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Alexander W. Hidden, The Ottoman Dynasty: A History of the Sultans of Turkey, 1912

Page xv: Janissaries: 1. Tchohadar or Footman of the Grand Vizier. 2. Divan Tchaoushi or Usher of the Divan. 3. Yassakdji or Body-guard of the Foreign Ambassadors.

Page 9: The Divan was the great national council of which the Sultan was president; he often listened from a latticed window when the ministers discussed. In his absence the Grand Vizier presided. On the right of the presiding officer were the Pashas and the Kadiaskers or judges; on the left were the Defterdars and the Nishandjis or secretaries of state; directly in front of him stood the Teskeredjis or officers who reported on the condition of the various departments of state. It was always attended by a number of court officers, by the Grand Marshal, the Grand Chamberlain, and the Reis Effendi. Whenever it was necessary, the Grand Vizier had the power to call a special meeting of the Divan at his own residence, and the Imperial seal is always intrusted to his care, for its use is essential on all documents of state.

Page 26: The murder of all princes of royal blood henceforth became the safeguard of the Ottoman dynasty. The Koran says: "Sedition is worse than slaughter," and brothers of Sultans are ever seditious. On this account all princes are usually kept in strict seclusion in the palace. Since the foundation of the empire by Osman I in 1299 till the reign of Achmet I the throne passed from father to sons. But in 1617 Moustapha succeeded his brother Achmet I, and after his death the Divan convoked a special session in which a custom was established by a fetva, that thereafter the successor of the Sultan should as a rule be the oldest male relative, whether uncle, brother or nephew, and not his eldest son, as in other European countries.

Page 42: The month of Ramazan is followed by Sheker Bairam or Candy Easter, which lasts three days. On that day his Imperial Majesty goes to the Mosque in a court carriage drawn by four magnificent Arabian horses, accompanied by a brilliant retinue of marshals, generals and superior functionaries in full uniform emblazoned with gold embroidery and decoration, and by the Caftan Aghassi or the Grand Master of the Wardrobe, whose duties are in all processions to throw silver coins to the people; there the Sultan is received by the Grand Vizier, the Sheikh-ul-Islam and other dignitaries, and is greeted with three cheers of “Long live the Sultan!” The religious service lasts about an hour, and at its close the Sultan rides on a richly caparisoned white charger to the Dolma Baghtcheh Palace with his suite, where he withdraws to his private apartments to rest. Meanwhile the civil, military and religious dignitaries take their places in the Divan Khaneh or reception room, which is of immense dimensions. This throne room is embellished with great oriental splendor; the walls are decorated with immense mirrors, and from the beautifully ornamented high ceiling hang colossal crystal chandeliers. His Imperial Majesty enters and takes his seat on the throne, and the ceremony begins. The first in rank are their highnesses the Princes Imperial; they are followed by the Grand Vizier, who approaches the throne, bows low to kiss the hem of his imperial garment, which is now discontinued and a scarf attached to the throne is substituted for that purpose; the Sheik-ul-Islam, dressed in his white caftan, and turban of white, crossed in front by a band of gold, comes next and attempts to do the same, but is prevented by the Sultan, as there is but little difference in their religious rank; next come the Chief Justices, the Kadi-al-Askers of Roumeli, Europe, and Anadoli, Asia; the Istambol Kadisi, etc. During this ceremony the imperial band continues to play, the cannons are thundering, after which the people leave the palace.

Page 114: The Imperial Ottoman Divan or Council assembled four times a week, on Monday, Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday, under the presidency of the Sultan; Friday was observed as a day of prayer, Wednesday and Thursday were days of rest.

Page 169: In October of the same year, 1579, while the Grand Vizier Mehemet Sokolli was presiding at the council, a man disguised as a dervish approached him to present a petition, and, as he did so, stabbed him mortally ; the murderer, a Bosnian, was condemned to death. The Grand Vizier was succeeded by Achmet Pasha, an Albanian who died six months after and was succeeded by Sinan Pasha, an Albanian who disliked the Austrians.

In the Divan he asked their ambassador, Pezzen, who had given authority to the King of Austria to appoint a common clerk as his representative. "My sovereign," he replied, "is as free to appoint a clerk to be his Ambassador as the Sultan is to make a swineherd his Grand Vizier." Sinan Pasha turned to the other pashas and said, "I am paid in a good coin by this giaour."

