Çapanoğlu Mustafa Ahmed Pasha (died April 1782) was a prominent Ottoman officeholder and a member of the Çapanoğlu family, which he led after the death of his father Ahmed. Among his accomplishment are the construction of the baroque, domed Çapanoğlu Mosque in his native
Yozgat
Yozgat is a city in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey. It is the seat of Yozgat Province and Yozgat District.
Biography
After the death of their father, he inherited the family's
Bozok sanjak Bozok may refer to:
* Bozoks, a tribe of Oghuz Turks
* Astana, founded as Bozok, Kazakhstan
* Bozok, Derik, a neighborhood of Derik, Turkey
* Yozgat Province, previously Bozok, Turkey
** Yozgat
Yozgat is a city in the Central Anatolia Region of ...
. He and his brother also divided the Mamalu mansion. He kept his tribesmen from disturbing the peace in the region, and fended off the levents, and was soon appointed ''
kapıcıbaşı
The Ottoman title of ''kapıcıbaşı'' designated the chief of the palace gatekeepers, or "chief warder". In the early phase of Ottoman statehood there was one single title-holder. It multiplied over time and there were in the 18th century some ...
'', a high central post.
Mustafa stayed loyal to the
Sublime Porte
The Sublime Porte, also known as the Ottoman Porte or High Porte ( or ''Babıali''; ), was a synecdoche or metaphor used to refer collectively to the central government of the Ottoman Empire in Istanbul. It is particularly referred to the buildi ...
in the
Russo-Turkish War
The Russo-Turkish wars ( ), or the Russo-Ottoman wars (), began in 1568 and continued intermittently until 1918. They consisted of twelve conflicts in total, making them one of the longest series of wars in the history of Europe. All but four of ...
of (1768–1774). He satisfied the Porte and became a favourite, and his brother Selim Bey came to rule in
Sivas
Sivas is a city in central Turkey. It is the seat of Sivas Province and Sivas District.Ä°l Beledi ...
, which in 1771 passed to Mustafa. In 1773, Mustafa became trustee of Kayseri sanjak. Mustafa's son Ali Rıza Bey and his brother Süleyman Bey were named ''kapıcıbaşılıkla'', in reward of their services. Meanwhile, though the governor (''mutasarriflik'') of Bozok changed frequently, the actual control of the tax-farms remained in the Mustafa's hands, who acted as ''
mütesellim
''Mütesellim'' or ''mutesellim'' () was an Ottoman gubernatorial title used to describe mainly the head of a ''nahiye'', but also other positions within the Ottoman hierarchy, depending on the context. Mostly this title was used for civil gover ...
''.
He was involved in the family's Feud with the Canikli, which they eventually won, but that left him killed. The Çapanoğlu and the Canikli family were both expanding their territory in Anatolia, and their long standing feud escalated in 1772. The titles and the privileges that had been bestowed on Canikli Hacı Ali Pasha (the head of the Canikli family) worried the Çapanoğlu: thanks to their new appointments, the Canikli surrounded the Çapanoğlu's Çankırı sanjak. Bad conduct and failure in the Crimean conflict by the Canikli, atrocities committed there by their head of the family, and the ongoing feud with the Çapanoğlu caused the Porte to take the decision of eliminating the Canikli Haji Ali Pasha. He was stripped of the governorship of Sivas in 1779. Capanoğlu Mustafa Bey, trying to take advantage of the situation, sent a letter to Mikdad Ahmed Pasha in 1779. The latter, who was a pasha with the title of
vizier
A vizier (; ; ) is a high-ranking political advisor or Minister (government), minister in the Near East. The Abbasids, Abbasid caliphs gave the title ''wazir'' to a minister formerly called ''katib'' (secretary), who was at first merely a help ...
, became infuriated with this affront: Mustafa was in a position inferior to Mikdad. Thus, Mikdad attacked Capanoğlu's lands. However, the Capanoğlu defeated him. Canikli Hacı Ali Pasha then fled to Crimea, while Mikdad was detained in
Bursa
Bursa () is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in the Marmara Region, Bursa is one of the industrial centers of the country. Most of ...
. In February 1781, however, the Canikli were pardoned by the sultan. It was the sultan's move to check the Çapanoğlu's growth in the region.
Canikli Hacı Ali Pasha became vizier of the province of Erzurum, and his son Mikad governor. The family were also returned their old domains. Mehmed also became the
sanjak
A sanjak or sancak (, , "flag, banner") was an administrative division of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans also sometimes called the sanjak a liva (, ) from the name's calque in Arabic and Persian.
Banners were a common organization of nomad ...
of
Amasya
Amasya () is a city in northern Turkey, in the Black Sea Region. It was called Amaseia or Amasia in antiquity."Amasya" in ''Encyclopædia Britannica, The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th edn., 1992, Vol ...
. At this point, the feud between the families was reignited, with the exception that this time it was kept secret: Hacı Ali acted surreptitiously: he got some of his rival's
slaves
Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...
. Next, he had CapanoÄŸlu Mustafa Bey killed by them in the spring of 1782.
His brother
Süleyman Bey Suleyman or Süleyman is a variant of Suleiman (the Arabic name ). It means 'man of peace'. Notable people with the name include:
Suleyman
* Suleyman I of Rûm or Suleiman ibn Qutulmish (d. 1086), founder of an independent Seljuq Turkish state in ...
succeeded him. With him, the family defeated the Canikli, consolidated their power in the region, and expanded their influence throughout Anatolia up to
Syria
Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...