Amasyalıdır. Selâtîn-i Selçukîyeden olup Sultân Fâtih kütübhânesinde (4519) numarada mukayyed “Veled-i Şefîk” adlı eserin 302. sayfasında yazıldığı üzere 702 senesi şevvâlinin birinci günü Kayseriye’de taht-ı Selçuk’a cülûs ve 708 senesinde orada vefât ederek hemşîresinin sâkin olduğu Simre (Amasya) şehrine cenâzesi nakledilen İkinci Sultân Gıyâseddîn Mes’ûd’un şehzâdesidir. ⁴
Pederinin vefâtından sonra Sultân Mehmed Olcaytu Hân’ın emriyle İşboğa Noyin’in nezâreti altında 712 senesinde birinci defa Simre hükümdârı olup Amasya’da ikâmet etdi. [42] Dört yıl kadar hükûmet edib 716 senesi şevvâlinde Sultân Mehmed Olcaytu Hân’ın vefâtı üzerine nâzır İşboğa Noyin tarafından hal’ edilerek Havza’da kâin çiftliğine gönderildi. Oraya da Simre-i Havza dendi.
718 senesinde vâlî-i Sivas olan Emîr Timûrtaş Bey tarafından Âl-i Selçuk’un kahr u istî’âlinde birâderi Sultânşâh ile ihtifâ etdi. İbtidâ Taşan Bey’in yanında Taşan Dağında kaldı. Lâkin Argunbay’ın ta’kibâtına tesâdüf eylediğinden birâderi Karahisâr-ı Şarkî Emîri Behramşah Bey’in nezdine firâr ve kendisi de Amasya’nın cenûp nevâhisi emîri Kayı oğlu Kürt Bey’in çiftliğine ilticâ etdi.
Burada uzun bir müddet oturdu. Kızını Kürt Bey’e verdi. Nihâyet 727’de Emîr Timurtâş’ın Mısır’a firâr ve katlinde Sultân Ebû Sa’id Bahadır Hân’ın afvına mazhar olup Havza civârından kendisine temlik edilen cesîm çiftiliğinde müsterihâne ikâmet eyledi. Evlâdını burada barındırdı. 739 senesi evâhirinde Amasya beylerinin ihtilâfından dolayı hâsıl olan herc ü merce hitâm vermek fikriyle dâmâdı [43] Kürt ve Taşan Beyler tarafından Simre hükümdârı i’lân edilerek ikinci def’a Amasya’ya gelip padişâh-i Âl-i Selçuk oldu.
Lâkin on dört ay kadar hükûmet edebildi. Sivas Emîri Ertana Bey’in teşvikâtıyla Niksâr Bey’i Sir’aceddîn Doğanşâh 741 senesi evâ’ilinde Amasya’yı istilâ etdi. Bu esnâda zarurî Havza’daki çiftliğine çekildi.
755 senesi evâsıtında torunu Hacı Kutluşâh tarafından üçüncü def’a Simre hükümdârı i’lân edildikde Amasya’ya gelip merâsimle taht-ı hükûmete cülûs etdi. Hacı Kutluşâhzâde Emîr Seyfeddîn Şâdgeldi Paşa da beylerbeyi oldu. Bu def’asında iki yıl kadar hükûmet edebildi.
Fakat Hacı Kutluşâh, 757 senesinde Karamânîlere mağlûb olduğundan Halfetzâde Emîr Sücâ’eddîn Süleyman Bey Amasya’yı istilâ eylediği esnâda nâ-çâr taht-ı hükûmetden çekilip çiftliğine gitdi. Orada kemâl-i gammından ve pîrliğinden hastalanıp 758 senesi evâ’ilinde vefât etdi. Şeyh Savcı karyesinde medfûndur.
Müşârün-ileyh “Gâzi Çelebi” demekle meşhûr olup mükerreren [44] kabrini ziyâret ve tetkîk etdim. Baş tarafında dikilmiş olan uzun ve müstatîl taşında vesa’ir mevâki’inde kitâbeye dâ’ir bir nesne göremedim. Ancak halk arasında bu kabrin Sultân Altunbaş Gâzi Çelebi’ye âid olduğu meşhûr ve mütevâtirdir.