Page 170: During the reign of Mourad corruption and favoritism prevailed. Every appointment, civil, military or judicial, was bought, as the Sultan was spending large sums on his musicians, the parasites, dwarfs and buffoons with whom he spent the most of his time; he humiliated himself by partaking of a part of the bribes his courtiers received for such appointments. Incompetent men were appointed as generals or officers in the army; this brought insubordination on, and at last, in 1589, the Janissaries, being agitated by the debased coinage they received for their pay, attacked the Seraglio, where the Divan was assembled, and demanded the head of Mohammed Pasha Beylerbey of Roumania, and that of the treasurer, who was entirely innocent. Mourad was obliged to comply with their demands.

Page 179: Safiye, the Valideh Sultan, was an important factor in the imperial court and exercised a strong influence over her weak, impetuous and irascible son Mohammed. The Sultan's advisers were very anxious that he should join his army and command it in person. The Valideh, who feared the loss of her influence over her son, strenuously opposed his departure for the scene of action, and kept him infatuated with the beauties and pleasures of the harem. Public opinion and the announcement of further losses finally aroused the Sultan. He summoned the Mufti, who with rare good sense advised Mohammed by adroitly giving him a poem of Ali Tchelebi to read, which depicted strikingly the victories of the Hungarians, and the consequently pitiable condition of the Ottoman dominions.

This had the desired effect, and Mohammed immediately ordered a three-days' service of prayer at the Ok Meidan. Meanwhile all the Turks, including the historian Saadeddin, his tutor, the Mufti and the Grand Vizier, urged the Sultan to engage personally in the war against the infidels, while the Janissaries added to the pressure upon him by refusing to march in defense of their country without their ruler. This enthusiasm overruled the influence of the Valideh; in her indignation she forgot her Christian birth and the ties of early kindred, and proposed a massacre of the Christians in Constantinople, in which she was seconded by the fanatics in the Divan. Wiser councils finally prevailed, and the banishment of all unmarried Greeks in the capital was the result of the fury of this powerful woman.

Page 200: The change of rulers made no improvement in the condition of affairs in Turkey; after Ibrahim's accession to power matters grew worse. His earlier years had been passed in forced seclusion and in constant dread of the executioner's sword; it was almost a natural sequence, therefore, that the fostered immaturity of youth, combined with the strength and passion of untrained manhood, should form a character weak, voluptuous, selfish, cruel and despotic in the extreme. He was regardless of the welfare of his subjects, amused by his buffoons, and controlled by the beautiful and capricious women in his harem, whose desires were excessive and extravagant, and whose whims, however slight, were instantly gratified. One of the extravagant favors demanded by a lady of the Seraglio was, that Ibrahim bedeck his beard with jewels. He immediately complied with her wish, appearing in public thus adorned. He was exceedingly fond of perfumes and amber; he had also a mania for costly sable furs, and not only wore them, but used them as upholstery covering for sofas and divans, and as carpets.

Page 217: Of course this forced the Divan to open negotiations with the Russians, but Kara Moustapha Pasha opposed this course so emphatically, that he was allowed to take command of a new army thoroughly equipped to regain control of Poland. This expedition was joined by 30,000 Tartars sent by the Khan of the Crimea and the total army then besieged Cehryn, which fell after a long and painful siege (1678).

The return of the Turkish army through the wild fastnesses of the mountains was taken advantage of by the Russians, who attacked them unawares and slaughtered the soldiers and captured the baggage and artillery. Eventually this horrible war came to an end in 1681.

Page 236: A messenger was sent to Charles proposing a safe return to his kingdom, through either Poland or Germany, but Charles in reply threatened to hang him as he did not wish to listen to his propositions. The Sultan thought it advisable to send him a complimentary letter in which, after styling him the most powerful among the kings who worship Jesus, brilliant in majesty, and a lover of honor and glory, he requested him to depart in care of Providence, and promising that he should be accompanied by a noble escort, supplied with money and every other necessity. Charles accepted the 1,200 purses, but was in no haste to depart. The Sultan perceived that only force could compel him to return to his country. A decision of the Divan to force him to leave Turkey was sent to the Pasha of Bender, who at once waited upon the King of Sweden and made him acquainted with it. "Obey your master if you dare!" said Charles " and leave my presence instantly!" Charles proceeded to plan a defense, erecting intrenchments and other works. Shortly after this his camp was surrounded by a large number of Turkish troops.

