyorlardı. [352]

Tokat şehrinin felâketi, Amasya'nın a'yân ve halkını fevkalâde ürkütmüşdü. Her neye mâl olursa olsun eşkıyâyı Amasya'ya yanaşdırmamağa ahd etmişlerdi. Bu esnâda Amasya mîrlivâsı Yaramaz Ahmed Bey, kadısı Bayrâmzâde Mahmûd Efendi, müftüsü Sâhib-i Tâc Emîr Alî Efendi, nakîbü'l-eşrâf kâ'im-makâmı es-Seyyid Sâfî Mustafa Çelebi idi.

Amasya'nın a'yân-ı ulemâsından Şeyhzâde Veliyyeddîn Efendi, Zileli Abdurrahmân Efendi, Köprülü el-Hâc Mehmed Efendi pek meşhûr idi. En ziyâde sâhib-i nüfûzu sâbık Sivas defterdârı Gümüşlüzâde Şemseddîn Efendi ile Hacı Mehmed, Çelebi Mehmed Efendiler'di. Hacı Mehmed Efendi, Yukarıpazar'ın efendisi, Çelebi Mehmed Efendi de Aşağıpazar'ın efendisi sayılırdı.

Amasya kalesinin dizdârı Memî Bey, Topçular kethüdâsı Topçu Mehmed Ağa⁶⁰³, alaybeyisi Mîrzâ Beyzâde Kalender Bey, kibâr-ı zu'amâdan Abdullah Paşazâde Hacı Kerîm Bey, sipâhî kethüdâyeri Aydınoğlu Kanlı Alî Ağa, yeniçeri zâbiti (serdârı) Çakaloğlu Hüseyin Ağa idi.

Dergâh-ı âlî çavuşlarından Helkisli Mustafa Ağa, kapıcılarından Elmacı Mehmed Ağa, zu'amâdan Kesdek Mehmed, Seydî Beyzâde Mustafa, Kalender Beyzâde Bâkî, Hacı Beyzâde İlyâs, Muzaffer Paşazâde Sefer Beyler de meşhûr idiler. Amasya'yı müdâfa'a edenlerin başlarında bunlar vardı.

Deli Zülfikâr Ağa, süvârî ve piyâde sekiz binden ziyâde ma'iyyetiyle beraber Amasya üzerine yürümüş, Kaynar mevki'ine gelip çadırını kurmuşdu. [353] Amasya müdâfi'leriyle hayli muhâbereler etdi. Söyleşdi. Üç ay kadar uğraşıp durdu. Müdâfi'leri bir türlü inandıramadı. Çünkü başındaki haşerâtı şer adamlardı. 1011 senesi recebinin gurresinde Deli Zülfikâr Ağa, kethüdâsı Sarhoş Mehmd Ağa'nın ve ma'iyyetinin icbârıyla Amasya'ya cebren girmeğe azm ederek Kaynar mevki'inden ordusunu kaldırıp Amasya'yı her tarafdan sardı.

Amasya'nın a'yân ve halkı, kadın ve çocuklarını kal’a-i bâlâya kaldırdılar. Mallarını, nakidlerini yerlere gömüp, mağaralara gizleyip Amasya'yı fedâkârâne müdâfa'a etmeğe koyuldular. Hayli uğraşdılar. Fakat kendilerinden fazla olan eşkıyâya karşı âciz kaldılar.

1011 senesi recebinin beşinci günü eşkıyâ, Deli Zülfikâr Ağa'nın sâkin olduğu Ziyâre tarafından Amasya'ya cebren girdiler. Şenlikler yapar gibi Amasya'nın Aşağıpazar tarafını kâmilen yakdılar. Önlerine gelen bîçâreleri kesdiler.⁶⁰⁴ Amasya'nın ikinci devre-i târîhine nihâyet verdiler.

