Pir Ahmed of Karaman was a

bey Bey, also spelled as Baig, Bayg, Beigh, Beig, Bek, Baeg, Begh, or Beg, is a Turkic title for a chieftain, and a royal, aristocratic title traditionally applied to people with special lineages to the leaders or rulers of variously sized areas in ...

Karaman Beylik The Karamanids ( or ), also known as the Emirate of Karaman and Beylik of Karaman (), was a Turkish Anatolian beylik (principality) of Salur tribe origin, descended from Oghuz Turks, centered in South-Central Anatolia around the present-day ...

, a

Sunni Muslim Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Musli ...

Turkoman principality in

Anatolia Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

in the 15th century. He was son of

Ibrahim II of Karaman Ibrahim II (1400-1464) was a bey of Karaman. Background During the post-Seljuk era in the second half of the 13th century, numerous Turkoman principalities, which are collectively known as the Anatolian beyliks, emerged in Anatolia. Initially th ...

and Ilaldi Sultan Hatun, daughter of Ottoman Sultan

Mehmed I Mehmed I (; – 26 May 1421), also known as Mehmed Çelebi (, "the noble-born") or ''Kirişçi'' (, "lord's son"), was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1413 to 1421. Son of Sultan Bayezid I and his concubine Devlet Hatun, he fought with hi ...

, and had a daughter, Hilmiye Hatun.

Struggle for the throne

When his father İbrahim Bey died in 1464, he tried to ascend to throne. But his half brother İshak Bey who was the legal heir, struggled for the throne and became the

with the support of

Uzun Hasan Uzun Hasan or Uzun Hassan (; February or March 1425 – January 6, 1478) was a ruler of the Turkoman (ethnonym), Turkoman Aq Qoyunlu state and is generally considered to be its strongest ruler. Hasan ruled between 1452 and 1478 and presided ove ...

, the sultan of

Akkoyunlu Akkoyunlu can refer to: * Akkoyunlu, Başmakçı * Akkoyunlu, Çermik * Akkoyunlu, Çobanlar * the Turkish name for Aq Qoyunlu The Aq Qoyunlu or the White Sheep Turkomans (, ; ) was a culturally Persianate society, Persianate,Kaushik Roy, ''M ...

(White Sheep) Turkomans. Nevertheless, Pir Ahmet didn't give up. He asked Ottoman sultan

Mehmet II Mehmed II (; , ; 30 March 14323 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror (; ), was twice the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from August 1444 to September 1446 and then later from February 1451 to May 1481. In Mehmed II's first reign, ...

for support and offered a part of his beylik in return to support. With Ottoman support he defeated his brother in the battle of

Dağpazarı Dağpazarı is a neighbourhood in the municipality and district of Mut, Mersin Province, Turkey. Its population is 245 (2022). Situated in the Taurus Mountains, northeast of Mut, the road distance to Mut is about and to Mersin is . Dağpazarı is ...

. İshak escaped to

Silifke Silifke is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Mersin Province, Mersin Province, Turkey. Its area is 2,692 km2, and its population is 132,665 (2022). It is west of the city of Mersin, on the west end of the Çukurova plain. ...

, the southern frontier of the beylik and Pir Ahmet assumed the title bey.

As a bey

He kept his promise and ceded a part of the beylik to Ottomans. But he was uneasy about the loss. So during the Ottoman campaign to west, he captured his former territory. However, Mehmet returned and captured both

Karaman Karaman is a city in south central Turkey, located in Central Anatolia, north of the Taurus Mountains, about south of Konya. It is the seat of Karaman Province and Karaman District.Konya Konya is a major city in central Turkey, on the southwestern edge of the Central Anatolian Plateau, and is the capital of Konya Province. During antiquity and into Seljuk times it was known as Iconium. In 19th-century accounts of the city in En ...

two major cities of the beylik in 1468. Pir Ahmet barely escaped to east. A few years later, Ottoman

vizier A vizier (; ; ) is a high-ranking political advisor or Minister (government), minister in the Near East. The Abbasids, Abbasid caliphs gave the title ''wazir'' to a minister formerly called ''katib'' (secretary), who was at first merely a help ...

(later

grand vizier Grand vizier (; ; ) was the title of the effective head of government of many sovereign states in the Islamic world. It was first held by officials in the later Abbasid Caliphate. It was then held in the Ottoman Empire, the Mughal Empire, the Soko ...

) Gedik Ahmet Pasha captured the coastal region of the beylik.

Further struggles and death

Pir Ahmat as well as his brother Kasım escaped to Uzun Hasan's territory. This gave Uzun Hasan a chance to interfere. In 1472, Akkoyunlu army invaded and raided most of

. (This was the reason behind the

Battle of Otlukbeli The Battle of Otlukbeli or Otluk Beli was fought between Aq Qoyunlu and the Ottoman Empire on August 11, 1473. Background In autumn of 1463, the Republic of Venice opened negotiations with Uzun Hasan. In 1464, Uzun Hasan intervened in central ...

in 1473) With Akkoyunlu support, Pir Ahmet captured Karaman. However Pir Ahmet couldn't enjoy another term. Because immediately after the capture of Karaman, Akkoyunlu army was defeated by the Ottomans near

Beyşehir Beyşehir () is a municipality and district of Konya Province, Turkey. Its area is 2,054 km2, and its population is 77,690 (2022). The town is located on the southeastern shore of Lake Beyşehir and is marked to the west and the southwest b ...

and Pir Ahmet had to escape once more. Although he tried to continue his struggle, he learned that his family members were transferred to

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

by Gedik Ahmet Pasha and he finally gave up. Demoralized, he escaped to Akkoyunlu territory where he was given a tımar (fief) in

Bayburt Bayburt () is a city in northeast Turkey lying on the Çoruh River. It is the seat of Bayburt Province and Bayburt District.Karaman History

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Karaman, Pir Ahmet of 1474 deaths 15th-century Karamanid rulers Year of birth unknown Ethnic Afshar people