A life on the Marches: The career of Derviş bey

Dávid, Géza (2001) A life on the Marches: The career of Derviş bey. Acta Orientalia Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae, 54 (4). pp. 411-426. ISSN 0001-6446

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Abstract

The life-story of Derviş bey can be reconstructed with unusual accuracy. He came from an influential family, the Yahyapaşazade clan of Albanian origin. His father, Küçük Bali had a house in Jagodina. Derviş must have born around 1500 since he is mentioned as a tmar-holder in the sancak of Zvornik as early as 1519. When his father became the beylerbeyi of Buda in 1542, Derviş was appointed commander of the Danube flotilla, a new post created specifically for him. When Szeged was taken early in 1543, he was elected to be the first district governor there. On 28 January 1545, he was nominated sancakbeyi of Székesfehérvár (İstolni Belgrad). In late 1547 he was sent to administer the liva of Mohács. He held this office for almost 10 years, an exceptionally long period. His many duties can be illustrated by several hitherto unknown orders which were sent to him. At the same time, he did not forget Jagodina where he had a cami built and where – as Hans Dernschwam reported – he also settled some Hungarians. This is shown by a defter of Szendrő (Smederovo), in which several individuals with Hungarian names were registered. On 4 February 1557, he was appointed to Avlonya, partly as a punishment for the unsuccessful siege of Szigetvár in 1556. Four days later, however, he was allowed to return to Szeged. As in Pécs, he was again charged with the preparation of the new cadastral surveys of some of the Hungarian sancaks. Derviş bey vanishes from sight around 1560/1561. In all likelihood he died either in Hungary or on his way to Jagodina.

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