Şerîf Halil Paşa was the son of Yûsuf Efendi of Amasya, treasury secretary to the grand vizier Kara İbrahim Paşa of Bayburt. A career that began with an apprenticeship in the imperial register office (defterhane) took him twice to the post of steward of the grand vizier (sadaret kethüdası) and then, with the rank of vizier, to the governorships of Aydın, Trabzon, Lepanto (İnebahtı), Belgrade, Euboea (Eğriboz) and Bosnia; he died suddenly in Bosnia in Rebiülevvel 1165 (January-February 1752). Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar describes him as "müdebbir, muktedir, şâir, gâyet edîb", prudent, capable, a poet and a man of great learning, and says that he wrote kasides and chronograms (tarih) for Damat İbrahim Paşa and translated some books from Arabic and Persian. None of these poems or translations has been found.

Hüsameddin's Record

The entry stands in the eleventh volume of Amasya Tarihi, among the people of Amasya whose names begin with "Şerîf":

Şerîf Halil Paşa-Hazine Kâtibizâde. Sadr-ı esbak Bayburtluzâde Kara İbrâhim Paşa'nın hazine kâtibi Amasyalı Yûsuf Efendi bin Halil Ağa'nın mahdûmudur. Amcazâde Hüseyin Paşa'nın sadâretinde defterhâneye çırâg olup tedrîcen terakkî ederek ser-halife oldu. 1143 senesi rebîülevvelinde cülûs eden Sultân Mahmûd-ı Evvel'in lalası iken Rumeli pâyesiyle kapıcılar kethüdâsı olan Amasyalı Osmân Paşa'nın himmetiyle tezkîre-i sânî, 1145'de tezkîre-i evvel, 1148'de cizye muhâsebecisi, 1149'da kethüdâ-yı sadr-ı âlî olarak parladı. 1150 rebîülâhirinde Muhsinzâde Abdullah Paşa'nın sadâretinde Rumeli asâkiri sağ kol sürücüsü olarak taşra gönderildi. 1152 muharreminde rikâb-ı hümâyûn kâim makâmı olan Zanalızâde es-Seyyid el-Hac Ahmed Paşa'nın ricâsıyla avdet edib müteâkiben baş muhâsebeci, ba'dehû defter emîni ve 1156 saferinin yirmi yedisinde Sadr-ı a'zam olan İskeforlu es-Seyyid Hasan Paşa'nın arzıyla sânîyen kethüdâ-yı sadr-ı âlî oldu. 1158 cumâdelevvelinde vezâretle Aydın vâlisi oldu. Ba'dehû 1159 ramazanında Trabzon ve şevvâlinde İnebahtı, 1161 şevvâlinde Belgrad ba'dehû Eğriboz, 1164 saferinde Bosna vâlisi olup 1165 senesi rebîülevvelinde Bosna'da ansızın vefât etdi. Müdebbir, muktedir, şâir, gâyet edîb idi. Damat İbrâhim Paşa'ya kasideler ve târihler yapıp Arabî ve Farisî ba'zı kitâblar terceme etmiş âsârı beğenilmişdir.

Translated, the entry reads: He is the son of Yûsuf Efendi bin Halil Ağa of Amasya, treasury secretary of the former grand vizier Kara İbrahim Paşa of the Bayburtluzâde family. During the grand vizierate of Amcazâde Hüseyin Paşa he entered the register office as an apprentice and, rising step by step, became serhalife, the head clerk of the office. Through the support of Osman Paşa of Amasya, who was the tutor (lala) of Sultan Mahmud I, enthroned in Rebiülevvel 1143, and steward of the palace gatekeepers with the rank of Rumeli, he became second tezkireci (secretary of the council), in 1145 first tezkireci, in 1148 accountant of the poll tax (cizye), and in 1149 he rose to prominence as steward of the grand vizier. In Rebiülahir 1150, during the grand vizierate of Muhsinzâde Abdullah Paşa, he was sent to the provinces as driver of the right wing of the Rumeli troops. In Muharrem 1152 he returned at the request of Zanalızâde Seyyid Hacı Ahmed Paşa, deputy of the grand vizier at the sultan's side, and then became chief accountant, later keeper of the registers (defter emini), and on the twenty-seventh of Safer 1156, on the proposal of İskeforlu Seyyid Hasan Paşa, who became grand vizier on that day, steward of the grand vizier for the second time. In Cemaziyelevvel 1158 he became governor of Aydın with the rank of vizier. Then in Ramazan 1159 he became governor of Trabzon and in Şevval of Lepanto, in Şevval 1161 of Belgrade and afterwards of Euboea, in Safer 1164 of Bosnia, and he died suddenly in Bosnia in Rebiülevvel 1165. He was a prudent, capable man, a poet and very learned. He wrote kasides and chronograms for Damat İbrahim Paşa and translated some books from Arabic and Persian; his works were admired.

