Mevleví Khoájeh Dervísh Mohammed Páshá retired from the office of defterdár with the rank of a Páshá of three tails, and resided in a monastery of Mevlevís. He was appointed grand vezír when Sultán Mohammed IV. came to the throne; but having made immense confiscation of property in order to raise funds for the payment of the troops, he was obliged to retire to Malagra, where he was strangled. He was a just and valuable servant of the state. His successor was Kara Murád Páshá, who was born in Albania, and was brought up as a Janissary. Like his predecessor, he was dismissed from office for having spent too much money in organizing the imperial navy and army. He was succeeded by my lord Melek Ahmed Páshá, who was born at Constantinople; but at the age of three years was sent to the country of Abáza, where he was educated till he was fifteen. He was then, along with my mother, sent as a present to Sultan Ahmed. He was consigned to the pages in the harem, and my mother was given to my father, shortly after which union, the humble writer was born. Melek Ahmed’s father was the kehiyá of the kapújís of Ozdemir-oghlí Osmán Páshá; and having been present in the battles of Shírwán, Ganjeh, and Derbend, died at the age of one hundred and forty years. Melek then became the sword-bearer and confidential attendant of Sultán Murád IV., and on the day of the conquest of Baghdád, he received the government of Díárbekr. He subsequently enjoyed all the high offices in the state; and having held the governments of Cairo and Budin, and become an old and experienced statesman, he was at last raised to the rank of grand vezír. He sent 3,000 Sipáhís to aid Delí Husain Páshá in Candia, and a togh (tail) to Biklí Mustafá Páshá. By this assistance, Delí Husain was enabled to take the castles of Selina and Retimo. The following year Hasám Oghlí Alí Páshá was made Kapúdán Páshá, and sailed to the Mediterranean with a fleet of 300 vessels, equal to the famous fleet of Kílí Alí Páshá. After an engagement with the infidels, in which the latter were defeated, the fleet anchored in the harbour of Kara Khoájehler, and the troops having carelessly gone on shore, the infidels came upon them and set fire to forty galleys and eleven galeons. When the news of this calamity reached the vezír, he offered to give up the seals, but the emperor would not accept his resignation, and thus he remained in office with a salary of 700 purses.
The cause of his fall.
The garrison at Azov having mutinied for want of pay, and murdered some of their officers, three hundred purses of money were changed into ducats, and were sent off by messengers on horseback, it being impossible to forward them by sea in the winter season. These three hundred purses were levied upon the merchants and tradesmen of Constantinople, to whom the Defterdár Emír Páshá, Kadda Kehiyá, and the inspector of the customs Hasan Chelebí, distributed linen, red and blue Morocco leather, and drugs, the confiscated property of many Musulmáns. One morning all the guilds of Constantinople assembled in arms on the At-Maidán, and with cries of “Alláh! Alláh!” proceeded to the royal Seráï to make their complaints against the three officers above mentioned. The Sultán sent three times for Melek Ahmed, who, fearing the violence of the mob, refused to come. At last the kapújílar kehiyásí (chief chamberlain), and the khás oda báshí (chief of the pages), came and insisted that he should either come to the presence or give up the seals. With the latter proposal he at once complied, and was afterwards appointed governor of Silistria, though he continued to reside some time at a house called the Topjílar Seráï in the vicinity of Constantinople.
The grand vezír who succeeded him was Síávush Páshá, an Abáza by birth. He was first chokadár to Sultán Murád IV., then Kapúdán Páshá, and passed through all the offices in Egypt. The kizlar-ághá, Dív Soleïmán Aghá, having strangled the mother of Sultán Murád, Kosem Sultáneh, with her own hair, and killed the ághá of the Janissaries, their lieutenant-general and their secretary, was one day boasting of his feats, when he suddenly gave Síávush a blow on the face, and taking the seals from him, gave them to Gúrjí Mohammed Páshá. Gúrjí had formerly obtained some repute as jebbehjí báshí (chief of the armoury) in the war of Hotín. He succeeded in raising a large fleet, and sent two thousand Janissaries and three thousand Sipáhís to Candia; but was dismissed from office on the pretext of being imbecile. His successor Tarkhúnjí Ahmed Páshá had been kehiyá to the vezírs Músá and Hazár-páreh Ahmed Páshá. He was subsequently made grand vezír of Egypt and of the Cupola; and though he raised the means of supporting the navy and army, and kept both in an excellent state, he was put to death on the plea of being a traitor.
