Amasyalı Budak Bey'in oğludur. Habeş beylerbeyiliğinden munfasıl iken eşkıyânın kesretine, Amasya sancağının ehemmiyetine binâ'en 1005 senesi şevvâlinde Amasya sancağı mutasarrıfı ve Anadolu müfettişi oldu. Amasya sancağına Deli Zülfikâr Ağa'yı mütesellim nasb ederek devr ve teftîşe gitdi. [344]
Şehir kethüdâsı el-Hâc Mansûr Çelebi, mütesellim-i sâbık Hüseyin Ağa'ya mümâşât etdiğinden azl edilip yerine el-Hâc Pîrî Çelebi şehir kethüdâsı oldu. Buna "Himmetoğlu" denirdi. Sâbık evkâf-ı sultâniyye mütevellîsi Hasan Bey alaybeyi, zu'amâdan Mahmûd Bey evkâf-ı sultâniyye mütevellîsi oldu.
1006 senesi evâ'ilinde Deli İbrâhim Paşa'nın birâderi olan Ermenî Mahmûd Paşa Sivas beylerbeyi olup geldi. Buna da Deli Mahmûd Paşa denirdi. Deli Mahmûd Paşa'nın kethüdâsı Ermenî Mustafa Ağa, silahdârı da Gaybîoğlu Ahmed Ağa demekle meşhûr zâlimlerdi.
İnsânın diyeceği geliyor ki Osmanlı hükûmeti, Anadolu'da Türkler'i kıyâm ve ihtilâle mecbûr etmek için böyle delileri vilâyetlere kasden taslît ediyor, gayr-i Türkler'in tahakküm ve istibdâdına bir nihâyet vermek istiyordu. Fakat cereyân-ı ahvâle göre bu da denemezdi.
Anadolu müfettişi Hüseyin Paşa öz Türkler'dendi. Türkler'in derdini ve esbâb-ı ihtilâli pek güzel bilirdi. Her tarafdan şekâvet ve ihtilâli tezyîde bâ'is olan gayr-i Türk sipâhî kumandanlarını, yeniçeri azmanlarını ve bunlara dayanıp halka zulm eden a'yânlarını te'dîbe koyuldu.
Erbâb-ı ihtilâlin başbuğlarını taltîf ve sancaklara mîrlivâ nasb ederek derneklerine giren efrâda kodamanlardan inhilâl eden dirlikleri tevzî' etdirmiş, bunlardan mâddeten istifâde edecek çârelere tevessül ederek ihtilâlin ocağını söndürmeğe çalışdı.
Bu cümleden olarak aslen Köprülü olup Amasya'da ikâmet [345] ve sonradan isyân eden Yaramaz Ahmed Ağa'ya Karahisâr-ı Şarkî mîrlivâlığını ve Amasyalı Deli Mustafa Ağa'ya da Erzincân mîrlivâlığını verdirmiş, başlarındaki neferâta dirlikler tevzî' etdirmiş, oldukça ihtilâli basdırmışdı.
1006 senesi zilhiccesinde Koca Tâceddîn Efendi de isti'fâya mecbûr oldu. Malgaralı Köse Ahmed Efendi ikinci def'a Amasya müftüsü ve Sultâniyye müderrisi olarak büyük bir ibrâm üzerine Amasya'ya geldi.
1007 senesinde Canik beyi Keyvân, Çorum beyi Murâd Beyler'di. Bunların ikisi de gayr-i Türk idi. Sivas beylerbeyi Ermenî Mahmûd Paşa'nın deliliği Sivas ve mülhakâtı halkını bîzâr ediyordu. Hüseyin Paşa, Mahmûd Paşa'nın azlini ve adamlarının te'dîbini arz ederek parlamağa başlayan ihtilâli basdırmak istedi.
