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{{Infobox writer <!--For more information, see [[:Template:Infobox Writer/doc]].-->
{{Infobox writer <!--For more information, see [[:Template:Infobox Writer/doc]].-->
| name = Yahya Bey
| name = Dukaginzâde Yahyâ
| honorific_prefix =
| honorific_prefix =
| honorific_suffix =
| honorific_suffix = [[bey]]
| image = Taslicali yahya diwan.jpg
| image = Taslicali yahya diwan.jpg
| image_size = 200px
| image_size = 200px
| alt =
| alt =
| caption = Extract from ''Gencine-i Raz'', Millet Manuscript Library, Istanbul
| caption = Extract from ''Gencine-i Raz'', Millet Manuscript Library, Istanbul
| native_name = Dukaginzâde Yahyâ
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| native_name_lang =
| pseudonym =
| pseudonym =
| birth_name =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{circa}} 1498
| birth_date = 1498
| birth_place = [[Pljevlja|Taşlıca]], [[Sanjak of Herzegovina]] {{small|(modern [[Montenegro]])}}
| birth_place = [[Pljevlja|Taşlıca]], [[Sanjak of Herzegovina]]
| death_date = 1582 (mostly accepted)
| death_date = 1582 (mostly accepted)
| death_place = Unclear
| death_place = [[Loznica]], [[Sanjak of Zvornik]]
| resting_place =
| resting_place =
| occupation = Poet, military
| occupation = Poet, military
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| nationality = [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]]
| nationality = [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]]
| ethnicity = [[Albanians|Albanian]]
| ethnicity = [[Albanians|Albanian]]
| citizenship =
| education = [[Acemi oglan]]
| education = [[Acemi oglan]]
| alma_mater =
| alma_mater =
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| portaldisp = <!-- "on", "yes", "true", etc; or omit -->
| portaldisp = <!-- "on", "yes", "true", etc; or omit -->
}}
}}
'''Dukaginzade Yahya Bey''' ({{lang-tr|Dukaginzâde Yahyâ bey}}, {{lang-sq|Jahja bej Dukagjini}}) was one of the greatest [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] poets of the [[Diwan (poetry)|diwan literature]] of 16th century.<ref name="Kaya">{{citation| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=njtkAAAAMAA| title=Divan edebiyatı ve toplum| page=123| author=İ. Güven Kaya| language=Turkish|year=2006| publisher=Donkişot| quote=Divan edebiyatının büyük şairlerinden biri olan Dukaginzâde (Taşlıcalı) Yahya...|isbn=9789756511527|oclc=171205539}}</ref> An Albanian, he was brought up through the ''[[devşirme]]'' system after which he quickly rose in military ranks.
'''Yahya bey Dukagjini''', known in [[Turkish language|Turkish]] as '''Dukaginzâde Yahyâ bey''' or '''Taşlicali Yahyâ bey''', in [[Albanian language|Albanian]] '''Jahja bej Dukagjini''', was one of the greatest [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] poets of the [[Diwan (poetry)|diwan literature]] of 16th century<ref name="Kaya">{{citation| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=njtkAAAAMAAJ&q=yahya+bey+dukagjini&dq=yahya+bey+dukagjini&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CDIQ6AEwBGoVChMIj5-F5suiyAIVxXI-Ch37bwE2| title=Divan edebiyatı ve toplum| page=123| author=İ. Güven Kaya| language=Turkish|year=2006| publisher=Donkişot| quote=Divan edebiyatının büyük şairlerinden biri olan Dukaginzâde (Taşlıcalı) Yahya...|isbn=9789756511527|oclc=171205539}}</ref> who wrote in [[Ottoman Turkish language|Ottoman Turkish]], as well as an Ottoman military.