Amasya ikinci devre-i târîhiyyesinde kıymet-i mülkiyyesinden biraz gâyib etmiş, büyük bir vilâyet merkezi iken sancak olmuş denebilir. Ancak vilâyet hâlinde hâvî olduğu kazâlar i'tibârıyla eski şân ve şerefini muhâfaza etmişdi. [354]

Amasya vilâyet iken şu kazâları şâmildi: Taşâbâd, Lâdik, Havza, Gümüş, Merzifon, Gelgirâs, Mecidözü, Tanun (Zünnûnâbâd), Varay, Turhal, Geldiklan. Şu nâhiyeler de Amasya'nın müştemilâtından idi: Akdağ, Yenice, Hakala, Arguma, İnepazar, Öz, Olus. Amasya olduğu bir günden beri şu kazâlar ve nâhiyeler kendisinin bir uzvu, kendisinin infikâkı mümkün olmayan bir cüz'-i hâsı idi. Bu kazâlarla Amasya'nın imtiyâzı, bu kazâların da Amasya ile şeref ve i'tibârı vardı. Havza ve Köprü, Amasya'nın birer mahallesi kadar yakın, iki gözü kadar lâzım birer uzv-ı kıymetdârıydı. Yüzlerce yıllardan beri bu kazâlar Amasya ile iftihâr ederdi.

İkinci devre-i târîhiyyesinde Amasya'nın irfânı eski parlaklığını hâ'izdi. Belki biraz daha yükselmişdi. Mü'eyyedzâde Abdurrahmân, Tâcîzâde Ca'fer ve Sa'dî, Cemâlîzâde Alî, Kemâl Paşazâde Ahmed, Muhaşşî Sinan, Seydî Alizâde Abdurrahmân, Mü'eyyedzâde Abdulkâdir Şeyhî Efendiler gibi Türklerden emsâli nâdir yetişir sudûr-ı ulemâ ve meşâyih-i İslâm, Amasya'nın ahvâlini pek parlak gösteren ricâlidir.

Türk vüzerâ-yı izâmının hâtimesi sayılan a'lem-i ulemâ, ser-defter-i fuzalâ Pîrî Mehmed Paşa gibi bir sadr-ı a'zam, Bâlî Beyzâde Mehmed Paşa, Ümmet Çavuşzâde Mehmed Paşa, Ramazânzâde Mehmed Bey gibi pek değerli nişâncılar, Yenicelizâde İskender, Sarı Kadızâde Mahmûd Çelebiler gibi yüksek defterdârlar, Amasya'nın yetişdirdiği ezkiyâ-yı milletdir.

Hele Amasya'nın şân ve şerefini, fazl ve kemâlini terennüm eden şâirleri [355] birinci devre-i kemâline fâ'ik denecek kadar çokdur. Bunlardan Çeşmî, Mihrî, Kâmî, Celîlî, Mu'îdî, Fikrî, Hızrî, Remzî, Ânî, Hayâtî, Siyâbî, Âhî pek ma'rûf idiler.

İkinci devresinde Amasya'nın umrânı, irfânıyla beraberdi. Kaya Paşa'nın câmi' ve mektebi, Seydî Alizâde Osmân Efendi'nin dâru'l-hadîsi, Abdullah Efendi'nin dâru't-tevhîdi gibi mü'essesât-ı dîniyye ve ilmiyyenin ilâveleri de vardı. Hayfâ ki ihtilâl erbâbının hücûm ve isyânı hayli mü'essesâtı harâb u yebâb etdi.

Osmanlı kânûn-ı idâresinin Türklüğe müdhiş darbeler indiren birkaç mâddesi aleyhinde bütün Anadolu'da kaldırılan ihtilâl bayrağı, Amasya târîhinde altı yıllık bir fetret doğurmuşdu. Bu fetret, ikinci devrenin müntehâsıyla üçüncü devrenin mübtedâsı arasına girmiş bir fâsıla-i târîhiyyedir.

