in Istanbul newspapers and journals in the 1910s, taking
advantage of his own extensive experience as a naval
officer.
Saffet Bey
In this 1912 article in 'Tarih-i Osmani Encümeni
Mecmuası' (Ottoman History Council Magazine) he did
us all a favor by making some dense Ottoman archival
documents understandable. His subject is an esoteric
one, not usually found in general Ottoman histories: the
particulars of providing materials to build ships at the
Caspian Sea shore for use against the Safavid Iranians
around 1580.
Saffet Bey focuses on Özdemiroğlu Osman Paşa, an
Ottoman commander, and later Prime Minister, who was
born in Cairo in 1527 and spent his early career in the
Ottoman provinces on either side of the Red Sea. In
particular, he fought against Yemeni rebels alongside
Lala Mustafa Paşa and Koca Sinan Paşa, bitter rivals who
would also both become Ottoman Prime Ministers later on.
The year 1578 found Özdemiroğlu Osman Paşa setting
out from Erzurum to battle the Safavids in the Caucasus.//
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Özdemiroğlu Osman Paşa
'Tarih-i Osmani Encümeni Mecmuası' (Ottoman History Council
Magazine)
1 June 1912
An Ottoman Subdivision in the Caspian Sea (1)
You will only find a few words or lines about this quite significant
part of our history, which is described in the documents presented
below. In addition, it is sometimes difficult to comprehend what
is said in some documents. Here is an example from 'Peçevi' (İbrahim
Peçevi, an Ottoman historian b. 1574 d.1650), volume 2, page 61:
"The esteemed aforementioned individual, Kefe Beylerbeyi Mehmed
Bey, was quite pleased that Özdemiroğlu Osman Paşa had been sent
to Şirvan province to be the navy chief of the Caspian Sea and he
sent him 100,000 pieces of raw gold eight times."
As you see, the information is rather obscure and I doubt you
understood anything from it. But the documents we have found are
more clear and explain what was actually happening at that time
(around 1580). In the second and third centuries of Ottoman history,
our sharp-eyed, thoughtful forefathers were from a great line and they
knew the seas well, leaving no body of water without a sailing ship.
When our army was besieging Budapeşt and Vienna (1566), the navy
played an important role. As the army marched along, our Danube
fleet carried the heavy guns and equipment and our 'firkata' (light
galleys) would drop off the equipment near whichever city along the
shore the army was attacking. When a waterway confronted our troops,
the navy chief and his sailors would protect the soldiers as they crossed
each bridge. If we count those like 'Portuk Ali' (not further identified)
at Szigitvar, the number passes one hundred.
In any event, let us now focus on the subject at hand: with the death
of Shah İsmail II (1577) he was succeeded by Shah Mohammed
Khodabanda, who was essentially blind. So Iranian affairs fell into
the hands of the women of the palace, creating confusion in Iran and
weakening it. Van Beylerbeyi Husrev Paşa sent a letter to Istanbul
stating that the time was right to break off a piece of Iran for the
Ottomans.
of Shah İsmail II (1577) he was succeeded by Shah Mohammed
Khodabanda, who was essentially blind. So Iranian affairs fell into
the hands of the women of the palace, creating confusion in Iran and
weakening it. Van Beylerbeyi Husrev Paşa sent a letter to Istanbul
stating that the time was right to break off a piece of Iran for the
Ottomans.
(1) The world's largest saltwater body was called "Caspi Sea" by the
Greeks and their historian Strabo wrote that this name came from the
"Caspi" people living on the sea's western shore. However, on the
southeastern shore the sea was called "Hepricon Sea".
For a time, Westerners called the sea "Qazin" (after the Iranian city
nearby) and the Hazar Turks living on the sea's western coast called
it "Hazar Sea", while those on the eastern shore named the sea "Dilim",
"Tabristan" or "Cercan". "Kulzüm" is the name for the Red Sea, and
even though we do not know where Ottoman scribes got this name
from, Turks called the Caspian "Kuzgun", perhaps because it
resembled "Kulzüm". Lately, though, we have referred to this sea
as "Hazar".
//Ed. note: in the documents Saffet Bey presents, to be seen
later in this series, the Caspian Sea is referred to as "Bahr-i
Kulzüm", the name usually used to refer to the Red Sea in
early Ottoman documents.//
Greeks and their historian Strabo wrote that this name came from the
"Caspi" people living on the sea's western shore. However, on the
southeastern shore the sea was called "Hepricon Sea".
For a time, Westerners called the sea "Qazin" (after the Iranian city
nearby) and the Hazar Turks living on the sea's western coast called
it "Hazar Sea", while those on the eastern shore named the sea "Dilim",
"Tabristan" or "Cercan". "Kulzüm" is the name for the Red Sea, and
even though we do not know where Ottoman scribes got this name
from, Turks called the Caspian "Kuzgun", perhaps because it
resembled "Kulzüm". Lately, though, we have referred to this sea
as "Hazar".
//Ed. note: in the documents Saffet Bey presents, to be seen
later in this series, the Caspian Sea is referred to as "Bahr-i
Kulzüm", the name usually used to refer to the Red Sea in
early Ottoman documents.//
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