Emîr Mehmed Pasha-Havzalızâde Şerîf

In Modern English

He was the son of es-Seyyid Hasan Çelebi, one of the esteemed seyyid families of Amasya; Hasan Çelebi was the son of es-Seyyid Muhyiddîn Mehmed el-Havzâvî (of Havza). Since he is known in history as "Şerîf Mehmed Pasha," one of the famous viziers, his life story appears below.

Notes and Research

Old Words in the Text

• sâdât-ı kirâm: esteemed seyyids; families reckoned as descendants of the Prophet Muhammad
• mahdûm: son
• Havzâvî: of Havza, from Havza
• meşâhir-i vüzerâ: well-known viziers
• terceme: life story, biography

The Entry It Points To

The entry points to the entry "Şerîf Mehmed Paşa-Havzalızâde" in volume 11 of the book. What that entry relates can be summarized as follows. Şerîf Mehmed Pasha was from Amasya; after his studies he went to Istanbul and, with the support of Hasan of Amasya, tutor of the children of Grand Vizier Sokullu Mehmed Pasha, and Mazlum Melik Ahmed Efendi of Amasya, tutor of the princes, took up a post in the finance office. Rising through the ranks from accountant, he became third defterdar in 995 [1586-87], second defterdar in 997 [1588-89], and chief defterdar early in 1000; he was dismissed in 1001 [1592-93] over a dispute about the pay of the sipahis and escaped execution. In 1003 [1594-95] he was appointed chief defterdar again with the rank of vizier, in 1004 [1595-96] he became governor of Egypt and remained in office for two years and three months. In 1008 [1599-1600] he became beylerbeyi of Damascus, in 1009 [1600-01] a vizier of the imperial council, and in 1010 he was sent as governor of Revan. He held out for a year against the Persians besieging Revan and was taken prisoner in 1013 [1604-05]; according to one account he was killed as a martyr, according to another, out of respect for his descent as a seyyid, he was sent to Tus as administrator of the Imam Reza waqf and died there. Hüsameddin describes him as a learned, prudent, loyal and capable vizier. He also writes that with money he sent to his nephew es-Seyyid Celal Efendi he had a lodge built in the Çukurbahçe quarter of Amasya and endowed some income-producing buildings as waqf.

Counterparts in Other Sources

Another source records an Ottoman statesman called "Şerîf, Seyyid or Emîr Mehmed Pasha" who served as defterdar, held the governorships of Egypt and Damascus, and became a vizier in 1599. That source writes that he was of seyyid descent and was known among his Arab subjects by the epithet "al-Sharif." The steps of defterdar, governor of Egypt and Damascus, and vizier largely agree with the career Hüsameddin describes. However, that source mentions neither Amasya, nor a family from Havza, nor Revan. That the two are the same person is therefore an inference based on the agreement of their offices; it could not be verified by a direct record.

There is also a difference in the account of the end at Revan. Hüsameddin writes that the Pasha defended Revan for a year in 1013. The entry on Revan states that Shah Abbas I took the fortress after a seven-month siege and secured control of the region in 1013 [1604]. The difference in duration may come from counting the beginning and end of the siege differently; this too is an inference.

Searches on the seyyid families from Havza in the region and on Muhyiddîn Mehmed and Hasan Çelebi found no information in any other source.

Bibliography

Primary sources

• Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar, Amasya Tarihi, Amasya Belediyesi Kültür Yayınları, 2022, vol. 7, p. 354–354. amasya.bel.tr
• Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar, Amasya Tarihi, vol. 11, entry "Şerîf Mehmed Paşa-Havzalızâde," p. 389–390.

Academic studies

• Mustafa Aydın, "Revan", TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, vol. 35, İstanbul 2008, p. 26–29. https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/revan

Other sources

• "Seyyid Emir Mehmed Pasha", Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seyyid_Emir_Mehmed_Pasha