Müşârün-ileyhin şehzâdegânından Mes’ûd, Alparslan, Keykubâd, Keyhüsrev şâhid-i meşhûrdur. Mes’ûd şâhzâde Kılıçarslan Şah, Emîr-i Sivas iken 781’de Kadı Burhan elinde maktûl oldu. Bunun hafîdi olup Amasya’da Hoca Sultân zâviyesi önünde medfûn ve 888’de merhûm olan Hoca Sultân Şemseddîn Ahmed Çelebi bin Sa’id bin Mahmûd Şah bin Kılıçarslan Şah meşhûrdur.
Alparslan Şah, târîhen “İlarslan” demekle meşhûr olup Amasya’nın şimâlinde vaki’ çiftliği İlarslan Karyesi demekle meşhûrdur. Keykubâd Şah, Simre-i Lâdik Emîri olup evlâdı “Kubâdoğulları” diye meşhûrdur. Keyhüsrev Şah da Sivas’da birâderzâdesiyle maktûl oldu. Evlâdı “Hüsrevşâh oğulları” diye ma’rûfdur. Bunun hafîdi İskender Bey bin Nâsıreddîn Şah bin Hüsrev Şah’dır. [45] Sultân-ı müşârün-ileyhin ikinci cülûsunda emlâkinin bir kısmını, üçüncü cülûsunda bakiyye-i emlâkini evlâdına vakfedib üç kıt’a vakfiyesini Havza kazâsı eşrâfından Hacı Mahmûd Ağazâde Bayram Efendi’nin elinde mutâla’a etmişdim. Kuyûd-ı Vakfiye idâresine me’mûr oldukta bunları getirtip dest ü ma’rifet-i acizânemle kayd u tescîl edildi.
In Modern English
He was a native of Amasya. He is one of the Seljuk sultans. According to what is written on page 302 of the work called "Veled-i Şefîk", registered under number 4519 in the Fâtih Library, he is the son of II. Sultan Gıyâseddîn Mes'ûd, who took the Seljuk throne at Kayseri on the first day of Şevval 702 [1302], died there in 708 [1308-09], and whose body was transferred to the city of Simre (Amasya), where his sister lived.
After his father's death, by the order of Sultan Mehmed Olcaytu Han and under the supervision of İşboğa Noyin, in 712 [1312-13] he became ruler of Simre for the first time and lived in Amasya. He reigned about four years; in Şevval 716 [1316], upon the death of Sultan Mehmed Olcaytu Han, he was removed from office by the overseer İşboğa Noyin and sent to his farm in Havza. That place too was called "Simre-i Havza".
In 718 [1318-19], during the attempt of Emîr Timûrtaş Bey, governor of Sivas, to crush and eliminate the Seljuk dynasty, he hid together with his brother Sultânşâh. At first he stayed with Taşan Bey on Mount Taşan. But since he ran into the pursuit of Argunbay, his brother fled to Behramşah Bey, Emir of Karahisâr-ı Şarkî; he himself took refuge in the farm of Kayıoğlu Kürt Bey, emir of the area south of Amasya.
He stayed here a long time. He gave his daughter to Kürt Bey. Finally, in 727 [1326-27], when Emîr Timurtaş fled to Egypt and was killed, he was pardoned by Sultan Ebû Saîd Bahadır Han and lived comfortably on his large farm around Havza that was granted to him in full ownership. He sheltered his children here. At the end of 739 [1339], with the idea of ending the disorder arising from the disagreement among the beys of Amasya, he was proclaimed ruler of Simre by his son-in-law Kürt and by Taşan Bey, came to Amasya for the second time, and became sultan from the Seljuk dynasty.
But he could reign only about fourteen months. At the instigation of Ertana Bey, Emir of Sivas, Sirâceddîn Doğanşah, Bey of Niksar, seized Amasya at the beginning of 741 [1340-41]. At this point he was forced to withdraw to his farm in Havza.
When in mid-755 [1354] he was proclaimed ruler of Simre for the third time by his grandson Hacı Kutluşah, he came to Amasya and sat on the throne of government with ceremony. Hacı Kutluşahzâde Emîr Seyfeddîn Şâdgeldi Pasha also became beylerbeyi. This time he could reign about two years.
But since Hacı Kutluşah was defeated by the Karamanids in 757 [1356], as Halfetzâde Emîr Sücâeddîn Süleyman Bey seized Amasya, he had no remedy and withdrew from the throne of government and went to his farm. There, from great grief and old age, he fell ill and died in early 758 [1357]. He is buried in the village of Şeyh Savcı.
