THE CANBERDI GAZÂLI REBELLION ACCORDING TO IBTIHÂCÜ’T-TEVÂRIH

Abstract

The change of ruler in the Ottoman Empire following the death of Sultan Selim I and the accession of Süleyman I created favourable conditions for a number of attempts to restore the former Mamluk order in Syria and Egypt, regions that had only recently come under Ottoman rule. One of the most significant of these was the rebellion launched in 1520 by Canberdi Gazâlî, a former Mamluk emir who had been appointed governor-general (beylerbeyi) of Damascus after entering Ottoman service. Beginning in Damascus and soon posing a threat to Ottoman authority in the region, the rebellion assumed a broader dimension when Gazâlî attempted to seize Aleppo. The Ottoman central administration responded swiftly, and the forces dispatched to the region suppressed the uprising before it could spread further. Şehsuvaroğlu Ali Bey of the Dulkadirid dynasty and the troops under his command played a particularly important role in bringing the rebellion to an end. Ali Bey’s military success and the influence he gained during the suppression of the revolt, however, gave rise to rivalry and hostility between him and Ferhad Pasha, the third vizier who had been appointed commander (serdar) of the campaign. This study examines the Canberdi Gazâlî Rebellion on the basis of the account preserved in İbtihâcü’t-Tevârih, evaluating the causes, development, and suppression of the uprising through the details provided by this work. In doing so, it seeks to shed light both on the political and military challenges faced by the Ottomans in the newly conquered Syrian territories and on the nature of the relations between the Ottoman central administration and regional power holders during the suppression of the rebellion.