==Life==
==Life==


===Early life===
===Early life===
⚫
Yahya was born in Taşlıca (therefore Taşlicali), modern day [[Pljevlja]] in [[Montenegro]]. Exact year of birth is unknown but is believed to be 1498. A scion of the [[Roman Catholicism in Albania|Catholic]] [[Dukagjin highlands|Dukagjini tribe]] which lays close to the [[Albanian Alps]] north of the river [[Drin (river)|Drin]], he was taken by the Ottomans as a [[Devşirme]],<ref name="Houtsma">{{citation|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=ro--tXw_hxMC&pg=PA949&lpg=PA949&dq=khayali+diwan+poet&source=bl&ots=VuDO-6t3DI&sig=qwU4bLrvSjvAVGxAKn2LkLI_gx4&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CDMQ6AEwBGoVChMInc757eaiyAIVh1Y-Ch1p4A2N#v=onepage&q=yahya%20bey%20diwan%20poet&f=false| page=1149| title=First Encyclopaedia of Islam: 1913-1936|publisher=E.J. Brill|author=M Th Houtsma| year=1987|isbn=9789004082656|oclc=15549162}}</ref> trained and sent to serve among the [[Janissaries]]. He was put in the corps of "[[Acemi oglan|Adjemi Oghlan]]" where the officers for Janissaries and [[Spahis]] were trained, and received the rank of Yaya Bashi (infantry officer) and [[Bölükbaşı|Bülük Bashi]] (senior captain). The Shihāb al-Dīn, the [[Katib (secretary)]] of the Janissaries recognized his skills and accredited him a lot of freedom. He got access to intellectual coteries of [[Kadrî of Pergamon|Kadri Efendy]], [[Ibn Kemal]], [[Nishandji Tadji-zade Dja'fer Çelebi]], [[Pargalı Ibrahim Pasha]], and [[İskender Çelebi]].<ref name="Houtsma"/>
Yahya was born in Taşlıca, modern-day [[Pljevlja]] in [[Montenegro]].<ref name="Norris1993">{{cite book|author=H. T. Norris|title=Islam in the Balkans: Religion and Society Between Europe and the Arab World|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=RGmzir-ITtUC&pg=PA62|year=1993|publisher=Univ of South Carolina Press|isbn=978-0-87249-977-5|pages=62–63}}</ref> He is known by the [[demonym]] '''Taşlicali''', although Turkish poet [[Muallim Naci]] (1850-1893) claimed he did not use the title himself.<ref name="ref854"/> He was born in {{circa}} 1498.{{sfn|Elsie|2012|p=127}} Of Albanian descent, he claimed that he sprung from the [[Dukagjin noble family]] near [[Shkodër]].<ref name="Norris1993"/> According to [[Robert Elsie|R. Elsie]], he hailed from the [[Dukagjin highlands|Dukagjin region]] in northern Albania.{{sfn|Elsie|2012|p=127}}

⚫
As a boy, he was taken by the Ottomans as a ''[[devşirme]]''.<ref name="Houtsma">{{citation|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=ro--tXw_hxMC&pg=PA1149| page=1149| title=First Encyclopaedia of Islam: 1913-1936|publisher=E.J. Brill|author=M Th Houtsma| year=1987|isbn=9789004082656|oclc=15549162}}</ref> Nevertheless, for Yahya Bey, the cruel ''Devşirme'' was his opportunity for rise in fame, considering that back then birth counted for nothing and good luck and particularly tack meant everything.<ref name="Houtsma"/> He was trained and sent to serve among the [[Janissaries]]. He was put in the corps of "[[Acemi oglan|Adjemi Oghlan]]" where the officers for Janissaries and [[Spahis]] were trained, and received the rank of Yaya Bashi (infantry officer) and [[Bölükbaşı|Bülük Bashi]] (senior captain). The Shihāb al-Dīn, the [[Katib (secretary)]] of the Janissaries recognized his skills and accredited him a lot of freedom. He got access to intellectual coteries of [[Kadrî of Pergamon|Kadri Efendy]], [[Ibn Kemal]], [[Nishandji Tadji-zade Dja'fer Çelebi]], [[Pargalı Ibrahim Pasha]], and [[İskender Çelebi]].<ref name="Houtsma"/>


