Eyyûb Ağa — Hacı Eyyûboğlu el-Hâc

In Modern English

He was the son of Hacı Ömer Ağa, son of Hacı Eyyûb Ağa, one of the ayan of Amasya. He was one of the gedikli of the Sublime Porte and, carrying out services in turn, became one of the ayan of Amasya. For a time he was Mukataât Emini of Amasya and served as kethüda to Osman Beyzâde Seyyid Hacı Abdullah Bey. He died around 1221 [1806-07]. His son was Hacı Mehmed Ağa.

Notes and Research

Old Words in the Text

• a'yân: the notables of a place
• Dergâh-ı Âlî: the sultan's gate, the palace
• gedüklü: a person holding a specific duty and privilege (gedik)
• devr-i hidemât: carrying out services in turn (the exact sense in the text is not certain)
• mukata'ât emîni: the official in charge of the mukataas, that is, revenue units farmed out for a fixed sum
• kethüdâ: the personal assistant, steward, of an administrator
• hudûd: the vicinity, the neighbourhood (for a year, "around")

Three Generations of the Family

The entry is a continuation of the entry Eyyûb Ağa-Derviş Beyzâde. There Eyyûb Ağa had died in 1171 [1757-58], and his sons Ömer and Osman Ağa and their descendants had been called Hacı Eyyûb Oğulları. Here the son of Ömer Ağa appears, Eyyûb Ağa, who bears his grandfather's name; his son is Hacı Mehmed Ağa. Thus three generations, from grandfather to grandson, can be followed in Hüsameddin's book. The nickname "Hacı Eyyûboğlu" in the heading of the entry reflects this family name.

Osman Beyzâde Abdullah Bey

Who Osman Beyzâde Abdullah Bey, whom Eyyûb Ağa served as kethüda, was is not explained in the entry. In the account of descent in Hüsameddin's entry Ebûbekir Bey-Dervîş Beyzâde, among the children of the Mirliva of Egypt Hacı Osman Bey are named "Hacı Osmânbeyzâde Ebûbekir, Mehmed Pashas and Abdî Bey", and in the same place "Abdîzâde es-Seyyid el-Hâc Abdullah Bey" is described as the "aynü'l-a'yân" of Amasya, that is, the choicest of the ayan; his sons are Ahmed Necîb and Mehmed Şâhid Bey. It is highly likely that Osman Beyzâde Abdullah Bey is this Abdullah Bey; this is an inference. Hüsameddin himself bears the name Abdîzâde; the link of this name with this family cannot be known with certainty from the texts. If it is remembered that his grandfather Eyyûb Ağa had been kethüda of Hacı Osman Bey, the kethüdalık is seen to have continued in the same circle.

Gedikli of the Sublime Porte and Mukataat Emini

According to Ahmet Akgündüz, gedik means a specific duty and privilege in the Ottoman palace; among the people of the gate there were groups such as the "gedikli ağas". Eyyûb Ağa's being counted among the "gedikli of the Sublime Porte" can be understood in this frame, but in what duty he held a gedik is not written. According to Mehmet Genç, a mukataa is a tax or revenue unit of the state farmed out for a fixed sum; establishments that the state directly owned, such as almost all gold and silver mines, were also organized as mukataas. In financial terms no difference was seen between a mukataa being run by tax farming or by emanet. It is possible to take the mukataât emîni of Amasya as the official responsible for managing mukataas run by emanet; this is an inference. Another example of mukataa business in Amasya is Amasyalızâde İsmâîl Efendi's taking the Saz Mâlikânesi mukataa as a tax farm; Hüsameddin tells this in that entry.

The Mukataat Eminis of Amasya

Other entries of Hüsameddin name several people who served as mukataât emini of Amasya. Sefer Ağazâde Ahmed Ağa became a kapıcıbaşı of the Sublime Porte under the grand vizierate of Fâzıl Ahmed Pasha and served as head of the sipahis, became mukataât emini of Amasya in 1095 [1683-84], retired in 1097 and died in 1099. Murâd Beyzâde Ahmed Ağa distinguished himself as a "gedikli of the Sublime Porte", then became kapıcıbaşı, and died in 1193 [1779] while mukataât emini of Amasya in 1188 [1774-75]. Ali Kayazâde Erdoğdu Ağa, too, showed bravery as a sipahi in the Iranian wars, was for a time mukataât emini and council member in Amasya, and died around 1180 [1766-67]. In all three examples the post is seen together with the kapıcıbaşı rank, the gedik and membership in the council of the ayan; Eyyûb Ağa's record also fits this pattern. The phrase "devr-i hidemât" in the Sefer Ağazâde entry appears to be used for entering the corps of gatekeepers and passing through the ranks of service in turn. These are observations; they give no certain information on how the office worked.

Bibliography

Primary sources

• Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar, Amasya Tarihi, Amasya Belediyesi Kültür Yayınları, 2022, vol. 7, p. 388. amasya.bel.tr
• Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar, Amasya Tarihi, same edition, vol. 6, entries "Ebûbekir Bey-Dervîş Beyzâde", "Ahmed Ağa-Sefer Ağazâde" and "Ahmed Ağa-Murâd Beyzâde" (the second record, of the mukataât emini); vol. 7, entries "Eyyûb Ağa-Derviş Beyzâde", "Erdoğdu Ağa-Ali Kayazâde" and "İsmâil Efendi-Amasyalızâde".

Academic studies

• Ahmet Akgündüz, "Gedik", TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, vol. 13, İstanbul 1996, p. 541-543. https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/gedik
• Mehmet Genç, "Mukātaa", TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, vol. 31, Ankara 2020, p. 129-132. https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/mukataa