İshak Ağa — Çâvuş

In Modern English

He was the son of Hüseyin of Amasya. He was one of the palace çavuşes and presented himself as overseer of the Gümüş mine. Later he was seen as voyvoda of Merzifon, and in 987 [1579-80] as mütesellim of Amasya. Then, counted among the overseers, he died around 1003 [1594-95]. His son is Mehmed Bey.

Notes and Research

Old Words in the Text

• dergâh-ı âlî çavûşânı: palace çavuşes; officials serving as çavuş to the sultan and the Divan
• emîn: an official responsible for managing an institution, a mine or a revenue
• voyvoda: administrator, official who collects revenue
• mütesellim: deputy of a beylerbeyi or sanjak bey
• ümenâ: overseers (emîns)
• hudûdunda: around
• mahdûm: son

The Gümüş Mine

The place Hüsameddin calls "the Gümüş mine" is most probably the Gümüş settlement of today's Gümüşhacıköy; silver was extracted and coins were struck in this town attached to Amasya. It takes its name from the silver mines of the region; it is known that the mines have been worked since the Bronze Age, that mint activity was carried on in the Seljuk period, and that Kılıçarslan IV had coins struck at the Gümüş Mint in 1263. In the Ottoman period Gümüş remained in the sixteenth century under the administration of the imperial mint (darphâne-yi âmire) of the province of Sivas; it was recorded with 16 neighborhoods in the census of 1520 and 19 in that of 1576, and its population had risen from 3,589 to 6,602. İshak Ağa's overseership of the Gümüş mine should be considered within the administrative structure of this period; however, the sources read contain no information about the years of the post or the scope of the overseer's duty.

Voyvoda and Mütesellim

The mütesellim is the official who, as deputy of the beylerbeyi or sanjak bey, took their place when they went on campaign or did not go to their districts, and who collected taxes. The sources write that they were sometimes also called voyvoda. Mütesellimlik lasted from the late sixteenth century until the Tanzimat period, led to important changes in provincial administration, and was a stepping stone to the rise of local powers, that is, the âyan. The mütesellim was obliged to collect the money the sanjak owed the treasury and send it on time; although the term of office was supposed to be one year, this was almost never observed, and some stayed months, others years. The appointment was confirmed by a ferman from Istanbul. İshak Ağa's mütesellimlik of Amasya in 987 is a date close to the late sixteenth century, when this institution became widespread. No further information on the scope of the voyvodalık of Merzifon is found in the sources read.

İshak Ağa's Path

The entry shows a palace çavuş moving to posts that managed provincial revenues: mine overseer, voyvoda of a town, deputy of a sanjak. Hüsameddin reports this sequence without years, giving only 987 for the Amasya mütesellimlik and 1003 for the death. No information was found in other sources about İshak Ağa's father Hüseyin and his son Mehmed Bey.

Gümüşhacıköy Today

In Gümüşhacıköy today, works such as the Köprülü Mehmed Pasha Mosque (1660), the Darphane Mosque, the Köprülü Caravanserai and Bedesten (1669), the Yörgüç Rüstem Pasha Mosque (1429) and the Haliliye Madrasa (1413) are visited. The Darphane Mosque is known for the building where the Seljuk and Ottoman mints stood; the mint in the district center has held a place in the economic memory of mining throughout history, but there is no active mining operation today. This information does not confirm that the mine in this area was still working during İshak Ağa's overseership; it only shows that the region has a long mining history.

Bibliography

• Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar, Amasya Tarihi, Amasya Belediyesi Kültür Yayınları, 2022, vol. 7, p. 285–285. amasya.bel.tr