Amasya a’yânından ve dergâh-ı âlî kapıcıbaşılarından es-Seyyid el-Hâc Lütfullah Bey bin el-Hâc Osmân Bey bin el-Hâc Ali Bey bin el-Hâc Ömer Bey bin el-Hâc İbrâhim Bey bin Rahtuvan Mehmed Paşa mahdûmudur.
Amcası es-Seyyid el-Hâc Ali Bey’in irtihâlinde Taş Han ve Mahmûd Çelebi Zâviyesi evkâfına mütevellî ve 1278 târîhinden itibâren defa’âtle meclis-i idâre a’zâsı olduğu halde 1306 senesi muharreminde vefât etdi. Sahî, âlî-cenâb, halûk, muhibb-i ulemâ, dindâr bir hânedân idi. Mahdûmu Osmân Fa’ik Bey ve dâmâdı Caniklizâde el-Hâc Ahmed Efendi’dir.
In Modern English
He was the son of Seyyid Hacı Lütfullah Bey, one of the notables of Amasya and one of the head gatekeepers of the Sublime Porte. Lütfullah Bey was the son of Hacı Osman Bey; Osman Bey was the son of Hacı Ali Bey, Ali Bey of Hacı Ömer Bey, Ömer Bey of Hacı İbrahim Bey, and İbrahim Bey was the son of Rahtuvan Mehmed Pasha.
On the death of his uncle Seyyid Hacı Ali Bey he became trustee of the waqfs of the Taş Han and of the Mahmud Çelebi Zaviye. From 1278 [1861-62] on he sat repeatedly on the administrative council, and died in Muharrem 1306 [1888-89]. His was a household that was generous, high-minded, of good character, a lover of scholars, and devout. His son was Osman Faik Bey, and his son-in-law Caniklizade Hacı Ahmed Efendi.
Notes and Research
Old Words in the Text
- dergâh-ı âlî kapıcıbaşısı: one of the heads of the gatekeepers of the sultan's palace; later a rank
- mahdûm: son
- evkâf: waqfs
- mütevellî: trustee of a waqf
- zâviye: a small lodge where dervishes gathered and travelers also lodged
- meclis-i idâre: administrative council
- defa'âtle: repeatedly
- âlî-cenâb: high-minded
- muhibb-i ulemâ: lover of scholars
- dâmâd: son-in-law
The Office of Kapıcıbaşı
The kapıcıbaşı is the official at the head of the gatekeepers who guarded the gates of the Ottoman palace and took part in palace ceremonies. In the time of Mehmed the Conqueror there was only one such official; the number grew over time and rose to sixty in the first half of the eighteenth century and to one hundred and fifty at its end. Kapıcıbaşıs performed many duties, such as appointments, delivering notices, tax collection, inspection and the surre stewardship; announcing the appointments of beylerbeyis to those concerned was also among their tasks. In the last centuries the kapıcıbaşılık began to be granted as a rank or title rather than a duty, and was even conferred on some provincial ayan. When the Janissary corps was abolished in 1826 the number was cut to thirty, in 1840 it was raised to forty, and the office was divided into two, "rikâb-ı hümâyun" and "dergâh-ı âlî." This rank was abolished in 1908. The phrase "dergâh-ı âlî kapıcıbaşı" in the text corresponds to the second of these two branches. That Lütfullah Bey, living in Amasya as an ayan, carried this title suggests that the rank was used in the provinces as a mark of standing; how or when Lütfullah Bey's kapıcıbaşılık was granted cannot be understood from the text.
Rahtuvan Mehmed Pasha and the Taş Han
The family traces its descent to Rahtuvan Mehmed Pasha. The text lists the chain in five generations. The waqfs of the Taş Han and the Mahmud Çelebi Zaviye show that the family was responsible for waqf management. The inn known as Taş Han in Merzifon is part of the Kara Mustafa Pasha Complex. According to the record of the provincial culture and tourism directorate, the inscription of the building has not survived and it is dated to the seventeenth century by its architectural features; some studies propose a date before 1671. A restoration project record, however, gives the date 1699 and the name Rahtuvan Hacı Mehmed Pasha for the inn. This date and name could not be verified, since there is no inscription and they do not agree with the other sources. Whether the Taş Han mentioned by Hüsameddin is the inn in Merzifon also cannot be settled from the text. No information was found in the sources about the Mahmud Çelebi Zaviye.
The Structure of the Merzifon Taşhan
The Taşhan in Merzifon is a two-storey urban inn built of hewn stone and walls banded with brick. It is entered through a round-arched doorway on the south front; in the middle there is an open courtyard, to the north a portico of pointed arches, and behind it alcoves resting on corbels and stables for the animals. The upper floor also has cells, and there are two fountains in the interior. After restoration the inn is used today as a hotel and restaurant. Even though it is not clear which building the Taş Han of the text is, these details suggest what kind of source of waqf income such an inn could be.
Waqf Trusteeship and the Administrative Council
Trusteeship means being responsible for collecting a waqf's revenues, having its buildings repaired and paying its staff. This entry shows the trusteeship passing from uncle to nephew. The administrative council was a body that worked at sanjak and kaza level in the provincial order after the Tanzimat. Lütfullah Bey's repeated membership after 1278 [1861-62] shows that he carried continuing weight in local government. Halil İnalcık writes that in most places the provincial councils came under the control of local dynasties and notables.
The Man in Other Sources
No information could be found in other sources about Rahtuvan Paşazade Ahmed Bey, his father Lütfullah Bey, or the other members of the family.
Bibliography
Primary sources
- Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar, Amasya Tarihi, Amasya Belediyesi Kültür Yayınları, 2022, vol. 6, p. 235–235. amasya.bel.tr
Academic studies
Official sources
Other sources