Melek Ahmet Pasha
Encyclopedia
Melek Ahmed Pasha was an Ottoman
official and Grand Vizier
during the stagnation
of the empire.
(or Abazin
) origin. According to one source his father was a sea captain named Pervane. During the reign of Murad IV
, he was appointed as the governor of Diyarbakır
. During Ibrahim I's
reign he was appointed to the governorships of Erzurum
, Mosul
, Aleppo
and Damascus
. In 1644 he married to Kaya Sultan
, Murad's daughter and gained the title damat (groom). But all of the provinces (even Erzurum a part of Turkey
) he was assigned, were quite far from Istanbul
, the capital, and during most of his assignments his wife stayed in Istanbul. During the reign of Mehmed IV
, he finally returned to Istanbul as a vizier. But in 1650, to the dismay of his wife he was appointed as the governor of Baghdad
, another post far from Istanbul. Kaya Sultan tried to persuade the queen regent to revoke the decision. But she couldn't succeed, a sign of the chaos in Ottoman palace. Nevertheless, before Melek Ahmed left Istanbul, the Grand Vizier Kara Dev Murad Pasha resigned, complaining of the intrigues of the palace people. The queen regent offered the post to Melek Ahmed, who accepted the offer on the condition that the palace people would not meddle with the governance of the state (5 August 1650).
were much less than the expected amount because of the Jelali revolts
. He did his best to balance the budget, but without a real knowledge of financial affairs, his economic measures worsened the economy instead of improving it. Among his measures was the debasing of coinage by reducing the gold content. This caused reactions among both the merchants and the soldiers whose salaries were paid by the new coins. The Sultan was forced to relieve him of his post on 22 August 1651.
(now in Bulgaria
), much closer to capital. Soon he was able to return to Istanbul. In 1654, Mustafa İbşir Pasha had been appointed as the Grand Vizier, but delayed his arrival in Istanbul. During this period, Melek Ahmed functioned as his deputy. This aroused İbşir Pasha's suspicions, and Melek Ahmed was exiled to Van
and Malkara
. However, after İbşir Pasha was deposed, Melek Ahmed Pasha was able to regain his former titles. After working in some provinces in the European part of the empire, he died in Istanbul in 1662.
", in 1656.
's books. Evliya Çelebi was one of the most important Turkish travel writers. His mother was milk sibling of Melek Ahmed Pasha, and Evliya Çelebi used this opportunity to travel with Melek Ahmed Pasha.
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
official and Grand Vizier
Grand Vizier
Grand Vizier, in Turkish Vezir-i Azam or Sadr-ı Azam , deriving from the Arabic word vizier , was the greatest minister of the Sultan, with absolute power of attorney and, in principle, dismissable only by the Sultan himself...
during the stagnation
Stagnation of the Ottoman Empire
The Stagnation of the Ottoman Empire is the period following the Growth of the Ottoman Empire . During this period the empire continued to have military might. The next period would be shaped by the decline of their military power which followed the loss of huge territories...
of the empire.
Early years
He was of AbkhazAbkhaz people
The Abkhaz or Abkhazians are a Caucasian ethnic group, mainly living in Abkhazia, a disputed region on the Black Sea coast. A large Abkhazian diaspora population resides in Turkey, the origins of which lie in the emigration from the Caucasus in the late 19th century known as Muhajirism...
(or Abazin
Abazins
The Abazins are a people who live mostly in Karachay-Cherkessia and Adygea of Russia.An Abazin diaspora exists in Turkey, Jordan, Syria, Egypt , and other Islamic countries, most of which are descendants of refugees from the Caucasian War...
) origin. According to one source his father was a sea captain named Pervane. During the reign of Murad IV
Murad IV
Murad IV Ghazi was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1623 to 1640, known both for restoring the authority of the state and for the brutality of his methods...
, he was appointed as the governor of Diyarbakır
Diyarbakır
Diyarbakır is one of the largest cities in southeastern Turkey...
. During Ibrahim I's
Ibrahim I
Ibrahim I was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1640 until 1648. He was born in Istanbul the son of Ahmed I by Valide Sultan Kadinefendi Kösem Sultan, an ethnic Greek originally named Anastasia...
reign he was appointed to the governorships of Erzurum
Erzurum
Erzurum is a city in Turkey. It is the largest city, the capital of Erzurum Province. The city is situated 1757 meters above sea level. Erzurum had a population of 361,235 in the 2000 census. .Erzurum, known as "The Rock" in NATO code, served as NATO's southeastern-most air force post during the...
, Mosul
Mosul
Mosul , is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate, some northwest of Baghdad. The original city stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass substantial...
