Candar dynasty
The Candar dynasty[1] or the House of Candar (Modern Turkish: Candaroğulları),[2][3] Beylik of Candar, Principality of Candar (Candaroğulları Beyliği, Candar Beyliği), also known as the Isfendiyar dynasty (İsfendiyaroğulları) or Beylik of Isfendiyar (İsfendiyaroğulları Beyliği, İsfendiyar Beyliği), is an Oghuz Turkic[4] princely Anatolian dynasty that reigned in the territories corresponding to the provinces of Eflani, Kastamonu, Sinop, Zonguldak, Bartın, Karabük, Samsun, Bolu, Ankara and Çankırı in present-day Türkiye from the year 1291 to 1461. The region was known in Western literature as Paphlagonia, a name applied to the same geographical area during the Roman period.
House of Candar Candaroğulları | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1291–1461 | |||||||||
 Arms of the House of Candar according to the Catalan Atlas. | |||||||||
 Candaroğulları Beyliği Principality | |||||||||
| Capital | |||||||||
| Common languages | Old Anatolian Turkish | ||||||||
| Religion | Sunni Islam | ||||||||
| Government | Beylik | ||||||||
| Bey | |||||||||
• 1291 | Şemseddin Yaman Candar Bey | ||||||||
• 1461 | Kızıl Ahmed Bey | ||||||||
| Historical era | Late Medieval | ||||||||
• Established | 1291 | ||||||||
• Disestablished | 1461 | ||||||||
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The dynasty and principality, founded by Şemseddin Yaman Candar Bey,[2] were incorporated into the Ottoman Empire by Sultan Mehmed II in 1461.
History
Descended from the Kayı branch of Oghuz Turks,[5] the dynasty began when sultan Mesud II awarded the province of Eflani to Şemseddin Yaman Candar, a senior commander in the imperial armed forces, in gratitude for rescuing him from Mongol captivity. The province had previously been under the rule of the Çobanoğulları.
Following the death of Şemseddin Yaman Candar, his son Süleyman I conquered the neighboring province of Kastamonu and annexed Safranbolu and Sinop, formerly ruled by the descendants of Mu‘in al-Din Suleyman. Süleyman subsequently appointed his son Ibrahim I as Governor of Sinop, while his second son Ali was appointed Governor of Safranbolu. Süleyman reigned under the authority of the Ilkhanate, the Mongols of Persia, until the death of their ruler Abu Sa'id.
Following the death of Süleyman I, his sons Ibrahim I and Ali were involved in a dynastic struggle for the throne. In 1339, Ibrahim was victorious and thus took over the rule of Kastamonu, the seat of the principality, as bey. Upon his death, he was succeeded by his cousin Adil (1346–1361), who in turn was succeeded by his own son, Kötürüm Bayezid. Kötürüm Bayezid Bey fought twice with Kadi Burhan al-Din, ruler of the Sivas region, and in 1383, lost Kastamonu to one of his own sons, Süleyman, who had received military support from the Ottoman sultan Murad I. Following this defeat, Kötürüm Bayezid Bey retreated to Sinop, which led to the division of the Beylik of Candar.
On Kötürüm Bayezid's death in 1385, his son Süleyman succeeded him as Süleyman II, and reunited the recently divided principality back into one realm. With Kastamonu Castle as his seat, Süleyman II remained faithful to Murad I, his supporter in his revolt against his father and predecessor, and, from 1386 to 1389, participated in various Ottoman campaigns in Europe.
In 1391, Murad's successor to the Ottoman throne, Bayezid I, launched an assault on Kastamonu in an attempt to gain control of the Anatolian beyliks,[6] which saw the death of Süleyman II and with it an end to the Candar dynasty's long reign in Kastamonu.
Succeeding Süleyman II as bey was his son and heir İsfendiyar Bey, who in a bid to avoid conflict with the neighboring Ottomans, recognized the suzerainty of Bayezid I and became an Ottoman vassal, which Bayezid reciprocated by granting İsfendiyar autonomy in his dominion. However, after Bayezid was defeated at the hands of the Timurids in 1402, İsfendiyar recognized the authority of their Khan, Timur, who confirmed İsfendiyar's rule in the traditional Candar realm of Kastamonu, Kalecik, Tosya, and Çankırı.
Following the departure of Timur from Anatolia during the Ottoman Interregnum, İsfendiyar Bey stood close to all the four sons of Bayezid I. When one of his sons, Kasım claimed control over Çankırı and Tosya and declared the incorporation of these provinces to the Ottoman Empire, the Candar dominion was divided once more. İsfendiyar revolted against the new sultan Murad II, only to be defeated, and retreated to Sinop in 1423. İsfendiyar Bey died in 1439 and was succeeded by his son Ibrahim II, who upon his own death was succeeded by Ismail in 1443.
Following his conquest of Constantinople in 1453, the Ottoman sultan Mehmed II turned to Anatolia to unite the beyliks under his rule. In 1461, joining forces with Ismail's brother Kızıl Ahmed Bey, he captured Sinop and officially ended the reign of the Candar dynasty, although he did at first appoint Ahmed Bey as the governor of Kastamonu and Sinop, only for the appointment to be revoked in 1464.[7]
Dynasty
After the incorporation of the Beylik of Candar into the Ottoman Empire, the ruling dynasty was offered various important functions within the administration of the Ottoman state, which they maintained until its dissolution in 1922. Descendants of the Candar dynasty live today as citizens of the Republic of Türkiye mostly in Istanbul and in Europe, using various family names. Ayşe Sultan, who was the last identified descendant, died in Ankara in 1981, having benefited from the unique status afforded to the dynasty within the Ottoman Empire.
