Lâdiklidir. Orada es-Seyyid Hüseyin Efendi tekkesi şeyhi olan es-Seyyid eş-Şeyh Mehmed Efendi bin es-Seyyid eş-Şeyh İshak Efendi mahdûmudur. Tahsîl-i maârif edib İstanbul’a gitdi. Silâhdâr-ı şehriyârî Lâdikli es-Seyyid [76] Abdullah Ağa’nın himmetiyle Bâb-ı âlîye girdi.
Orada tefeyyüz ederek Kâmil Ahmed Paşazâde es-Seyyid Hakkı Mehmed Paşa’nın sadâret kethüdâlığında mühürdârı, ba’dehû bâ-rütbe-i hâcegânî yeniçeri kâtibi oldu. Bu sûretle devr-i menâsıb edib 1216 senesi recebinin on üçünde vefât etdi. Mahdûmu es-Seyyid Mehmed Ağa’dır.
In Modern English
He was from Lâdik. He was the son of Seyyid Sheikh Mehmed Efendi, son of Seyyid Sheikh İshak Efendi, who was sheikh of the Seyyid Hüseyin Efendi Tekke there. After completing his education he went to Istanbul. Through the efforts of Seyyid Abdullah Ağa of Lâdik, the sultan's silahdar, he entered the Sublime Porte (the Pasha's gate).
There, improving himself, he became mühürdar in the sadâret kethüdâlığı of Kâmil Ahmed Paşazâde Seyyid Hakkı Mehmed Pasha, and afterwards janissary clerk with the rank of hâcegân. Thus moving through various offices, he died on the thirteenth of Rajab of the year 1216 [1801]. His son is Seyyid Mehmed Ağa.
Notes and Research
Old Words in the Text
- mahdûm: son
- tahsîl-i maârif: studying, getting an education
- silâhdâr-ı şehriyârî: the sultan's silahdar ağa, a palace official
- himmet: effort, help
- Bâb-ı Âlî: the Sublime Porte, the Pasha's gate, the office and department of the grand vizier
- tefeyyüz: gaining knowledge and maturity
- sadâret kethüdâlığı: the chief assistantship of the grand vizier
- mühürdâr: the official who carries the seal, responsible for the seal
- bâ-rütbe-i hâcegânî: with the rank of hâcegân
- devr-i menâsıb: moving among offices, holding various posts
The Silahdar Ağa
Silahdarship is held to have emerged among the Ottomans in the reign of Yıldırım Bayezid. The silahdar ağa was one of the members of the Has Oda who looked after the sultan's private services; he guarded the sultan's weapons and accompanied him at ceremonies. Over time the importance of the post grew; it also took on the task of transmitting the sultan's orders and documents. In the 18th century the kapıkulu cavalry, silahdars among them, had gradually turned into groups that engaged in other work and trade and drew salaries for nothing. The place of Abdullah Ağa of Lâdik, named in the entry, in this chain is not clear; the phrase "the sultan's silahdar" indicates that he was a silahdar serving in the palace. According to Hüsameddin, İshak Efendi entered the Sublime Porte through the efforts of this fellow townsman.
The Sadâret Kethüdâsı and the Mühürdar
The sadâret kethüdâsı is the chief assistant of the grand vizier and the person responsible for internal affairs. At the beginning of the 18th century, together with his office, he was counted as the second power in the state after the grand vizier. He bore responsibility over a broad field, from the appointment and supervision of provincial administrators to campaign preparations and the implementation of new administrative decisions. Hakkı Mehmed Pasha, under whom İshak Efendi served as mühürdar, was the holder of this office. No detail was found in the sources read on the place and duties of the mühürdar in this office; by the meaning of the word, he is an auxiliary official who looks after matters concerning the seal. The identity and years of service of Kâmil Ahmed Paşazâde Hakkı Mehmed Pasha could likewise not be verified in the sources.
The Rank of Hâcegân and the Janissary Clerk
Hâcegân is the plural of the Persian word "hâce" and at first denoted only the clerks of the Dîvân-ı Hümâyun. From the end of the 16th century it was used for the leading men of that clerical class; in the 18th century it came to denote a broad body of clerks that included the leading clerks of the Bâb-ı Âsafî, the finance department and the kapıkulu corps. In the middle of the 18th century, among those counted as hâcegân were the janissary clerk and the sipahi clerk. For this reason Hüsameddin's phrase "bâ-rütbe-i hâcegânî yeniçeri kâtibi" tells us that the janissary clerkship was given with the grade of hâcegân. İshak Efendi's path shows that the son of a tekke sheikh in Lâdik could enter the central state cadre through patronage.
The Tekke and the Family in Lâdik
The Seyyid Hüseyin Efendi Tekke in this entry bears the same name as the Lâdik tekke described in the book's entry "İshak Efendi-Mütevellîzâde". According to that entry the tekke's sheikh İshak Efendi died in 1150 [1737], and of his sons Mehmed Efendi became sheikh of the tekke and died in 1201 [1786-87]. It is possible that the "Seyyid Sheikh Mehmed Efendi, son of Seyyid Sheikh İshak Efendi" named in this entry as İshak Efendi's father is that sheikh; Hüsameddin does not say so explicitly, so this link is an inference. If it is correct, İshak Efendi is the grandson of tekke sheikhs, and the family followed a path leading from the tekke to the palace. No detailed information about the tekke itself was found in the sources read.
Bibliography
Primary sources
- Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar, Amasya Tarihi, Amasya Belediyesi Kültür Yayınları, 2022, vol. 7, p. 287–287. amasya.bel.tr
Academic studies