TURKOMANS BETWEEN TWO EMPIRES: THE ... - Bilkent University

evenue sources remained the same. At that point Aşıkpaşazāde’s account differs from
later histories. To him the rebellion was initiated by those timar holders who were
charged with heavy incumbency. They brought someone, who was pretending to be
from Karaman dynasty, to the leadership of the rebellion. But Aşıkpaşazāde repeatedly
argues that Mustafa was not a member of Karaman dynasty. 1054 Throughout his narration
of several stages of the rebellion, he never mentions the Varsak and Turgut tribes. But at
the end of the rebellion, when Mustafa fled, timar holders and Karaman begs, he says,
came to Mesih Pasha; they expressed repentance and vowed not to betray any more. 1055
Later accounts, however, do not mention the role of timar holders in the rebellion. One
feels legitimate within available evidence to take into account both groups, timar holders
and local tribal leaders.
Leaving aside the proportion of timar holders and tribal begs in the rebellion,
what is known is that they rose up and to lead the uprising they invited Mustafa Bey,
who was the grand-son of Mirza Beg, a brother of Kasim Beg, and at that moment was
living in Iran. Mustafa Beg came to Đçel and formed a government there. 1056 They
pillaged Larende and surrounded the citadel of the city. Upon hearing these
developments, Prince Ahmed who was the governor of Amasya, sent a messenger to
Muhammed, the son of Prince Şehinşah and governor of Beyşehri, ordering him to
march on rebels. Ahmed himself also moved towards Larende as well. Upon hearing that
an Ottoman army was on the way towards him, Mustafa Beg returned to Taş-ili.
Although Ahmed followed them for a while, since Mustafa Beg’s forces took shelter in
1054
Even the title of related section in Aşıkpaşazāde’s history is “Anı beyan ederkim düzme Qaramanoğlı
ne suretde geldi neyledi” See APZa, p. 260.
1055
APZa, p. 261.
1056
UZC2, p. 109. Also consider HSE3, p. 318;
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