===Rise as a soldier and poet===
===Rise as a soldier and poet===
As a young man, he spent many years on military campaigns.{{sfn|Elsie|2012|p=127}} He took part in the [[Battle of Chaldiran]] (1514) under [[Selim I|Sultan Selim I]], and in the [[Ottoman–Mamluk War (1516–17)]],{{sfn|Elsie|2012|p=127}} and [[Capture of Baghdad (1534)|Baghdad expedition of 1535]] under [[Suleiman the Magnificent|Sultan Suleyman]], earning the respect of the important people of the time, including the Sultan because of his poems.<ref name="gov.tr"/> According to [[E. J. W. Gibb]], he was inspired to write the "Yusuf and Züleyha" while in [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]] on the road to [[Mecca]]. [[Egypt]] was also an inspiration for him, especially [[Cairo]], which he called "the city of Joseph".<ref>{{citation| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RGmzir-ITtUC&pg=PA79| page=79|title=Islam in the Balkans: Religion and Society Between Europe and the Arab World| author=H. T. Norris|year=1993| publisher=University of South Carolina Press|isbn=9780872499775|oclc=28067651}}</ref> Yahya was a bitter enemy of [[K̲h̲ayālī Mehmed Bey]],<ref>{{citation| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PJPrAAAAMAAJ&dq=The+Encyclopaedia+of+Islam%2C+Volume+10%2C+Parts+163-178&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=yahya|page=352|title=The Encyclopaedia of Islam|volume=10|publisher=Brill| year=1998| author=Hamilton Alexander Rosskeen Gibb, Bernard Lewis, Johannes Hendrik Kramers, Charles Pellat, Joseph Schacht|oclc=490480645}}</ref> another contemporary poet which he had first met in 1536. He satirically attacked K̲h̲ayālī Mehmed Bey in his verses. Yahya wrote a ''[[kasîde]]'' (a kind of [[panegyric]]) against him and presented it during the [[Ottoman–Safavid War (1532–55)|Persian campaign]] to the Sultan and [[Grand Vizier]] [[Rüstem Paşa]] who was declared as "enemy of the poets". Rustem Pasha was so delighted with the level of contempt towards K̲h̲ayālī, that Yahya was made administrator of several foundations in [[Bursa]] and Istambul.<ref name="Houtsma"/><ref name="gov.tr"/>
Yahya Bey is known as a young man to have taken part in the [[Battle of Chaldiran]] under [[Selim I|Sultan Selim I]] in 1514 and in the [[Ottoman–Mamluk War (1516–17)|Egyptian campaign of 1516-1517]], and [[Capture of Baghdad (1534)|Baghdad expedition of 1535]] under [[Suleiman the Magnificent|Sultan Suleyman]], earning the respect of the important people of the time, including the Sultan because of his poems.<ref name="gov.tr"/> Yahya spend most of his early years in Ottoman campaigns, which inspired him.<ref name="Elsie">{{citation| url= http://www.albanianliterature.net/authors_early/dukagjini.html| author=Robert Elsie| series=Albanian Literature in Translation| title=Yahya bey DUKAGJINI}}</ref> According to [[E. J. W. Gibb]], he was inspired to write the "Yusuf and Züleyha" while in [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]] in the road to [[Mecca]]. [[Egypt]] was also an inspiration for him, especially [[Cairo]], which he called "the city of Joseph".<ref>{{citation| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RGmzir-ITtUC&pg=PA79&lpg=PA79&dq=yahya+bey+dukagjini&source=bl&ots=wbCn-mysj3&sig=VXTEebzmgSegUn7DWxYs-SUaUB4&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CFoQ6AEwDmoVChMI6qncuLyiyAIVCR0-Ch0SVgIE#v=onepage&q=yahya%20bey%20dukagjini&f=false| page=79|title=Islam in the Balkans: Religion and Society Between Europe and the Arab World| author=H. T. Norris|year=1993| publisher=University of South Carolina Press|isbn=9780872499775|oclc=28067651}}</ref> Yahya was a bitter enemy of [[K̲h̲ayālī |K̲h̲ayālī Mehmed Bey]],<ref>{{citation| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PJPrAAAAMAAJ&dq=The+Encyclopaedia+of+Islam%2C+Volume+10%2C+Parts+163-178&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=yahya|page=352|title=The Encyclopaedia of Islam|volume=10|publisher=Brill| year=1998| author=Hamilton Alexander Rosskeen Gibb, Bernard Lewis, Johannes Hendrik Kramers, Charles Pellat, Joseph Schacht|oclc=490480645}}</ref> another contemporary poet which he had first met in 1536. He satirically attacked K̲h̲ayālī Mehmed Bey in his verses. Yahya wrote a ''[[kasîde]]'' (a kind of [[panegyric]]) against him and presented it during the [[Ottoman–Safavid War (1532–55)|Persian campaign]] to the Sultan and [[Grand Vizier]] [[Rüstem Paşa]] who was declared as "enemy of the poets". Rustem Pasha was so delighted with the level of contempt towards K̲h̲ayālī, that Yahya was made administrator of several foundations in [[Bursa]] and Istambul.<ref name="Houtsma"/><ref name="gov.tr"/>


