About this time Ahmed Páshá, the beglerbeg of Romeili, crossed the Danube with his provincial troops, and proceeded, in conformity to imperial orders, to the ford of Aksú, the place at which the mischievous cossacks in Moldavia were accustomed to cross, where he was ordered to erect two fortresses, one on each side of that ford. On arriving at the place of his destination he found that the persons who had been appointed to provide materials for the proposed buildings had, in fact, done nothing. The journey to Aksú was a pathless desert of twenty days’ march, and presented nothing but brackish water and barrenness the whole way. The páshá sent a report to the emperor of the state of things, and was recalled; but as the infidels had been threatening another irruption, the páshá repaired and strengthened all the other fortresses in that quarter. About this same time, also, Karah Kásh Mohammed Páshá, beglerbeg of Kaniza, rebuilt or repaired about ten of the fortresses which had formerly been wrested from the infidels, and had lain waste or unoccupied ever since. Three new ones were added to these, and whilst employed in erecting them the infidels became alarmed, and sent friendly letters; because, in fact, they began to anticipate, when they perceived the activity of the Osmánlís, that the peace was at an end.
Concerning Maán Oghlí.
Maán Oghlí Fekhr-ud-dín governed the whole of the country along the shores of Syria as far as the confines of Sefd. He had stipulated, as before observed, to send annually a certain portion of the productions of that country to Constantinople, which stipulation he generally fulfilled. It happened, however, that in consequence of some misunderstanding which had taken place between him and the grand vezír, Nesúh Páshá, at some former period, in order to vex and perplex the vezír, he absolutely declined granting the stipulated tribute. The vezír on this account, and with the view of utterly destroying him, ordered the válí of Syria, Vezír Háfiz Páshá, who had been six years governor in that province, to march against him with the troops of his own province, those of Anatolia, of Caramania, and of Diárbeker. This hostile movement against Maán Oghlí commenced in 1022, and was repeated this year also. But Maán Oghlí’s castles were all situate among rocks and mountains, and garrisoned by the heretics of the country; he had besides a great armed body of many thousands of the detestable Durzís,[26] whom he kept as his guards. His principal fortresses were Shátuf, Paneiyas, Dair al kamar, and some others of a similar description, all which were filled with armed men. Yet when any of these places were threatened by the Osmánlís, and any of Maán Oghlí’s segbáns showed themselves, their heads were made to roll on the ground. Owing, however, to the inaccessible position of his castles, and to their being well supplied with every warlike apparatus, the Osmánlí general, Háfiz Páshá, found it imperative to use every exertion to press Maán Oghlí, especially as the winter coming on, would make it necessary for him and his army to retire into winter-quarters. The result was, that these mountaineers began to feel the want of provisions, and Maán Oghlí, perceiving the determined vigour with which the Osmánlí general carried on his operations, to save his own life became a French proselyte, or at least ingratiated himself into the favour of the French, promising he would assist a French army in acquiring a conquest in the environs of Jerusalem. He accordingly set sail in a French vessel from the nearest port and arrived in Europe, whence he wrote to his followers an account of the esteem and favour he had met in Europe. Amongst other falsehoods, he told them, in order to encourage them to continue their resistance and keep possession of their strong-holds, that he was on the point of returning to them with a victorious army in French ships provided by European princes: he also promised his segbáns their wages.
Vezír Háfiz Páshá, in the meantime, continued to press the strong-holds of Maán Oghlí; and having been strengthened by an augmentation of new forces, he was enabled to lay siege to them. He was, moreover, supplied with artillery from Constantinople, which he applied so effectually against the strong-holds of the enemy, that he succeeded in reducing some of them, whilst others submitted of their own accord. He sent an encouraging message to Maán Oghlí’s segbáns, and two thousand of them joined the Osmánlí army. The castles which were in the most elevated and inaccessible situations stood out for a while, but they also offered to capitulate on terms which they deemed necessary for their own safety. At this moment, however, five light ships, conveying a number of troops and cannon for Maán Oghlí’s garrisons, arrived. The infamous wretch, Maán Oghlí’s deputy, came out to receive these cannon, and was in the act of having them conveyed into his strong-hold, when Háfiz Páshá, who had received a hint of what was going on, sent a pretty strong party with the view of seizing the cannon. The mountaineers no sooner saw the Osmánlís advancing upon them than they fled back into their fastnesses, and the French or Europeans ran to their ships, leaving every thing behind them a prey to the royalists, who were commanded by Hasan Páshá. These mountaineers still trusted, however, that Maán Oghlí himself would, some time during the winter, arrive to their aid with his auxiliary army from Europe. This story gained ground. The Durzís, to the amount of ten thousand, fortified the strong places in the mountains, and secured, moreover, some narrow passes belonging to Shuf (in Syria). The Moslems, however, never ceased to carry on their operations. These Durzís went in a body to a place called Aien-rahela; and whilst Háfiz Páshá was engaged in laying siege to some of their strong-holds, Hasan Páshá joined him with his body of troops. A most tremendous battle now ensued between a body of these Durzís and the Moslem or royal army, in which two hundred of the former lost their heads; the rest fled to the mountains, and their dwellings were all burned to the ground. Again, on the same day, those of the same race who had assembled in the neighbourhood of Kufra-nahm (Capernaum) were scattered, and at Ebn Maherin three hundred more of them were deprived of their heads: one of their chiefs, called Izz-ud-dín, was among the slain. A division of the Moslem troops was also sent to Dair al kamar, where about three hundred more of these Durzís perished. Násir-ud-dín, chief of this fortress, came to the pavilion of the commanding-general, and implored him to spare his life, which he granted him.
