AMASYA 05

Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar · İKİNCİ BÂB · BİRİNCİ FASIL

İsmâil Ağa, Taşçıoğlu es-Seyyid Alemdâr

Encyclopedia · History of Amasya, Volume 7, p. 322 • Edited by: Prof. Dr. Safi ARPAGUŞ- Prof. Dr. Ahmet Hakkı TURABİ

Original Text (Ottoman Turkish)

Amasya yeniçerilerinden Ömer’in oğludur. Bu da muhârebelerde ibrâz-ı liyâkat ederek alemdâr, bir müddet kır serdârı ve ba’dehû Amasya serdârı olup 1237 senesi hilâlinde vefât etdi. Bu da yeniçeri eşrâfından bir zâbit idi.

Our Research Article Editor: Mevlüt Erdem Öztürk

In Modern English

He is the son of Ömer, one of the janissaries of Amasya. He too showed his ability in the wars, became alemdar (standard-bearer), for a time field serdar (kır serdarı), and then serdar of Amasya, and died at the new moon of the year 1237 [1821-22]. He too was an officer of the janissary notables.

Notes and Research

Old Words in the Text

  • alemdâr: standard-bearer, bayraktar
  • kır serdârı: literally the "country" commander, that is, one outside the town; the exact scope of the post could not be verified
  • ibrâz-ı liyâkat: showing ability and worth
  • hilâl: new moon; "at the new moon of the year" points to the start of a month, but since no exact day is given no precise date can be stated
  • eşrâf: notables

The Alemdar

The alemdar or bayraktar was the person charged in the Ottoman military organisation with carrying the flag of a company or unit. In the kapıkulu corps every company and orta had flags of various colours and shapes, and bayraktars to carry them. An official from the retinue of the janissary ağa carried the corps' largest flag, the İmâm-ı Âzam flag, and was called başbayraktar. The text does not say which flag Taşçıoğlu İsmâil Ağa carried.

Since İsmâil Ağa died in 1237, he died before June 1826, when the Janissary Corps was abolished. No information was found in other sources on Taşçıoğlu İsmâil Ağa, and no definition was found for the post of "kır serdarı".

Bibliography

Volume 7 contents