Life

In the entry the epithet "of Amasya" is used only for his father Yûsuf Efendi. That the family came from Amasya is clear; where and when Halil himself was born is not recorded. His father was treasury secretary to the grand vizier Kara İbrahim Paşa; Halil's nickname "Hazine Kâtibizâde", son of the treasury secretary, comes from this. He himself entered state service by the same road, as an apprentice in the register office.

His rise quickened after the accession of Mahmud I in Rebiülevvel 1143 (September-October 1730). Hüsameddin links this rise to two patrons from Amasya: Osman Paşa, tutor of the new sultan, raised him through the ranks of tezkireci in the chancery, and in Muharrem 1152 (April 1739) the grand vizier's deputy Zanalızâde Seyyid Hacı Ahmed Paşa secured his return from his post in the provinces. His dispatch to the provinces in the meantime, in Rebiülahir 1150 (July-August 1737), as driver of the right wing of the Rumeli army, suggests that he was moved out of sight during the grand vizierate of Muhsinzâde Abdullah Paşa; Hüsameddin does not give the reason. He became steward of the grand vizier for the second time on the proposal of İskeforlu Seyyid Hasan Paşa, who became grand vizier on 27 Safer 1156 (22 April 1743).

In Cemaziyelevvel 1158 (June 1745) he rose to the governorship of Aydın with the rank of vizier. In the following seven years he was appointed in turn to the governorships of Trabzon, Lepanto, Belgrade, Euboea and Bosnia; he came to Bosnia in Safer 1164 (December 1750-January 1751) and died there suddenly about a year later, in Rebiülevvel 1165 (January-February 1752). Hüsameddin says nothing about the cause of his death.

His Connection with Amasya

His father Yûsuf Efendi was from Amasya, and so were the two great men who shaped his career, Osman Paşa and Zanalızâde Ahmed Paşa. These three are Hüsameddin's grounds for counting Halil Paşa among the people of Amasya. Not a line places Halil himself in the city: we do not know that he lived there, held office there or left a pious endowment.

His Poetry

The kasides and chronograms Hüsameddin mentions were written for Damat İbrahim Paşa, but not a single couplet of them is in hand today; Şerîf Halil Paşa's poems have not been found. The occasions on which they were composed, whether they were collected in an anthology (mecmua), and the titles of the books he translated from Arabic and Persian are not given in the entry. Whether he used a pen name is also unknown; the word "Şerîf" in his name is not presented in the entry as a pen name.

The text version of the e-book can mislead the reader here. The page on which the entry stands has two columns, and in that version the two columns are interleaved line by line. The sentence "Şiirinde 'şerîf' tahallus etmişdir" (in his poetry he used the pen name "şerîf"), which comes just before Halil Paşa's entry, can therefore be read as if it belonged to him. The sentence belongs to the entry of Şerîf Hasan Efendi-Yeniçerizâde, who died in 1131 (1718-19), in the neighbouring column; there is no such record for Halil Paşa.

Chronology

Rebiülevvel 1143 (September-October 1730): Mahmud I ascends the throne; with Osman Paşa's support Halil becomes second tezkireci.

1145 (1732-33): Becomes first tezkireci.

1148 (1735-36): Becomes accountant of the poll tax.

1149 (1736-37): Becomes steward of the grand vizier.

Rebiülahir 1150 (July-August 1737): Is sent to the provinces as driver of the right wing of the Rumeli troops.

Muharrem 1152 (April 1739): Returns to İstanbul; becomes chief accountant, then keeper of the registers.

27 Safer 1156 (22 April 1743): Becomes steward of the grand vizier for the second time.

Cemaziyelevvel 1158 (June 1745): Becomes governor of Aydın with the rank of vizier.

Ramazan 1159 (September-October 1746): Becomes governor of Trabzon, and in Şevval of Lepanto.

Şevval 1161 (September-October 1748): Becomes governor of Belgrade, then of Euboea.

Safer 1164 (December 1750-January 1751): Becomes governor of Bosnia.

Rebiülevvel 1165 (January-February 1752): Dies suddenly in Bosnia.

Bibliography

Online sources