Arms
Due to their similarities, the arms of Candar may be confused with what is now referred to as the Star of David. However, in medieval times, this particular symbol was not solely associated with Judaism, but also with Islam where it was known as the Seal of Solomon,[8] borne by the prophet Sulaiman, son of David. The symbol gained popularity amongst the beyliks of Anatolia, with the Beylik of Karaman another state known to have adopted a variation of the seal on its flag.
Culture
The Candar seat was located in a very important region in northern Anatolia. For the period, the Beylik of Candar's political influence, coupled with its high population which is estimated at 420,000 in 1332, were quite significant relative to those of the other beyliks. Having reigned for circa 170 years, the Candaroğulları were quite advanced in various fields including architecture, culture and welfare. During the dynasty's reign, much was published by writers and scientists of the court, including books on medicine, chemistry, social sciences, poetry, and translations from Arabic and Persian to Old Anatolian Turkish.
In the region today, many architectural structures remain from the dynasty's reign, including numerous mosques, madrassas, libraries, hammams, caravanserais, and inns.
Economy
The 14th century geographer al-Umari notes that Kastamonu, the seat of the Beylik of Candar, was one of the most prominent provinces in the region, and that Sinop was one of the most important ports in the Black Sea, where the Republic of Genoa operated a colony known as Genoese Gazaria. These lay on a crucial trade route leading to the interior of Anatolia. The nearby province of Sivas was then inhabited by many Genoese merchants, transporting goods arriving both from the East and the South to their ports in Trabzon, Samsun and Sinop. Venetian archives document close financial ties and trading between the Beylik of Candar and the city-state republics of Venice and Genoa. The province of Kastamonu was also rich in natural resources such as iron ore and copper, particularly important industrial raw materials at the time.
In their trade with the Genoese, the Candars used copper coins minted bearing the symbol of two fish, with the signature inscription Dârü's-saâde-i Sinop ("The Palace of Sinop").
Military
Possessing a light cavalry corps of 25,000 units, this vast military power often contributed to Ottoman campaigns in Rumelia and Anatolia, including the siege of Constantinople of 1453. Situated relatively close to the Byzantines, the Candars participated in military campaigns against while preventing Byzantine attacks on the other beyliks of Anatolia.
The Candars also possessed a shipyard and naval port in Sinop that enabled the building and housing of a strong maritime force. While the size of the force is unknown, it is known that it was used in an attack on the Genoese outpost of Kefe in Genoese Gazaria, present-day Theodosia, Crimea, Ukraine.
Sovereigns
| Sovereign | Reign | Notes[9] |
|---|---|---|
| Şemseddin Yaman Candar Bey | c. 1291 | Dynasty founder and first bey. |
| Süleyman I Pasha | 1309–1339 | Following his death c. 1339, a dynastic struggle ensued between his two sons, İbrahim and Ali. |
| dynastic struggle | ||
| İbrahim Pasha | 1339–1345 | İbrahim was victorious in the struggle with his brother Ali in 1339. |
| Âdil Bey bin Ya'kûb | 1346–1361 | |
| Celaleddin Bayezid Bey | 1361–1383 | |
| Süleyman II Pasha | 1384–1385 | |
| İsfendiyar Bey | 1385–1440 | |
| Tâceddin Ibrâhim II Bey | 1440–1443 | |
| Kemâleddin Ismâil Bey | 1443–1461 | |
| Kızıl Ahmed Bey (The Red) | 1461 | The 10th and last bey of the Candaroğulları. Kızıl Ahmed Bey ruled for 3 months before the principality's incorporation into the Ottoman Empire.[10] |
See also
References
- "Candar Dynasty | Ottoman Empire, Anatolia, Seljuks | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
- "CANDAROĞULLARI". TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi (in Turkish). Retrieved 5 August 2023.
- Michael Broome, A Handbook of Islamic Coins, Seaby, 1985, ISBN 978-0-900652-66-0, p. 132.
- Isfendiyar Oghlu, J. H. Mordtmann, The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Vol. IV, ed. E.van Donzel, B. Lewis and C. Pellatt, (Brill, 1997), 108.
- Çay, Prof. Dr. Abdulhaluk Mehmet (2009). "Türkiye Tarihi Selçuklu Devri". www.kulturportali.gov.tr. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
- Elizabeth A. Zachariadou, "Manuel II Palaeologos on the Strife between Bāyezīd and Kādī Burhān Al-Dīn Ahmad" Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, Vol. 43, No. 3. (1980), pp. 473.
- "Tarihi bir yanlış daha düzeltildi". Sabah.com.tr. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
- Dale, Stephen Frederic (2012). The Muslim empires of the Ottomans, Safavids, and Mughals. New approaches to Asian history (1. publ., 6. print ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0-521-69142-0.
- Yeni Rehber Ansiklopedisi 4, Türkiye Gazetesi, 1993. pp. 275–276
- Yeni Rehber Ansiklopedisi 4, Türkiye Gazetesi, 1993. p.275 (in Turkish)
External links
- http://www.dallog.com/beylikler/candaroglu.htm (in Turkish)
- CANDAROGULLARI BEYLIGI (in Turkish)
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