An Ayan Family in the 18th Century: Hasançavuşzâdeler
Mehmet Yaşar Ertaş, Hacer KılıçaslanOne of the most significant outcomes of administrative and fiscal changes in the Ottoman Empire during the 17th and 18th centuries was the inclusion of the local notables known as âyân into the provincial administrative system. This group gained power and wealth and became involved in various military and administrative roles in the provinces, becoming partners of the government from the 17th century onwards. During this period, prominent families such as the Karaosmanoğulları, Çapanoğulları, Caniklizâdeler, and Pazvandoğulları wielded extensive power, while numerous smaller-scale households also asserted authority within districts and sub-districts. Among these, the Hasançavuşzâdes dominated the sancak (sub-province) of Menteşe throughout the 18th century. This article narrates the century-long story of this family, which emerged in Köyceğiz during a period of continued economic and social crisis following the 1683-1699 wars, and rapidly ascended to indispensable power in Menteşe through positions such as subaşı, serdengeçti ağası, yeniçeri serdarı and mütesellim. The chronological analysis based on Ottoman archival sources reveals the factors that enhanced the family’s military, political, and economic influence, the roles they undertook, their territorial expansion and involvement in regional competition, and their relations with the central government.
18. Yüzyılda Bir Âyân Ailesi: Hasançavuşzâdeler
Mehmet Yaşar Ertaş, Hacer KılıçaslanOsmanlı Devleti’nin 17 ve 18. yüzyıllardaki idari ve mâli değişiminin en önemli sonuçlarından biri, eyaletlerde âyân adı verilen seçkin bir zümrenin idari sisteme dahil olmasıdır. Âyân aileleri olarak da bildiğimiz iktidar ve servet sahibi bu zümre, taşrada çeşitli görevler üstlenmek suretiyle 17. yüzyıldan itibaren Osmanlı idari yapısına ortak olmuştur. Bu süreçte Karaosmanoğulları, Çapanoğulları, Caniklizâdeler ve Pazvandoğulları gibi büyük aileler yanında, hâkimiyet bölgeleri sancak ve kazalarla sınırlı olan daha küçük ölçekli birçok âyân ailesi de ortaya çıkmıştır. Bunlardan biri de Menteşe sancağında 18. yüzyıl boyunca egemen olan Hasançavuşzâdelerdir. Bu makalede, 1683-1699 savaşlarının ekonomik ve sosyal krizinin ağır sonuçlarının devam ettiği bir dönemde Köyceğiz’de ortaya çıkıp subaşılık, serdengeçti ağalığı, yeniçeri serdarlığı ve mütesellimlik gibi görevlerle Menteşe’de vazgeçilmez bir güce dönüşen bu ailenin yüzyıllık hikâyesi anlatılmıştır. Bu çerçevede ailenin askerî, politik ve ekonomik gücünü belirleyen şartlar, üstlendikleri görevler, hakimiyet bölgeleri, parçası oldukları bölgesel rekabet ve merkezî hükümetle olan ilişkileri, Osmanlı arşiv kaynaklarına dayalı ve kronolojik olarak ortaya koyulmuştur.
One of the most significant outcomes of administrative and fiscal changes in the Ottoman Empire during the 17th and 18th centuries was the inclusion of the local notables known as âyân into the provincial administrative system. This group gained power and wealth and became involved in various military and administrative roles in the provinces, becoming partners of the government from the 17th century onwards. During this period, prominent families such as the Karaosmanoğulları, Çapanoğulları, Caniklizâdeler, and Pazvandoğulları wielded extensive power, while numerous smaller-scale households also asserted authority within districts and sub-districts. Among these, the Hasançavuşzâdes dominated the sancak (sub-province) of Menteşe throughout the 18th century.
This article presents the story of Hasançavuşzâde family’s four generations, spanning from the 1690s to the 1810s, focusing on their rise and fall within a sociopolitical context related to the crises faced by the empire and the political and fiscal solutions it generated in response. The family’s story offers instances of how âyân families arose and expanded their influence, contributing to the scholarly discussion about the dynamics between Ottoman provincial elites and the central authority, their regional duties, and their alliances locally and on an imperial scale.
The family’s origins trace back to Hamzaoğlu Ahmed, a subaşı in the kaza (district) of Köyceğiz in the late 17th century, whose influence stemmed from his military and administrative roles, especially as a tax collector. His participation in imperial military campaigns also elevated his status. His son, Hasan Çavuş, fortified the family’s local prominence, becoming the mütesellim (deputy governor) of Menteşe in 1735-36. His collaboration with the muhassıls and governors of Aydın and Menteşe, especially in securing the region against bandits, significantly boosted his stature as a local notable.
Hasan Çavuş’s son, Hacı Ahmed Ağa, epitomized the family’s most influential era. After his initial role as the serdar of district in the 1730s, he served as the mütesellim of Menteşe in 1745, maintaining a crucial position in the sub-province’s power balance until he died in 1787. Ahmed Ağa and then his son Ebubekir also undertook various tasks of kalyon (imperial ship) construction in the dock of Bodrum for the Ottoman Imperial Navy. During Ahmed’s tenure, the family’s territory expanded significantly, extending from Dalaman to Çine at the north part of the sancak. Despite being outlawed several times in the late 18th century, Ahmed Ağa’s strong ties with imperial elites and support from pasha-ranked patrons prevented his permanent downfall. Holding the title of kapıcıbaşı (imperial gatekeeper), Hacı Ahmed Ağa balanced compliance and resistance to Istanbul’s demands and played critical roles in defending Western Anatolia, particularly during the 1768-1774 Russo-Turkish wars.
Ebubekir Ağa, the last influential member of his family in the 18th century, became the mütesellim of Menteşe following his father’s death amidst the challenging circumstances of the wars against Austria and Russia between 1787 and 1792. He expanded the family’s domain as far as Rhodes. However, towards the end of the century, the central government’s shift in approach to increase control over provincial administration and financial resources affected the family’s regional power. During the war, when attention was focused on the front and provincial oversight weakened, the notables, burdened by the central authority’s severe military and logistical demands, neglected the orders sent to them, taking advantage of the lax supervision, yet they undeniably suffered financially from this burden. In the post-war period, it was typical for such negligence to be punished with dismissal and confiscation. Like his father, Ebubekir Ağa faced detention after the war and lost his possessions, failing to devise strategies suitable for the new era and ultimately paying with his life at the onset of the Nizam-ı Cedid reforms.
The family’s power was primarily built on military capacity, which also underpinned their administrative and fiscal responsibilities. Their ability to manage relations with imperial bureaucrats and local powers also allowed the family to extend power over a century. The Hasançavuşzâde family’s wealth is tied to the Menteşe region’s rural economy, marking them as the rural elite. Their assets mainly comprised vineyards, gardens, mansions, and farms across the sancak’s districts. Their limited number of hans, hamams, and storehouses indicated a rural rather than urban commercial infrastructure based on their location and quantity. Additionally, it is indirectly documented that the family engaged in small-scale commercial activities, including smuggling, leveraging their position in the Eastern Mediterranean and experience in shipbuilding.