Footnotes

  • 603 Bu Mehmed Ağa, bugün Amasya eşrâfı olan Topçu-zâdeler'in cedd-i a'lâsıdır.
  • 604 İkinci devrenin târîhi, bâb-ı âlî ve evkâf idâresi ve mülgâ meşîhat evrâk mahzenlerinde mütâla'a edilen ahkâm, mukâta'a ve muhâsebe defâtiriyle mehâkim sicillâtından ve Türkiye târîhleriyle Şakâyık Zeylleri'nden toplanan ma'lûmâtın bir hulâsasıdır.
Our Research Article Editor: Mevlüt Erdem Öztürk

In Modern English

He was in fact the son of Köprülü Debbağ Mehmed Ağa. He worked in the tannery in Amasya and became one of the tax farmers. Because he rebelled against the tyranny and evil deeds of Deli İbrâhim Pasha, he was called "Yaramaz Ahmed" ("Ahmed the Rascal"). Later, on the report of the inspector Hüseyin Pasha, he became a mirliva. When the sanjak of Çorum was given to Abdulhalîm in Shaban 1008 [1600], he came as bey of Amasya.

Alacaatlı Ahmed Pasha was a man of the famous brave warriors. His retinue was excellent. He came swiftly from Diyarbekir and besieged Sivas. He drove Mahmûd Pasha to flight. He took Sivas by force. Yaramaz Ahmed Bey was a man of about the same stamp. He came with his retinue and took Amasya.

Relying on the notables and scholars of Amasya, Ahmed Bey drove Abdulhalîm from the Geldiklan plain. Battles were fought from both sides. The sipahis of Amasya helped Ahmed Bey and had overcome Abdulhalîm. Among the rebels there were truly wicked men as well. Ahmed Bey protected Amasya most of all from these wicked men.

In Rabi' al-awwal 1009 [1600-01], the mufti Köse Ahmed Efendi, afraid of the bandits, resigned for the second time and went at once to Istanbul. Manav Hasan Efendizâde Abdullah Efendi, appointed mufti of Amasya in his place, did not dare to come. In his place, in Jumada al-awwal, Eyüplü Emîr Alî Efendi was appointed.

Alî Efendi was called "Emîr-i Sâhib-i Tâc." He was a man weak in learning and weak in heart. He set out from Istanbul, landed at Samsun by ship, and from there came with difficulty as far as Ladik. But because the roads were closed, he came to Amasya with Tayyâr Mustafa Ağa, the voivode of Ladik.

In 1009 the Sublime Porte sent the governor of Aleppo, the vizier el-Hâc İbrâhim Pasha, as commander-in-chief against the rebels. Hacı İbrâhim Pasha was badly routed and fled. His army was plundered. The rebels gained extraordinary strength from this.

In 1010 [1601-02] the Sublime Porte sent the governor of Baghdad, Hasan Pasha, son of Sokullu Mehmed Pasha, as commander-in-chief. But Abdulhalîm had grown utterly overbearing; abandoning the rebels' true aims and following his own lust for influence and sovereignty, he no longer recognized the rebels' leaders.

Yet the rebels wanted to reach their goals by adopting a form and manner resembling a republic. Abdulhalîm's manner and attitude angered them. In Rajab 1010, after opposition and discord arose among the rebels, Abdulhalîm was done away with.

Thereupon, after long discussion and wrangling, the rebels made Halîm's brother Deli Hasan Ağa their head. They besieged the commander-in-chief Hasan Pasha, who had come as far as Tokat, martyred him in Dhu al-Hijjah 1010, dispersed his retinue and plundered his army.

Deli Hasan found extraordinary strength in this. He set out to overrun Anatolia and sent Deli Zülfikâr Ağa, appointing him to the sanjak of Amasya. But the city of Tokat burned to ashes. Many people were put to the sword, because they killed those who did not follow them as "Ottomans."

The catastrophe of the city of Tokat greatly frightened the notables and people of Amasya. They had pledged to keep the bandits away from Amasya at any cost. At that time the mirliva of Amasya was Yaramaz Ahmed Bey, its kadı Bayrâmzâde Mahmûd Efendi, its mufti Sâhib-i Tâc Emîr Alî Efendi, and the deputy of the nakîbüleşraf es-Seyyid Sâfî Mustafa Çelebi.

Among the notables and scholars of Amasya, Şeyhzâde Veliyyeddîn Efendi, Zileli Abdurrahmân Efendi and Köprülü el-Hâc Mehmed Efendi were very famous. Those with the most influence were the former defterdar of Sivas, Gümüşlüzâde Şemseddîn Efendi, together with Hacı Mehmed and Çelebi Mehmed Efendis. Hacı Mehmed Efendi was regarded as the lord of Yukarıpazar, and Çelebi Mehmed Efendi as the lord of Aşağıpazar.

