Page 27 - mediterranea 57

The “reluctant” admiral: Damad Halil Pasha and the Ottoman navy (1595-1598) 27

assigned the sancak of Selanik to a certain Ahmed Beğ . Such inde-
86
cisiveness in the appointments seems to occur between distant regions
as well. For instance, Halil Pasha dismissed in April 1596 the governor
of Naxos, Ali Beğ, and appointed him to the important Eastern Medi-
terranean sancak of Dimyat (Damietta) in Egypt. However, one month
later, Halil Pasha revoked this decision and maintained Ali Beğ in the
Aegean as the governor of Mezistre .
87
Halil Pasha also brought palace-related individuals to some maritime
posts and was also influential in obtaining for his protégés significant
positions in the Palace. When the governor of Naxos was appointed to
Damietta, Naxos was given to a certain Hızır Çavuş, who belonged to the
çavuş corps of the Sublime Porte (dergâh-ı âlî çavuşlarından) . In May
88
1596, Halil Pasha appointed a certain İbrahim Ağa as the new tersane
ağası , who was defined as a müteferrika in the Palace (dergâh-ı âlî müte-
89
ferrikalarından) . In October 1597, the tersane emini, who had been ap-
90
pointed by the intervention of the enderun in 1595, was dismissed and
replaced by a former kapucılar kâtibi (secretary of the palace guards),
again probably by the intervention of the court .
91
The registers also indicate that Halil Pasha wrote petitions to place
some of his men in the müteferrika and çavuş corps of the Sublime
Porte. In March 1596, Halil Pasha had his own kapucıbaşı Atâullah,
who was simultaneously a çavuş of the Sublime Porte, elevated to the
position of müteferrika in the Palace . In June 1596, Halil Pasha re-
92
quested from the sultan that his dismissed tersane ağası, defined as
one of his oldest veterans, be included in the corps of dergâh-ı âlî müte-
ferrikaları, on the basis of his outstanding efforts in gathering provi-
sions for sultan’s fleet . In March 1596, Halil Pasha requested for
93

86 «Livâ-i Biga: vezîr kapudan Halil Paşa arzıyla forsa gemisi olan Selanik beği Mustafa
Beğ’e virilmek buyuruldı». BOA, A.RSK.d 1474, 13 Ramazan 1004 (11 May 1596), p. 96.
87 «Livâ-i Dimyât: vezîr kapudan Halil Paşa arzıyla Nakşa beği Ali Beğ’e virilmek
buyuruldı». BOA, A.RSK.d 1474, gurre-i Ramazan 1004 (29 April 1596), p. 86; «livâ-i
Mezistre: kapudan Halil Paşa arzıyla sâbıkan Nakşa beği olan Ali Beğ’e buyuruldı». BOA,
A.RSK.d 1474, gurre-i Şevval 1004 (29 May 1596), p. 111.
88 «Livâ-i Nakşa: dergâh-ı âlî çavuşlarından Hızır Çavuş’a virilmek buyuruldı». BOA,
A.RSK.d 1474, gurre-i Ramazan 1004 (29 April 1596), p. 86.
89 Tersane Ağası is an important administrator rank in the arsenal.
90 «Ağalık-ı Tersâne-i Âmire dergâh-ı âlî müteferrikalarından İbrahim Ağa’ya virilüb...».
BOA, A.NŞT.d 1140, 11 Ramazan 1004 (9 May 1596), p. 145.
91 Selaniki, Tarih-i Selaniki cit., p. 709.
92 «Müteferrikalık-ı dergâh-ı âlî: kapudan vezîr Halil Paşa tezkire gönderüb…kapucıbaşısı
olan dergâh-ı âlî çavuşlarından Atâullah’a virilmek ricâsın arz itmeğin kanun üzere virilsün
deyu buyuruldı». BOA, A.RSK.d 1474, Receb 1004 (March 1596), p. 61.
93 «Vezîr kapudan Halil Paşa hazretleri mektûb gönderüb kendünün kadîm
emekdarlarından olub tersâne ağası olan (?) içün yarar olub donanma-i hümâyûn
mühimmâtı tedâriğinde hayli hidmet etmişdür deyu dergâh-ı âlî müteferrikalarına ilhâk
olunmasın rica itmeğin». BOA, A.RSK.d 1474, 12 Şevval 1004 (9 June 1596), p. 123.

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