Kapúdán Bíklí Dervísh Mohammed Páshá was a slave of Mustafá, the kizlar-ághá of Sultán Othmán, and a native of Circassia. He was a man possessed of great ability, and took a great interest in the affairs of state; but by the decree of God, he was attacked by a paralytic stroke, which confined him six months. During this period, the business of his office was transacted by Melek Ahmed Páshá, as káïm-makám or lieutenant. His disease proved fatal, and the seals were consigned a second time to Melek Ahmed Páshá; but after a consultation of all the Ulemá, which lasted for seven hours, on the suggestion of Melek Ahmed himself, it was resolved that the seals should be sent to Ibshír Páshá, a relation of the famous rebel Abáza Páshá, then governor of Haleb, and already noticed for the treacherous manner in which he killed his father-in-law, Várvár Páshá. He accepted the office; but not wishing to come to Constantinople, he excused himself by pleading the necessity of quelling some disturbances on the Persian frontier, whither he marched with a hundred thousand men. After repeated invitations, and having been presented with Aisha Sultáneh, the widow of Voinok Ahmed Páshá, as his wife, he at last, after a march of seven months, arrived at Scutari, but would not enter Constantinople. The kizlar ághá, and Sheikh-ul-Islám, then waited upon him at his palace at Scutari; and, presenting him with a sable pelisse and a dagger set with jewels, invited him in the name of the emperor to visit Constantinople, proposing at the same time to leave several páshás and Ulemá as hostages in his camp. To this he consented, and had an audience with the emperor; but the day after he was on the point of returning, and it was with great difficulty that he was prevailed upon to make a public entry into Constantinople at the head of his army of eighty thousand men. His first measure was to insist upon the necessity of sending the káïm-makám, Ahmed Páshá, to Ván, on the Persian frontier, on account of the disturbances in that quarter. The emperor remonstrated that it was not a proper province for so old and meritorious a vezír; but Ibshír replied, that it was a fine province of twenty-seven sanjaks and an annual revenue of a hundred thousand piastres. The diploma of the Páshá was therefore instantly made out and sent to Melek Ahmed by a chamberlain and ten chávushes, who pressed his immediate departure. Melek Ahmed, on ascertaining the object of their visit, raised the firmán, without kissing it, to his head, and presented three purses with a sable pelisse to the chamberlain, and fifty piastres to each of the chávushes. He however remained five days longer in making the necessary arrangements for his journey. On the fifth day, Ibshír complained to the emperor of Melek’s delay, and urged the emperor to put him to death for his disobedience. The day after, the emperor sent a chamberlain to call Melek, and on his appearing was asked why he delayed going to so desirable a province as Ván, which, according to the account of Ibshír, had an income of a hundred thousand piastres. Melek boldly declared that what Ibshír stated was false; that Ibshír had no means of knowing, having never been admitted into the citadel by the mutinous garrison, and that the revenue scarcely amounted to seven thousand piastres. The emperor immediately called for pen and ink, and with his own hand wrote a khatisheríf, by which the power of appointing all the governors from Scutari to Egypt and Baghdád, together with the title of governor general, was conferred upon Melek Ahmed. Besides that, five hundred purses of gold, one hundred strings of mules, as many camels, an imperial tent, and two sable pelisses were given to him; and the emperor addressing him said: “Proceed now, my Lálá, and, if it please God, I propose some day to visit that country.” At this Ibshír became pale as death, whilst Melek, after having offered up prayers for his Majesty’s prosperity, went out, and, escorted by the bostánjí-báshí, he and his retinue passed over to Scutari in one hundred and fifty boats. Here he remained a week in the palace of Kíá-Sultáneh, making preparations for his journey. After a march of one hundred and seventeen days he entered Ván; and on the same day a messenger, named Yeldrim (lightning), having travelled with the speed of lightning, arrived bringing the news of the murder of Ibshír at Constantinople.
Murád Páshá was made grand vezír a second time; but the troops not being satisfied with him, he was dismissed from office; and dying shortly after in the palace of Arnáúd Páshá, he was buried in the tomb which the latter had built for himself. It is related as a well known story that, that when Murád Páshá, heard that Arnáúd Páshá was building a tomb for himself, he said: “Please God! he shall not have the satisfaction of being buried in it, but I will bury a black hog in it.” The event was, that he himself was buried in it.