The dizdar (fortress commander) of Amasya castle was Memî Bey, the steward of the artillerymen Topçu Mehmed Ağa, the alaybeyi Mîrzâ Beyzâde Kalender Bey, among the leading zeamet holders Abdullah Paşazâde Hacı Kerîm Bey, the sipahi kethüdâyeri Aydınoğlu Kanlı Alî Ağa, and the janissary officer (serdar) Çakaloğlu Hüseyin Ağa.

Among the palace çavuşes Helkisli Mustafa Ağa, among the gatekeepers Elmacı Mehmed Ağa, and among the zeamet holders the Beys Kesdek Mehmed, Seydî Beyzâde Mustafa, Kalender Beyzâde Bâkî, Hacı Beyzâde İlyâs and Muzaffer Paşazâde Sefer were also well known. These were at the head of those defending Amasya.

Deli Zülfikâr Ağa marched on Amasya with more than eight thousand cavalry and infantry in his retinue, came to the place called Kaynar and pitched his tent. He exchanged many letters with the defenders of Amasya. He held talks. He labored for about three months. He could not persuade the defenders at all, because the crowd with him were ill-intentioned people. At the beginning of Rajab 1011 [1602-03], Deli Zülfikâr Ağa, pressed by his steward Sarhoş Mehmed Ağa and his retinue, decided to enter Amasya by force; he moved his army from Kaynar and surrounded Amasya on all sides.

The notables and people of Amasya took their women and children up into the upper castle. They buried their goods and money in the ground, hid them in caves, and set about defending Amasya selflessly. They struggled for a good while. But they were powerless against the bandits, who outnumbered them.

On the fifth day of Rajab 1011 the bandits entered Amasya by force from the Ziyare side, where Deli Zülfikâr Ağa was lodged. As if holding a festival, they burned the whole Aşağıpazar side of Amasya. They slaughtered the wretched people who came before them. They brought the second historical period of Amasya to an end.

It can be said that in its second historical period Amasya lost somewhat in standing, from having been a great provincial center to being a sanjak center. But in terms of the districts it comprised as a province, it had preserved its former fame and honor.

When Amasya was a province it comprised these districts: Taşâbâd, Ladik, Havza, Gümüş, Merzifon, Gelgirâs, Mecidözü, Tanun (Zünnûnâbâd), Varay, Turhal, Geldiklan. These nahiyes were also attached to Amasya: Akdağ, Yenice, Hakala, Arguma, İnepazar, Öz, Olus. Since the day Amasya has existed, these districts and nahiyes were a limb of it, a special part that could not be separated from it. Amasya's distinction lay with these districts, and these districts had their honor and standing with Amasya. Havza and Köprü were precious limbs of Amasya, as close as its own quarters, as necessary as its two eyes. For hundreds of years these districts took pride in Amasya.

In the second historical period Amasya's learning preserved its former brilliance. Perhaps it rose somewhat higher. Scholars and Islamic sheikhs of whom few the like were raised among the Turks, such as Mü'eyyedzâde Abdurrahmân, Tâcîzâde Ca'fer and Sa'dî, Cemâlîzâde Alî, Kemâl Paşazâde Ahmed, Muhaşşî Sinan, Seydî Alizâde Abdurrahmân and Mü'eyyedzâde Abdulkâdir Şeyhî Efendis, are the persons who show Amasya's condition as very brilliant.

A grand vizier such as Pîrî Mehmed Pasha, counted the last of the great Turkish viziers, the most learned of scholars, the head of the virtuous; very valuable nişancıs such as Bâlî Beyzâde Mehmed Pasha, Ümmet Çavuşzâde Mehmed Pasha and Ramazânzâde Mehmed Bey; high defterdars such as Yenicelizâde İskender and Sarı Kadızâde Mahmûd Çelebi, are the intelligent men of the nation whom Amasya raised.

