Merzifonludur. Sipâhi Nûhoğlu Mustafa Ağa’nın mahdûmudur. Bu da sipâhi olup Merzifonî Hacı Ali Paşa’nın sadâretinde Unkapanı kantar emini olarak ma’rûfiyyet kazandı. Ba’dehû sipâhilerin ocak kethüdâsı, 1109’da ser-çeşme oldu.
1110 senesi gurre-i muharreminde Amasya Sancağı Beyi olup Amcazâde Hüseyin Paşa’nın himmetiyle 1112 zilhiccesi gurresinde bâ-rütbe-i mîr-i mîrânî Kavala Sancağı mutasarrıfı olup ba’de’l-azl 1115 senesi recebinde Tımışvar Beylerbeyi ve muhâfızı olup fenâ idâresinden dolayı azliyle 1116’da maktûlen vefât etdi.
In Modern English
He was from Merzifon. He was the son of the sipahi Nûhoğlu Mustafa Ağa. He too was a sipahi and became known as the Unkapanı weighing steward during the grand vizierate of Merzifonlu Hacı Ali Pasha. Later he became kethüda of the sipahi corps, and in 1109 [1697-98] he became ser-çeşme.
At the beginning of Muharram 1110 [1698] he became Sanjak Governor of Amasya. Through the efforts of Amcazade Hüseyin Pasha, at the beginning of Zilhicce 1112 [1701] he became mutasarrıf of the Sanjak of Kavala with the rank of mîrmîrân. After being removed from office, in Receb 1115 [1703] he became Beylerbeyi and guardian of Temeşvar; he was dismissed for bad administration and in 1116 [1704-05] he was killed and gave up his life.
Notes and Research
Old Words in the Text
- kantar emini: the official in charge of weights and measures
- Unkapanı: the landing and surrounding area on the Golden Horn in Istanbul where the flour and grain trade was conducted
- ocak kethüdası: the administrator of the sipahi corps
- ser-çeşme: literally "head fountain"; its definition as a post within the sipahi class could not be verified
- sancak beyi: the governor of a sanjak (administrative district)
- bâ-rütbe-i mîr-i mîrân: with the rank of beylerbeyi
- mutasarrıf: the official who governs a sanjak
- muhâfız: the governor responsible for defending a fortress and province
- maktûlen vefât: to die by being killed
The Importance of Temeşvar
Temeşvar, Ahmed Pasha's last post, is today Timișoara within the borders of Romania. After the Treaty of Karlowitz (1699), when the provinces of Varat, Uyvar and Eğri were lost, Temeşvar became the only strategic point north of the Danube remaining in Ottoman hands. For this reason the fortress and province required great care for both defense and repair. In an uprising at the fortress between 1695 and 1702, caused by delayed soldiers' pay, five officers in the palace council hall were killed and the mufti of Temeşvar was removed from office by the soldiers. In 1703-04, the years in which Hüsâmeddin places Ahmed Pasha in Temeşvar, intensive repair work was under way at the fortress and measures were being taken to bring back the people who had fled.
The study we read records that on 18 January 1704 Ali Pasha was appointed guardian of Temeşvar and Yusuf Pasha guardian of Niş. The name of Nûhzade Ahmed Pasha does not appear in this study. For this reason the date Hüsâmeddin gives for the beylerbeyilik of Temeşvar could not be verified with another source. Amcazade Hüseyin Pasha, who brought him to the sanjak of Amasya, became grand vizier in 1697, and the role of this relationship in his appointment to Kavala is stated explicitly in Hüsâmeddin's text. What the "bad administration" charge mentioned in the entry was based on, or the reason for his killing, could not be found in other sources.
Bibliography
Primary sources
- Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar, Amasya Tarihi, Amasya Belediyesi Kültür Yayınları, 2022, vol. 6, p. 186–186. amasya.bel.tr
Academic studies
- Eyüp Kul, "Temeşvar Eyaleti'ne Nizam Verme Çalışmaları ve Temeşvar'ın Kaybı Öncesinde Yapılan Faaliyetler (1700-1715)", History Studies, 11/3, June 2019, p. 1009–1029.
Books
- Abdülkadir Özcan, "Ahmed Paşa, Kavanoz", TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi (on the grand vizierate of Amcazade Hüseyin Pasha).