A Letter Concerning the Parents of Patrona Hali

Karagedikli, Gürer

English

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| 62 A	Letter	Concerning	the	Parents	of	Patrona	Halil*	Gürer	Karagedikli					Author:	Faculty Member, Middle East Technical University gurer@metu.edu.tr  ORCID: 0000‐0001‐7846‐6052 			Keywords:	Letter,	 Patrona	Halil,	 18th	 century,	 İstanbul,	Ottoman	 Empire,	 Rebellion,	 Albanians,	Rodosto			Cite	this	article:	Karagedikli,	 Gürer.	 “A	 Letter	 Concerning	 the	 Parents	 of	 Patrona	 Halil”	 Keshif:	 E-Journal		for	Ottoman-Turkish	Micro	Editions	2/2	(Summer	2024):	62-66.		Available	under	https://doi.org/10.25365/kshf-24-02-08.		_____________________	Article	DOI	10.25365/kshf-24-02-08	Published	online	September	30,	2024	©	2024	Gürer	Karagedikli,	published	by	Keshif:	E-Journal	for	Ottoman-Turkish	Micro	Editions.	This	 is	 an	 Open	 Access	 article	 licensed	 under	 the	 Creative	 Commons	 Attribution	 4.0.	 International	License	(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).  * I would like to thank Ümit Ekin and Selim Karahasanoğlu for reading an earlier version of the manuscript. Special thanks go to the editorial team of Keshif and the anonymous reviewer for their careful readings, corrections, and valuable suggestions.  Gürer	Karagedikli,	The	Parents	of	Patrona	Halil	│63 Context	This	document	from	the	Muslim	court	registers	of	Rodosçuk	or	Tekfurdağı	(modern-day	Tekirdağ	in	Turkey)	is	a	copy	of	a	letter	written	to	the	court	registers,	which	was	sent	 to	 the	deputy	 judge	and	 the	 local	notable	of	 the	 city.	 It	 is	 about	 the	parents	of	Patrona	 Halil	 who	 was	 believed	 to	 be	 the	 main	 culprit	 of	 the	 so-called	 Patrona	Rebellion	 of	 1730,	 a	 significant	 event	 in	 Ottoman	 history.	 Unfortunately,	 no	 further	information	is	known	regarding	the	final	fate	of	the	two	people.	The	importance	of	the	document	 comes	 from	 the	 fact	 that	 it	 reveals	 the	 details	 of	 the	 parents	 of	 Patrona	Halil,	an	unknown	aspect	of	the	main	figure	of	the	1730	Rebellion.		 The	rebellion	was	led	by	Patrona,	an	Albanian	sailor	who	is	believed	to	have	been	previously	engaged	 in	piracy.	He	became	 the	 leader	of	a	group	of	 janissaries,	 sailors,	and	various	disaffected	dwellers	in	Istanbul	where	widespread	dissatisfaction	with	the	rule	of	Sultan	Ahmed	 III	 and	his	 administration	was	evident.	During	 the	period,	 the	economic	difficulties	were	exacerbated	by	the	luxury	and	extravagance	of	the	so-called	Tulip	 Era	 (Lâle	 Devri),	 during	 which	 there	 was	 significant	 spending	 on	 palaces	 and	parties.	 Furthermore,	 failure	 in	 foreign	 policy,	 notably	 the	 loss	 of	 the	 war	 against	Austria	 (1715-1718),	which	 led	 to	 the	Treaty	of	Passarowitz	 in	 1718,	was	 also	 a	 reason.	With	 this	 treaty,	 the	Ottoman	Empire	 lost	 significant	 territories	 in	 the	Balkans	 from	which	many	displaced	families	poured	mainly	into	the	Ottoman	capital.		 In	 September	 1730,	 the	 armed	 rebels	 seized	 control	 of	 Istanbul,	 exploiting	 the	general	 discontent	 among	 the	 populace.	 The	 insurgents	 demanded	 the	 execution	 of	several	high	officials	whom	they	blamed	for	the	state’s	poor	governance.	Consequently,	Sultan	 Ahmed	 III	 was	 deposed	 on	 October	 1,	 1730,	 and	 replaced	 by	 his	 nephew	Mahmud	I.	Also,	several	of	Ahmed	III’s	ministers	and	prominent	figures	were	executed	or	exiled.	Seeking	to	restore	order	and	consolidate	his	power,	the	new	sultan	Mahmud	I	 executed	 Patrona	 Halil	 and	 his	 main	 supporters	 in	 November	 1730,	 barely	 two	months	 after	 the	 rebellion.	 On	 top	 of	 this,	 given	 the	 strong	 suspicion	 towards	Albanians	 in	 Istanbul	 in	 the	 post-Patrona	 period,	 the	Ottoman	 authorities	 probably	wanted	 to	 deliver	 a	 symbolic	 message	 too.	 