The great mission in the east - 1792
The 18th century has seen Christian missionaries spreading their faith among believers of the other faiths. The missions of these Christians were also among the Christians in the Ottoman Empire. In this case Muslims were avoided to prevent angering the local clergy. However, several Sufi Orders had seen the activity of these missionaries among local Christians and were inspired. Something the Orders were doing centuries ago has now declined. As early as the 1780s several Sufi Orders were talking about the possibility to spread the Islamic faith among the non-Muslims in Central Asia and the Caucasus. This became even more popular among the Orders after the Sultan prevented the Missionary Activity to spread in the Balkan, leaving it to the Janissary Corps only. After the idea dying out for 20 years it once again gained popularity among the Sufi Orders. This time the region of interest was the Caucasus and Central Asia. Supported by Sultan Abdulhamid I and later Murad V, the Orders have set out from Istanbul to Erzurum and from there their paths have been divided. Some of them set out for the Caucasus and especially among the Georgians and Ossetians. The others left for the Lands of the Kazakhs, Kyrgyz and Uyghurs. The Sufi’s leaving for Central Asia were not only going to strengthen the Islamic faith among the steppe nomads, countering the Russian Orthodox. It was also to restore the ties between cities like Samarkand and Bukhara with Istanbul and the rest of the Middle East. The stronger the ties the stronger the Islamic Faith gets was their motivation. The travel to Central Asia however was problematic. Mohammed II had died in early 1792 and his younger yet ill brother Abbas IV succeeded him. The situation in Persia was tense and it looked like a succession war could start any moment with the oldest son of Mohammed II, Suleiman going for it. Other than the tense political situation, the problems the local Shia Clergy had with the Sufi’s heading for Baku to travel to Central Asia, the Georgian Outlaws hunting under Solomon of Kutaisi hunting on Muslim Pilgrims were a huge problem. The Pasha of Tiflis, Cerkes Suleiman Pasha, made several attempts to hunt down the bandits but failed as the bandits are too mobile to be caught by an expedition force and nobody knows where they are. In the 1790s, 1 in the 3 Sufi’s heading from Erzurum died during their travel of which three quarter of them by the Georgian Bandits. As far as the Order was concerned death did not scare them. Many left for their destination regardless. Other than going for Central Asia and the Caucasus, there were new Madrassa’s opened in the Crimea and the Caucasus to educate the locals and train new men to send them over to Central Asia.
The Firman of Murad V - 1792
Murad V saw the threat of the autonomy the Pasha’s on the edge had during his military campaign. Kara Ali Pasha had complained about the issue as well due to the threat of breaking away and being used by foreign powers. When Ali Pasha Tependeli acted like a King during the stay of Murad in Macedonia Murad was irritated. Telling the situation to Abdulhamid I did not really help as the old Sultan was ill and thought a simple warning would be okay. A rebellion during wartime was the last thing Abdulhamid wanted. When Abdulhamid I died Murad V declared several rights to be taken away from various Pashaluks and the power of the Pasha’s being reduced. This of course did not apply to all Pasha’s. Egypt and Baghdad Vilayets kept most of their autonomy the Sultans before Murad V granted them but Murad would accept no more autonomy in any part of his realm than the one in Istanbul. Russia being defeated helped the Ottoman Emperor gaining prestige and a safeguard on the frontiers. In order to quell rebellions Murad needed the support of the Crimean Khan. The Khan of the Crimea, Sahin Giray, declared all kind of support ready in case Murad needs it. The rights being taken away:
- The ruling Pasha will be appointed by the Emperor or Grand Vizier. Hereditary is not possible
- Taxation percentage will be as the Grand Vizier orders, no more no less
- The regional forces of the Pasha’s can not be more than 8,000 men
- The Pasha’s can not remain longer than 15 years in position unless the Emperor orders so
- The Pasha’s can not rule the Pashaluks from which they are from. This only counts for the successors after the last Firman
- The Pasha’s are not allowed to correspond or talk with foreign rulers, ambassadors unless the Emperor orders so
- The Grand Vizier has the only right to give orders on the Janissaries unless the Grand Vizier gives the Pasha’s below them the rights
- Taxation can not be more than 37,5% of the total income of the population. Taxation will be 25% of the income of the people after this Firman
- The Janissary Corps is no longer hereditary
- The Janissary Corps will only accept new recruits from the ages 8 to 18
- Janissaries will retire by the age of 50. They will get some land to get income from their retirement
- The Ayans will have no more armed militia than 150 men a maximum
- The Pasha’s will accept the new Garrisons settled by the Grand Viziers on the Frontier Pashaluks
The Firman of Murad V was not well taken. Most of the Army was still on the frontiers ready for the return. When the Firman reached the Pasha’s none were happy and the recently appointed Sancak Beyi of Vidin, Pazvantoğlu Osman Pasha revolted against Murad V in 1793 after being Sancak Beyi for only a few months. Supported by Bulgarian, Serbian and Turkish bandits and rebellious Janissaries Osman Pasha occupied Vidin and attacked nearby towns continuing his bandit lifestyle. In order to enforce the law, Murad V appointed the landlord of Ruscuk, Alemdar Mustafa, as the Pasha of the Tuna (Danube) Vilayet. Ordered by Murad V, Alemdar Mustafa had to put down the rebellion of the Bandit.
T
he Sultan who failed - 1793
In the late months of 1792 AD, Bedouins from the Nejd had marched to more populated areas as Hejaz and Al Haasa. The Bedouin tribes are loyal to the Emir of Diriyah, a man who is rather unknown among the local Pasha’s but only is known to be allied with a Sheikh who has rather strange believes to those of the Pasha’s and the natives. These tribes loyal to Emir Abdul Aziz bin Muhammad have been raiding Caravans, looting towns and killing those who resist against the armies of the Emir. Eventually, these raids reached the Holy Cities of Mecca and Medina. When the raid of the two holy cities came to Istanbul it caused an outrage among the already unhappy Janissaries under command of Cebecibasi Cerkes Osman, a Janissary Veteran and Commander during the Russo-Turkish War. A Sultan, a Caliph who could not protect two of the three most holiest cities of Islam is not worthy of staying on the throne. As far as Cerkes Osman, other Janissary Officers and opponents of Murad V reforms were concerned, Murad V failed to do the most important job he had. Failing to see such threats, Murad V was in a position his predecessors never were. Unless he reacts fast, his position on the throne is uncertain.