===Exile===
===Exile===
[[File:Hunername 171a Mehmed (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|350px|Sultan Mustafa Mehmet's mother weeping at the coffin, after he was strangled in Bursa - extract from ''Hünername'', [[Topkapi Palace|Topkapi Palace Museum Library]] ]]
[[File:Hunername 171a Mehmed (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|350px|Sultan Mustafa Mehmet's mother weeping at the coffin, after he was strangled in Bursa - extract from ''Hünername'', [[Topkapi Palace|Topkapi Palace Museum Library]] ]]
In 1553, Prince [[Şehzade Mustafa]] was executed by his father [[Suleiman the Magnificent]]. The [[elegy]] that Yahya Bey wrote upon the murder by strangulation of Prince Mustafa near [[Ereğli, Konya|Ereğli]] in [[Konya]], whilst with the Sultan on campaign to [[Iran]], was read with appreciation. However, because of this elegy, the Grand Vizier [[Rüstem Paşa]], who had planned the Prince’s murder, had Yahya investigated and dismissed from his position. The Vizier wanted and did everything he could to get Yahya executed.<ref name="Houtsma"/> He was saved when the Sultan did not give permission for this. As a member of the ''[[askeri]]'' class, apparently he could not be left to starve.<ref name="Fleischer">{{citation| pages=63–64| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z7T_AwAAQBAJ&pg=PA63| author=Cornell H. Fleischer|title=Bureaucrat and intellectual in the Ottoman Empire : the historian Mustafa Âli (1541-1600)| year=1986| publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=9780691054643| oclc=13011359}}</ref> In order to distance himself from the malice of Rüstem Paşa, Yahya was exiled to the [[Balkans]], without forgetting to write a satirical lament on Rustem Pasha after his death. There are divergences on the location where he was sent. According to some source, he took over an estate ([[fief]]) near [[Zvornik]] in today's [[Bosnia]] and lived pretty well afterwards receiving a 27,000<ref name="Houtsma"/> or 30,000<ref name="Fleischer"/> [[akçe]] annual income. Others point to [[Timișoara|Tamışvar]], center of the [[Temeşvar Eyalet|Province of Temeşvar]],<ref name="gov.tr"/> where he for sure fought at a certain point.<ref name="Houtsma"/> In 1565, at an old age, he served with the Yahyâli corps at the [[siege of Szigetvar]]. It was there that he composed a ''[[Qasida|qasîdeh]]'' and presented it to his patron, Sultan Suleiman. After that, being at an old age, he turned to [[Islamic Mysticism]].
In 1553, Prince [[Şehzade Mustafa]] was executed by his father [[Suleiman the Magnificent]]. The [[elegy]] that Yahya Bey wrote upon the murder by strangulation of Prince Mustafa near [[Ereğli, Konya|Ereğli]] in [[Konya]], whilst with the Sultan on campaign to [[Iran]], was read with appreciation. However, because of this elegy, the Grand Vizier [[Rüstem Paşa]], who had planned the Prince’s murder, had Yahya investigated and dismissed from his position. The Vizier wanted and did everything he could to get Yahya executed.<ref name="Houtsma"/> He was saved when the Sultan did not give permission for this. As a member of the ''[[askeri]]'' class, apparently he could not be left to starve.<ref name="Fleischer">{{citation| pages=63–64| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z7T_AwAAQBAJ&pg=PA63&dq=A%C5%9F%C4%B1k+%C3%87elebi+albanian&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CC8Q6AEwAWoVChMItbugnZGnyAIVjD8-Ch2lBg_A#v=onepage&q=A%C5%9F%C4%B1k%20%C3%87elebi%20albanian&f=false| author=Cornell H. Fleischer|title=Bureaucrat and intellectual in the Ottoman Empire : the historian Mustafa Âli (1541-1600)| year=1986| publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=9780691054643| oclc=13011359}}</ref> In order to distance himself from the malice of Rüstem Paşa, Yahya was exiled to the [[Balkans]], without forgetting to write a satirical lament on Rustem Pasha after his death. There are divergences on the location where he was sent. According to some source, he took over an estate ([[fief]]) near [[Zvornik]] in today's [[Bosnia]] and lived pretty well afterwards reviving a 27,000<ref name="Houtsma"/> or 30,000<ref name="Fleischer"/> [[akçe]] annual income.<ref name="Elsie"/> Others point to [[Timișoara|Tamışvar]], center of the [[Temeşvar Eyalet|Province of Temeşvar]],<ref name="gov.tr"/> where he for sure fought at a certain point.<ref name="Houtsma"/> In 1565, at a ripe age, he served with his men (the Yahyâli corps) at the [[siege of Szigetvar]]. It was there that he composed a ''[[Qasida|qasîdeh]]'' and presented it to his patron, Sultan Suleiman. After that, being at an old age, he turned to [[Islamic Mysticism]].


While in exile in [[Bosnia]], Yahya met in 1574-75 with [[Mustafa Âlî]], a local and well known Ottoman historian and bureaucrat. The life-story of Yahya made an impression on Ali, who would later use it as a baseline when he referred to himself as "a poet too talented to be supported by jealous politicians and subsequently condemned to exile in the border provinces".<ref name="Fleischer"/> Yahya sent his son Adem Çelebi to Ali with a draft of the most recent revision of his ''diwan'' for Ali to proofread, especially the Arabic construction parts, although apparently there was no need for that.<ref name="Fleischer"/>
While in exile in [[Bosnia]], Yahya met in 1574-75 with [[Mustafa Âlî]], a local and well known Ottoman historian and bureaucrat. The life-story of Yahya made an impression on Ali, who would later use it as a baseline when he referred to himself as "a poet too talented to be supported by jealous politicians and subsequently condemned to exile in the border provinces".<ref name="Fleischer"/> Yahya sent his son Adem Çelebi to Ali with a draft of the most recent revision of his ''diwan'' for Ali to proofread, especially the Arabic construction parts, although apparently there was no need for that.<ref name="Fleischer"/>