As	 shown	 in	 the	 document,	 almost	 six	64 | Keshif:	E-Journal	for	Ottoman-Turkish	Micro	Editions,	Summer	2024,	vol.	2/2 months	after	Patrona’s	execution,	Patrona’s	parents	were	exiled	from	Istanbul,	never	to	return.	By	 their	 banishment,	 the	 authorities	may	have	wanted	 to	 erase	 the	 legacy	of	Patrona	from	Istanbul.		Transcription	Şerīʿat-şiʿār	 Tekfurṭaġı	 nāʾibi	 efendi	 zīde	 ʿilmuhū	 ve	 ḳıdvetüʾl-emācid	 veʾl-aʿyān	Tekfur[ṭa]ġında	Aġa	 olan	 Ḥāṣekī	Meḥmed	Aġa	 zīde	mecduhūya	 inhā	 olınur	 ki	 bundan	aḳdem	āstāne-i	saʿādetde	refʿ-i	livā-i	ʿiṣyān	iden	şaḳīlerüñ	başları	olan	maġżūb-ı	ilāhī	ve	mebġūż-ı	 	 żıllullāhī	 olmaġın	 ḳatl	 olınan	 Patrona	 dimekle	maʿrūf	 şeḳāvet-pīşenüñ	 üvey	babası	Ḫalīl	ile	anası	Ḥafṣa	nām	avrat[uñ]	İstanbul’da	durmaları	münāsib	olmaduġından	ṭard	u	 ibᶜādları	mühimm	ü	muḳteżī	olub	vaṭan-ı	aṣliyyelerine	gitmek	üzre	Tekfurṭaġına	nefy	ü	iclā	olınmaları	ile	işbu	mektūb	taḥrīr	ve	ḳıdvetüʾl-emās ̱il	veʾl-aḳrān	[Dergāh-ı	ʿālī	yeñiçerilerinden	Şāhin	Meḥmed	Aġa]	zīde	ḳadruhū	mübāşeretiyle	 irsāl	olındı	vuṣūlünde	gerekdür	 ki	 vaṭan-ı	 aṣliyyelerine	 gitmek	 üzre	 mezbūrlara	 geregi	 gibi	 tenbīh	 eyleyüb	İstanbul	 ṭarafına	 ʿavdet	 itdürmekden	 be-ġāyet	 iḥtirāz	 ve	 ictināb	 eyleyesiz	 taḥrīren	 [fī]	evāʾil-i	şehr-i	Z ̱īʾl-ḳaʿdetiʾş-şerīfe	sene	s ̱elās ̱e	ve	erbaʿīn	ve	miʾe	ve	elf		vaṣale	ileynā	ve	ḳuyyide	fī	8	Z ̱īʾl-ḳaʿde	sene	1143	mineʾl-faḳīr	Şāhin	Meḥmed	Aġa-yı	Yeñiçeriyān-ı	Dergāh-ı	ʿāli		Translation	It	is	reported	to	the	deputy	judge	of	Tekfurṭaġı	[Tekirdağ],	the	symbol	of	Shariʿa	–	may	[God]	increase	his	knowledge	–		and	the	model	of	the	most	illustrious	ones	and	of	the	notables,	Ḥāṣekī	Meḥmed	Aġa,	who	is	an	Aġa	at	Tekfurṭaġı	–	may	[God]	increase	his	glory	–	that	since	it	is	inappropriate	for	H ̮alīl	and	Ḥafṣa,	the	step-father	and	mother	of	the	bandit-natured	man	known	as	Patrona	who	was	the	leader	of	the	insurgents	who	took	the	path	of	rebellion	in	the	Abode	of	Felicity	[İstanbul]	before	and	was	executed	because	of	the	wrath	of	God	and	grudge	of	the	shadow	of	God,	to	remain	in	İstanbul,	their	deportation	to	Tekfurṭaġı	is	important	and	necessary.	This	letter	was	written	and	sent	by	the	initiative	of	the	model	of	the	most	honored	ones	and	of	his	counterparts,	Gürer	Karagedikli,	The	Parents	of	Patrona	Halil	│65 [Şāhin	Meḥmed,	Aġa	of	 the	 Janissaries]	 –	may	 [God]	 increase	his	 power	 –	 after	 they	were	 banished	 to	Tekfurṭaġı	 in	 order	 for	 them	 to	 return	 to	 their	 original	 homeland.	Upon	the	arrival	[of	the	letter],	warn	them	properly	about	their	return	to	their	original	homeland	and	prevent	them	from	returning	to	Istanbul.	It	was	written	in	the	first	ten	days	of	the	month	Z ̱īʾl-ḳaʿde	in	the	year	1143	(May	1731).	[The	letter]	arrived	to	us	and	registered	at	8	Z ̱īʾl-ḳaʿde	1143	(15	May	1731).	from	humble	Şāhin	Meḥmed,	Aġa	of	the	Imperial	Janissaries			Bibliography		Aktepe,	M.	Münir,	Patrona	İsyanı	(1730),	İstanbul:	Edebiyat	Fakültesi	Basımevi,	1958.		Karahasanoğlu,	Selim,	“A	Tulip	Age	Legend:	Consumer	Behavior	and	Material	Culture	in	the	Ottoman	Empire	(1718-1730),”	Unpublished	PhD	thesis,	(State	University	of	New	York	at	Binghamton),	Binghamton,	New	York,	2009.	Karahasanoğlu,	Selim.	“Osmanlı	Tarihyazımında	‘Lale	Devri’:	Eleştirel	Bir	Değerlendir-me”,	Tarih	ve	Toplum:	Yeni	Yaklaşımlar,	7,	2008,	pp.	129-144.		Yılmaz,	 Hakan.	 “İsyânın	 Gölgesindeki	 İstanbul:	 Yeni	 Arşiv	 Belgeleri	 Işığında	 1730	Patrona	 İsyânı.”	 in	 Feridun	 M.	 Emecen	 et	 al	 (eds.).,	 Osmanlı	 İstanbulu	 IV,	(İstanbul:	29	Mayıs	Üniversitesi	Yayınları,	2016),	pp.	411-	452.					 	66 | Keshif:	E-Journal	for	Ottoman-Turkish	Micro	Editions,	Summer	2024,	vol.	2/2 Facsimile				

A Letter Concerning the Parents of Patrona Halil

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A Letter Concerning the Parents of Patrona Halil

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