AMASYA 05

Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar · İKİNCİ BÂB · BİRİNCİ FASIL

İsmâil Bey (Kayapaşazâde)

Encyclopedia · History of Amasya, Volume 7, p. 301 • Edited by: Prof. Dr. Safi ARPAGUŞ- Prof. Dr. Ahmet Hakkı TURABİ

Original Text (Ottoman Turkish)

Amasyalıdır. Torumtay evlâdından Durmuş Bey bin Kaya Paşa’nın mahdûmudur. Amasya vâlisi Şehzâde Sultân Ahmed bin Sultân Murâd-ı sânî maiyyetinde züamâdan ve Fatih [123] Sultân devrinde ümerâdan olup hayli muhârebâta iştirâk eyledi. 873’de vefât etdi. Mahdûmu Mehmed Çelebi’dir.

Our Research Article Editor: Mevlüt Erdem Öztürk

In Modern English

He was from Amasya. He was the son of Durmuş Bey son of Kaya Pasha, of the line of Torumtay. He was a zeamet holder in the retinue of Prince Sultan Ahmed son of Sultan Murâd II, governor of Amasya, and an emir in the time of Sultan Fatih, and took part in a good many battles. He died in 873 [1468-69]. His son is Mehmed Çelebi.

Notes and Research

Old Words in the Text

  • evlâd: children, descendants
  • mahdûm: son
  • maiyyet: being at someone's side, under his command
  • züamâ: zeamet holders
  • ümerâ: emirs, sanjak beys
  • muhârebât: battles
  • iştirâk etmek: to take part

Torumtay and His Line

Hüsameddin says that Durmuş Bey was "of the line of Torumtay". Seyfeddîn Torumtay was a Seljuk commander appointed governor of Amasya in the time of Gıyâseddin Keyhusrev II. It is known that he had the Gökmedrese Mosque in Amasya built; the building is called by this name because its entrance section was used as a madrasa and the tomb adjoining it is decorated with purple-turquoise tiles and glazed bricks. Torumtay lies in a tomb that he built himself, dated 677 [1278-79]. Although Torumtay is known as the person who had the mosque built, its date of construction could not be fixed with certainty because its inscription was removed from its place. How Torumtay's sons and grandsons formed a line of descent is not told in the sources; the link of Durmuş Bey and his father Kaya Pasha with Torumtay rests only on the information Hüsameddin gives. That the street where the Halifet Gazi Madrasa and Tomb stands in Amasya carries the name Torumtay Street today shows the memory of this name in the city.

Who Is Prince Sultan Ahmed?

Hüsameddin writes that Durmuş Bey was a zeamet holder with "Prince Sultan Ahmed son of Sultan Murâd II, governor of Amasya". Among the sons of Murad II sent to the sanjak of Amasya, the sources give the name of Alâeddin Ali Çelebi; it is recorded that he died at Amasya in 1443, and it is noted that this shook his father greatly. No source was found that describes Prince Ahmed's governorship of Amasya and confirms Hüsameddin's record; for this reason we content ourselves with saying that Durmuş Bey served beside one of the sons of Murad II.

Zeamet and Emirate

The difference between "züamâ" and "ümerâ" is one of rank in the Ottoman provincial military order. A zeamet is a land grant with an annual income between 20,000 and 100,000 akçe that carried the obligation to field mounted soldiers; the zeamet holder was regarded as the centre's representative in land and tax matters in his district. When the income was lower it was called a timar, when higher a has. The line Hüsameddin describes is being a zeamet holder in a prince's retinue and, in the time of the Conqueror, entering the ranks of the emirs. This shows that Durmuş Bey's standing rose during the years he served. Which battles he took part in is not listed in the text, which is content to say "took part in a good many battles".

The Frontier City of Amasya and Its Wars

The details of the battles that Hüsameddin calls "a good many battles" are not in the text, but the position of Amasya in this age gives an idea. Until the end of the sixteenth century the city was a strategic centre on the Ottoman eastern frontier. In December 1436 Karamanid forces pressed hard on the beylerbeyi of Amasya Yörgüç Pasha, whereupon Murad II marched against the Karaman land. In 1443, when Karamanoğlu İbrâhim Bey moved again, Murad II marched with the kapıkulu troops, and Prince Alâeddin marched with the Amasya forces. Zeamet holders in Amasya were the men who fielded mounted soldiers in such campaigns together with the prince's retinue. Since the campaigns Durmuş Bey joined are not stated in the sources, this is only a general frame.

What Could Not Be Verified

In searches about Durmuş Bey, his father Kaya Pasha and his son Mehmed Çelebi, no information was found in a source other than Hüsameddin. The date of death and his taking part in battles rest only on Hüsameddin's record. The entry title calls the person "İsmâil Bey"; the text, without giving his name, presents him as the son of Durmuş Bey.

Bibliography

Primary sources

  • Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar, Amasya Tarihi, Amasya Belediyesi Kültür Yayınları, 2022, vol. 7, p. 301. amasya.bel.tr

Academic studies

Other sources

Volume 7 contents

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