Erdoğdu Ağa — Ali Kayazade el-Hâc

In Modern English

He was the son of Hacı Ahmed Ağa, one of the notables of Amasya and of the kapıcıbaşıs (heads of palace gatekeepers) of the Sublime Porte (the Palace). Hacı Ahmed Ağa was the son of Ali Kaya Ağa. He made a name as a sipahi (cavalryman). In the Iranian war he gained influence and standing through his courage. For a time he was mukataa steward and council member in Amasya, and he died around 1180 [1766-67]. His was a family of influence.

Notes and Research

Old Words in the Text

• eşrâf: leading men of the city, men of rank and standing
• dergâh-ı âlî: the Sublime Porte, the Palace
• kapıcıbaşı: head of the palace gatekeepers, a high-ranking palace official
• mahdûm: son
• iştihâr: gaining fame
• şecâat: courage
• mukâtaât emîni: a man in charge of the administration of the units of state revenue called mukataa
• meclis a'zâsı: member of the city or district council
• müteneffiz: influential, carrying weight
• hânedân: family

Provincial Ağas

The entry describes a type of family common in the Ottoman provinces of the 18th century. The family bore a palace rank, served as sipahis, and took part in local administration as mukataa steward and council member. Among those called âyan and âyân-ı vilâyet in Ottoman sources were wealthy and influential persons from the learned, military, merchant and artisan classes. From the late 17th century onward the âyan became an effective element of provincial administration, and they gained strength in the 18th century. Collecting taxes, enlisting and dispatching soldiers, logistic services on campaign, pursuing brigands and public works were the main duties the centre expected of them. The text does not say outright whether the Kayazâde family belonged to this class, but the family and its titles fit this milieu.

Mukataa and Mâlikâne

The conversion of some timars into mukataas let out on tax-farm, and from 1695 the granting of mukataas for life as mâlikâne, led to the greater part of the provincial mukataas passing, directly or indirectly, into the hands of local âyan. The mukataa stewardship of Erdoğdu Ağa, son of Ahmed Ağa, should be understood within this arrangement. Which mukataa he was responsible for and in which years is not given in the text.

The Iranian War

Hüsameddin does not say which Iranian war he means. Since the date of death is 1180 [1766-67], it is possible that he served as a sipahi in the years after 1730, when the Ottoman-Iranian wars were intense. Nâdir Shah entered Shemakha in Shirvan in 1733, and long wars were fought between the two states in these years. Which campaign Erdoğdu Ağa took part in could not be verified with the sources; this is an inference.

The Office of Kapıcıbaşı

Among the Ottomans the gatekeepers were charged with duties such as guarding the palace, ceremonial service and attending the sultan on his outings. A kapıcıbaşı is mentioned in the time of Çelebi Mehmed. The kapıcıbaşıs managed the appointment, promotion and retirement of the gatekeepers, carried important decrees sent to viziers and beylerbeyis serving in the provinces, and took part in tasks such as tax collection, delivery of provisions and money to the army, and inspection. On service outside the palace they were generally appointed as sancak beyi. The number of kapıcıbaşıs rose from four in the middle of the 16th century to sixty in the first half of the 18th century and to 150 at its end. In recent centuries kapıcıbaşılık also came to be granted as a rank or title, even to some âyan. That Ahmed Ağa is counted a "kapıcıbaşı of the Sublime Porte" fits this wide use; whether he actually served in the palace cannot be understood from the text. After the abolition of the Janissary corps in 1826, most kapıcıbaşıs were retired on 300 kuruş each and thirty were kept.

What Is Known of the Family

No further information on the Kayazâde family's place in Amasya was found in the sources available to us. In what period and in what post the men Hüsameddin calls kapıcıbaşı were at the palace, and in which years Ali Kaya Ağa lived, is not known.

Bibliography

• Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar, Amasya Tarihi, Amasya Belediyesi Kültür Yayınları, 2022, vol. 7, p. 280. amasya.bel.tr
• Mustafa Aydın, "Şirvan", TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi. https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/sirvan