Süleyman Bey or Çapanoğlu Süleyman Bey was an Ottoman military leader and office holder from the

Turkish Turkish may refer to: * Something related to Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities in the former Ottoman Empire * The w ...

Çapanoğlu family, one of the most powerful Ottoman dynasties of the 18th century. Under his guidance the family reached its peak of prominence. As a member of the family, he was involved in their Feud with the Canikli, which he handled well. He helped

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

by providing food and soldiers from the family army, and in 1790 led 4000 soldiers to the

front Front may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''The Front'' (1943 film), a 1943 Soviet drama film * '' The Front'', 1976 film Music * The Front (band), an American rock band signed to Columbia Records and active in the 1980s and ...

. He contributed to the development of his native

Yozgat Yozgat is a city in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey. It is the seat of Yozgat Province and Yozgat District.Charter of Alliance.

Biography

He was the son of Çapanoğlu Ahmed Pasha, himself the son the Turkmen Ömer Ağa (died 1704), son of Çapar Ömer Ağa, the founder of the dynasty. Charter of Alliance

After the death of their father, he and his brother Mustafa inherited the family mansion. However, it was his brother Mustafa who was given the family's Bozok

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 ...

after their father's death. In 1773, his brother Mustafa became trustee of Kayseri sanjak. Meanwhile, Süleyman Bey was rewarded with the title of ''

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 ...

'' for his services, just like Mustafa's son Ali Rıza Bey. With the death of Mustafa, Süleyman became governor of the sanjak. He was given permission by the sultan to expand the family's domains in southern

Anatolia Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

, thus displacing the powerful Küçük Alioğlu and Kozanoglu families. His smart and cautious approach with 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 ...

solidified his sway in Bozok and extended the influence of the family to

Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...

Aleppo Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...

Çankırı Çankırı, historically known as Gangra (Greek language, Greek: Γάγγρα), is a city in Turkey, about northeast of Ankara. It is situated about 800 m (2500 ft) above sea level. It is the seat of Çankırı Province and of Çankır ...

Çorum Çorum () is a northern Anatolian city in Turkey. Çorum is located inland in the central Black Sea Region of Turkey and is approximately from Ankara and from Istanbul. It is the seat of Çorum Province and of Çorum District.< ...

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 ...

, Şarkikarahisar,

Sivas Sivas is a city in central Turkey. It is the seat of Sivas Province and Sivas District.İl Beledi ...

Kayseri Kayseri () is a large List of cities in Turkey, city in Central Anatolia, Turkey, and the capital of Kayseri Province, Kayseri province. Historically known as Caesarea (Mazaca), Caesarea, it has been the historical capital of Cappadocia since anc ...

Kırşehir Kırşehir, historically known as Mocissus or Mokissos () and Justinianopolis () in ancient times, is a city in Turkey. It is the seat of Kırşehir Province and Kırşehir District.Nevşehir Nevşehir (; from 'new' and 'city') is a city in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey. It is the seat of Nevşehir Province and Nevşehir District.Konya Ereğli Konya is a major city in central Turkey, on the southwestern edge of the Central Anatolian Plateau, and is the capital of Konya Province. During antiquity and into Seljuk times it was known as Iconium. In 19th-century accounts of the city in En ...

Niğde Niğde (; ; Hittite: Nahita, Naxita) is a city and is located in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. It is the seat of Niğde Province and Niğde District.Tarsus,

Adana Adana is a large city in southern Turkey. The city is situated on the Seyhan River, inland from the northeastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea. It is the administrative seat of the Adana Province, Adana province, and has a population of 1 81 ...

Rakka Raqqa (, also , Kurdish: ''Reqa'') is a city in Syria on the North bank of the Euphrates River, about east of Aleppo. It is located east of the Tabqa Dam, Syria's largest dam. The Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine city and bishopric Callinicu ...

Gaziantep Gaziantep, historically Aintab and still informally called Antep, is a major city in south-central Turkey. It is the capital of the Gaziantep Province, in the westernmost part of Turkey's Southeastern Anatolia Region and partially in the Medi ...

, and Maraş. In 1786 he sent 1000 soldiers to suppress the turmoil in

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

. He became governor of Çankırı sanjak in 1787 and of the

Sanjak of Ankara The Sanjak of Ankara was a Subdivisions of the Ottoman Empire, second-level province (''sanjak'') of the Ottoman Empire. The town of Ankara became part of the Ottoman state in 1361 or perhaps in 1354. It was the first capital (''pasha sanjak'') of ...

next year. He assisted the sultan by providing grain and soldiers for 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 1787–1792, and went to the Rumelian front with 4000 soldiers in 1790, thus joining the expedition himself. The family headed their own troops to the front at the Danube in 1790. He was given the titles of great mirahur and hil'at in 1790, while his son Abdülfettah was named ''

''. He maintained his dominance and in 1794 ensured that the Fertile and Bozkır mines were given to him and his close associates of Tarsus and Andana sanjaks. Some troubles with the Sublime Porte followed. However, he sent soldiers to help in the Pazvandoğlu revolt in Rumelia and the

French campaign in Egypt and Syria The French invasion of Egypt and Syria (1798–1801) was a military expedition led by Napoleon Bonaparte during the French Revolutionary Wars. The campaign aimed to undermine British trade routes, expand French influence, and establish a ...

, while suppressing uprisings in and around his region. A supporter of the Nizam-i Cedid, Süleyman collected taxes for the treasury. He helped in the establishment of the new Anatolian army, providing soldiers and building barracks.

Selim III Selim III (; ; was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1789 to 1807. Regarded as an enlightened ruler, he was eventually deposed and imprisoned by the Janissaries, who placed his cousin Mustafa on the throne as Mustafa IV (). A group of a ...

gave him the Amasya sanjak, provided he established the Nizam-ı Cedid by 1805. He participated to the meeting organized by

Alemdar Mustafa Pasha Alemdar Mustafa Pasha (also called Bayraktar Mustafa Pasha; 1755 – 15 November 1808) was an Ottoman military commander and grand vizier. He was born into the family of a janissary, possibly in Rusçuk (modern-day Ruse, Bulgaria), although v ...

in the Fall of 1808. There, he was among the notable signatories the Charter of Alliance. Süleyman Bey held political, military, and economic power in the Anatolia and influence in the empire. He extended the influence of the family all the way to Syria. Süleyman Bey also expanded the family's

Çapanoğlu Mosque The Çapanoglu Mosque () is a mosque in the city of Yozgat, Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It ...

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.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Suleyman Bey Capanoglu Year of birth unknown Ottoman military officers 18th-century people from the Ottoman Empire Russo-Turkish War (1787–1792) People from Yozgat Turks from the Ottoman Empire