There is no wide consensus for the year of death. Yahya bey could have died in 1575,<ref>{{citation| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jYk6AAAAQBAJ&pg=PA498| page=498| author=Marcel Cornis-Pope, John Neubauer| volume =2| title=History of the Literary Cultures of East-Central Europe: Junctures|publisher=J. Benjamins Pub|year=2006|isbn=9789027293404 |oclc=9789027293404 |series= Comparative history of literatures in European languages, Book 20 }}</ref> 1573 (982 in [[Rumi calendar|Ottoman calendar]]),<ref name="Houtsma"/> even 986 for some,<ref name="Houtsma"/> or 1582 (990), most of the sources pointing to 1582.{{sfn|Elsie|2012|p=127}}<ref name="Fetvacı">{{citation|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f67qIxJrpTMC&pg=PA51|author=Emine Fetvacı|page=51|title=Picturing History at the Ottoman Court|publisher= Indiana University Press|year=2013|isbn=9780253006783 |oclc=827722621}}</ref> Place of death also varies. The Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism claims [[Timișoara]] in [[Romania]],<ref name="gov.tr">[http://www.kultur.gov.tr/EN,38877/taslicali-yahya.html Republic of Turkey, Ministry of Culture and Tourism - TAŞLICALI YAHYA]</ref> while [[Bursalı Mehmet Tahir Bey]] and [[Muhammed Hadzijahić]] place [[Loznica]] (in [[Serbia]]) as place of death.<ref name="ref854">{{citation| url=http://turkishstudies.net/sayilar/sayi20/kayaidrisguven1297%28Hakem-1%29.pdf |author=İdris Güven Kaya| title=Dukagin-zade Taşlıcalı Yahya Bey'in Eserleridne Mevlana Celaleddin| series=Turkish Studies| trans_title=Dukagin-zade Taşlıcalı Yahya Bey work on Mevlana Celaleddin| volume=4| issue=7|location= Erzincan| year= 2009}}</ref> There are also claims that he was buried in [[Istanbul]].<ref name="ref854"/>
There is no wide consensus for the year of death. Yahya bey could have died in 1575,<ref>{{citation| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jYk6AAAAQBAJ&pg=PA498&lpg=PA498&dq=yahya+bey+dukagjini&source=bl&ots=WnnKLHeTP_&sig=zgEzXnygyWZbwSkQfywT5zl5-dg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CF0Q6AEwD2oVChMI6qncuLyiyAIVCR0-Ch0SVgIE#v=onepage&q=yahya%20bey%20dukagjini&f=false| page=498| author=Marcel Cornis-Pope, John Neubauer| volume =2| title=History of the Literary Cultures of East-Central Europe: Junctures|publisher=J. Benjamins Pub|year=2006|isbn=9789027293404 |oclc=9789027293404 |series= Comparative history of literatures in European languages, Book 20 }}</ref> 1573 (982 in [[Rumi calendar|Ottoman calendar]]),<ref name="Houtsma"/> even 986 for some,<ref name="Houtsma"/> or 1582 (990), most of the sources pointing to 1582.<ref name="Elsie"/><ref name="Fetvacı">{{citation|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f67qIxJrpTMC&pg=PA51&dq=yahya+dukaginzade&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CB8Q6AEwATgKahUKEwi5s9_fs6bIAhVFMz4KHaofCPo#v=onepage&q=yahya%20dukaginzade&f=false|author=Emine Fetvacı|page=51|title=Picturing History at the Ottoman Court|publisher= Indiana University Press|year=2013|isbn=9780253006783 |oclc=827722621}}</ref> Place of death also varies. Most sources indicate [[Loznica]], [[Sanjak of Zvornik]],<ref name="Elsie"/> some [[Timișoara]] in [[Romania]],<ref name="gov.tr">[http://www.kultur.gov.tr/EN,38877/taslicali-yahya.html Republic of Turkey, Ministry of Culture and Tourism - TAŞLICALI YAHYA]</ref> There are also claims that he was buried in [[Istambul]], while [[Bursalı Mehmet Tahir Bey]] and [[Muhammed Hadzijahić]] place also Loznica as place of death.<ref name="ref854">{{citation| url=http://turkishstudies.net/sayilar/sayi20/kayaidrisguven1297%28Hakem-1%29.pdf |author=İdris Güven Kaya| title=Dukagin-zade Taşlıcalı Yahya Bey'in Eserleridne Mevlana Celaleddin| series=Turkish Studies| trans_title=Dukagin-zade Taşlıcalı Yahya Bey work on Mevlana Celaleddin| volume=4| issue=7|location= Erzincan| year= 2009}}</ref>


==Poetry==
==Poetry==
Yahya bey Dukagjini is the author of a large [[Diwan (poetry)|diwan]] of poems and of a group of five ''[[Masnavi (poetic form)|mesnevî]]'', (long narrative verse-romances{{sfn|Elsie|2012|p=127}} about [[allegorical]]-mystical love) that contained rhymed couplets which he wrote without the influence of Iranian traditions<ref name="gov.tr"/> and put together in a ''Khamsa'' ("five poems"). The most popular of the latter is ''Shâh u gedâ'' (The King and the Beggar), which he claimed to had finished in just one week, and ''Yusuf ve Züleyha'' (Yusuf and Züleyha). This much-appreciated metrical romance idealizes the pure love for an [[Istanbul]] youth of unequalled beauty.{{sfn|Elsie|2012|p=127}} His ''Gül-i Şadberk'' (Rose of a Thousand Petals) describes [[Muhammad|Profet Muhammed]]'s miracles.<ref name="Fetvacı"/>
Yahya bey Dukagjini is the author of a large [[Diwan (poetry)|diwan]] of poems and of a group of five ''[[Masnavi (poetic form)|mesnevî]]'', (long narrative verse-romances<ref name="Elsie"/> about [[allegorical]]-mystical love) that contained rhymed couplets which he wrote without the influence of Iranian traditions<ref name="gov.tr"/> and put together in a ''Khamsa'' ("five poems"). The most popular of the latter is ''Shâh u gedâ'' (The King and the Beggar), which he claimed to had finished in just one week, and ''Yusuf ve Züleyha'' (Yusuf and Züleyha). This much-appreciated metrical romance idealizes the pure love for an [[Istanbul]] youth of unequalled beauty.<ref name="Elsie"/> His ''Gül-i Şadberk'' (Rose of a Thousand Petals) describes [[Muhammad|Profet Muhammed]]'s miracles.<ref name="Fetvacı"/>