As for the poets who voice Amasya's fame and honor, its excellence and maturity, they are numerous enough to surpass even the first period of maturity. Among them Çeşmî, Mihrî, Kâmî, Celîlî, Mu'îdî, Fikrî, Hızrî, Remzî, Ânî, Hayâtî, Siyâbî and Âhî were very well known.

In the second period Amasya's building activity went together with its learning. There were also additions of religious and scholarly institutions, such as the mosque and school of Kaya Pasha, the darülhadis of Seydî Alizâde Osmân Efendi and the darüttevhid of Abdullah Efendi. Unfortunately the attack and rebellion of the insurgents demolished and ruined many of these institutions.

The banner of revolt raised throughout Anatolia against a few articles of the Ottoman administrative law that dealt terrible blows to Turkishness produced a six-year interregnum in the history of Amasya. This interregnum is a historical interval that falls between the end of the second period and the beginning of the third.

Notes and Research

Old Words in the Text

  • debbâğ-hâne: tannery, a place where hides are processed
  • mültezim: a person who buys tax revenue in advance and undertakes its collection
  • seyyi'ât: evil deeds
  • mîrlivâ: sanjak governor
  • şuc'ân: brave men
  • şakî: bandit, highwayman
  • serdâr: commander-in-chief of an army on campaign
  • ifnâ: annihilation
  • cumhûrî: a form of government based on a council and joint decision
  • muhâsara: siege
  • nakîbü'l-eşrâf kâ'im-makâmı: deputy of the official in charge of the affairs of the sayyids
  • dizdâr: fortress commander
  • alaybeyi, sipâhî kethüdâyeri: administrators of the sipahi units in a sanjak
  • kibâr-ı zu'amâ: leading zeamet holders
  • haşerât: lower-class crowd, the common people
  • kal'a-i bâlâ: upper castle
  • fetret: a gap between two periods, a time of disorder
  • nişancı: a high state official who marked the sultan's decrees with the tughra
  • dârü'l-hadîs, dârü't-tevhîd: types of madrasa where hadith and creed were taught

Yaramaz Ahmed Bey and the Defense of Amasya

Yaramaz Ahmed appears in this entry in two different guises. First he is a rebel who worked in a tannery in Amasya and took on tax collection; Hüseyin Pasha rewarded him with the sanjak of Karahisâr-ı Şarkî in order to appease him. Then he turns into the governor who defends the city as bey of Amasya. Other sources also mention Hüseyin Pasha's method of appeasement; but we could not find Yaramaz Ahmed's detailed life in any source other than Hüsameddin. According to the footnote Hüsameddin placed in the book, the information on the second period is a summary compiled from the decrees, mukataa and accounting registers in the archives of the Sublime Porte and of the waqf administration, from court registers, from Turkish histories, and from the continuations of the Şakâyık. Since it is not shown which sentence is taken from which of these documents, it is not possible to test them one by one.

Regarding Topçu Mehmed Ağa, named in the defense, Hüsameddin writes in a footnote that he was the earliest ancestor of the Topçuzâde family, today among the notables of Amasya. This information is a local detail recalling that the book was written in the 1920s; we cannot say anything about this family today.

The function of Amasya Castle in the face of the Celâlî danger appears in other sources too: Evliya Çelebi writes that against Celâlî attacks the city's rich kept their valuables in the castle. Hüsameddin's account, "they buried their goods in the ground and hid them in caves," complements this practice. According to the same source, the castle lost its importance in the following centuries and began to fall into ruin.

The End of Karayazıcı, Deli Hasan and Tokat

Hüsameddin's attributing Abdulhalîm's removal to opposition among the rebels themselves agrees with one of the accounts in the sources. It is known that Karayazıcı was defeated at Sepetli by Sokulluzâde Hasan Pasha in August 1601 and withdrew to the Canik mountains; the sources on his death write either that he was killed by his men or that he died of his wounds; news of his death reached Istanbul in February-March 1602. The sources also report that Hasan Pasha made Tokat his base, and that the following year Deli Hasan, who succeeded Karayazıcı, his brother, raided Tokat and martyred him. Hüsameddin places this event in Dhu al-Hijjah 1010; it is consistent with the sources.

