Sâbık Amasya vâlîsi Seyfeddîn Torumtay Beyzâde Sinâneddîn Mûsâ Bey'in mahdûmu olup ceddinin vefâtı üzerine 679'da Amasya vâlîsi ve şart-ı vâkıf mûcibince Torumtay vakfı mütevellîsi oldu. Lâkin sinnen genç olduğu cihetle meşâhîr-i ümerâdan emîrü'l-ümerâ İzzeddîn Muhammed, Necmeddîn Ferruh, Tekurlu demekle meşhûr Tekur Sinan Beyzâde Celâleddîn Muhammed Beyler emîr-i müşârün-ileyhi istisgâr ediyorlardı.
680'de Moğol hükümdârı zâlim Abaka Hân Hristiyânların teşvîkâtıyla tekrâr hükûmet-i Mısriyye aleyhinde i'lân-ı harb ederek Anadolu'da meskûn olan ahâlî-i müslimeye en şenî' mezâlimi icrâdan çekinmiyor, Anadolu nâzırı Kongurtay bu zulme âlet oluyor, bîçâre ehl-i İslâmı mezâlim-i şenî'a altında ezip mahv ediyordu. [419]
Müverrih-i meşhûr Bedreddîn Mahmûd el-Aynî diyor ki: "Tatarlar'ın levâzım-ı harbiyyesini taşımak için hayvân tedâriki kâbil olamadığı cihetle bîçâre müslim Türkler hayvân gibi istihdâm olunarak öküz yerine arabalara koşuldu. Fukarâ-yı ahâlîden tahsîl edilecek nukûd kalmadığı cihetle oğulları beşer ve kızları üçer dirhem mukâbilinde köle ve câriye olmak üzere vergi yerine alındı. Evlâdı olmayan fukarânın zevceleri beşer dirhem mukâbilinde Tatar neferleri tarafından birer mâh istifrâş edildi."
Hristiyân papazlarının telkînâtı belâsıyla irtikâb edilen şu mezâlim-i vahşiyâne, Anadolu halkına pek ziyâde icrâ-yı te'sîr eylediği cihetle herkes müdâfa'a-i ırz u mâl ü cân uğurunda terk-i hayât etmeği göze alarak ümerâdan ufak bir hareketi bekliyorlardı. Fakat cesâret-i medeniyyeyi izhâr edecek bir emîr-i fedâkâr yok idi.
Moğol hükûmeti bu kadar mezâlimi irtikâb ederek hükûmet-i Mısriyye ile harb eylediyse de münhezim olmakla uç beyleri, husûsiyle Karamânîler Tatar ordusunu yağmâ etdiler. Kongurtay bu mağlûbiyet üzerine mezâlimi teşdîd ve bîçâre Sultân Gıyâseddîn Keyhusrev'i Mısriyyûn'a mu'âvenetle ithâm ederek azlini Abaka Hân'a inhâ ediyordu.
681 muharreminde Abaka Hân bu tezvîrâta inanıp ismen Anadolu sultânı olan Gıyâseddîn Keyhusrev bin Kılıç Arslan'ı azl ederek yerine nezdinde bulunan Orbay Hâtun'dan mütevellid Gıyâseddîn Mes'ûd bin Keykâvus'u [420] Anadolu hükümdârı nasb ve irsâl eyledi. Pervâne Bey'in birâderzâdesi İzzeddîn Muhammed Bey pervâne-i sultânî, Emîr Şâh demekle meşhûr Mücîreddîn Muhammed bin Mu'izzeddîn Alî bin Baba emîrü'l-ümerâ ve Necmeddîn Ferruh Bey dahi müstevfi'l-memâlik olmuşdur.
Moğol hükümdârı Abaka Hân bin Hülâgu Hân 681 rebî'ulevvelinde füc'eten vefât eylediğini müte'âkib birâderi Teküdar Hân serîr-i İlhânî'ye câlis oldukdan sonra şeref-i İslâm ile müşerref olarak Teküdar⁴⁰⁷ Ahmed Hân ismiyle müsemmâ olduğunu her tarafa i'lân eyledi. Çünkü Anadolu'da Tatar beylerinin ve bi'l-hâssa Kongurtay'ın mezâlim-i müdhişesinden ehl-i İslâm son hâle gelmiş ve takım takım isyân ederek dağ başlarına çekilmişlerdi.
Teküdar Ahmed Hân'ın kabûl-i İslâmı Hristiyânları dil-gîr ve Hristiyânlık tarafdârı olan Tatar beylerini igzâb eylediği hâlde ehl-i İslâmı son derece dil-şâd ediyordu. Teküdar Ahmed Hân ehl-i İslâmı daha ziyâde tatmîn ve isyânları teskîn için Anadolu'da zulm ile iştihâr eden Tatar beylerini, Anadolu ümerâsını, Anadolu nâzırı Kongurtay'ı ve Amasya vâlîsi Celâleddîn Muhammed Bey'i azl ve Kongurtay'ı Tebrîz'e taleb edib Amasya vâlîliğine hâzin-i sultânî Necmeddîn Ferruh Bey'i nasb eyledi.
In Modern English
He was the son of Sinâneddîn Mûsâ Bey, son of Seyfeddîn Torumtay, a former governor of Amasya. On his grandfather's death in 679 [1280-81] he became governor of Amasya and, under the terms of the founder's condition, trustee of the Torumtay Waqf. But because he was young, the famous emirs, the emîrü'l-ümerâ İzzeddîn Muhammed, Necmeddîn Ferruh, and Celâleddîn Muhammed Bey, son of Tekur Sinan Bey, famous as Tekurlu, looked down on this emir.
