Köprülüdür. Rumeli’de Tırnova voyvodası Köprülü el-Hâc İsmâil Ağa’nın oğludur. Pederiyle beraber İstanbul’a gidip sonra Tırnova’da ikâmet ve pederinin voyvodalığında te’ayün etdi. Meşâhîr-i a’yândan olup Rumeli eşkiyâsına karşı memleketi güzel müdâfaa etdiğinden dergâh-ı âlî kapıcılarbaşılığı [187] rütbesini aldı.
1211’de Tırnova dâhilinde çiftliği bulunan Felânice karyesine yaptırdığı câmi-i şerîf ve çeşmesi mesâlihine emlâkini vakfedib sonra vefât etdi. Müdebbir, zî-nüfûz ve servet, cesûr olup Tırnova voyvodası olmuşdu. Mahdûmları İskender, Abdulvahhâb Ağalardır.
In Modern English
He was from Köprü. He was the son of Köprülü Hacı İsmâil Ağa, voivode of Tırnova in Rumelia. He went to Istanbul with his father and then settled in Tırnova, and distinguished himself during his father's voivodeship. Being one of the famous notables (ayan) and having defended his homeland well against the bandits of Rumelia, he received the rank of kapıcıbaşı of the high palace.
In 1211 he endowed his properties for the affairs of a mosque and fountain that he had built in the village of Felânice, where he had a farm within the boundaries of Tırnova, and then he died. He was prudent, influential, wealthy, and brave; he had also served as voivode of Tırnova. His sons are İskender and Abdulvahhâb Ağa.
Notes and Research
Old Words in the Text
- voyvoda: the administrator of a district in the provinces
- a'yân: local notables
- eşkıyâ: bandits, gangs
- dergâh-ı âlî kapıcıbaşılığı: the office of kapıcıbaşı (head of gatekeepers) of the sultan's gate (the palace)
- karye: village; câmi-i şerîf: mosque; mesâlih: affairs, expenses
- emlâk: properties; zî-nüfûz: influential
The Rank of Kapıcıbaşı and the Ayanlık of Rumelia
The person in the entry is a notable who lived in Rumelia, around Tırnova; Hüsameddin does not separately explain his tie to Amasya, and says only that he was "Köprülü." According to the text his father was voivode of Tırnova, and he himself later held the same office. No information was found in other sources on the family of Köprülü İsmâil Ağa, his farm in Tırnova, or the mosque and fountain he had built.
Kapıcıbaşılık was a senior post in the organization of palace gatekeepers; but in the later centuries it also began to be given as a rank or title (pâye), and was even conferred on some notables. The phrase "received the rank" in the text is consistent with this practice. Whether the man actually served at the palace cannot be understood from the text; so that the title may have been given as a rank remains an inference.
Hüsameddin's date in this entry is a single year: 1211. This year can be read as the date of both the endowment for the mosque and fountain and of the death, but the text does not separate the two. Hijri 1211 corresponds to 1796-97 CE.
Bibliography
Primary sources
- Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar, Amasya Tarihi, Amasya Belediyesi Kültür Yayınları, 2022, vol. 6, p. 65. amasya.bel.tr
Official sources
- Türkiye Diyanet Vakfı İslâm Ansiklopedisi, "Kapıcı" article (islamansiklopedisi.org.tr).
- Türkiye Diyanet Vakfı İslâm Ansiklopedisi, "Âyan" article (islamansiklopedisi.org.tr).