Jelali Revolts - Major Revolts

Major Revolts

• Celalî (1519). While Selim I was on his Egyptian campaign, an Alevi preacher named Celal gathered about 20,000 people near Bozok (current day Yozgat) and marched to Tokat to foment riots. He also had restless Turkmen groups joining his forces. Sekbans, sipahis who had lost their timar (fief), highly taxed peasants and discontented townspeople also marched to Tokat.

Selim I sent the Grand Governor (Beylerbeyi) of Rumelia Ferhad Pasha and the bey of Dulkadirids, Şehsuvaroğlu Ali over to quell the rebels, and Celal was killed. However unrest did not subside, especially within the Turkmen community, the sekbans and the sipahis.

• Baba Zünnun (1525). In the region corresponding to today's Mersin Province, the increase of land taxes by the local clerk, and the harsh attitude of decadent tax collectors caused Baba Zünnun and some other local religious leaders start a revolt against the feudal lord, the bey of Bozok. The local clerk and the leaders of the rebellion were killed and the clashes subsided.

• Kalender Çelebi (1528). During the reign of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, at a time when the empire suffered financial hardships due to military campaigns, an inventory of the taxed lands was ordered to increase state resources. Many of the evaluators assessed much higher values for the lands to levy more tax and to keep a part for themselves.

While Suleiman was campaigning in Hungary, disgruntled masses near Ankara and Kırşehir revolted under the leadership of a former sipahi called Kalender Çelebi. Their number rapidly grew to 30,000. With the news of the large scale of the rebellion, Suleiman sent the Grand Vizier Ibrahim Pasha with the kapikulu forces mostly composed of Janissaries. A big battle took place on May 27, 1528 and the revolt was bloodily suppressed.

• Karayazıcı (1598). Especially after 1550s, with the increase of oppression by local governors and levying of new and high taxes, minor incidents started to occur with increasing frequency. After the beginning of the wars with Persia, especially after 1584, Janissaries began seizing the lands of the peasants to extort money, and also to lend with high interest rates, thus causing the tax revenues of the state to drop seriously.

In 1598 a sekban leader, Karayazıcı Abdülhalim united the dissatisfied groups in the Anatolia Eyalet, forcing the towns to pay tribute and took up to be the governor of a small district. However, he denied to overturn the district to his successor, he rebelled and killed the new officer with the help of rebellious levends and peasants. He was offered the governorship of Çorum, but he did not agree and when Ottoman forces were sent against them, instead he retreated with his forces to Urfa, seeking refuge in a fortified castle, making it the center of resistance for 18 months. Out of fright that his forces would plot a mutiny against him, he left the castle, was defeated by government forces, and died some time later in 1602 of natural causes. His brother Deli Hasan then seized Kutahya, in western Anatolia, but later he and his followers were won over by grants of governorships.

The Jelali unrests, however, continued under the leadership of Janbuladoglu in Aleppo and Yusuf Pasha and Kalenderoğlu in western Anatolia. They were finally suppressed by the grand vizier Kuyucu Murad Pasha, who by 1610 had eliminated a large number of Jelalis.

During the rest of the 17th and the 18th century, Jelalis continued to cause intermittent unrest in Anatolia, representing the provincial reaction against the increasing power of the Janissaries.