Ahmed İbrahim Resmî

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Ahmed Ibrahim Resmî; Copper engraving by Johann Friedrich Bause
Entry of the Turkish ambassador Ahmed Resmi Efendi into Berlin 1763 (after Johann David Schleuen )

Ahmed İbrahim Resmî also Ahmet Resmi Efendi or Giridî , "the Cretan", called (* 1694, 1695 or 1700 in Rethymno [Turkish Resmo ] on Crete [Turkish Girit ]; † in August 1783 in Istanbul ) was a chronicler and high civil servant of the Ottoman Empire .

Life

Nothing is known about Ahmed İbrahim Resmî's youth. He came to Istanbul in 1733, 1734 or 1735, where he studied calligraphy and style as a student of Abdullah al-Husayn and Abu al-Tijah . Ahmed married a daughter of the Re'îs Efendi (secretary at court), Ta'ûkçi Mustafa, and entered service at court. His work as a muderris (professor at a medrese ) and his honorary title hacı indicate successfully passed exams and a pilgrimage to Mecca , more details cannot be found in the chronicles of his time. He was closely associated with a number of intellectuals and reformers who wanted to make Western diplomatic practices known in the Ottoman Empire and who also founded some of the first privately run public libraries in Istanbul. Some of his patrons were high statesmen and men of letters of the 18th century.

Ahmed İbrahim's first office in 1747 was that of a tax officer ( baş muqata'acı ). In 1749, his stepfather and patron, Tavukçubaşı Mustafa, a diplomat and close associate of the Grand Vizier, died and Ahmed wrote his first works to make his literary knowledge known at the Sublime Porte . In 1757 he was a member of an embassy to the imperial court in Vienna , which was commissioned by the new sultan Mustafa III. (1757–74) was on the road. He returned to Istanbul in 1758.

He headed the first Ottoman embassy to Berlin to the court of the Prussian King Frederick the Great as ambassador from 1763 to 1764. He wrote detailed reports on both trips, not only about diplomatic events, but also about the people and politics of the countries visited. His reports aroused at the Sublime Porte not only the interest in Western politics, but also led to the fact that Sultan Selim III. sent permanent ambassadors to many European countries.

After this trip to the embassy, ​​Ahmed İbrahim became head of the correspondence office at the court of the Grand Vizier ( mektupçu ). In 1765 he received the office of court marshal or gate marshal ( çavuşbaşı ). He was the second deputy of the Grand Vizier Moldovani 'Ali Paşa and his successor Muhsinzade Mehmed Paşa during the Ottoman-Russian War 1768–1774 on the Bulgaria front. Ahmed was mentioned in the reports as an advisor and a generous helper to wounded soldiers. But since he also wrote critical reports about the Ottoman military organization, his further career was stopped by intrigues. He was a co-signer of the peace treaty of Küçük Kaynarca (1774) and was then assigned to a number of offices at the Sultan's court as sinecurs . Precisely because of his participation in this humiliating peace for the Ottoman Empire, he fell on Mustafa III. following new Sultan Abdülhamid I soon out of favor. There is little information about his death. He died - already blind - on August 31, 1783, and one of his sons organized the funeral in the Selîmiyye district in Skutari . Ahmed Resmi's brother-in-law, Ahmed Asmi Efendi , who had accompanied him to Berlin as early as 1763/64, was sent again to Berlin with another Ottoman embassy in 1791. Further information about his family could not be found.

The work

  • 1749: Hamıletü'l-kübera , a biographical listing of all the supreme black eunuchs ( kızlar ağaları ) of the sultan's harem , from Mehmed Ağa (1574–90) to Moralı Beşir Ağa II (1746–52). 38 eunuchs are listed with a short biography. The work was his first step towards making a name for himself as a stylist with his patrons.
  • 1749: Sefinetü'r-rü esa , or Halifetü'r-rü esa , a biographical listing of all the Supreme Secretaries ( re'isü'l-küttab ) up to 1744, which he dedicated to the governor Koca Ragıb Mehmed. The work was continued by Süleyman Fa'ik until 1804.
  • 1758: Viyana sefaretnamesi , a report on his journey as a companion of the embassy to Vienna, written immediately after his return to Istanbul.
  • after 1764: Sefaretname-i Ahmed Resmi , or Sefaratname'i Prusya , a detailed report of his embassy trip to Berlin, with a diary, a detailed description of the cities along the way, the meetings with Frederick the Great and a description of the same. This book and the previous one about the trip to Vienna were often used works that were also translated into English.
  • 1769: Layiha (1), a memorandum to the new Grand Vizier Halil Paşa (1769–70). It deals with the campaign of 1769, a subject that he dealt with more than once. In several points he meticulously lists the inadequacies, especially in the supply of the army.
  • 1772: Layiha (2), the same subject, this time addressed to Muhsinzade Efendi. There were also very many copies of this that were used as the basis for reform. He vehemently advocates a peace agreement, since the Ottoman army is inferior to the Russians - a new tone in military-political reports.
  • 1781: Hulasatü'l-i'tibar , a critical-satirical story of the Ottoman-Russian War from 1768 to 1774. Ahmed Ibrahim was a participant from 1771 to 1774 and thus directly experienced all the mistakes of the Janissary troops. The critical work circulated in many copies into the 19th century. Heinrich Friedrich von Diez translated this report into German in 1815.

See also

literature

Web links

Commons : Ahmed İbrahim Resmî  - collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Ahmed İbrahim Resmî
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Ahmed İbrahim Giridî
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Turkish chronicler and civil servant
DATE OF BIRTH 1694 or 1695
PLACE OF BIRTH Rethymno , Crete
DATE OF DEATH August 1783
Place of death Istanbul