, Aleppo
Aleppo
Aleppo is the largest city in Syria and the capital of Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Syrian governorate. With an official population of 2,301,570 , expanding to over 2.5 million in the metropolitan area, it is also one of the largest cities in the Levant...
and Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
. In 1644 he married to Kaya Sultan
Kaya Sultan
Kaya Sultan was the daughter of Sultan Murad IV. She died shortly after giving birth, at the age of 26, due to complications during her labour. The most famous Ottoman traveler Evliya Çelebi noted a specific encounter with Kaya Sultan in his book "The Intimate Life of an Ottoman Statesman"...
, Murad's daughter and gained the title damat (groom). But all of the provinces (even Erzurum a part of Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
) he was assigned, were quite far from Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, the capital, and during most of his assignments his wife stayed in Istanbul. During the reign of Mehmed IV
Mehmed IV
Mehmed IV Modern Turkish Mehmet was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1648 to 1687...
, he finally returned to Istanbul as a vizier. But in 1650, to the dismay of his wife he was appointed as the governor of Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
, another post far from Istanbul. Kaya Sultan tried to persuade the queen regent to revoke the decision. But she couldn't succeed, a sign of the chaos in Ottoman palace. Nevertheless, before Melek Ahmed left Istanbul, the Grand Vizier Kara Dev Murad Pasha resigned, complaining of the intrigues of the palace people. The queen regent offered the post to Melek Ahmed, who accepted the offer on the condition that the palace people would not meddle with the governance of the state (5 August 1650).
Grand Vizier
Melek Ahmed Pasha saw that the empire was almost bankrupt. The Cretan War (1645-1669) was very costly and tax revenues from AnatoliaAnatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
were much less than the expected amount because of the Jelali revolts
Jelali Revolts
Jelali revolts , were a series of rebellions in Anatolia of irregular troops led by provincial administrations known as celalî, against the authority of the Ottoman Empire in the 16th and 17th centuries. They arose partly as an effort to attain tax privileges...
. He did his best to balance the budget, but without a real knowledge of financial affairs, his economic measures worsened the economy instead of improving it. Among his measures was the debasing of coinage by reducing the gold content. This caused reactions among both the merchants and the soldiers whose salaries were paid by the new coins. The Sultan was forced to relieve him of his post on 22 August 1651.
Later years
After 1651, he was again assigned as a provincial governor, but this time in SilistraSilistra
Silistra is a port city of northeastern Bulgaria, lying on the southern bank of the lower Danube at the country's border with Romania. Silistra is the administrative centre of Silistra Province and one of the important cities of the historical region of Southern Dobrudzha...
(now in Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
), much closer to capital. Soon he was able to return to Istanbul. In 1654, Mustafa İbşir Pasha had been appointed as the Grand Vizier, but delayed his arrival in Istanbul. During this period, Melek Ahmed functioned as his deputy. This aroused İbşir Pasha's suspicions, and Melek Ahmed was exiled to Van
Van, Turkey
Van is a city in southeastern Turkey and the seat of the Kurdish-majority Van Province, and is located on the eastern shore of Lake Van. The city's official population in 2010 was 367,419, but many estimates put this as much higher with a 1996 estimate stating 500,000 and former Mayor Burhan...
and Malkara
Malkara
Malkara is a town and district of Tekirdağ Province in the Marmara region of Turkey. It is located at 55 km west of Tekirdağ and 190 km from Istanbul. It covers an area of 1,225 km², which makes the district the largest in Tekirdağ. Population of the town is 25,000 with another...
. However, after İbşir Pasha was deposed, Melek Ahmed Pasha was able to regain his former titles. After working in some provinces in the European part of the empire, he died in Istanbul in 1662.
Aftermath
In the Ottoman Empire the minting of devalued coinage continued after 1651, and provided the major reason for a wide-scale rebellion, the so-called "Çınar IncidentÇınar Incident
Çınar Incident is the name of a 17th century rebellion in the Ottoman Empire.- Background :During the Cretan War , military expenditures of the Ottoman Empire increased, and the empire began experiencing economic difficulties...
", in 1656.
Evliya Çelebi and Melek Ahmed Pasha
Although not a particularly successful Grand Vizier, details about both Melek Ahmed Pasa and Kaya Sultan are well known because of Evliya ÇelebiEvliya Çelebi
Evliya Çelebi was an Ottoman traveler who journeyed through the territory of the Ottoman Empire and neighboring lands over a period of forty years.- Life :...
's books. Evliya Çelebi was one of the most important Turkish travel writers. His mother was milk sibling of Melek Ahmed Pasha, and Evliya Çelebi used this opportunity to travel with Melek Ahmed Pasha.