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

ve Aygutlu ve Yusuf Varsak ve Saru Şeyh lāinin divan begi ve bazı askeriyle ve
yukarıdan gelmiş bir nice korucuyla Harput’dan gelüb Murad suyun geçüb… 1657
We learn from the rest of Mehmed’s letter that Ottoman troops and qizilbash
fighters under the command of Nur Ali confronted in Göksu on June 21, 1515. 1658 HR
follows a similar line of narration. To him, on learning Mustafa Pasha’s [Mehmed]
approach to Erzincan, Nur Ali Khalifa, with Aygutoğlu Muhammed Beg, mobilized his
troops against the Ottomans. Two armies met near Çemişkezek. After a bloody battle,
Nur Ali Khalifa was killed with many qizilbashes and the rest dispersed, among which
was Aygutoğlu as well. 1659 According to Mehmed’s report, however, the battle took
place in Göksu. 1660
1657 This document is the letter of certain Mehmed to Selim. In the rest of the letter he also says that
Aygutoğlu and Yusuf Varsak escaped. See TSA, document E 6316, published in ULCY2, pp. 130-1.
1658 Mehmed says in his report that they moved from Rum Saray on Rebī I, Thursday. But he does not
specify the year. According to the report the battle took place eight days later on Friday. ULCY takes the
year as 918. Rebi I 1, 918 corresponds July 15, 1512, Thursday. Nevertheless, the events mentioned in the
document obviously took place in the summer of 1515, when Selim captured the fortress of Kemah.
Furthermore, in July, 1512 Selim was not in a position to send any army to eastern Anatolia for he was to
cross Anatolia on July 29 and Ahmed was in control of central and eastern Anatolian provinces. Thus, the
year must be taken as 921. However, Rebī I 1, 921 was not Thursday but Wednesday. Indeed, Mehmed
says gurre-i Rebī I. The word ‘gurre’ is normally used for the first day and the night of months in Arabic
calendar. (Ferit Develioğlu, Osmanlıca-Türkçe Ansiklopedik Lügat, Ankara: Aydın Kitabevi, 2006, p. 295)
In this case, Mehmed seems to have used the same term for the second day of the month as well. In
addition, HR also mentions this battle among the events of the year 921. His account is quite compatible
with the report of Mehmed. See AT, p. 190.
1659 See HR, p. 190.
1660 “… Ordu-yı hümayun yümn-ü ikballe Kemah’dan müracaat etdükde ol menba-ı fitne vü fesad
mecma’-ı ehl-i tuğyan u ilhad ser defter-i mütemerridin Nur Ali Halife-i bi-din bazı kendu emsali melain
ile Ulaş ve Yaraş ve Aygutlu ve Yusuf Varsak ve Saru Şeyh lainin divan begi ve bazı askeriyle ve
yukarıdan gelmiş bir nice korucuyla Harput’dan gelüb Murad suyun geçüb beş yüzden ziyade melahid-i
melain gümrahla Pir Hasan Beg’in haberin alub anın kasdın ovacuğa azmedüb fitne-i fesada … itdüğü
istima’ olıcak…hazır bulunan dilīr-i dilāverleri istimāletleyüb himen ve ināyet-i şāhāneyi ümidvār idüb
mübārek şehr-i Cemaziyelevvelin gurresi Penşembih günü te’hir ve tefakkuf etmeyüb Rum Saray’dan ol
taife-i evbaş kasdına Kıruçan yolundan ılgar edüb akeblerin girizgahların alub Düşenbih günü begne’ssalâtin
vaktinde Göksu kenarındaki şeşenbih günü ale’s-sabah sudan geçüb yemin ve yesar ve kalb ve
cenahı tertib edüb sağ kolda Guraba Ağası Hüseyin bendeniz ihtiyarlarıyla yoldaşlığa kalan kapu halkın
koşub üç yüz mikdarı erle tarh koyub sol kola dahi karındaşım Hızır bendenüzle Nur Ali Beg orçulu(?)
Karahisar sancağının bazı güzide erleri ve Yapaoğlu Đskender bendenüz ki gelen Karamanluya ve bazı
ihtiyarlarıyla ve yoldaşlığa gelen subaşı ve erbab-ı timar ve gönüllüyü yüz mikdar dilāverlerle tarh koyub
Canik sancakbegi Baltaoğlu kalbde sağ tarafda Asitane-i saadetden himmet ve inayetle gelen ümera-i
ekrad Kaasım Beg ve Pir Hasan Beg sancaklarıyla ve haliyen gelen Atak begi Ahmed Beg ile Sultan
Ahmed Beg’i kalbde sol canibe ve bu bendeye mahsus yarar adem ve bendelerünüz kalbde sancak önünde
tayin olunub .... Serdarları olan lāin Nur Ali-i bî-din hayli cenk edüb āhar zahm-ı sehimnâkle mecrūh ve
489