He is known as "Gâzi Çelebi". I visited and examined his grave many times. On the long, rectangular stone set at its head and elsewhere I could see nothing in the way of an inscription. However, it is widespread and handed down from generation to generation among the people that this grave belongs to Sultan Altunbaş Gazi Çelebi.
Of his sons, Mes'ûd, Alparslan, Keykubâd and Keyhüsrev are known. Mes'ûd, Prince Kılıçarslan Şah, while Emir of Sivas, was killed at the hands of Kadı Burhaneddin in 781 [1379-80]. His grandson, who is buried in front of the Hoca Sultan Zaviye in Amasya and died in 888 [1483], is the well-known Hoca Sultan Şemseddîn Ahmed Çelebi son of Saîd son of Mahmûd Şah son of Kılıçarslan Şah.
Alparslan Şah is called "İlarslan" in history; the farm north of Amasya is known as İlarslan Village. Keykubâd Şah was Emir of Simre-i Lâdik, and his children are known as the "Kubâdoğulları". Keyhüsrev Şah was also killed in Sivas together with his nephew. His children are known as the "Hüsrevşahoğulları". His grandson is İskender Bey son of Nâsıreddîn Şah son of Hüsrev Şah.
The sultan endowed part of his property to his children on his second accession and the rest of the property on his third accession. I had read the three-part waqf deed in the hands of Hacı Mahmûd Ağazâde Bayram Efendi, one of the notables of the Havza district. When I was assigned to the Waqf Records Administration, I had them brought and, with my humble effort, recorded and registered them.
Notes and Research
Old Words in the Text
- cülûs: accession to the throne
- nâzır: overseer; here, the supervising governor appointed by the Mongol khan
- Noyin: among the Mongols, a commander, a bey
- hal': removal from office, deposing from the throne
- ihtifâ: hiding
- temlik: granting as property
- hafîd: grandson
- vakfiye: the document in which the founder of a waqf writes his property and conditions
- Kuyûd-ı Vakfiye İdâresi: the administration in which waqf records were kept
- mütevâtir: transmitted from generation to generation, by many people
Who Was Altunbaş
Taceddin Altunbaş, known by the epithet "Gazi Çelebi", is the son of II. Gıyaseddin Mesud, the last ruler of the Anatolian Seljuk State. His father II. Mesud died at Kayseri in his second reign (1302-1308). Altunbaş's Amasya-centered rule is a local extension of the last period in which the Seljuk dynasty lived under Ilkhanid supervision. The three reigns that Hüsameddin lists draw a picture of short and interrupted rules interwoven: the first from 1312 to 1316, the second beginning at the end of 1339 and lasting about fourteen months, and the third beginning around 1354 and lasting two years. No study was found that compares the years in the text with other dates appearing in the sources; for this reason the figures are given as Hüsameddin relays them.
His Grave and Tomb
The place Hüsameddin calls "the village of Şeyh Savcı" is in Havza, the village formerly called Umurbey. In the record of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism the building appears as the "Tomb of Şeyh Savcı and Sultan Altunbaş". The tomb has no inscription. According to a document dated 1344 in the waqf records, the building must have been built in the second half of the 14th century. The top of the grave is covered with old cut stones of the Seljuk period and there is an ornate headstone. This description agrees with Hüsameddin's observations of a "long, rectangular stone" and "no inscription". It is told that the sultan respected Şeyh Savcı (in some sources Şeyh Safi), was greatly grieved by the end of Seljuk rule, and wished to be buried there when he died. Altunbaş's year of death is given in the sources as 1356-57, which agrees with Hüsameddin's 758 [1357]. The tomb is a place visited today.
A separate academic study has been written on Altunbaş's madrasa and tomb in Amasya; since the full text of this study could not be reached, its content has not been included here.
Hüsameddin's Waqf Documents
At the end of the text Hüsameddin says that he saw the three-part waqf deed in the hands of Bayram Efendi, one of the notables of Havza, and that during his duty in the Waqf Records Administration he had them brought and recorded. This is an important detail showing that the author worked both as a historian and as an official of the waqf records; part of his information rests directly on the document. The grandson Hacı Kutluşah and Şâdgeldi Pasha are also named in this text; Şâdgeldi Pasha is a person mentioned separately in the history of Amasya.
Bibliography
Primary sources
Academic studies
Official sources