Devehâne Mahallesi eşrâfından es-Seyyid el-Hâc Mehmed Efendi bin el-Hâc Sâlih Efendi bin el-Hâc Mehmed Efendi mahdûmu olup bidâyet-i nizâmda asker olarak mülâzım sonra yüzbaşı olarak muhârebelere girdi.
Tedrîcen kolağası, 1265’de birinci alayın dördüncü taburuna binbaşı oldu. 1268’de mütekâ’id olup Amasya’ya geldi. 1271 hudûdunda vefât etdi. Oğulları Kavasbaşı es-Seyyid Mehmed, Osmân Ağalardır. Kavasoğulları, Şerîf, Hüseyin Ahmed olup Hâncı Osmân Ağa’nın oğulları da Nalband Ahmed, Nuri, Mehmed Ali Ağalardır.
In Modern English
He was the son of Seyyid Hacı Mehmed Efendi, one of the notables of the Devehane Quarter; Mehmed Efendi was the son of Hacı Salih Efendi, who was the son of Hacı Mehmed Efendi. At the beginning of the new order (nizam) he became a soldier, and entered the wars first as a lieutenant (mülâzım) and then as a captain (yüzbaşı).
In time he became a kolağası, and in 1265 [1848-49] a major (binbaşı) of the fourth battalion of the first regiment. In 1268 [1851-52] he retired and came to Amasya. He died around 1271 [1854-55]. His sons are Kavasbaşı Seyyid Mehmed and Osman Ağa. The Kavasoğulları are Şerif and Hüseyin Ahmed; the sons of Hancı Osman Ağa are Nalband Ahmed, Nuri and Mehmed Ali Ağa.
Notes and Research
Old Words in the Text
- eşrâf: the notables
- mahdûm: son
- bidâyet-i nizâm: the beginning of the nizam, that is, of the new order
- mülâzım: a junior officer at the level of lieutenant
- kolağası, binbaşı: two officer ranks that come after captain; the binbaşı commands a battalion
- tedrîcen: step by step, in time
- mütekâ'id: retired
- hudûd: around, about (in dates)
- kavasbaşı: head of the kavas, that is, of the guards and attendants
- hâncı: one who works at or runs an inn (han)
- nalband: a craftsman who nails horseshoes onto animals
An Officer's Career
The rise of Seyyid Ahmed Efendi follows a line from lieutenant to captain, and from there to kolağası and major. In the rank ladder of the Asâkir-i Mansûre-i Muhammediyye the ranks mülâzım, yüzbaşı, left kolağası, right kolağası and binbaşı come in this order. According to the source, in the first organization of the army the highest-ranking officer of a tertip, the unit that took the name tabur (battalion) in July 1827, was the binbaşı; the phrase "the fourth battalion of the first regiment" in the text fits this arrangement. It is not clear which year Hüsameddin means by the "beginning of the nizam"; it may correspond to the founding years of the new army, but this is an interpretation. Which wars he took part in is not written either. To which unit the regiment and battalion numbers belonged could not be established from the sources consulted.
Family and Occupations
The entry carries the officer's lineage several generations down: among his sons it lists posts such as kavasbaşı and hancı, and among his grandsons a branch called "Kavasoğulları" and a craft such as that of the nalband. This list shows that the family of an officer who reached the rank of major took part in various lines of work within the quarter. It can be seen that some names, like Kavasbaşı, are given to a branch of the family as a title; whether these are personal names or family nicknames is not clear.
In Other Sources
No reliable source was found for the present name or location of the Devehane Quarter; no record of Ahmed Efendi and his family was found outside Hüsameddin.
Bibliography
- Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar, Amasya Tarihi, Amasya Belediyesi Kültür Yayınları, 2022, vol. 6, p. 230–230. amasya.bel.tr