Abstract
Archive Documents About Divan Poet and Historian Süheylî Ahmed and His Father Hemdem Kethudâ
In order to contribute to the biography of Süheyli Ahmed b. Hemdem Kethuda, a Divan poet and historian, Ottoman archive documents were examined and various documents were identified. These documents show that he owns fief and spent most of his life on various fronts. He performed official duties such as making collections on behalf of the state, carrying money, and repairing the castle. He received "terakki"s in return for his services he showed in wars, and he was also appointed as a Dergah-ı Âli Müteferrika. Later, in addition to this appointment, he was given the rank of Dergah-ı âli Çavuş. In the research, information about his father, Hemdem Kethuda, was also obtained. While Hemdem Kethuda was one of the "yayabaşı" of the janissaries in Damascus, he took part in the registration of various places, especially in the province of Damascus, and as a result, he was given fief. He took part in the army of Hadım Cafer Paşa as the owner of fief, and later became a "müteferrika". Afterwards, he served as the "Kapu kethuda" of Cafer Paşa. Süheylî and his father were together in the fronts due to being under the command of Cafer Paşa. However, Hemdem Çelebi was martyred in the Battle of Mohaç with his 40-50 troops in H.1005. In this study, various documents were presented, mainly those containing terakkis, the wars in which both of them were fief owners and their duties. It is seen from the documents that Süheyli had a very active youth period. Examination of these documents will contribute to a healthier analysis and evaluation of his works.
Keywords
Süheylî Ahmed b. Hemdem Kethuda, Biography, Literature, History, Archive Documents