Amasyalıdır. Sipâhî Hasan Ağa’nın oğludur. Küçük iken enderûn-ı saray-ı hümâyûna girip helva-hâne-i hâssada terbiye gördü. 1093’de helvacılar kethüdâsı, 1096’da helvacıbaşı olup enderûnda sâhib-i nüfûz u haysiyyet oldu.
Lâkin 1099 senesi muharreminde ikinci Sultân Süleyman Hân’ın cülûsunu müte’âkib zorbaların ibrâmıyla azledilip maskat-ı re’sine gönderildi. Ba’dehû vefât etdi. Oğulları Hasan, Murteza, İsmâil Ağalardan sülâlesi Amasya’da “Serçe [116] oğulları” demekle meşhûrdur. Bunlardan kâfile-i hac muhâfızı el-Hâc Sâlih Ağa bin Ali Ağa 1280 târîhine kadar Amasya a’yânından idi.
Bunun oğulları rütbe-i sâlise ashâbından Mahmûd Bey ile Ali Rıza Bey yakın zamanlara kadar ber-hayât idiler.
In Modern English
He was from Amasya, the son of the sipahi Hasan Ağa. At a young age he entered the Enderun, the palace halvahane (sweets kitchen), and was raised there. In 1093 [1682] he became kethüda of the helvacıs, in 1096 [1685] helvacıbaşı, and became an influential and esteemed figure in the Enderun.
However, in Muharrem 1099 [November 1687], after Sultan Süleyman II's accession to the throne, he was removed from his post under pressure from the rebels and sent to his birthplace. He then died. The line descending from his sons Hasan, Murteza and İsmâil Ağa is known in Amasya as the "Serçeoğulları". Of these, el-Hâc Sâlih Ağa bin Ali Ağa, guard of the pilgrimage caravan, was among the notables of Amasya until the year 1280 [1863-64].
Of his sons, Mahmûd Bey, holder of the third rank, and Ali Rıza Bey were alive until recent times.
Notes and Research
Old Words in the Text
- enderûn-ı hümâyûn: the sultan's inner palace and palace school
- helvahâne-i hâssa: the sultan's private section where halva, sherbet and electuaries were made
- helvacılar kethüdâsı, helvacıbaşı: the steward and the head of the halvahane staff
- cülûs: the sultan's accession to the throne
- zorbâ: groups that rebelled and applied pressure in that period
- ibrâm: insistence and coercion
- maskat-ı re's: birthplace, home town
- kâfile-i hac muhâfızı: the official responsible for guarding the pilgrimage caravan
- rütbe-i sâlise: third-degree official rank
The Enderun and the Halvahane
The halvahane was a section of Topkapı Palace where, besides halva, sweets, sherbet and preserves, electuaries, syrups and medicines were made. In the Enderun the helvacıbaşı was subordinate to the kilercibaşı and was represented third in palace protocol. A young man working in the halvahane, if he showed skill, could rise to important posts in the Enderun and to the levels of the state. İbrâhim Ağa's being taken into the palace at a young age and rising through the halvahane is a typical example of this system. The admission of a sipahi's son from Amasya to palace training is also one of the stories of "rising from his home town to the palace" often seen in Hüsameddin's pages.
The 1687 Change
The Muharrem 1099 that Hüsameddin mentions is the end of 1687, when Mehmed IV was deposed and Süleyman II became sultan. This accession took place amid the uprising of the janissaries and sipahis lasting from November 1687 to March 1688, with the dismissal of certain statesmen used as a pretext. İbrâhim Ağa's dismissal appears to have taken the form of the removal of palace ağas from their posts in this turmoil. No record apart from Hüsameddin was found about the Serçeoğulları family or about Sâlih Ağa, guard of the pilgrimage caravan.
Bibliography
Primary sources
- Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar, Amasya Tarihi, Amasya Belediyesi Kültür Yayınları, 2022, vol. 6, p. 45–45. amasya.bel.tr
Academic studies
Other sources