Merzifonludur. 1154 şa'bânının onuncu günü Amasya mutasarrıfı oldu. Kardaşının ma'iyyetinde Nâdir Şâh muhârebâtı ile meşgûl olduğundan kethüdâsı Mirzâ Ağa bin İsmâ'il Bey'i Amasya mütesellimi olarak gönderdi.
Şevvâl sonlarında Amasya mahkemesi başkâtibi Fazlıoğlu Hacı Hâfız Mehmed Efendi vefât edip mahkeme kitâbeti Gümüşlü Hacı Mehmed Efendi'ye verildi.
Zilka'de gurresinde Ankaralı Abdülkerîmzâde Fazlullâh Efendi Amasya kadısı olup geldi. Serdengeçdiler ağası Bekiroğlu Abdulfettâh Ağa serdâr olup selefi Zorluoğlu Haseki Mehmed Ağa asker sevkine me'mûr oldular. Bu sene sâbık Amasya nâ'ibi Kâsım Bey ve müderris Fazlıoğlu Hacı Ahmed Efendi vefât edip oğulları Mustafâ, Alî Efendiler yerini tutdu.
1155 muharrem gurresinde Gürcüzâde Hacı İbrâhim Bey baş a'yân, Müftüzâde Halîl Efendi nakîb, a'yândan sâbık Canik muhassılı Hacı Osmân Ağa mübâya'acı olup Samsun'da oturdu. Saferde Karakulakzâde Alî Bey alaybeyi oldu. [70]
Rebî'ulevvelde Amasya mütesellimi Mîrzâ Ağa harbe gitdiğinden Rahtuvân Paşazâde Hacı Ahmed Bey mütesellim vekîli ve rebî'ulâhirde sâbık surre emîni Amasyalı Hacı Alî Ağa evkâf-ı sultâniyye mütevellîsi olarak İstanbul'dan geldi ve şa'bânda mütesellim Mîrzâ Ağa da ordudan geldi.
Şevvâl evâ'ilinde Sivâs vâlîsi Teymûr Paşa Kars muhâfızı olduğundan Amasyalı Köse Alî Paşa Sivâs vâlîsi ve kethüdâsı olan yeğeni Hüseyin Ağa Sivâs mütesellimi ve zilka'de gurresinde Amasyalı İmâmzâde Hacı Mehmed Efendi Amasya kadısı olup geldi.
1156 muharrem gurresinde Rahtuvân Paşazâde Hacı Ahmed Bey baş a'yân, Hacı Feyzullâhoğlu Hacı Hüseyin Ağa hacıbaşı ve ayın onuncu günü mütesellim Mîrzâ Ağa'nın yerine Merzifon voyvodası Hacı Süleymân Ağa Amasya mütesellimi oldu.
Rebî'ulevvelde Amasya serdârı Zorluoğlu Haseki Mehmed Ağa, Erzurum ve Şark seraskeri Zanalızâde Hacı Ahmed Paşa ordusuna me'mûr olarak Erzurum'a gitdi. Anahdar ağası Hacı Mahmûd Ağa Samsun zehâ'ir-i askeriyye anbar emîni, Gürcüzâde Hacı İbrâhim Bey'in mahdûmu Mustafâ Ağa mîr-i mîrânlıkla şehzâde Safî mihmândârı, diğer Amasyalı Küçük Hüseyin Ağa da nüzûl emîni oldu. [71]
Bu esnâda Sivâs vâlîsi Hacı kadirzâde Köse Alî Paşa, Îrân harbinde muvaffak olamadığından azl ile kendisini, kethüdâsını, kapıcılar kethüdâsı Solak Alî Ağa'yı İstanbul'a ihzâr için bostancılar halîfesi Hacı Ahmed Ağa Amasya'ya gelip yanına mikdâr-ı kâfî kuvvet olarak Sivâs'a gitdi. Şa'bân evâ'ilinde Hamalızâde Ahmed Paşa Sivâs vâlîsi ve İstanbul'da kul kethüdâsı olan Amasyalı Sakaoğlu İsmâ'il Ağa yeniçeri ağası olup zilka'de gurresinde Burhâneddîn Ahmed Efendi Amasya kadısı oldu.
In Modern English
He was from Merzifon. On the tenth day of Şaban 1154 [1741] he became mutasarrıf of Amasya. Since he was occupied with the wars against Nâdir Shah at his brother's side, he sent his kethüda, Mirza Ağa bin İsmail Bey, as mütesellim of Amasya.
At the end of Şevval, Fazlıoğlu Hacı Hafız Mehmed Efendi, chief clerk of the Amasya court, died; the court clerkship was given to Gümüşlü Hacı Mehmed Efendi.