Lâkin başda Mahmûd Paşa olduğu hâlde sipâhî ve yeniçeri kodamanları, bunlara dayanan bilâd ve kasabât a'yânları Hüseyin Paşa zulm ediyor diye şikâyetler yağdırdılar, yaygarayı basdırdılar. İşin içyüzüne vâkıf olamayan bâb-ı âlî bunlara inandı. 1007 şevvâlinde Hüseyin Paşa'yı teftîş ve tasarrufdan azl ederek Zülfikâr Ağa ile beraber Amasya kalesinde habs edildi. Yerine İbrâhim Bey Amasya beyi oldu. [346]
In Modern English
He was the son of Budak Bey of Amasya. Having left the beylerbeyilik of Abyssinia (Habeş), because of the multitude of bandits and the importance of the sanjak of Amasya, he became in Shawwal of the year 1005 [1597] mutasarrıf of the sanjak of Amasya and inspector of Anatolia. Appointing Deli Zülfikâr Ağa as mütesellim of the sanjak of Amasya, he set out to tour and inspect.
The city steward el-Hâc Mansûr Çelebi was dismissed for having turned a blind eye to the former mütesellim Hüseyin Ağa; in his place el-Hâc Pîrî Çelebi became city steward. He was called "Himmetoğlu." Hasan Bey, the earlier trustee of the sultan's waqfs, became alaybeyi, and Mahmûd Bey, one of the zeamet holders, became trustee of the sultan's waqfs.
At the beginning of 1006 [1597–98], Armenian Mahmûd Pasha, the brother of Deli İbrâhim Pasha, came as beylerbeyi of Sivas. He too was called Deli Mahmûd Pasha. Deli Mahmûd Pasha's kethüda, Armenian Mustafa Ağa, and his silahdar (sword-bearer), known as Gaybîoğlu Ahmed Ağa, were famous tyrants.
One feels like saying this: that the Ottoman government, in order to force the Turks in Anatolia to rise, knowingly set such madmen over the provinces, wanting to put an end to the pressure and tyranny of the non-Turks. But judging by the course of events, this too could not be said.
The inspector of Anatolia, Hüseyin Pasha, was of pure Turkish stock. He knew very well the Turks' grievance and the causes of the uprising. He set about punishing the non-Turkish sipahi commanders, the janissary bullies and the notables (ayan) who relied on them and oppressed the people, all of whom were increasing banditry and rebellion everywhere.
He had rewarded the ringleaders of the uprising, appointed them mirliva to sanjaks, and had the livelihood grants vacated by the bigwigs distributed to the soldiers gathered around them; by resorting to ways by which these could benefit materially, he had tried to put out the hearth of the uprising.
Among such measures, he had Yaramaz Ahmed Ağa, originally from Köprü, living in Amasya and later in revolt, given the mirlivalık of Karahisâr-ı Şarkî, and Deli Mustafa Ağa of Amasya the mirlivalık of Erzincan, had livelihood grants distributed to the soldiers with them, and had suppressed the uprising considerably.
In Dhu al-Hijja 1006 [1598], Koca Tâceddîn Efendi too was forced to resign. Köse Ahmed Efendi of Malgara came to Amasya, on much insistence, for the second time as mufti of Amasya and professor of the Sultâniyye.
In 1007 [1598–99] the bey of Canik was Keyvân and the bey of Çorum was Murâd Bey. Both were non-Turks. The follies of the beylerbeyi of Sivas, Armenian Mahmûd Pasha, were wearying the people of Sivas and its dependencies. Hüseyin Pasha, by reporting for Mahmûd Pasha's dismissal and the punishment of his men, wanted to suppress the uprising that was beginning to flare up.
But the sipahi and janissary bigwigs, with Mahmûd Pasha at their head, and the notables of cities and towns who relied on them showered complaints that "Hüseyin Pasha is oppressing" and raised an uproar. The Sublime Porte (Bâb-ı âlî), not knowing the inside of the matter, believed them. In Shawwal of 1007 it removed Hüseyin Pasha from the post of inspector and from the mutasarrıflık and imprisoned him together with Zülfikâr Ağa in Amasya Castle. İbrâhim Bey became bey of Amasya in his place.