In Hüsameddin's book the end of Deli Hasan is not told here. According to the encyclopedia entry, after Deli Hasan plundered Kütahya and marched on Afyonkarahisar, the matter was to be settled "with sweetness," and he was appointed beylerbeyi of Bosnia in 1603. According to another source, he crossed into Europe in the spring of 1603, was transferred to Temeşvar the next year, and in 1605, after an assassination attempt, fled to Belgrade, where he was imprisoned and executed. The period in Anatolia from these years until 1608 is called in the sources the "great flight"; the people left their villages and took refuge in walled cities and towns.

The Burning of Amasya

The entry into and burning of Amasya by Deli Zülfikâr Ağa is not described in detail in any of the sources consulted; the encyclopedia entry says only that in the late sixteenth century Amasya fell into disorder and that Celâlî bandits at times dominated the city. For this reason Hüsameddin is the sole source for the day of the event, the length of the siege and the extent of the damage. The burning of Aşağıpazar and the people's withdrawal into the castle are among the passages where he says his historiography rests on local archives and registers, and they need separate confirmation. Hüsameddin's framing that "this sanjak was once a provincial center" also agrees with encyclopedic information: the sanjak of Amasya was an important part of the province of Rum and in the early period stood as the center of that province. According to the same source, the number of districts in the sanjak changed over the centuries: at the beginning of the sixteenth century Amasya consisted of the districts of Amasya, Ladik and Merzifon, rose to seven in 1576-77, and had become nine by the time of Evliya Çelebi. The list of eleven districts that Hüsameddin gives does not match these official figures; the author is probably describing an older and wider administrative framework, but we cannot show this from his own documents.

Scholars and Poets Raised

Of the names Hüsameddin lists here, Pîrî Mehmed Pasha is among the best known statesmen of Amasya. According to the encyclopedia entry he was probably born in Konya in 1463; he began madrasa education in Amasya, where his father, a Halvetî sheikh, served, and worked for a time as a clerk in the Amasya court. From 1518 to 1523 he served as grand vizier to Yavuz Sultan Selim and Kanûnî Sultan Süleyman. Hüsameddin's mentioning him as one raised by Amasya agrees with this link in the sources. On his birthplace, however, the sources point to Konya.

Mihrî Hatun, named among the poets, was born in Amasya and spent her life there; she entered the literary milieu that formed around the princely palace during the governorship of Amasya, first of Bayezid II and then of his son Prince Ahmed. Her death date is not certain: some studies give 1506, but because there is a record that she sent an ode to the sultan in 1512, she is accepted to have died after that date. Her grave is in the graveyard of the tekke of her grandfather Pîr İlyas. Mü'eyyedzâde Abdurrahman Efendi is likewise a scholar mentioned in Mihrî's circle, who wrote poetry under the pen name Hâtemî; the encyclopedia entry reports, on the basis of the tezkires, that there was an emotional closeness between them. Mü'eyyedzâde Abdülkadir appears among the leading scholars of the time in the list of icazetnames in Gelibolulu Âlî's work. We do not make a judgment in this study about how close to each other these persons bearing the same family name were. For the other names and buildings in the list, the mosque of Kaya Pasha, the darülhadis of Seydî Alizâde and the darüttevhid of Abdullah Efendi, no separate research could be made, and this information rests on Hüsameddin alone.

Hüsameddin's Closing Comment

At the end of the entry Hüsameddin sums up all these events as an uprising against the articles of the Ottoman administrative law "that dealt blows to Turkishness." As in the earlier entries, this is the author's own interpretation. Present-day research counts the causes of the Celâlî revolts as more many-sided: the breakdown of the timar system, masses of idle young men, the spread of the musket, the fall in the value of money, the pressure of officials, and the long Austrian and Iranian wars. The same studies stress that most of the Celâlî leaders of this period came from within the state organization and were people dismissed from office, rightly or wrongly. For Amasya the conclusion is shared: the sources write that after 1596 the population in many parts of Anatolia took refuge in cities and castles, and that the destruction was great.

Bibliography

Primary sources

  • Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar, Amasya Tarihi, Amasya Belediyesi Kültür Yayınları, 2022, vol. 3, p. 522–524. amasya.bel.tr

Academic studies

Other sources

Volume 3 contents

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