Page 248: The Sarratch Khaneh or Saddlers' Bazaar is a small quarter by itself adjoining one of the principal streets of Stamboul, the Divan Yol. The rich bestow the greatest possible attention upon the trappings and equipments of the animals they use, and the workmen who produce these objects constitute a special guild. In this bazaar may be seen elaborate saddles covered with leather or stuffs or velvet decorated with ornamental hand-sewing with silver and gold and with selected pearls sewed on to it; some of these valuable saddles are to be seen at the imperial treasury. Saddlebags of all descriptions are also made here. They are of all shapes and sizes, and useful for the long journeys on horseback into Asia, which are often undertaken from Constantinople. In this Bazaar in 1853 by orders of Abdul Medjid a saddle of great value was made of cloth and leather decorated with valuable jewels and sent to Pope Pius IX.; also Hamid I presented a saddle in gold to Empress Catherine II, which was made in the same place. The Sarratch Khaneh was formerly entirely in the hands of the Greeks, but as soon as the Turks learned the art, the Greeks were obliged to quit.

Page 253: During these reverses the Mufti Pirizade Osman Effendi tried to persuade the Sultan at the Divan to massacre all the Christians of the empire. Previous to this proposition he issued a fetva commanding the slaughter of all Moldavians and Wallachians, and their wives and children to be taken in slavery; but as the Mufti found no seconders the project was rejected.

Page 254: Captan Hassan Pasha was a native of Persia, where he was kidnapped when a boy by the Turks, and sold to another person, from whose service he freed himself by the assistance of a Greek. He escaped to Smyrna, thence to Algeria, where he enlisted in the army, promoted for his ability and courage and at last was appointed governor to some province. He became very wealthy, and being suspected by the Divan of Algeria, was obliged to escape in order to save himself and his accumulated wealth. On his way he was captured by a Spanish vessel, and was detained six years in Madrid; he was sent to Naples in exchange for Christian prisoners. From Naples he passed to France, and sailed in a Danish ship for Constantinople. On his arrival there he had a private interview with the Grand Vizier Kaghip Pasha, through whom Hassan obtained an opportunity of appearing before the Padishah Moustapha, who, being convinced of his intelligence and characteristic vigor, appointed him captain of Turkish man-of-war. He afterwards became Admiral, and at last he was promoted to the highest rank of Grand Vizier. He died at the age of seventy years, and it is supposed that he was poisoned.

Page 266: About four hundred and seventy of these Mamelukes, under the command of Saim Bey, wholly unsuspicious of the treacherous design of Mehemet Ali, accepted the invitation. They were received and treated cordially at the Divan (hall of audience) on the 1st of May, 1811, and offered to Mehemet Ali their hearty congratulations. As they were passing at their departure through a narrow defile between high walls, all mounted, with their attendants who usually served on foot, armed and attired in gorgeous robes forming a brilliant procession, they were swept down by Albanian troops with cannon and a hail of bullets from the tops of the walls and in all directions, which threw the unprepared Mamelukes and their horses in a confused mass. Death passed over them like a whirlwind, not sparing one of them. The lifeless body of the brave Saim Bey was dragged by a rope around his neck through various parts of the city. The heads of the principal officers were embalmed and sent to the Sultan at Constantinople. Only one of the Mamelukes, named Emin Bey, escaped this horrible massacre in Cairo. Being detained on business and not able to attend the festival, he arrived there when the Mamelukes were entering the narrow defile. He waited until all passed and would have followed them, but the gates were shut at once and immediately after he heard the reports of the firearms. He surmised the result and at once galloped out of the city. He afterwards with a small party retired to Syria.

Page 280: Mahmoud had been determined for a long time to humiliate and destroy this audacious man, and the opportunity finally presented itself February, 1820. Two men were arrested in the mosque of St. Sophia, in the act of firing upon Ismail Pasha Bey, who, having fled from Ali Pasha, had taken refuge in the imperial court. These two assassins were hired by Ali Pasha, but the attempt failed, and they were compelled to confess the name of their employer. The Sultan issued an order immediately declaring Ali Pasha to be a Fermanli or an outlaw, and all his loyal subjects were commanded to fight the rebel. A series of engagements between the two parties took place, with varying success, and he was able to stop the bribes which Ali had used freely among the members of the Divan, and which were only prolonging the conflict. At last Ali Pasha, after a brave resistance, not being able to defend his capital any longer, took refuge in a castle which he had built on an abrupt peninsula jutting into a lake. He was well fortified there and threatened to blow himself up unless the Sultan's pardon was granted him. At last, Khurshid Pasha, who was in command of the besiegers, succeeded, on the pretense of offered capitulation, in getting Ali Pasha into his power.