Notes and Research
Old Words in the Text
- munfasıl: one who has left office
- mutasarrıf: official governing a sanjak
- müfettiş: inspector; here, the Anatolian inspector with extraordinary powers
- devr ve teftîş: touring and inspecting the region
- şehir kethüdâsı: leading administrator of the city, steward
- mümâşât: soft handling, turning a blind eye
- evkâf-ı sultâniyye: the sultan's waqfs
- alaybeyi: head of the sipahi units in a sanjak
- zu'amâ: zeamet holders
- silahdâr: sword-bearer, close attendant
- taslît: setting upon, imposing on
- erbâb-ı ihtilâl: the ringleaders of the uprising and those who joined
- taltîf: winning over, rewarding
- kodaman: influential, powerful person
- a'yân: the notables of a place
- te'dîb: disciplining, punishing
- ibrâm: insistence
- Bâb-ı âlî: the Ottoman central government
Who Is Hüseyin Pasha
Hüsameddin introduces Hüseyin Pasha as the son of Budak Bey of Amasya. Not every source shares this. In studies based on Venetian documents he is mentioned as of Albanian origin and is also known by the epithet "Bosnavî." In some sources the beylerbeyilik of Abyssinia is placed in the years 1568–1570. We could not confirm this by reading the relevant encyclopedia entry directly. The TDV's Karayazıcı entry, however, writes that he had once been beylerbeyi of Abyssinia and later, when he was not appointed to the post he wanted, rebelled in Karaman.
The date of his appointment to the sanjak of Amasya is also disputed. Hüsameddin says Shawwal 1005 [1597]. In another source this appointment appears as 1590, but we could not reconcile these two dates with each other. Both sources agree that Zülfikâr Ağa was his mütesellim.
Inspectorship of Anatolia and Imprisonment
In Hüsameddin's account, Hüseyin Pasha is a capable administrator who, instead of clashing harshly with the rebels, chose to pacify them by giving them livelihood grants and sanjaks. The same method is mentioned in other sources too: Karahisâr-ı Şarkî was given to Yaramaz Ahmed Ağa and the sanjak of Erzincan to Deli Mustafa Ağa.
On the conflict with the beylerbeyi of Sivas, Mahmûd Pasha, the sources are in general on the same line as Hüsameddin: Hüseyin Pasha accused him of oppressing the people, but Mahmûd Pasha's circle convinced the palace in their favor, and Hüseyin Pasha was removed from his post in May 1599. These studies also note that a large sum of money Hüseyin Pasha had brought from Abyssinia played a role in his imprisonment and that there was a conflict of interest between the close circles of Mahmûd Pasha and Hüseyin Pasha. Hüsameddin gives no place to these details. The name of the beylerbeyi of Sivas also differs in the sources: while Hüsameddin calls him "Armenian Mahmûd" and "Deli Mahmûd," the TDV's Karayazıcı entry gives the beylerbeyi of Sivas as "Çerkez Mahmud Pasha."
After the Imprisonment
What came after, which Hüsameddin does not narrate in this entry, appears in later entries and in the sources as follows. Hüseyin Pasha escaped from Amasya Castle, returned to Karaman and joined the Celali movements. Uniting with Karayazıcı Abdülhalim, he seized Urfa Castle; Karayazıcı gave him the vizierate. When Karayazıcı came to terms with the government and accepted the sanjak of Amasya or of Antep, Hüseyin Pasha was handed over to the commander-in-chief (serdar) and executed in Istanbul on 22 Rajab 1008 [7 February 1600]. In some sources he is mentioned as the highest-ranking Ottoman official to have attempted rebellion.
The portrait Hüsameddin draws, of an inspector who knew the Turks' grievance and tried to pacify the rebels, covers only Hüseyin Pasha's first period. His rebellion and end are narrated separately in later entries of the book.
Bibliography
Primary sources
- Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar, Amasya Tarihi, Amasya Belediyesi Kültür Yayınları, 2022, vol. 3, pp. 519–520. amasya.bel.tr
Academic studies
- Mücteba İlgürel, "Karayazıcı Abdülhalim", TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, İstanbul 2001. https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/karayazici-abdulhalim
- Meryem Kaçan Erdoğan, "Karayazıcı İsyanı", Eskişehir Osmangazi Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 4/2, 2003, pp. 53-66. https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/112963
- Levent Kaya Ocakaçan, "The Reconquest of Ottoman Fiefs: The Karayazıcı Rebellion in Venetian Documents (1598-1602)", Türklük Bilgisi Araştırmaları, 53, 2020 (second-hand, as cited in an encyclopedia entry).
Other sources