Ahmed Cevdet Pasha, also known as Ahmed Cevdet Pasha of Lofça (27 March 1822, Lofça – 26 May 1895, Istanbul), was a Turkish statesman and scholar, historian, jurist, and poet who rose to prominence in the nineteenth century within the Ottoman Empire. He served as minister of justice five times, of education three times, of pious foundations three times, of the interior once, and of trade and agriculture once. Most of the laws drafted and the institutions established in his era came from his hand.
He was the one who, by composing the Mecelle, codified Islamic law in a firm language. His conception of law held it appropriate to apply Western principles in form while remaining bound in essence to the principles of the sharia. He was the author of the Kavâ'id-i Osmâniyye — regarded as the first grammar book of the Turkish language written in Turkish — as well as of other grammar books. In Kısas-ı Enbiya, one of his most famous works, he conveyed all the prophets and the history of Islam to his readers in a plain language.
He was the author of the famous twelve-volume work known as Târîh-i Cevdet, which recounts Ottoman history. He was also a historian who served as the official state historiographer between 1855 and 1865. Through this he produced the work titled Tezakir-i Cevdet, in which he wrote of the political events of the period.
He was the father of Fatma Aliye Hanım, the writer regarded as the first Turkish female novelist.
Life
He was born in 1822 in Lofça (in present-day Bulgaria), a district town of the Danube province of the Ottoman Empire. His father was İsmail Ağa, a member of the Lofça Administrative Council, and his mother was Ayşe Sümbül Hanım of the Topuzoğlu family of Lofça. His original name was Ahmed; the pen name "Cevdet" was given to him in 1843 by the poet Süleyman Fehim Efendi while he was studying in Istanbul.
Education
He received his early education in Lofça. With the help of his grandfather Hacı Ali Efendi, he came to Istanbul in 1839 to continue his studies. He began his madrasa education at the Fatih Mosque. Meanwhile, he broadened his learning by engaging with sciences such as mathematics, astronomy, history, and geography. Going on holidays to the then very famous Murad Molla lodge (tekke), he learned Persian and finished Rumi's Masnavi. He wrote most of the poems in his small divan while frequenting this lodge. During his student years he also wrote books related to the lessons he followed, and he himself taught.
Public service
In 1844, at the age of 22, he became a qadi in the Rumelia bureau with the rank of Çanat. However, since this qadi post was only a rank and did not require him to be present at his place of duty, he did not leave Istanbul. In 1845 he obtained the right to teach as a müderris (professor) in the mosques of Istanbul. In this period his star rose as a statesman. Upon the recommendation of the office of the Shaykh al-Islam, he began to work in the bureau of Grand Vizier Mustafa Reşid Pasha — who was then occupied with drafting new laws — and in the evenings he went to his mansion and attended to the education of his children. In this period he learned French so as to be able to follow political events closely.
In 1848, on a mission given by Mustafa Reşid Pasha, he went to Bucharest, stayed for a month, and then returned. In 1849, at the Bursa thermal springs where he was staying for treatment, he wrote the book titled "Kavâid-i Osmâniyye" (Ottoman grammar) and the founding charter of Şirket-i Hayriye, the first Turkish joint-stock company. Kavâid-i Osmâniyye, which he wrote together with his close friend Keçecizade Fuad Pasha, is regarded as the first grammar book of the Turkish language written in Turkish; it was taught as a textbook in schools for 50 years and was translated into German (1855), Arabic (1866), Bulgarian, and Croatian.
Work as an educator
On 13 August 1850, along with membership of the Council of Education (Meclis-i Maarif), he was appointed director of the Dar-ül-Muallimin (Teachers' School). Reforming this school in a short time, he defined its admission and examination procedures through regulations. He wrote the book titled "Ma'lûmât-ı Nâfia" (Useful Knowledge) to be taught in religion classes at the rüştiye (middle) schools. He believed that every kind of scholarly subject could be written in Turkish, and that, for everyone to become literate, the language had to be simplified and writings had to be composed in Turkish. In his writings he gave examples of this simplicity.
Membership of the Academy of Sciences
Ahmed Cevdet Efendi supported the idea of establishing an academy modeled on the French Academy of Sciences that would work to spread science throughout the country and raise the general level of culture; he prepared a report (mazbata) describing its benefits and presented it to Sultan Abdülmecid. With the sultan's approval, he was elected a full member of the Encümen-i Daniş (Ottoman Academy), founded in 1851.
Work as a historian
In 1853 it was decided in the Encümen that an Ottoman history should be written, and the task of writing the section covering the years 1774–1826 was given to Ahmed Cevdet Efendi. At that time he had been asked to accompany the undersecretary of the grand vizierate, who was sent to Egypt to have the Edict of Tanzimat accepted; despite this journey he did not neglect his work. While the other members had not yet produced any notable work, on his return he completed the three-volume work and presented it to the sultan in 1854. This work was rewarded with the "Süleymaniye rank," and thus he entered the class of higher müderrises.
In 1855 Ahmed Cevdet Efendi was appointed official state historiographer, a post he held for ten years. He wrote the remaining sections of his twelve-volume work that became famous under the name "Tarih-i Cevdet"; the last volume of the work was published in 1886. Ahmed Cevdet Efendi also composed the work titled "Tezâkir-i Cevdet," recounting the political events of the time. Moreover, in a later period of his life he wrote the six-volume work titled "Kısâs-ı Enbiyâ," recounting the history of the prophets.
Marriage and children
In 1856 he married Rabia Adviye Hanım, and three children were born of this marriage: Ali Sedad, Fatma Aliye, and Emine Semiye. His son Ali Sedad Bey became known for the books on logic he wrote; his daughter Fatma Aliye Hanım entered literary history as the first Turkish female novelist. His other daughter, Emine Semiye, after studying in Europe, taught in Istanbul and served as an education inspector in Salonica, and, taking part in the Committee of Union and Progress, was a pioneer in politics.
Judgeship and kazaskership
In 1856, at the age of thirty-three, Ahmed Cevdet Efendi was appointed to the judgeship (qadi post) of Galata, and at the end of the same year to the judgeship of Mecca the Ennobled (Mekke-i Mükerreme); in the same year he also became a member of the "Supreme Council of the Tanzimat" (Meclis-i Âlî-i Tanzimat) and took part in the codification work of the era.
Sources
- Turkish Wikipedia: tr.wikipedia.org
- English Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org