AMASYA 05

Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar · İKİNCİ BÂB · BİRİNCİ FASIL

Ahmed Rıza Efendi (Hacı Yûsufzâde)

Encyclopedia · History of Amasya, Volume 6, p. 239 • Edited by: Doç. Dr. Recep Orhan ÖZEL - Doç. Dr. Metin HAKVERDİOĞLU

Original Text (Ottoman Turkish)

Amasya eşrâfından ve mahkeme-i bidâyet a’zâsından el-Hâc Eşref Efendi bin el-Hâc Ali Ağa’nın mahdûmudur. İptida de’âvâ kâtibi ve mahkeme-i bidâyet teşekkülünde zabıt kâtibi ba’dehû a’zâ ve müstantık oldu. Sonra meclis-i idâre a’zâsı, belediye reisi, 1320’de a’zâ iken Köprü kâ’im-makâmı vekili oldu. 1325’de vefât etdi. Halîm, umûra âşinâ, küşâde-meşreb, müskirâta mübtela idi. Mahdûmu Mehmed Atıf Bey ve dâmâdı ammizâdesi Ali Rıza Bey’dir.

Our Research Article Editor: Mevlüt Erdem Öztürk

In Modern English

He is the son of Hacı Eşref Efendi, son of Hacı Ali Ağa, one of the notables of Amasya and a member of the court of first instance. At first he was a case clerk; at the formation of the court of first instance he became a record clerk, and afterwards a member and investigating judge (müstantık). Later he was a member of the administrative council, mayor, and in 1320 [1902-03], while a member, acting district governor of Köprü. He died in 1325 [1907-08]. He was gentle, familiar with affairs, open in temperament, and addicted to intoxicants. His son is Mehmed Atıf Bey, and his son-in-law, who is also his cousin on his father's side, is Ali Rıza Bey.

Notes and Research

Old Words in the Text

  • eşrâf: notables, persons of standing
  • mahkeme-i bidâyet: court of first instance
  • de'âvâ kâtibi: clerk who registered cases
  • zabıt kâtibi: clerk who wrote the records of hearings
  • müstantık: investigating judge, the magistrate who conducted the inquiry
  • meclis-i idâre: administrative council
  • kâ'im-makâm vekili: acting district governor, one standing in for the head of the kaza
  • halîm: gentle
  • umûra âşinâ: familiar with affairs, experienced
  • küşâde-meşreb: open, relaxed by nature
  • müskirât: intoxicating drinks and similar substances
  • mübtelâ: addicted, given over to
  • ammizâde: son of one's paternal uncle

Courts of First Instance and the New Judicial Order

The posts listed in the entry illustrate well the change that Ottoman justice underwent at the end of the nineteenth century. The Provisional Law of Criminal Procedure (Usûl-i Muhâkemât-ı Cezâiyye Kanun-ı Muvakkati) of 1879, adapted from the French Code of Criminal Procedure (1808), was the first comprehensive law to regulate criminal procedure in the Ottoman state in a systematic way; with it the public prosecutor's office, the investigating magistracy, the courts of first instance (bidâyet) and of appeal (temyiz), and the avenues of appeal were set up. That Hacı Yusufzâde Ahmed Rıza Efendi became a "müstantık" appears to correspond to this investigating magistracy. To give an idea of the workload of a provincial court of first instance, it is recorded that in 1886-1887 the criminal chamber of the Karesi Court of First Instance in Balıkesir opened 1597 cases, of which 1180 were concluded; no information was found in the sources examined about the founding date and workings of the Amasya court. Ahmed Rıza Efendi's rise from case clerk to member and investigating judge shows the career line of local officials who advanced through clerkships in this new court order.

The Administrative Council, the Municipality and the District Governorship

The same man later came to the administrative council, the mayoralty and the acting governorship of a kaza. According to the regulation of 1871, administrative councils also existed at the kaza level, with natural members such as the judge, the mufti and the non-Muslim religious leader, alongside members chosen by the people; it is also reported that local notables kept their influence by entering these councils, the municipalities and the courts. In the provinces, municipal organization was raised by the Provincial Regulation of 1864, and detailed instructions were issued in 1867. That Ahmed Rıza Efendi served in all three institutions suggests that in Amasya the notables formed a circle moving among the judiciary, the councils and the municipality.

The Family

The name Hacı Yusufzâde is mentioned in another source among the sheikhs of the Mahmud Çelebi Zawiya. Whether these two names meet in the same family could not be determined. No information was found in other sources about Hacı Eşref Efendi, Hacı Ali Ağa, Mehmed Atıf Bey and Ali Rıza Bey.

Bibliography

Primary sources

  • Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar, Amasya Tarihi, Amasya Belediyesi Kültür Yayınları, 2022, vol. 6, p. 239–239. amasya.bel.tr

Academic studies

Volume 6 contents