Lot Essay
This is an Ottoman document of ferman form, issued at Edirne at the command of Sultan Murad II, whose tughra appears above the main text.
Original Ottoman documents issued before the conquest of Constantinople, from the 14th and the first half of the 15th century are comparatively rare. This example was issued during the second reign of Sultan Murad II (1446-51). It consists primarily of a 17 line Arabic text forming a legal instrument by which the Sultan granted ownership of the village of Atköyü and an estate called Türkeri Chiftighli, situated near Balikesir in North West Anatolia, to Zaghanos Bey. The recipient, or Zaghanos Mehmed Pasha as he later became known, was one of the two most important viziers of his time. He was a close adviser to Sultan Mehmed II and was promoted to Grand Vizier in June 1453, just after the siege of Constantinople. He became the sultan's absolute representative in the process of government and was entrusted with the imperial seal. As a result of fiefs and revenues granted to him he became the wealthiest Ottoman after the sultan. He was also appointed governor of Rumeli which gave him control of the army in both the capital and europe (Shaw, S.J.: History of the Ottoman Empire and modern Turkey Cambridge, 1976, vol.1, pp.56-59).
The gift seems to have been made in two stages. First a court official with power of attorney was sent to the court of the kadi of Edirne to enact the transfer of the property according to the Shari'ah and have it recorded in the kadi's register (sijill), and then this document was drawn up in the presence of the sultan and his council to be given to Zaghanos Bey. There were therefore two sets of witnesses.
Besides the main text there are several other inscriptions or groups of inscriptions on the document.
Above the main text is the tughra of 'Murad, the son of Mehmed Khan, the victorious' and, above that, an invocation of two particularly appropriate names of God 'He it is that posesses all; that makes all gifts'.
Below the main text there are 22 witnesses' signatures. The first ten are those of the people present when the document was drawn up. These belong to various religious figures (1-3 written upside-down in the right margin), to the members of the Imperial Council who were present when the legal document was drawn up (4-9) including the Grand Vizier, Chandarh-zade Halil Pasha (4); the nishanci, the official responsible for inscribing the tughra, Isma'il Chelebi (9, written above 8 and 10); and to an important palace official, Rikabdar Ayas Agha, the holder of the Sultan's stirrup (10). The last signature (22) also belongs to this group as it is that of the scribe responsible for the document, Mü'min ibn Ibrahim.
The second group of signatures are not autographs but copies by the scribe of the signatures in the kadi's register. He has made an error by copying one signature, that of Mustafa Agha, chief gatekeeper of the sultan's palace in Edirne, twice (11,16). Apart from the signature of the subhashi or military superintendant, of Edirne, these all belong to leading palace officials.
To the left of the tughra in the left-hand margin there are declarations by three legal authorities that the document is in accordance with the Shari'ah. The first is in the hand of the kazasker (judge of the army), Suleyman ibn Halil who was the eldest son of the Grand Vizier, Halil Pasha (see above). The second, at the top of the right hand margin, was inscribed by Mehmed ibn Feramerz as kadi (judge) of Edirne, the Ottoman capital and the city where the document was drawn up. Better known as Molla Hüsrev, this celebrated scholar was later appointed chief mufti of the empire under Sultan Mehmed II. The third declaration, further down in the rioght hand margin, is a report by the kadi of Mihalic and Kirmasti in north-west Anatolia, Ubeydullah ibn Abdalllah. It was added at a later date.
Finally there are two inscriptions verifying joints in the document, which was prepared using three sheets of paper pasted end to end.
We are grateful to Tim Stanley for his help in preparing this catalogue entry
Original Ottoman documents issued before the conquest of Constantinople, from the 14th and the first half of the 15th century are comparatively rare. This example was issued during the second reign of Sultan Murad II (1446-51). It consists primarily of a 17 line Arabic text forming a legal instrument by which the Sultan granted ownership of the village of Atköyü and an estate called Türkeri Chiftighli, situated near Balikesir in North West Anatolia, to Zaghanos Bey. The recipient, or Zaghanos Mehmed Pasha as he later became known, was one of the two most important viziers of his time. He was a close adviser to Sultan Mehmed II and was promoted to Grand Vizier in June 1453, just after the siege of Constantinople. He became the sultan's absolute representative in the process of government and was entrusted with the imperial seal. As a result of fiefs and revenues granted to him he became the wealthiest Ottoman after the sultan. He was also appointed governor of Rumeli which gave him control of the army in both the capital and europe (Shaw, S.J.: History of the Ottoman Empire and modern Turkey Cambridge, 1976, vol.1, pp.56-59).
The gift seems to have been made in two stages. First a court official with power of attorney was sent to the court of the kadi of Edirne to enact the transfer of the property according to the Shari'ah and have it recorded in the kadi's register (sijill), and then this document was drawn up in the presence of the sultan and his council to be given to Zaghanos Bey. There were therefore two sets of witnesses.
Besides the main text there are several other inscriptions or groups of inscriptions on the document.
Above the main text is the tughra of 'Murad, the son of Mehmed Khan, the victorious' and, above that, an invocation of two particularly appropriate names of God 'He it is that posesses all; that makes all gifts'.
Below the main text there are 22 witnesses' signatures. The first ten are those of the people present when the document was drawn up. These belong to various religious figures (1-3 written upside-down in the right margin), to the members of the Imperial Council who were present when the legal document was drawn up (4-9) including the Grand Vizier, Chandarh-zade Halil Pasha (4); the nishanci, the official responsible for inscribing the tughra, Isma'il Chelebi (9, written above 8 and 10); and to an important palace official, Rikabdar Ayas Agha, the holder of the Sultan's stirrup (10). The last signature (22) also belongs to this group as it is that of the scribe responsible for the document, Mü'min ibn Ibrahim.
The second group of signatures are not autographs but copies by the scribe of the signatures in the kadi's register. He has made an error by copying one signature, that of Mustafa Agha, chief gatekeeper of the sultan's palace in Edirne, twice (11,16). Apart from the signature of the subhashi or military superintendant, of Edirne, these all belong to leading palace officials.
To the left of the tughra in the left-hand margin there are declarations by three legal authorities that the document is in accordance with the Shari'ah. The first is in the hand of the kazasker (judge of the army), Suleyman ibn Halil who was the eldest son of the Grand Vizier, Halil Pasha (see above). The second, at the top of the right hand margin, was inscribed by Mehmed ibn Feramerz as kadi (judge) of Edirne, the Ottoman capital and the city where the document was drawn up. Better known as Molla Hüsrev, this celebrated scholar was later appointed chief mufti of the empire under Sultan Mehmed II. The third declaration, further down in the rioght hand margin, is a report by the kadi of Mihalic and Kirmasti in north-west Anatolia, Ubeydullah ibn Abdalllah. It was added at a later date.
Finally there are two inscriptions verifying joints in the document, which was prepared using three sheets of paper pasted end to end.
We are grateful to Tim Stanley for his help in preparing this catalogue entry