At the taking of Dair al kamar, the Osmánlís experienced great difficulties, before they gained the victory which crowned their arduous efforts; and which was chiefly owing to their having changed their mode of assault for that of the springing of mines. One thousand five hundred of the Segbáns that had joined the Moslems were sent to meet Hasan Páshá son of Seif, governor of Tripoli, in Syria, who was marching to reduce a place called Múrj Pásin, the chief of which, a relative of Maán Oghlí, called Násir-ud-dín, with more than a thousand of his followers advanced to meet the son of Seif, when a most desperate encounter ensued; in which the rebel-chief was not only made a prisoner, but several hundred of the Durzís lost their lives. Múrj Pásin itself escaped at this time, but it was afterwards visited when all the Durzís in it were scattered, and their chiefs obliged to flee. Four thousand of these mercenaries, under the command of one, Sheríf-ud-dín, were afterwards defeated in one of the defiles in the mountains called Rúm, where they lost five hundred men. In a short time, seven hundred more of these Durzís were numbered among their slain. In the above-mentioned defile, called Rúm, Sheríf-ud-dín himself, and above one thousand Durzís perished in a battle which was fought there. The Osmánlís were every where victorious against these detestable heretics, and burned their dwellings. Some short time afterwards they learned that Emír Yúnus, the brother of Maán Oghlí, had posted himself with four thousand armed men below the fortress of Banias. They were, however, soon dispersed, and the Osmánlí army now found time to carry on, with more leisure, the sieges of the various other strong-holds which had hitherto stood out. Fekhr-ud-dín Maán Oghlí’s first appearance of insubordination and rebellion took place in 1021, and he continued to manifest it more or less for a considerable time: sometimes he broke out in acts of hostile rebellion; sometimes again he sued for peace: and thus he continued till the reign of Sultán Ahmed Khán, when he was overcome by Kúchuk Ahmed Páshá, and was afterwards conducted to the At Maidán, in Constantinople, where he met with the punishment due to his crimes, as we shall afterwards see.
The grand vezír, Nesúh Páshá, murdered.—The seals are conferred on Mohammed Páshá.
Nesúh Páshá was by birth a plebeian, and of one of the villages of Gomlajena. On his being brought into the imperial palace, he was attached to the hatchet-bearers in the old palace, and served under Mahmúd Aghá, the emperor’s favourite. He left this situation with the rank of chávush, and acted for some time as the voivoda of Zula. In 1007 he was advanced to the rank of ketkhodá of the household troops; was afterwards made under-master of the horse, and after enjoying this situation for some time, he was raised to the rank and dignity of governor of Aleppo, where he continued till Jeghala Zádeh gave the government of that city to Jánbúlát Oghlí. Once or twice he was employed against the rebels, but was defeated. Having been created válí of Baghdád, he waged war against the militia of that district. He was for a considerable time válí of Diárbeker, and formed a permanent friendship with the Kurds, by marrying the daughter of the mírsheríf of Kúrdistán. During the time he held these situations, particularly those of Aleppo and Diárbeker, he accumulated immense wealth. When the celebrated Murád Páshá fell sick at Diárbeker, Nesúh became his deputy, and after Murád’s death succeeded him in the premiership, as well as in the chief command of the army of the east. After negotiations had been entered into with the sháh of Persia, and when that prince had agreed to the articles proposed by the Ottoman government, Nesúh Páshá returned to Constantinople in 1021, and became son-in-law to the emperor; but the princess was only three years old when the marriage contract was made.
Although Nesúh was a man of unequalled strength and bravery, yet in battle he was seldom successful. After the death of Murád Páshá it was expected (especially when the splendid apparatus his predecessor had provided against the Persians was considered) that he would have employed his resources against that people and utterly ruin them; but instead of this, he heedlessly agreed to make peace with them. By his power of address, and the servility of manner which he was capable of showing, he acquired such an ascendency over the emperor that he acted with despotic sway. His pride and haughtiness knew no bounds; nor would he allow any one, if he could prevent it, to share his master’s favours. By his influence vezírs were turned out of their vezírships, and others of them were exposed to the greatest insults. Some of the most faithful servants around his majesty’s person he supplanted by creatures of his own stamp. His being at enmity with the reverend mufti, Mohammed Effendí, led him to manifest contempt for the whole body of the ulemá, and caused him to make himself friends of worthless and ignorant men. In every assembly he and his vile associates showed the most marked disrespect for that august and venerable dignitary of the mosque; and every person, whoever he was, if he only suspected him of having any share in the emperor’s favour, was sure to meet with reproach and persecution. His conduct at last, however, was seen through by his majesty, and produced in the monarch’s mind a complete change towards his vezír.
Sím Zádeh, a native of Bosnia, states that Nesúh united great magnanimity of mind with a competent share of knowledge and science, and possessed many other excellent qualities; but that he wanted rectitude and was thoughtless. He says, moreover, that Nesúh Páshá maintained no intercourse with persons who were of a wrathful and furious disposition. His enmity against the reverend mufti wholly arose from his pride, ambition, and haughtiness. One day when the mufti was sitting in the Yalí gardens along with some of his friends, the conversation happened to turn upon the evil conduct and bad administration of the grand vezír. Suddenly, at this time, a six-oared boat approached the Yalí gardens, when it was announced that the grand vezír had arrived. The mufti hastened to meet him as he disembarked. The vezír had on his head a small turban, appeared very much perplexed, and his features became changed. On his meeting the reverend prelate, he saluted him, and hardly giving him time to return the salutation, he stepped into his boat again and sailed away. The reverend mufti, and those about him, were very much surprised at the strange conduct and appearance of the premier; but they did not know the mystery of the case. They took an opportunity, however, to ask him whether he had been at the emperor’s council, but he answered that he had not gone, though he had been invited to attend; and added some other things which seemed to intimate that matters were not right with him.