[Zübde-i Vekayiat] - [زبدهٔ وقائعات]

This volume contains part of the Zübde-i Vekayiat of the Ottoman statesman and historian Defterdar Sarı Mehmed Paşa (died 1129 AH/1717 CE). In its complete form, the Zübde covers the years between 1058 AH/1648 CE and 1114 AH/1703 CE, encompassing the reigns of sultans Mehmed IV, Suleiman II, Ahmed II, and Mustafa II. The present copy covers the period between 1058 AH/1648 CE and 1094 AH/1683 CE, and also includes a section on previous Ottoman sultans, a feature present in only one other copy of the Zübde. During a long and turbulent career which ended in his execution, he served in the tax and revenue office (defterdarlık) on seven different occasions. He also held the governorship (mutasarrıf) of Selanik (Thessaloniki) and the province of Kocaeli. After the Grand Vizier Damad Ali Paşa was martyred in the Ottoman-Austrian War in 1128 AH/1716 CE, Sarı Mehmed was one of many who expected to be appointed as his replacement. However, the appointment went instead to Koca Halil Paşa (died 1146 AH/1733 CE), who enjoyed the support of Nevşehirli İbrahim Paşa (died 1143 AH/1730 CE), a rival of Sarı Mehmed and a figure close to Ahmed III (ruled 1115-43 AH/1703-30 CE). Having subsequently criticised and mocked the Sultan, as well as allegedly maltreating the inhabitants of Selanik and contributing to the loss of Temeşvar, Sarı Mehmed was imprisoned in the fortress at Kavala and executed on Rebiyülahir 1129 AH/March 1717 CE. His body was buried in the courtyard of the city's Ulucami (See Özcan, 'Defterdar Sarı Mehmed Paşa' and 'Mehmed Paşa (Defterdar, Sarı, Baqqalzade'). Sarı Mehmed authored parts of his Zübde-i Vekayiat during the reign of Mehmed IV (ruled 1058-99 AH/1648-87 CE), and likely completed the work between 1126-28 AH/1714-16 CE. The present copy lacks the opening section of the work, which contains praises of God, blessings upon the Prophet, and supplications for the Rightly-Guided Caliphs and the Ottoman sultans. Also missing is the section on the sebeb-i te'lif ('purpose of authoring [the text]') and the first folios of the next section, which covers the major events connected to each sultan, beginning with the founder of the Ottoman dynasty Osman (ruled 702-724 AH/1302-1324 CE) and ending with the reign of Sultan Ibrahim (1049-1058 AH/1640-1648 CE). Events are reported year-by-year, followed by tables showing their major benefactions and the leading officials and ulema of their reign. The present copy begins (f 1r) with a table devoted to Mehmed I (ruled 816-24 AH/1413-21 CE), which originally would have come at the end of an account of his reign. This table is followed (still on f 1r) by an account of the reign of Sultan Murad II (824-48 AH/1421-44 CE and 850-55 AH/1446-51 CE), ending with a similar table dedicated to him. The text continues in this fashion until it reaches Sultan Mehmed IV. Only one out of fourteen other known copies features this section covering previous Ottoman sultans (Ms 160/8956 in Cairo's Khedivial Library). According to Özcan's reading of the Cairo copy, Sarı Mehmed himself composed this section and included it in his Zübde, but chose not to include it in later editions of the work (Özcan 1995, XXXVII). This suggests that along with the Cairo copy, the present copy is one of the earliest of the Zübde, and may potentially have some connection to the author himself. The main section of the work covers the period between 1058 AH/1648 CE, which marks the inauguration of Mehmed IV, and 1114 AH/1703 CE, the year of Sultan Mustafa II's passing. Since the present copy lacks the closing folios, it ends with the events of 1094 AH/1683 CE. The main section begins on 25r with a brief summary of the first two years of Mehmed IV's reign, followed by an account of the grand vizierates of Köprülü Mehmed Paşa (in office 1067-1072/1657-1661 CE) and his son Fazıl Ahmed Paşa (in office 1072-1087 AH/1661-1676 CE). The first major event covered in this section is the conquest of the fortress at the island of Bozcaada (Tenedos) in 1067 AH/1657 CE. Thereafter follows (beginning at the bottom of 31r) a year-by-year account of events, beginning with 1082 AH/1671 CE. The final passage (80v) narrates a discussion held about the fortress of Yanık (Raab), involving Grand Vizier Merzifonlu Kara Mustafa Paşa (in office 1087-1095 CE/1676-1683 CE). Tables begin:. Zaman-ı saadet-ikranlarında olan vüzera Avan-ı saadet-encamlarında olan hayratlar / Hacı Avaz Paşa Bayezid Paşa Molla Sinan Germiyanlı İbrahim Paşa. Bursa'da Yeşil Cami ve imaret ve medresesi. Text begins:. İcmal-i ahval-i Murad-i Sani bin Sultan Mehmed Han Gazi. Ol şah-ı 'alicah ulema ve sulehaya fart-ı meyil ile ma'il ve tığ-i kişver-güsa-yi reaya ve sitem meyanında ha'il. Ends:. Eğer muhasarasına şüru' eylesen beher hâl asan vecihle bize teslim-i kal'e etmezler. Bir müddet muhasara olunmağa muhtaçtır * evvel ise tavl ve diraz emele muhtaçtır. Fetih ve teshiri ayna-i [husula]. This copy dates to the 12th or 13th century AH/18th or 19th century CE.

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On the author and his work, see Abdülkadir Özcan, 'Defterdar Sarı Mehmed Paşa,' TDVİA(https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/defterdar-sari-mehmed-pasa) and Id., 'Mehmed Paşa (Defterdar, Sarı, Baqqalzade,' Historians of the Ottoman Empire (https://ottomanhistorians.uchicago.edu/en/historian/mehmed-pasa-defterdar-sari-baqqalzade). See also the introduction to Özcan's critical edition. On Mehmed IV and other sources on his reign, see Id., 'Mehmed IV,' TDVİA(islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/mehmed-iv).

For a critical edition Abdülkadir Özcan, Zübde-i Vekayiât, Tahlil ve Metin (Ankara: TTK, 1995). For an edition in simplified Turkish, see Id., Abdülkadir Özcan, Olayların Özü, 3 volumes (Istanbul, 1977-79).