On the first day of Zilkade, Fazlullah Efendi, son of Abdülkerim of Ankara, came as kadı of Amasya. Bekiroğlu Abdülfettah Ağa, ağa of the serdengeçdis, became serdar; the earlier serdar, Zorluoğlu Haseki Mehmed Ağa, was assigned to the dispatch of troops. This year the former naib of Amasya, Kâsım Bey, and the professor Fazlıoğlu Hacı Ahmed Efendi died; their sons Mustafa and Ali Efendi took their places.
On the first day of Muharrem 1155 [1742], Gürcüzade Hacı İbrahim Bey became chief notable and Müftüzade Halil Efendi naqib (representative of the seyyids). Hacı Osman Ağa, one of the notables and former muhassıl of Canik, settled in Samsun as mübayaacı (an official who bought provisions on behalf of the state). In Safer, Karakulakzade Ali Bey became alaybeyi.
In Rebiülevvel, since the mütesellim of Amasya, Mirza Ağa, went to the war, Rahtuvan Paşazade Hacı Ahmed Bey became acting mütesellim. In Rebiülahir, Hacı Ali Ağa of Amasya, a former surre emini, came from Istanbul as mütevelli of the sultanic waqfs. In Şaban the mütesellim Mirza Ağa also returned from the army.
At the beginning of Şevval, when the governor of Sivas, Teymur Pasha, became guardian of Kars, Köse Ali Pasha of Amasya became governor of Sivas, and his nephew Hüseyin Ağa, who was his kethüda, became mütesellim of Sivas. On the first day of Zilkade, İmamzade Hacı Mehmed Efendi of Amasya came as kadı of Amasya.
On the first day of Muharrem 1156 [1743], Rahtuvan Paşazade Hacı Ahmed Bey became chief notable and Hacı Feyzullahoğlu Hacı Hüseyin Ağa became hacıbaşı. On the tenth of the month, Hacı Süleyman Ağa, voivode of Merzifon, became mütesellim of Amasya in place of the mütesellim Mirza Ağa.
In Rebiülevvel, Zorluoğlu Haseki Mehmed Ağa, serdar of Amasya, was assigned to join the army of Zanalızade Hacı Ahmed Pasha, serasker of Erzurum and the East, and went to Erzurum. The keeper of the keys, Hacı Mahmud Ağa, became emin of the military grain depot in Samsun. Mustafa Ağa, son of Gürcüzade Hacı İbrahim Bey, became, with the rank of beylerbeyi, the mihmandar (the host responsible for the road and lodging arrangements) of Prince Safî. Another man of Amasya, Küçük Hüseyin Ağa, became nüzul emini (the official in charge of the provisions levy collected for the army).
At this time the governor of Sivas, Hacı Kadirzade Köse Ali Pasha, was dismissed because he had shown no success in the war in Iran. Hacı Ahmed Ağa, halife of the bostancıs, came to Amasya to bring him, his kethüda and the kethüda of the gatekeepers, Solak Ali Ağa, to Istanbul, and, taking sufficient force with him, went to Sivas. At the beginning of Şaban, Hamalızade Ahmed Pasha became governor of Sivas; Sakaoğlu İsmail Ağa of Amasya, who was kul kethüdası in Istanbul, also became agha of the janissaries. On the first day of Zilkade, Burhaneddin Ahmed Efendi became kadı of Amasya.
Notes and Research
Old Words in the Text
- kethüdâ: a pasha's assistant who ran his affairs, his steward
- ma'iyyet: those in the company of a high person, retinue
- kitâbet: clerkship
- nâ'ib: the kadı's deputy
- serdengeçdi: soldiers who volunteered for dangerous tasks in war
- serdâr: head of the janissaries in a sanjak
- selef: the person who held an office before
- nakîb: the local representative of the descendants of the Prophet (seyyids and sharifs)
- mübâya'acı: the official who bought provisions at a fixed price on behalf of the state
- surre emîni: the official who carried the money and gifts sent to Mecca and Medina
- evkâf-ı sultâniyye mütevellîsi: the administrator of the waqfs founded by sultans
- muhâfız: military commander of a fortress and its surroundings
- zehâ'ir-i askeriyye anbar emîni: the official in charge of the army's grain depot
- mihmândâr: the official who accompanied and hosted a state guest on the road
- nüzûl emîni: the official in charge of the nüzul tax, that is, the provisions collected from the people for the army in wartime
- ihzâr: having someone brought, summoning to one's presence
- mikdâr-ı kâfî: a sufficient quantity
The Burden of the War on Amasya
Almost all the appointments in this entry show what the eastern war against Nâdir Shah demanded of Amasya. The mutasarrıf and the mütesellim going back and forth between the army and the city, the serdar being sent to Erzurum, a grain depot being set up at Samsun with a man of Amasya placed at its head, the mübayaacı settling in Samsun and a nüzul emini being appointed all tell that in these years the sanjak had largely turned into a supply region. Studies based on archival documents confirm this picture with figures. Of the provisions bought in 1744-1745 for the Erzurum Fortress from the sanjaks attached to the province of Sivas, the share of the sanjak of Amasya was 16,162.5 Istanbul kiles of barley, 2,693.5 kiles of flour and 5,387.5 kiles of wheat. Within the total purchase of 120,000 kiles of barley, this is the largest share after the sanjak of Canik. The same documents also show that the camels, mules and horses needed to carry the provisions collected at Sivas to Erzurum were supplied from tribes and nomadic groups, and that those who showed fault in this were threatened with heavy penalties.
