Çınar Incident
Encyclopedia
Çınar Incident is the name of a 17th century rebellion in the Ottoman Empire
.
, military expenditures of the Ottoman Empire increased, and the empire began experiencing economic difficulties. Sultan Mehmet IV was only a teen ager and the regent, Valide Sultan
(mother queen) Turhan Hatice
and the short term grand vizier
s, were unable to find a solution. Especially after the execution of the reformist grand vizier Tarhoncu Ahmet Pasha, who tried retrench palace expenditures, the only solution proposed was a devaluation. So the ratio of gold in coins was reduced . The new coins minted were known as "red coin". The salaries were paid by the red coin. But even then, payment to some soldiers was delayed as much as nine mounths. On the other hand, markets in İstanbul
refused to accept the red coins.
in 1656, sent their representatives to the Palace and demanded the payment of their salaries. But the representatives were expelled from the palace by Osman Aga, a senior palace guard. This triggered a rebellion on 26 February 1656. The rebels asked to meet with the sultan on 4 March. Such meetings were known as "ayak divanı" (literally: meeting with folk). During the meeting, they presented a list of 30 men, whom they thought to be responsible for the economic crisis, and they wanted all to be executed. Although the young sultan accepted to dismiss some of these, including Osman Aga, he tried to save the lives. But the angry rebels were not satisfied. They killed most of the names on the list hanging them on a big platanus
tree .
)
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
.
Background
During the Cretan War (1645–1669)Cretan War (1645–1669)
The Cretan War or War of Candia , as the Fifth Ottoman–Venetian War is better known, was a conflict between the Republic of Venice and her allies against the Ottoman Empire and the Barbary States, fought over the island of Crete, Venice's largest and richest overseas possession...
, military expenditures of the Ottoman Empire increased, and the empire began experiencing economic difficulties. Sultan Mehmet IV was only a teen ager and the regent, Valide Sultan
Valide Sultan
Valide Sultan was the title held by the mother of a ruling Sultan in the Ottoman Empire. The Turkish pronunciation of the word Valide is . The title is sometimes translated as Queen Mother, although the position of Valide Sultan was quite different.The position was perhaps the most important...
(mother queen) Turhan Hatice
Turhan Hatice
Turhan Hatice Valide Sultan, Devletlu İsmetlu Turhan Hadice Valide Sultan Aliyyetü'ş-şân Hazretleri , was one of the hasekis of the Ottoman sultan Ibrahim I and the mother of his successor, Mehmed IV .Turhan Hatice is prominent for the regency of her young son and her building patronage.-From...
and the short term grand vizier
Grand Vizier
Grand Vizier, in Turkish Vezir-i Azam or Sadr-ı Azam , deriving from the Arabic word vizier , was the greatest minister of the Sultan, with absolute power of attorney and, in principle, dismissable only by the Sultan himself...
s, were unable to find a solution. Especially after the execution of the reformist grand vizier Tarhoncu Ahmet Pasha, who tried retrench palace expenditures, the only solution proposed was a devaluation. So the ratio of gold in coins was reduced . The new coins minted were known as "red coin". The salaries were paid by the red coin. But even then, payment to some soldiers was delayed as much as nine mounths. On the other hand, markets in İstanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
refused to accept the red coins.
The incident
A group of soldiers, who had recently returned from CreteCrete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
in 1656, sent their representatives to the Palace and demanded the payment of their salaries. But the representatives were expelled from the palace by Osman Aga, a senior palace guard. This triggered a rebellion on 26 February 1656. The rebels asked to meet with the sultan on 4 March. Such meetings were known as "ayak divanı" (literally: meeting with folk). During the meeting, they presented a list of 30 men, whom they thought to be responsible for the economic crisis, and they wanted all to be executed. Although the young sultan accepted to dismiss some of these, including Osman Aga, he tried to save the lives. But the angry rebels were not satisfied. They killed most of the names on the list hanging them on a big platanus
Platanus
Platanus is a small genus of trees native to the Northern Hemisphere. They are the sole living members of the family Platanaceae....
tree .
Aftermath
The Çınar Incident showed the regent Valide Sultan Turhan the urgent need of an able administration. Before the Çınar Incident, ten different grand viziers had been appointed in a rapid sequence in just eight years between 1648–1656, since Mehmet's accession. Short term grand viziers were ineffective in solving the problems of the empire. So, she finally appointed Köprülü Mehmet Pasha as the new grand vizier in the following September. Köprülü Mehmet accepted the post only after Turhan promised not to interfere his administration. It soon became clear that Köprülü Mehmet was a wise choice. (see Köprülü eraKöprülü era
The Köprülü era was the period which Ottoman Empire's politics were set by the Grand Viziers, mainly the Köprülü family, which was a notable family of imperial bureaucrats of Albanian origin. Köprülü family generated grand viziers to the Empire, combining ambition with genuine talent...
)