Köprülüdür. Köprü voyvodası “Tûricân, Duracan” demekle meşhûr Tûrâk Ağa, evlâdından Mustafa bin Ömer Ağa bin Tûrâk Ağa’nın oğludur. Kendisine “Tûracân oğlu ve Tûrîcânlı” denmişdir.
Evâil-i hâlinde yeniçeri olup Ciğerdelen muhârebesine gitmişdir. Avdetde İstanbul’a gelip, Hacı Ali Paşa’nın sadâretinde ocağa girdi. Çalık Ahmed Paşa’nın kul kethüdâlığında serbâzâne harekâtından dolayı yeniçeri [594] ağası bunu Çekmece’ye nefy ve kul kethüdâsını da tekâ’üde sevk etdi.
1115 senesi rebîülevvelinde Çalık Ahmed Paşa’nın kumandasında kıyâm eden hey’et-i askeriyyeye iltihâk ederek rü’esâ-yı cemiyyetden oldu. Şeyhülislam es-Seyyid Feyzullah Efendi’nin şehâdeti, Sultân Mustafa’nın hal’i ve Sultân Ahmed-i Sâlisin cülûsuyla hitâma eren vak’ada büyük bir mevki ve nüfûz sâhibi oldu.
Sene-i mezbûre rebîülahirinde Çalık Ahmed Paşa’nın sevkiyle Sivas Beylerbeyi ve 1116 senesi gurre-i muharreminde Van muhâfızı olduğu halde maktûlen vefât etdi. Eşirrâdan bir adam idi. Suhûletle i’dâmı bir muvaffakiyyet olmuşdu.
In Modern English
He was a native of Köprü. He was the son of Mustafa, son of Ömer Ağa, son of Tûrâk Ağa, a descendant of the voivode of Köprü, Tûrâk Ağa, famous as "Tûricân, Duracan". He was called "Tûracân oğlu" and "Tûrîcânlı".
In his early years he was a janissary and went to the battle of Ciğerdelen. On his return he came to Istanbul and entered the corps in the grand vizierate of Hacı Ali Pasha. Because of his defiant conduct in the time of Çalık Ahmed Pasha's kul kethüdalık, the janissary ağa exiled him to Çekmece and sent the kul kethüdası into retirement.
In Rebîülevvel 1115 he joined the military body that rose up under the command of Çalık Ahmed Pasha and became one of the heads of the union. In the event, which ended with the killing of Şeyhülislam es-Seyyid Feyzullah Efendi, the deposition of Sultan Mustafa and the accession of Sultan Ahmed III, he gained great standing and influence.
In Rebîülâhir of the same year, at Çalık Ahmed Pasha's direction, he became Beylerbeyi of Sivas, and at the beginning of Muharrem 1116 [1704], while guardian of Van, he was killed and gave up his life. He was one of the evil-natured. The ease with which his execution was carried out was counted a success.
Notes and Research
Old Words in the Text
- voyvoda: an administrator who ran tax and order affairs in a town or region
- evlâd: lineage, children
- evâil-i hâl: the early period of his life
- muhârebe: battle
- serbâzâne harekât: defiant, wilful conduct
- nefy: exile
- tekâüd: retirement
- hey'et-i askeriyye: military body
- rü'esâ-yı cemiyyet: the heads of the union
- vak'a: event
- hitâm: ending
- maktûlen vefât: dying by being killed
- eşirrâ: wicked, evil-natured persons
- suhûletle: with ease
Dorucan Ahmed
Tûrîcânlı Ahmed Pasha in the entry is the rebel of the Edirne Incident referred to in the sources as "Dorucan Ahmed". According to the encyclopedia entry describing the Edirne Incident, a force of around sixty thousand made up of janissaries, cebecis, gunners, bostancıs and tradesmen marched toward Edirne "under the leadership of Dorucan Ahmed". The nickname Hüsameddin writes as "Tûricân, Duracan" and "Dorucan" must be different pronunciations of the same name; this matching rests on the similarity of the names in the entry and the agreement of the course of events, and is not stated in so many words in any source. If this matching is right, Hüsameddin's expression "he became one of the heads of the union" and the encyclopedia entry's record of leadership support each other.
A Short and Harsh Life
The entry describes a janissary of Köprü who rose in a short time and was destroyed again in a short time. He took part in the battle of Ciğerdelen and entered the corps in the grand vizierate of Hacı Ali Pasha. His being exiled to Çekmece by the janissary ağa is tied to his conduct during Çalık Ahmed Pasha's kul kethüdalık. In 1115 he joined the rebellion led by Çalık Ahmed Pasha and gained influence at the end of the event. Hüsameddin records that in the period when, with Çalık Ahmed Pasha being sent to Cyprus and killed a few months later (see entry 595), the rebel leaders were purged, Tûrîcânlı too was killed while guardian of Van. Hüsameddin describes him as "a man of the wicked" and judges his execution "a success"; these two sentences are the author's own value judgment. That after the Edirne Incident the rebels had a say in state government for a time and were then eliminated is also stated in the encyclopedia entry.
Which campaign the battle of Ciğerdelen was, the details of his voivodeship and descent, his posts at Sivas and Van, and the place where his death occurred could not be verified in other sources.
Bibliography
Primary sources
- Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar, Amasya Tarihi, Amasya Belediyesi Kültür Yayınları, 2022, vol. 6, p. 185. amasya.bel.tr
Academic studies
Books