Nesúh Páshá’s enmity to the lord high treasurer, Etmekjí Zádeh. Ahmed Páshá.
Nesúh Páshá, the grand vezír, having a second time accompanied Sultán Ahmed Khán to Adrianople, acquired, by his apparent diligence in serving his royal master, a peculiar intimacy with him; but Etmekjí Zádeh, from his office in the vezírship and in the treasury, stood in the way of his arriving at the possession of absolute sway. Nesúh Páshá thirsted for this; and being, moreover, a man without the least virtue, he could not endure to see the prosperity of Etmekjí Zádeh, and therefore not only hated and envied him, but also sought opportunity to ruin him. Thinking he had something to accuse him of, and by which at least he hoped to lessen him in the esteem of his master, he represented to his majesty the pusillanimity which he discovered during the late war with Persia. This he did whilst travelling to Adrianople, and recurred to this part of Etmekjí’s history so frequently, that his majesty determined on depriving him of his office as lord high treasurer, and also of the government of Caramania, to which he had been appointed. Nesúh had the envious satisfaction of seeing the object of his hatred humbled; but by the intervention of Etmekjí’s friends in about a week afterwards he was raised to the government of Aleppo, and Lunka Zádeh was made lord high treasurer in his room: Abdulbákí Páshá was made second treasurer, and Kalander was made third.
Begzádeh, a celebrated spáhí, assassinated.
Etmekjí Zádeh having been, as before observed, appointed to the government of Aleppo, the grand vezír sent him off to take charge of it. About this time Begzádeh, one of the most celebrated spáhí chiefs, a native of Khorassan, and a man of intrepid bravery and fortitude, incurred the displeasure of the grand vezír. This spáhí, when he first entered the service, had only a salary of twelve akchas; but by his bravery, and other splendid talents which he possessed, he came at last to have the command of twelve thousand spáhís, who were entirely obedient to his will. This Begzádeh came to Constantinople when Nesúh Páshá was there, but feared to have any interview with him. At length, however, Soklún Mesli Aghá, the ághá of the janissaries, undertook to introduce him to the grand vezír, promising by an oath no injury would happen to him. The other consented, and the vezír, after he was introduced to him, took special care to show him every mark of esteem and respect due to his character and station, promising, at the same time, to attend to all his requests. This state of affairs continued for about four months, during the whole of which time Begzádeh had constant access to the grand vezír, and shared in his apparent kindness. The deceitful vezír, however, had formed the plan of murdering him. He several times proposed to the ághá above-mentioned to perpetrate this deed, but Mesli pleaded his promise and oath, and would not consent to be guilty of so base a crime. The grand vezír was determined, and under the pretext of settling some business which related to the Turcomans, sent off Begzádeh to Aleppo. Immediately after his departure for that city the grand vezír sent an order to Etmekjí Zádeh, the válí of Aleppo, to take away the life of Begzádeh. The order was thus: “Your head or his.” This was sent off by the notorious executioner, Káísh Mohammed. The válí no sooner received this peremptory mandate than he, though reluctantly, entered into the views of the grand vezír, because, in fact, he felt afraid of him. On the last day of one of the festivals, as Begzádeh was reclining on a pillow and trimming his beard, Káísh Mohammed rose up and left the company, but soon returning again with a hatchet he had in readiness, with one blow cut off one of his ears, when instantly Begzádeh, though a powerful man, fell down on one side and gave up the ghost. The grand vezír rewarded Káísh Mohammed for this deed of blood with an ágháship, and sent the hateful wretch into Romeili. He was a most merciless, blood-thirsty villain, and the instrument by which very many lost their lives. He at last, however, perished by the hands of the kizilbáshes.
Other events and circumstances of this year.
On the 10th day of Moharrem, Chokadár Khás, Mohammed Aghá, was appointed to the command of the janissaries, and in four or five months afterwards was raised to the government of Romeili. One of the seven daughters of the late Sultán Murád Khán was given away in marriage, and the rest of them were similarly disposed of. On the 1st of Shevál, the royal prince, Sultán Hasan, was born, and Omar Aghá was sent to Adrianople, where the emperor then was, to inform him of the birth of this prince. In the month of Shevál, at the time the emperor was preparing to go to Adrianople, and when he entered into the garden of Floreiya, he conferred on Khalíl Páshá the second kapúdánship. The guardianship of the foot of the throne was given to Gúrjí Mohammed Páshá, who had been deputy of Constantinople. A royal edict to build ten more galleys at the royal expense, was issued this year. An order was also issued, during the time the emperor was at Adrianople, to build a palace in the royal garden, near the port of Constantinople. On the 25th of Shevál, the day on which his majesty reached Adrianople, the Bostánjí báshí, Hasan Aghá, who had remained in Constantinople, received the sanják of Sefd (in Syria). The country adjacent, which belonged to Maán Oghlí, who by this time had fled to Europe, was annexed to Sefd. Kashiki Hasan Aghá was made Bostánjí báshí. The lately-created válí of Sefd went to Adrianople to do homage to the emperor for the dignity and honour conferred on him, and afterwards set out for his new government.
The emperor, finding himself in a great measure at ease and free from care, determined on taking some recreation in a pleasure-boat or yacht, and therefore ordered one to be constructed. The whole of the river Tonja, as far as his place of hunting, was cleared of wood, stones, and every thing that might obstruct the passage of his yacht, by janissaries, spáhís, and other soldiers, which they accomplished in a short time. He ordered the boat to be brought from Constantinople to Rudosjuk, which was transported from that place to the river Tonja on sledges. After the new yacht was painted and ornamented, he employed it for the purpose for which it had been made. He ordered another, of a peculiar construction, to be conveyed from Gallipoli to Adrianople.
The treaty of peace with Persia adverted to.
This year a copy of the articles of agreement entered into with the sháh of Persia was written out by the reverend mufti, Mohammed Effendí, and sent to the court of Persia. In conformity to ancient treaties it was agreed: 1st, That the Persians should make use of no expressions of contempt, of execration, of reproach, or of abuse against the chosen friends and contending heroes of the faith, the prelates and priests of Islamism, and the orthodox followers of the same. 2d, None worthy of the name of Iránís, of whatever class (according to the agreement which sháh Tehemasp had promised to abide by), were to be obliged to hear wicked or profane reading, or explanations (of the law); and all of this name who wished to enter the Osmánlí dominions, were not to be prohibited. 3d, Such Musselmans as were in service or in garrisons at the making of this treaty, were not to be vexed or oppressed. 4th, The frontier lines were to remain as they were in the reign of Sultán Selím Khán. 5th, The estates which belonged to Sanjár Oghlí, of happy memory, were to be added to the territories of Baghdád, without any resistance being offered. 6th, When the chief cities in the district of Sheherirúz were set free from the power of Helú Khán, they were never again to receive any aid or assistance from the Persians. 7th, All pilgrims, travelling from the east by the way of Aleppo and Shám, were not to be allowed to travel by the road of Baghdád and Bassora, without a sufficient guard. 8th, To Shamkhál Khán and other rulers in Dághistán, who from ancient times had been on a friendly footing with Turkey, or to any part of their dominions, no injury was to be done; they were also, by the same treaty, to sustain no loss whatever. 9th, When once the Turkish fortresses or redoubts, which had been erected for the purpose of preventing unfortunate Russians[24] from passing and repassing, were relinquished, the sháh was, under no pretext whatever, to place garrisons in them. 10th, The frontiers were to be protected.