Ebûbekir Bey — Pehluvânzâde

In Modern English

He was the son of Pehluvânzâde Za'îm (holder of a zeamet) Ali Bey bin Ahmed Bey, one of the notables of the Kayabaşı quarter of Amasya, and the cousin of Ankebût Ahmed Pasha, serdar of Crete; he was called "Yiğen Bey." Being one of the zeamet holders, he became alaybeyi of Amasya, then kethüda of Ankebût Ahmed Pasha, and became a sanjak governor on account of the service he rendered in the conquest of Candia. He died around 1088 [1677-78].

Notes and Research

Old Words in the Text

• eşrâf: the notables of a place, noble families
• za'îm: the holder of the large timar holding called a zeamet; plural züemâ
• ammizâde: paternal cousin
• alaybeyi: the officer who assembled and commanded the timar-holding sipahis of a sanjak in war
• kethüdâ: the steward of a vizier, who ran his affairs
• mîr-livâ: sanjak governor

The Pehlivânzâdes and Ankebût Ahmed Pasha

To know Ebûbekir Bey one must look at his cousin Ankebût Ahmed Pasha. In the entry "Ahmed Paşa-Ankebût" of his book, Hüsameddin introduces the pasha as the son of Pehlivânzâde Mehmed Bey bin Ahmed Bey bin Dursun Bey, a well-known zeamet holder from the Kayabaşı quarter southwest of Amasya. Since in our entry Ebûbekir Bey's father is given as Ali Bey bin Ahmed Bey, Ali Bey and Mehmed Bey are brothers; Ebûbekir Bey's being the pasha's paternal cousin agrees exactly with this genealogical record. Also according to Hüsameddin, Ahmed Pasha was called "Kayalı" in Amasya and in Istanbul "Örümcek" (spider), that is, "Ankebût" in its Arabic equivalent.

Because Ahmed Pasha was a sturdy wrestler and a good archer, he was taken young by Murad IV into service in the imperial stables, learned reading and writing in the Enderun, and in 1049 [1640] became mîrâhur-ı sânî. In 1054 [1644] he was sent as sanjak governor of Amasya to the Cretan war; in later years he served as beylerbeyi of Sivas, Konya and Anatolia, as guardian of the Bosphorus and as governor of Buda, and several times held the Amasya sanjak in his possession. In 1067 [1657] he was for a short time kaymakam of the grand vizierate, and in 1071 [1661] he went to Chania as serdar and guardian of Crete. Ebûbekir Bey's presence in Crete as his kethüda must relate to this last period.

The Conquest of Candia

The conquest of Candia, in which Ebûbekir Bey showed merit, is the last and longest phase of the Cretan war, which lasted more than twenty years. Candia, Venice's centre in Crete, after a blockade and siege lasting about twenty-three years, was surrendered by agreement to Köprülüzâde Fâzıl Ahmed Pasha on 9 Rebîülâhir 1080 (6 September 1669). According to Ersin Gülsoy's encyclopedia entry, after Candia was taken Ankebût Ahmed Pasha was appointed to the beylerbeyilik of the newly established province; the pasha had a mosque in the Aya İleya quarter of the city.

Hüsameddin's account in the Ankebût Ahmed Pasha entry differs somewhat at this point. According to him the pasha showed merit in the conquest of Candia, but the serdâr-ı ekrem Fâzıl Ahmed Pasha accused him of laxity and assigned him to reside at Rethymno with the title of guardian of Crete. Hüsameddin places the conquest in 1081; according to documents, the date of surrender is 1080. The pasha, according to Hüsameddin, died at Rethymno on the twenty-first day of Muharrem 1092 [February 1681] and was buried at the foot of the minaret of the mosque he had built there. He had mosques, schools and waqfs at Chania, Candia and Rethymno, and a mosque and school in his hometown of Kayabaşı.

The Death of Yiğen Bey

Ebûbekir Bey, who rose to the sanjak governorship after the fall of Candia, according to Hüsameddin died around 1088 [1677-78], that is, a few years before his cousin. The reason he was called "Yiğen Bey" is not explained in the text; it may stem from his having been raised at the pasha's side as a close relative, but this is only a guess. In the events of the year 1054 in Hüsameddin's book, the arrival of Ankebût Ahmed Pasha as bey of Amasya and his being sent to Crete are also recorded. No information about Ebûbekir Bey himself was found in other sources.

Bibliography

• Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar, Amasya Tarihi, Amasya Belediyesi Kültür Yayınları, 2022, vol. 6, p. 89; also in the same volume the entry "Ahmed Paşa-Ankebût" (amasya.bel.tr e-book, vols. 6-8, pp. 176-177) and the events of the year 1054 (amasya.bel.tr e-book, vols. 1-4, p. 569). amasya.bel.tr
• Ersin Gülsoy, "Kandiye", TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi (islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/kandiye).