Bakırcı Ahmed Pasha

Bakırcı Ahmed Pascha , also Kara Ahmed Pascha , (* 16th century in Kayseri , † 1635 in Istanbul ) was an Ottoman statesman and from 1633 to 1635 governor of Eyâlet Egypt . His nickname Bakırcı means coppersmith , he is said to have received the nickname Kara (dt. Black ) because of his dark eyes.

Life

Ahmed Pasha was born in Kayseri, Anatolia. In 1630/31 he was promoted to Kethüda with the gatekeepers, in 1632/33 he was promoted to chief equerry ( Mirahur ). He became a vizier in 1633 and governor of Egypt in the same year.

In August 1633 Sultan Murad IV. Ahmed Pasha ordered the sending of 2,000 soldiers, 5,000 qintar (approx. 225,000 kilograms) biscuits and 4,000 qintar (180,000 kilograms) gunpowder to Syria, where the ruler was preparing a campaign against the Druze emir . Ahmed Pasha sent everything but 2,000 soldiers and instead opted to send just 500 soldiers, led by Emir Defterdar Hasan Bey, who had served as Kaymakam (acting governor) prior to Ahmed Pasha's arrival in Egypt .

Ahmed Pasha got his nickname "Bakırcı" ("Coppersmith") from one of the main problems of his tenure: the minting of new copper coins for Egypt as a result of the copper shortage in the region. In order to mint small denominations, Ahmed Pasha asked the Sultan to send him 1,000 quintals of copper. The Sultan sent him twelve times as much, around 12,000 hundredweight, and asked for its value in coins, which amounted to 300,000 gold pieces. To convert the copper into coins, Ahmed Pasha gathered the sanjakbeys of Egypt to hear their opinions. They suggested turning the copper into obolus coins. Ahmed Pasha hired as many blacksmiths and workers as possible to convert the copper into coin form. However, it turned out that the coinage produced by the workers was only worth about half the old obolus coins. This led to strong inflation in Egypt. In addition, many of the workers began to die from the heat in the workshops. After inspecting the workshops, Ahmed Pasha canceled the minting and sent the workers home.

A few days later, Ahmed Pasha gathered the local emirs and qadis and asked them for advice on what to do with the inferior copper that had already been minted. One of the kadis suggested that the pasha could spread the newly minted coins among the population by allowing them to exchange the copper coins for their existing money. Although this was not the Pasha's original plan (which consisted of turning the copper into wedges and sending it to Takrur and sub-Saharan Africa and getting the Sultan's 300,000 gold coins out of his own pocket), he soon warmed up to them Idea. The distribution of the copper began on January 13, 1634 and lasted until October. Initially, most citizens received the same type of money for exchange, but in the course of the distribution, people finally received 80 cents for 45 kilograms of copper (instead of the normal 45 cents for 45 kilograms) in February 1635. H. the government lost money.

Also in February 1635, the Sultan ordered 3,000 soldiers and 3,000 Qintār (135,000 kilograms) of gunpowder from Ahmed Pasha for a campaign against the Persian Safavid Empire. In the same year Ahmed Pasha was dismissed from office for cruelty, for loss in exchange of money or because of military policy, as Ahmed Pasha only sent simple soldiers and asked for money for the better troops. When he left Egypt, he refused to pay the usual fees that the Ottoman governors of Egypt had to pay to the provincial treasury for the damage caused during their tenure and instead chose to submit to the Sultan's judgment. When he arrived in Istanbul, Ahmed Pasha was soon executed on the orders of the Sultan.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e f} Mehmet Süreyya: Sicill-i Osmanî . Kültür Bakanlığı Ile Türkiye Ekonomik Ve Toplumsal Tarih Vakfı'nın Ortak Yayınıdır, Istanbul 1996
2. ↑ Yılmaz Öztuna: Büyük Osmanlı Tarihi: Osmanlı Devleti'nin siyasî, medenî, kältür, teşkilât ve san'at tarihi . Volume 10, Ötüken Neşriyat AS, 1994, ISBN 975-437-141-5 , pp. 412-416
3. ↑ ^{a b c d} Accounts and Extracts of the Manuscripts in the Library of the King of France . Volume 2, R. Faulder, London 1789, p. 80 ( digitized version )
4. ^ Accounts and Extracts of the Manuscripts in the Library of the King of France . Volume 2, R. Faulder, London 1789, pp. 80, 81 ( digitized version )
5. ↑ ^{a b c d} Accounts and Extracts of the Manuscripts in the Library of the King of France . Volume 2, R. Faulder, London 1789, p. 81 ( digitized version )
6. ^ ^{A b c} Accounts and Extracts of the Manuscripts in the Library of the King of France . Volume 2, R. Faulder, London 1789, page 82 ( digitized version )
7. ^ ^{A b} Accounts and Extracts of the Manuscripts in the Library of the King of France . Volume 2, R. Faulder, London 1789, p. 83 ( digitized version )