Like many other poets, Yahya's work was inspired by the work of [[Sufism|Sufi]] poet [[Rumi|Mevlevî]] (also known as Rumi, Mevlânâ, or Jalāl ad-Dīn, founder of [[Mevlevi Order]]). There are references to Mevlevi in a few couplets in Yahya Bey’s diwan, and in some other rhymed couplets in his ''khamsa'' as "Mevlana", "Molla Hünkar", "Molla-i Rum". Mevlana is the leading character in three different stories: ''Gencine-i Raz'', ''Kitab-i Usul'', and ''Gulşen-i Envar''. Moreover, he retold the story ''Süleyman Peygamber'le Sivrisinek'' that appears in Mevlana’s mesnevi without changing it.<ref name="ref854"/>
Like many other poets, Yahya's work was inspired by the work of [[Sufism|Sufi]] poet [[Rumi|Mevlevî]] (also known as Rumi, Mevlânâ, or Jalāl ad-Dīn, founder of [[Mevlevi Order]]). There are references to Mevlevi in a few couplets in Yahya Bey’s diwan, and in some other rhymed couplets in his ''khamsa'' as "Mevlana", "Molla Hünkar", "Molla-i Rum". Mevlana is the leading character in three different stories: ''Gencine-i Raz'', ''Kitab-i Usul'', and ''Gulşen-i Envar''. Moreover, he retold the story ''Süleyman Peygamber'le Sivrisinek'' that appears in Mevlana’s mesnevi without changing it.<ref name="ref854"/>
Line 66: Line 65:
Yahya also wrote ''"Şehrengiz"'' (City Book), describing [[Edirne]]. Some of his poems were published in diwan collections in Istanbul in 1867-1868.<ref>{{citation| url=http://muzejibtuzla.podkonac.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2014/10/16-1980-Muhamed-HAd%C5%BEijahi%C4%87-JEDAN-NEPOZNATI-TUZLANSKI-HAGIOLO%C5%A0KI-KATALOG.pdf| page=217|language=Bosnian|author=Muhamed Hadžijahić|title=Jedan Nepoznati Tuzlanski Hagiološki Katalog| trans_title=One unknown Tuzla Hagiološki Catalog}}</ref>
Yahya also wrote ''"Şehrengiz"'' (City Book), describing [[Edirne]]. Some of his poems were published in diwan collections in Istanbul in 1867-1868.<ref>{{citation| url=http://muzejibtuzla.podkonac.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2014/10/16-1980-Muhamed-HAd%C5%BEijahi%C4%87-JEDAN-NEPOZNATI-TUZLANSKI-HAGIOLO%C5%A0KI-KATALOG.pdf| page=217|language=Bosnian|author=Muhamed Hadžijahić|title=Jedan Nepoznati Tuzlanski Hagiološki Katalog| trans_title=One unknown Tuzla Hagiološki Catalog}}</ref>


==Relation with his Albanian origin==
==Legacy==
Yahya bey was not oblivious to his [[Albanians|Albanian origin]]. He notes this in his verse, claiming that he stemmed from a land of cliffs and crags.<ref name="Elsie"/> According to the Turkish poet [[Muallim Naci]] (1850-1893), he did not use the title "Taşlicali".<ref name="ref854"/> Nevertheless, for Yahya Bey, the cruel ''Devşirme'' was his opportunity for rise in fame, considering that back then birth counted for nothing and good luck and particularly tack meant everything.<ref name="Houtsma"/>

==Trivia==
A brave soldier, he is remembered as representative of a type which admirably combined the sword with the pen. His independence intertwined with frankness and courage is his most notable trait.<ref name="Houtsma"/> Yahya Bey is considered one of the greatest Ottoman poets.<ref name="Kaya"/>
A brave soldier, he is remembered as representative of a type which admirably combined the sword with the pen. His independence intertwined with frankness and courage is his most notable trait.<ref name="Houtsma"/> Yahya Bey is considered one of the greatest Ottoman poets.<ref name="Kaya"/>


