Page 24 - mediterranea 57

24 Evrim Türkçelik

kethüdâlık-ı defter-i Cezâyir, involving the financial matters of the
kapudan pasha province, was granted to a certain Mehmed, who was
a holder of a zeamet, as a result of Halil Pasha’s petition to the sul-
tan . It can easily be observed that Halil Pasha lost no time in pro-
70
moting his clientele in administrative and financial positions in co-
operation with the Palace while ruling out the administration of
Cigalazade, with certain implications for the recovery of relations
with Venice.
In this sense, Halil Pasha seems to have found his most suitable ally
in the person of Arnavud Memi, who was not on good terms with Cigala-
zade and was against his anti-Venetian policy. After several years as a
North African corsair, Arnavud Memi was appointed in August 1591 as
governor-general of Trablusgarb, which conferred him the title of Pa-
sha, and was convinced to serve for sultan’s fleet leaving aside the rel-
ative freedom of working on his own as a semi-independent corsair .
71
Although he participated in all maritime campaigns of Cigalazade and
even became the de facto pilot of his fleet, Arnavud Memi’s personal
relationship with the grand admiral was tense since Cigalazade dis-
missed him from the governor-generalship of Trablusgarb . On the
72
other hand, Arnavud Memi, despite his corsair background, seems to
have accommodated with his new status as sultan’s captain and have
become an important factor in restraining Cigalazade’s anti-Venetian
actions. According to bailo Matteo Zane, Arnavud Memi said him in a
meeting that “while he was a corsair”, he professed enmity against Ven-
ice, but “now that he was made one of sultan’s captains”, he would be
respectful of the existing capitulations, “as long as the kapudan pasha
would want to listen to him” . During the rest of Cigalazade’s admiralty,
73
Arnavud Memi’s resentment towards Cigalazade grew stronger for “hav-
ing received many serious injuries from him” and for “having deprived
him of Bassa di Tripoli di Barbaria” . Thus, Arnavud Memi was fre-
74

70 «Kethüdâlık-ı defter-i Cezâyir: vezîr kapudan paşa arzıyla züemadan Mehmed’e
tevcîh olundı [the kethüdalık of the register of Cezâyir is given to Mehmed from züema
by the petition of vizier kapudan pasha». BOA, A.NŞT.d 1140, 28 Receb 1003 (8 April
1595), p. 77.
71 Selaniki, Tarih-i Selaniki cit., p. 249.
72 «È giunto qui di Tripoli di Barbaria Memi Bassa fatto mansul». Venetian ambas-
sador uses the Ottoman term ma‘zûl to describe his dismissal. Matteo Zane to the Sen-
ate, Constantinople, 13 June 1592, Asv, Sdc, 35, f. 335r.
73 «Ha detto che mentre era corsaro… insidiava alle robe d’altri et li ministri di Vostra
Serenita… ma hora che è fatto uno de i capitani del Re sará osservatore da buona pace
et mantenitor delli capitoli purche Capitano Bassa lo voglia ascoltare». Matteo Zane to
the Senate, Constantinople, 20 June 1593, Asv, Sdc, 37, f. 316v.
74 «Egli si dimostrò appasionatissimo contra il capitano per haver ricevuto da lui
molte gravi ingiurie et sopra le altre quella gravissima di haverlo privato di Bassa di

Mediterranea - ricerche storiche - Anno XX - Aprile 2023
ISSN 1824-3010 (stampa) ISSN 1828-230X (online)