Prince Safî
The "Prince Safî," for whose escort a bey of Amasya was brought in, is Safî Mirza, son of the Safavid ruler Shah Hüseyin, who had taken refuge with the Ottomans. Istanbul had planned to put him forward against Nâdir Shah as the legitimate heir to the Iranian throne; according to the plan the serasker of Kars would take Safî Mirza through Tabriz to Isfahan and set him on the throne. Safî Mirza came to Kars in the spring of 1744 and sent letters to the provincial lords of Azerbaijan and Iran announcing that he would take his ancestors' throne with the help of the Ottoman army. This enterprise made Nâdir Shah uneasy and was one of the reasons for his siege of Kars in the summer of 1744. Hüsameddin's record is valuable as a local trace showing that the prince's journey from Anatolia to the east was being prepared in the spring of 1743.
The Governors of Sivas and the Serasker of the East
According to Hüsameddin, when Teymur Pasha moved to the guardianship of Kars in Şevval 1155 [November 1742], Köse Ali Pasha of Amasya became governor of Sivas, was dismissed in 1156 because of his failure on the Iranian front, and was replaced at the beginning of Şaban [September 1743] by Hamalızade Ahmed Pasha. Archival documents point to a time difference in this sequence. An order sent in early May 1743 (mid-Rebiülevvel 1156) is addressed to "Ahmed Pasha, governor of Sivas" and asks him to send the provisions collected at Sivas to the army at Erzurum. It is also known that Hamalızade Ahmed Pasha had been charged earlier with preparing the provisioning of the army at Erzurum. In that case either Köse Ali Pasha's dismissal took place a few months earlier than Hüsameddin records, or the Ahmed Pasha in the document is someone else. No information about Köse Ali Pasha was found in other sources.
Hacı Ahmed Pasha, referred to as "serasker of Erzurum and the East," is the vizier who held the serasker's post at Kars in 1743-1744 and successfully defended the fortress against Nâdir Shah's siege of 1744. In the records of his own time he appears as Hacı Ahmed Pasha, serasker of Kars; some sources call him Şehlâ Ahmed Pasha. The attribution "Zanalızade" that Hüsameddin gives was not found in other sources.
The Question of the Janissary Aghaship
Hüsameddin writes that Sakaoğlu İsmail Ağa of Amasya became agha of the janissaries at the beginning of Şaban 1156. In the lists of janissary aghas, however, Karahisarî Hasan Ağa is seen leaving this post on 23 September 1743 and Yazıcızade İbrahim Ağa being brought in his place. The date falls in the same week as Hüsameddin's, but the name differs. İbrahim Ağa remained in this office until February 1746. In the next entry Hüsameddin counts İsmail Ağa among those who died in 1157 with the title "agha of the janissaries." So either the name in the lists is wrong, or Hüsameddin's İsmail Ağa was appointed to another high post in the corps other than the janissary aghaship. This point could not be verified.
Bibliography
Primary sources
- Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar, Amasya Tarihi, Amasya Belediyesi Kültür Yayınları, 2022, 4. Cildin Bakiyyesi, p. 648–648. amasya.bel.tr
Academic studies
- Uğur Demlikoğlu, "18. Yüzyılda Erzurum Kalesi'nin İaşesi ve Temin Edildiği Bölgeler", Fırat Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 28/2, 2018, p. 381-402, https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/537339
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- Azmi Özcan, "Nâdir Şah", TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, 2006, https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/nadir-sah--iran
- Abdülkadir Özcan, "Mehmed Paşa, Yeğen", TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, 2019, https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/mehmed-pasa-yegen
Other sources