Silihdár Soleïmán Páshá was appointed governor of Rumeïlí, after having been for some time sword-bearer to the emperor. He was born at Malátieh and educated in the imperial harem, and was an amiable and worthy vezír. He was dismissed on some slight pretext, and was succeeded by Zúrnázen Mustafá Páshá, an Albanian by birth, and educated in the imperial harem. He was defterdár during the vezírat of Melek Ahmed Páshá, but was degraded on account of his great avarice, and filled several inferior offices. The seals were conferred upon him merely to tantalize him, for he had to return them one hour after he received them: thus he had the pleasure of enjoying only a faint shadow of the dignity of grand vezír. The seals were then sent by the khásekí, Sipáhí Mohammed, to Delí Husain, who was engaged in the siege of Candia. But the khásekí, having been delayed by contrary winds on his passage from Menkesheh to Candia, was overtaken by another messenger, who brought back the seals. They were then sent to Síávush, the governor of Ouzí (Oczakov), who became grand vezír a second time. At this time Melek Ahmed Páshá, having been recalled from the government of Ván, was delayed at Erzerúm, by the winter, on his return to Constantinople. Here he received the news of the death of the vezír Síávush, and of Defterdár Zádeh, who was strangled under the false accusation of having been concerned in the death of Síávush. Boiní Egrí Mohammed Páshá was next nominated grand vezír, and in his absence his duties were performed by Haider Aghá-Zádeh, as káïm-makám. Boiní Egrí, however, immediately sent to Melek Ahmed, inviting him to return to Constantinople, whilst Haider Aghá-Zádeh was appointed governor of Oczakov. On the very day that Melek Ahmed took his seat amongst the vezírs of the Cupola, Haider, who was setting out for Silivria from Silistria, was murdered, and his province was conferred upon Melek Ahmed Páshá. Boiní Egrí Páshá having through his avarice lost his office, Kopreïlí Válí Mohammed Páshá was appointed his successor. This man being invested with absolute power, and being ambitious to bring glory to the Ottoman power, killed in Anatolia four hundred thousand rebels, seventeen vezírs, forty-one beglerbegs, seventy sanják begs, three mollahs, and a moghrebín sheikh. He proportioned the expenditure of the empire to its revenues, which he considerably enlarged by several conquests. The astrologers and cabalists call this Kopreïlí Sáhib Kharúj, i.e. Expenditor. He is buried in the mausoleum, near the poultry-market (Táúk-bázár). He was an Albanian by birth, but most zealous and active in the cause of the true faith. He was educated in the imperial harem, and when Khosrau Páshá left it with the rank of Aghá of the Janissaries, Kopreïlí was promoted to the office of Khazíneh-dár. After him his son, Fázil Ahmed Páshá, was named grand vezír. He was not of a blood-thirsty disposition like his father, but shewed himself a virtuous, upright, prudent, and honourable governor. He was born in the village of Koprí in the province of Sivás, and at first devoted himself to the study of the law, but was afterwards appointed governor of Erzerúm, then káïm-makám, and lastly grand vezír. He was the first instance of a son’s holding the seals in succession from the father. Of the castles which he reduced, may be mentioned those of Kamenick and Candia. He died between Adrianople and Rodosto, on the chiftlik (estate) of Kara Bovir, and was buried beside his father.
His successor was Kara Mustafá Páshá, who was also educated in the harem of the Kopreïlís, and at different periods held the offices of chief master of the horse, governor of Silistria, kapúdán páshá, káïm-makám, and lastly, grand vezír. He was the son of a Sipáhí of Merzífún, and was a most excellent and prudent minister.
Vezírs of Provinces in the time of Sultán Mohammed IV.
During the rebellion in which Sultán Mohammed was raised to the throne, when the Janissaries were beaten by the Sipáhís, and loads of dead bodies were thrown into the sea, when Haider-Aghá-Zádeh, unable to make Seraglio-point, lost a great number of his gallies, on that same day, Murtezá Páshá was appointed governor of Damascus; Melek Ahmed Páshá was transferred from Díárbeker to Baghdád; Zilelí-Chávush-Zádeh Mohammed Páshá made governor of Jerusalem; Emír Páshá, governor of Egypt; Noghái Oghlí, governor of Haleb (Aleppo); Hamálí Arnáúd Mohammed Páshá, of Tripoli; and Afrásíáb Oghlí, of Basra.