Page 284: The commerce of Russia on the Black Sea had to be completely discontinued on account of the blockading of the Bosporus. The ultimatum of the ambassador was not answered, and as a result, on July 18th, Baron Straganoff decided to cease all diplomatic relations whatever with the Reis Effendi. On the 31st of July he sailed for Odessa, having first declared to the Divan that if the Porte did not at once better the situation Russia would give to the Greeks refuge, protection and assistance. The Reis Effendi replied to St. Petersburg, too late, however, and the most atrocious cruelties were committed by the Janissaries and troops from Asia Minor before the foreign ambassadors, particularly Lord Stangford, the British ambassador, could succeed in persuading the Grand Seignior to recall his command to arm all Mussulmans.

Page 299: This defeat enraged the Sultan and the Divan; and on no condition would they make any terms, or accept the Treaty of London, which the foreign Ministers, especially the representative of Russia, urged more peremptorily. In the meantime the Porte seized all of the ships of the Franks in Constantinople, detained them for some time, and stopped all communication with the allied powers till indemnity should be made for the destruction of the fleet. This gross offense caused the departure of the ambassadors; but the Ottoman Government endeavored to induce them to remain and offered complete amnesty to the Greeks, with other insincere promises, but positively refused to recognize their independence; the only reply made by the ambassadors was to leave Constantinople on the 8th of December.

Page 324: Mahmoud abolished the power of a Turkish governor to condemn to death for a simple cause either a Christian or a Turk unless authorized by a legal sentence, pronounced and signed by the Kadi; he also prohibited the confiscation of his property, as heretofore was the custom. Instead of holding himself aloof from the cares of state, Mahmoud always attended the Divan. By thus keeping himself informed in the affairs of the Government, he was able to redress many of the worst of the wrongs connected with the Vacoufs by placing the revenues under the administrations of the state. However, he did not undertake applying this vast resource of wealth to the uses of the Government. The military fiefs, Ziamets and Timars, he handled more boldly. Since they had for some time ceased to serve their purpose, that of furnishing effective military service. Mahmoud attached them to the public domains, and in this manner essentially strengthened the resources of the state, at the same time putting an end to a host of corruptions.

Page 338: Nicholas I. of Russia, after mustering a fleet at Sebastopol and an army of 30,000 men, sent Prince Menschikoff as a special messenger to Constantinople. He demanded the protection of all members of the Greek Church in Turkey and the settlement of the question regarding the Holy Places of Jerusalem in such a manner as to leave the supremacy to the Greeks. On May 5, 1853, Menschikoff, appearing before the full Divan in his top coat and muddy boots, delivered his message with ill-concealed disdain and contempt. At the time Lord Stradford de Radcliff and M. de la Cour, the English and French ambassadors, were absent. On their return, however, they assured the Sultan of their entire support, and the Russian demands were at once refused. Menschikoff delivered an ultimatum that was disregarded, and started for Russia.

Page 342: The Divan by this time perceived the impossibility of properly defending, unaided, the coast of the Black Sea against the Russians, and called for the assistance of the allied powers whose fleet occupied the Bosporus, and these vessels entered the Black Sea January 2, 1854.

Page 376: Except on special occasions the Sultan eats alone. His meals are prepared in his private kitchen. The Aktchi Bashi or chief cook officiates under the ever watchful eye of the Kelardji Bashi, controller of the cellars, one of the most weighty functionaries in Yildiz Palace, for the health, the very life even, of the ruler is at his mercy. When cooked, his meals are served in silver vessels and each one is closely sealed with the red wax bearing the official seal of the Kelardji Bashi. Scores of people from the kitchen follow the meals in procession into the imperial chamber. The Kelardji Bashi breaks the seal before it is given to the Sultan, and often he is requested to taste some particular dish before the Sultan partakes of it; this is done as a precaution against poison, and it is eaten from the dish in which it is served; the Sultan partakes sitting on a divan in a loose robe with the sleeves turned up. The repast is wound up with coffee and a cigarette, formerly the tchibouk, which is made, as previously mentioned, of cherry wood or jasmine. The precious amber piece was encircled with rings of gold, enameled and often enriched with diamonds or rubies. The Sultan's drinking water is brought to the palace in casks under special precautions from a certain spring in the suburbs of Constantinople.

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