Revision as of 02:30, 9 November 2015

Dukaginzâde Yahyâ

bey
Extract from Gencine-i Raz, Millet Manuscript Library, Istanbul
Extract from Gencine-i Raz, Millet Manuscript Library, Istanbul
Born1498
Taşlıca, Sanjak of Herzegovina
Died1582 (mostly accepted)
Loznica, Sanjak of Zvornik
OccupationPoet, military
LanguageOttoman Turkish
NationalityOttoman
EducationAcemi oglan
Literary movementDiwan poetry

Yahya bey Dukagjini, known in Turkish as Dukaginzâde Yahyâ bey or Taşlicali Yahyâ bey, in Albanian Jahja bej Dukagjini, was one of the greatest Ottoman poets of the diwan literature of 16th century[1] who wrote in Ottoman Turkish, as well as an Ottoman military.

Life

Early life

Yahya was born in Taşlıca (therefore Taşlicali), modern day Pljevlja in Montenegro. Exact year of birth is unknown but is believed to be 1498. A scion of the Catholic Dukagjini tribe which lays close to the Albanian Alps north of the river Drin, he was taken by the Ottomans as a Devşirme,[2] trained and sent to serve among the Janissaries. He was put in the corps of "Adjemi Oghlan" where the officers for Janissaries and Spahis were trained, and received the rank of Yaya Bashi (infantry officer) and Bülük Bashi (senior captain). The Shihāb al-Dīn, the Katib (secretary) of the Janissaries recognized his skills and accredited him a lot of freedom. He got access to intellectual coteries of Kadri Efendy, Ibn Kemal, Nishandji Tadji-zade Dja'fer Çelebi, Pargalı Ibrahim Pasha, and İskender Çelebi.[2]

Rise as a soldier and poet

Yahya Bey is known as a young man to have taken part in the Battle of Chaldiran under Sultan Selim I in 1514 and in the Egyptian campaign of 1516-1517, and Baghdad expedition of 1535 under Sultan Suleyman, earning the respect of the important people of the time, including the Sultan because of his poems.[3] Yahya spend most of his early years in Ottoman campaigns, which inspired him.[4] According to E. J. W. Gibb, he was inspired to write the "Yusuf and Züleyha" while in Palestine in the road to Mecca. Egypt was also an inspiration for him, especially Cairo, which he called "the city of Joseph".[5] Yahya was a bitter enemy of K̲h̲ayālī Mehmed Bey,[6] another contemporary poet which he had first met in 1536. He satirically attacked K̲h̲ayālī Mehmed Bey in his verses. Yahya wrote a kasîde (a kind of panegyric) against him and presented it during the Persian campaign to the Sultan and Grand Vizier Rüstem Paşa who was declared as "enemy of the poets". Rustem Pasha was so delighted with the level of contempt towards K̲h̲ayālī, that Yahya was made administrator of several foundations in Bursa and Istambul.[2][3]

Exile

Sultan Mustafa Mehmet's mother weeping at the coffin, after he was strangled in Bursa - extract from Hünername, Topkapi Palace Museum Library

In 1553, Prince Şehzade Mustafa was executed by his father Suleiman the Magnificent. The elegy that Yahya Bey wrote upon the murder by strangulation of Prince Mustafa near Ereğli in Konya, whilst with the Sultan on campaign to Iran, was read with appreciation. However, because of this elegy, the Grand Vizier Rüstem Paşa, who had planned the Prince’s murder, had Yahya investigated and dismissed from his position. The Vizier wanted and did everything he could to get Yahya executed.[2] He was saved when the Sultan did not give permission for this. As a member of the askeri class, apparently he could not be left to starve.[7] In order to distance himself from the malice of Rüstem Paşa, Yahya was exiled to the Balkans, without forgetting to write a satirical lament on Rustem Pasha after his death. There are divergences on the location where he was sent. According to some source, he took over an estate (fief) near Zvornik in today's Bosnia and lived pretty well afterwards reviving a 27,000[2] or 30,000[7] akçe annual income.[4] Others point to Tamışvar, center of the Province of Temeşvar,[3] where he for sure fought at a certain point.[2] In 1565, at a ripe age, he served with his men (the Yahyâli corps) at the siege of Szigetvar. It was there that he composed a qasîdeh and presented it to his patron, Sultan Suleiman. After that, being at an old age, he turned to Islamic Mysticism.