In 680 [1281-82] the cruel Mongol ruler Abaka Han, at the incitement of the Christians, again declared war against the Egyptian government. He did not shrink from inflicting the most loathsome oppressions on the Muslim people living in Anatolia. Kongurtay, nâzır of Anatolia, became the instrument of this oppression and crushed and destroyed the poor Muslims under loathsome tyrannies.
The famous historian Bedreddîn Mahmûd el-Aynî says: "Since no animals could be found to carry the Tatars' war equipment, the poor Muslim Turks were made to work like animals and were harnessed to carts in place of oxen. Since no money was left to be collected from the poor people, their sons at five dirhams each and their daughters at three dirhams each were taken as slaves and concubines in place of tax. The wives of the poor who had no children were used by Tatar soldiers for a month at five dirhams each."
Because these savage oppressions committed through the suggestions of the Christian priests affected the people of Anatolia greatly, everyone, ready to face death in defence of life, property and honour, was waiting for a small move from the emirs. But there was no self-sacrificing emir to show civil courage.
Although the Mongol government fought the Egyptian government after committing so many oppressions, it was defeated; the frontier beys, especially the Karamanids, plundered the Tatar army. After this defeat Kongurtay increased the oppression; accusing the poor Sultan Gıyâseddîn Keyhusrev of helping the Egyptians, he reported to Abaka Han that he should be deposed.
In Muharrem 681 [1282] Abaka Han believed these lies and deposed Gıyâseddîn Keyhusrev bin Kılıç Arslan, son of Keyhusrev, who was sultan of Anatolia in name. In his place he appointed Gıyâseddîn Mes'ûd, son of Keykâvus by Orbay Hatun, who was with him, ruler of Anatolia and sent him. Pervâne Bey's nephew İzzeddîn Muhammed Bey became sultanic pervane, Mücîreddîn Muhammed bin Mu'izzeddîn Alî bin Baba, famous as Emîr Şâh, emîrü'l-ümerâ, and Necmeddîn Ferruh Bey müstevfi'l-memâlik.
When the Mongol ruler Abaka Han bin Hülâgu Han suddenly died in Rebîülevvel 681 [1282], his brother Teküdar Han sat on the Ilkhanid throne. Then, honoured with Islam, he proclaimed everywhere that his name was Teküdar Ahmed Han. For the Muslims in Anatolia had been exhausted by the terrible oppressions of the Tatar beys, especially Kongurtay, and had rebelled in groups and withdrawn to the mountain tops.
Teküdar Ahmed Han's acceptance of Islam grieved the Christians and angered the Tatar beys who favoured Christianity, but delighted the Muslims extremely. To please the Muslims still more and to pacify the revolts, Teküdar Ahmed Han dismissed the Tatar beys known for their oppression in Anatolia, the emirs of Anatolia, Kongurtay, nâzır of Anatolia, and Celâleddîn Muhammed Bey, governor of Amasya. He summoned Kongurtay to Tabriz and appointed the sultan's treasurer Necmeddîn Ferruh Bey governor of Amasya.
Notes and Research
Old Words in the Text
- mütevellî: administrator of a waqf
- şart-ı vâkıf: the condition set by the founder of a waqf
- istisgâr: looking down on, belittling
- mezâlim: oppressions
- istifrâş: taking a woman to bed as a concubine
- hâzin-i sultânî: the sultan's treasurer, treasury official
- uç beyleri: beys of the frontier regions
- serîr-i İlhânî: the Ilkhanid throne
Abaka's Last Years and Anatolia
It is written in the sources that Ahmed Teküder, who succeeded after Abaka Khan's death (1282), divided the Seljuk country between Keyhusrev III and Mesud II. Mesud was first given the administration of Erzurum, Erzincan, Sivas, Diyarbekir and Harput, and his accession to the Seljuk throne took place during Argun's khanate. Hüsameddin, on the other hand, says that Abaka, while alive, deposed Keyhusrev and appointed Mes'ûd in his place. This order differs from the order of events in the sources. The sources also differ among themselves in date: Mesud's accession is given in one entry as 683 (1284) and in another as 681 (1282).
Teküdar Ahmed Han
We could not verify in the sources we examined the information Hüsameddin gives about Teküdar's becoming Muslim and taking the name Ahmed. The sources report only that Ahmed Teküder became khan after Abaka and divided Anatolia between two sultans.
On Nâsıreddîn Muhammed Bey
We found no source on Torumtay's grandson Nâsıreddîn Muhammed Bey other than the brief information Hüsameddin gives. No information on this person was found in other sources.
Bedreddîn el-Aynî's Quotation
The al-Aynî quotation in the text is a citation that Hüsameddin makes from the work of the historian Bedreddin al-Aynî. We could not verify this quotation in its own source. On the same subject other sources also speak of heavy taxes under Mongol rule; for example, the author of the entry on Mesud II writes that the people of Anatolia in this period had to pay increasing taxes, to endure Turkmen raids and to bear the corruption of statesmen.
Bibliography
Primary sources
- Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar, Amasya Tarihi, Amasya Belediyesi Kültür Yayınları, 2022, vol. 2, p. 363–364. amasya.bel.tr
Academic studies