- One of the grand
viziers of Mahmut the second period. He was born in Rusçuk in 1750. However, some
historians say that he was born in Hatin in 1765. He is the son of Hasan Ağa, one of the
Janissary ağas of Rusçuk.
- He was nicknamed as
“Alemdar”, meaning standard-bearer due to his useful efforts in wars which he took
part as standard-bearer. He first became the Senator of Hezergrad, then Rusçuk. Although
he provided assistance to the rebellion against Nizamı Cedit in Edirne, he won the
confidence of the government afterwards, and was awarded the titles of Chief Caretaker and
Mirahur. He was granted the title of Vizier in 1806 and Danube Shore Serasker, thinking
that this would work to prevent Russian advance in Danube border and he became the grand
vizier two years later. He committed suicidein1808.
- The Audience Hall of
Topkapı Palace was opened with a great noise and people going inside saw something
terrible. On a mattress in front of the big gate by Babussade, was the bloody body of
Selim the third. The skin of his right temple was down with his beard down to his chin.
Moreover, his body was all covered with blood.
- Some hoarse voice
saying “Oh Dear Majesty... Did I came from such a long way to see you like this?” was
heard. A stout man with a deep voice throwing away his sword took the body in his arms and
began to sob. In the meantime, he was saying “Do not dare call me Alemdar Mustafa Pasha
if I do not put all Enderun people to the sword and take your revenge”. Despite
his being the son of a Janissary Ağa and his being grown up in this place, he had turned
against them due to the corruption among Janissaries and helped Selim the third for great
reforms in the army. As a result of the rebellion against “Nizam-ı Cedid” by
the Janissaries, some of the supporters of “Nizam-ı Cedid” had managed to escape to
Rusçuk saving their lives from the ringleader of the rebellion. There they took refuge
from Alemdar Mustafa Pasha, the Warrior of Danube Shore and formed a group called
“Rusçuk Yaranı”. “Rusçuk Yaranı”, leaded by Alemdar Mustafa Pasha,
marched from Rusçuk to Istanbul with an army of 15.000 soldiers. Their aim was to
re-enthrone Selim the 3rd and reestablish Nizam-ı Cedid.
- Alemdar Mustafa Pasha,
coming to Istanbul on 19 July 1807, first attacked the house of Kabakci Mustafa and
beheaded him. Then he started a bloody clearing operation among the despots. At the same
time, he took from Grand Vizier Çelebi Mustafa Pasha the Royal Seal by a raid upon the
Sublime Porte and dismissed bigot Sheik of Islam Ataullah Effendi together with him.
- Sultan Mustafa the
Fourth, having been informed that Alemdar was marching towards Topkapı Palace panicked
and ordered execution of Sultan Selim the Third and his brother Mahmut the Second. Sultan
Selim the Third was killed before Alemdar Mustafa Pasha could reach the palace. Mahmut the
second, however, could hardly save his life with the help of a few close friends.
- Alemdar Mustafa Pasha,
having dethroned Mustafa the Fourth and enthroned Mahmut the Second was appointed as the
Grand Vizier by the young sultan, who was only 22 years old. Alemdar, beheading thousands
of people in any relation with the killing of Selim the Third, undertook preparation of a
new army named “Sekban-ı Cedid”, continuation of “Nizam-ı Cedid”. Alemdar
Mustafa Pasha, who was a very brave and manly as well as a kindhearted person had not
received a good education because of his being trained among the Janissaries. He may be
deemed as an ignorant person. Therefore, he was not mature enough to perceive the
political intrigues of the day and smart, well-informed enough to arrange various
interests.
- He succeeded in making
the sultan establish Eşkinci Organization for putting Janissary Organization into an
order. Thus, Janissaries became enemies of Alemdar suddenly.
- In a short period of
time, Alemdar Mustafa Pasha carried away in the pleasure world of Istanbul. Now, he
attended the Bosphorus pleasures among the gazelle looking concubines. Above all, one of
the concubines given presented to Alemdar, (Kamertab) was the one and only. This concubine
was both very beautiful and from the high society. This great soldier of Danube shore was
drawn to the drinking bouts by this seducing woman. Kamertab did all she could to make
this soldier a kind Istanbul Effendi. She was able to make Alemdar take the big dagger he
always carried with him out. He convinced Alemdar, who was wearing plain clothes to wear
clothes with jewel buttoned clothes with silver thread. Alemdar, who had served his
country a lot now became a man of pleasure. Alemdar liked countryside entertainment and
dancers most .
-
- Istanbul people and especially Yeniçeris were not
pleased with Alemdar’s manners.
One day Janissaries mutinied suddenly.
- A group of Janissaries
went to Sublime Porte and set fire to the government house of Alemdar. The big government
house was left burning in flames. Alemdar, seeing the Janissaries and the fire, tried to
gather his Sekbans by drum, but these people were separated in many places. Nobody came to
help him. Alemdar, seeing the situation, looked out of his window after performing an
ablution. He took his 56 concubines out of the government house to the garden of the harem
after a short while by covering their heads with shawls and called a Janissary and told
him:
“I am called Mustafa Bayraktar, the companion of
Kırkiki. I am not a sultan-killer like you are. I have 56 concubines in my House. I am
handing them over first to God and then to the honor of the organization. These are women.
They do not know anything. If you betray, may God be your claimant!...”, and handed the
56 concubines and Kamertab to these rebels. Only his first woman and a black eunuch, who
liked him very much, stayed with him. Then, he began to defend himself by opening fire on
the rebels from the window. When the room in which he was flames, he went into a stone
tower together with others. But Janissaries climbed up and began to dig its dome with
pickaxes. Alemdar Mustafa Pasha, seeing the situation, preferred death to surrounding to
the Janissaries. He fired a barrel of gunpowder under the tower. Suddenly an explosion
happened and and he, his first woman and black eunuch died. The crowd of 500 Janissaries
on the tower also blew up.
Alemdar Mustafa Pasha’s corpse was first buried in
Yedikule. His bones were carried to the Zeynep Sultan garden across Saint Sofia in 1911
and the avenue from Soğukçeşme to Sultanahmet was given Alemdar’s name.
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