While in exile in Bosnia, Yahya met in 1574-75 with Mustafa Âlî, a local and well known Ottoman historian and bureaucrat. The life-story of Yahya made an impression on Ali, who would later use it as a baseline when he referred to himself as "a poet too talented to be supported by jealous politicians and subsequently condemned to exile in the border provinces".[7] Yahya sent his son Adem Çelebi to Ali with a draft of the most recent revision of his diwan for Ali to proofread, especially the Arabic construction parts, although apparently there was no need for that.[7]

There is no wide consensus for the year of death. Yahya bey could have died in 1575,[8] 1573 (982 in Ottoman calendar),[2] even 986 for some,[2] or 1582 (990), most of the sources pointing to 1582.[4][9] Place of death also varies. Most sources indicate Loznica, Sanjak of Zvornik,[4] some Timișoara in Romania,[3] There are also claims that he was buried in Istambul, while Bursalı Mehmet Tahir Bey and Muhammed Hadzijahić place also Loznica as place of death.[10]

Poetry

Yahya bey Dukagjini is the author of a large diwan of poems and of a group of five mesnevî, (long narrative verse-romances[4] about allegorical-mystical love) that contained rhymed couplets which he wrote without the influence of Iranian traditions[3] and put together in a Khamsa ("five poems"). The most popular of the latter is Shâh u gedâ (The King and the Beggar), which he claimed to had finished in just one week, and Yusuf ve Züleyha (Yusuf and Züleyha). This much-appreciated metrical romance idealizes the pure love for an Istanbul youth of unequalled beauty.[4] His Gül-i Şadberk (Rose of a Thousand Petals) describes Profet Muhammed's miracles.[9]

Like many other poets, Yahya's work was inspired by the work of Sufi poet Mevlevî (also known as Rumi, Mevlânâ, or Jalāl ad-Dīn, founder of Mevlevi Order). There are references to Mevlevi in a few couplets in Yahya Bey’s diwan, and in some other rhymed couplets in his khamsa as "Mevlana", "Molla Hünkar", "Molla-i Rum". Mevlana is the leading character in three different stories: Gencine-i Raz, Kitab-i Usul, and Gulşen-i Envar. Moreover, he retold the story Süleyman Peygamber'le Sivrisinek that appears in Mevlana’s mesnevi without changing it.[10]

Yahya also wrote "Şehrengiz" (City Book), describing Edirne. Some of his poems were published in diwan collections in Istanbul in 1867-1868.[11]

Relation with his Albanian origin

Yahya bey was not oblivious to his Albanian origin. He notes this in his verse, claiming that he stemmed from a land of cliffs and crags.[4] According to the Turkish poet Muallim Naci (1850-1893), he did not use the title "Taşlicali".[10] Nevertheless, for Yahya Bey, the cruel Devşirme was his opportunity for rise in fame, considering that back then birth counted for nothing and good luck and particularly tack meant everything.[2]

Trivia

A brave soldier, he is remembered as representative of a type which admirably combined the sword with the pen. His independence intertwined with frankness and courage is his most notable trait.[2] Yahya Bey is considered one of the greatest Ottoman poets.[1]

Yahya bey Dukagjini is depicted in the Turkish TV series Muhteşem Yüzyıl (The Magnificent Century), performed by Serkan Altunorak.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b İ. Güven Kaya (2006), Divan edebiyatı ve toplum (in Turkish), Donkişot, p. 123, ISBN 9789756511527, OCLC 171205539, Divan edebiyatının büyük şairlerinden biri olan Dukaginzâde (Taşlıcalı) Yahya...
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j M Th Houtsma (1987), First Encyclopaedia of Islam: 1913-1936, E.J. Brill, p. 1149, ISBN 9789004082656, OCLC 15549162
  3. ^ a b c d e Republic of Turkey, Ministry of Culture and Tourism - TAŞLICALI YAHYA
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Robert Elsie, Yahya bey DUKAGJINI, Albanian Literature in Translation
  5. ^ H. T. Norris (1993), Islam in the Balkans: Religion and Society Between Europe and the Arab World, University of South Carolina Press, p. 79, ISBN 9780872499775, OCLC 28067651
  6. ^ Hamilton Alexander Rosskeen Gibb, Bernard Lewis, Johannes Hendrik Kramers, Charles Pellat, Joseph Schacht (1998), The Encyclopaedia of Islam, vol. 10, Brill, p. 352, OCLC 490480645{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ a b c d Cornell H. Fleischer (1986), Bureaucrat and intellectual in the Ottoman Empire : the historian Mustafa Âli (1541-1600), Princeton University Press, pp. 63–64, ISBN 9780691054643, OCLC 13011359
  8. ^ Marcel Cornis-Pope, John Neubauer (2006), History of the Literary Cultures of East-Central Europe: Junctures, Comparative history of literatures in European languages, Book 20, vol. 2, J. Benjamins Pub, p. 498, ISBN 9789027293404, OCLC 9789027293404 {{citation}}: Check |oclc= value (help)
  9. ^ a b Emine Fetvacı (2013), Picturing History at the Ottoman Court, Indiana University Press, p. 51, ISBN 9780253006783, OCLC 827722621
  10. ^ a b c İdris Güven Kaya (2009), Dukagin-zade Taşlıcalı Yahya Bey'in Eserleridne Mevlana Celaleddin (PDF), Turkish Studies, vol. 4, Erzincan {{citation}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  11. ^ Muhamed Hadžijahić, Jedan Nepoznati Tuzlanski Hagiološki Katalog (PDF) (in Bosnian), p. 217 {{citation}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)

External links

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