Pir Ahmed of Karaman was a
bey of
Karaman Beylik
The Karamanids ( tr, Karamanoğulları or ), also known as the Emirate of Karaman and Beylik of Karaman ( tr, Karamanoğulları Beyliği), was one of the Anatolian beyliks, centered in South-Central Anatolia around the present-day Karaman Pro ...
, a
Sunni Muslim
Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word ''Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagree ...
Turkoman principality in
Anatolia in the 15th century. He was son of
Ibrahim II of Karaman
Ibrahim II (died 1464) was a bey of Karaman.
Background
During the post- Seljuk era in the second half of the 13th century, numerous Turkoman principalities, which are collectively known as the Anatolian beyliks, emerged in Anatolia. Initially ...
and Ilaldi Sultan Hatun, daughter of Ottoman Sultan
Mehmed I, and had a daughter, Hilmiye Hatun.
Struggle for the throne
When his father
İbrahim Bey died in 1464, he tried to ascend to throne. But his half brother
İshak Bey who was the legal heir, struggled for the throne and became the
bey with the support of
Uzun Hasan, the sultan of
Akkoyunlu (White Sheep)
Turkomans. Nevertheless, Pir Ahmet didn't give up. He asked
Ottoman sultan
Mehmet II for support and offered a part of his beylik in return to support. With Ottoman support he defeated his brother in the battle of
Dağpazarı
Dağpazarı is a village in the Mut district of Mersin Province, Turkey
Geography
Dağpazarı is a part of Mut district of Mersin Province. Situated in the Taurus Mountains, northeast of Mut, the road distance to Mut is about and to Mersin is ...
. İshak escaped to
Silifke, the southern frontier of the beylik and Pir Ahmet assumed the title bey.
As a bey
He kept his promise and ceded a part of the beylik to Ottomans. But he was uneasy about the loss. So during the Ottoman campaign to west, he captured his former territory. However, Mehmet returned and captured both
Karaman (Larende) and
Konya two major cities of the beylik in 1468. Pir Ahmet barely escaped to east. A few years later, Ottoman
vizier (later
grand vizier
Grand vizier ( fa, وزيرِ اعظم, vazîr-i aʾzam; ota, صدر اعظم, sadr-ı aʾzam; tr, sadrazam) was the title of the effective head of government of many sovereign states in the Islamic world. The office of Grand Vizier was first ...
)
Gedik Ahmet Pasha
Gedik Ahmed Pasha (; died 18 November 1482) was an Ottoman statesman and admiral who served as Grand Vizier and Kapudan Pasha (Grand Admiral of the Ottoman Navy) during the reigns of sultans Mehmed II and Bayezid II.
Very little was known a ...
captured the coastal region of the beylik.
Further struggles and death
Pir Ahmat as well as his brother
Kasım escaped to Uzun Hasan's territory. This gave Uzun Hasan a chance to interfere. In 1472, Akkoyunlu army invaded and raided most of
Anatolia. (This was the reason behind the
Battle of Otlukbeli in 1473) With Akkoyunlu support, Pir Ahmet captured Karaman. However Pir Ahmet couldn't enjoy another term. Because immediately after the capture of Karaman,
Akkoyunlu army was defeated by the Ottomans near
Beyşehir
Beyşehir () is a large town and district of Konya Province in the Akdeniz region of Turkey. The town is located on the southeastern shore of Lake Beyşehir and is marked to the west and the southwest by the steep lines and forests of the Taurus ...
and Pir Ahmet had to escape once more. Although he tried to continue his struggle, he learned that his family members were transferred to
Istanbul by Gedik Ahmet Pasha and he finally gave up. Demoralized, he escaped to Akkoyunlu territory where he was given a
tımar
A timar was a land grant by the sultans of the Ottoman Empire between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries, with an annual tax revenue of less than 20,000 akçes. The revenues produced from the land acted as compensation for military service. ...
(fief) in
Bayburt, He died in 1474.
Karaman History
References
Sources
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Karaman, Pir Ahmet of
1474 deaths
15th-century Karamanid rulers
Year of birth unknown
Ethnic Afshar people