Atçali Kel Mehmet Efe
Encyclopedia
Zeybek
The zeybek is a form of folk dance peculiar to Western Anatolia in Turkey. It is named after the Zeybeks. The Greek popular dance of a similar name has different roots from the Turkish zeybek dance....
, who led a local revolt against Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
authority and established control of the Aydın
Aydin
Aydın is a city in and the seat of Aydın Province in Turkey's Aegean Region. The city is located at the heart of the lower valley of Büyük Menderes River at a commanding position for the region extending from the uplands of the valley down to the seacoast...
region for a short period between 1829 and 1830 (in the reign of Mahmud II
Mahmud II
Mahmud II was the 30th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1808 until his death in 1839. He was born in the Topkapi Palace, Istanbul, the son of Sultan Abdulhamid I...
).
Early Ages
Kel Mehmet was born in 1780 to a peasant family in AtçaAtça
Atça is a town in the district of Sultanhisar in Turkey's Aydın Province. The plan of the town comes from Paris's Place de l'Étoile.- External links :* *...
. According to the legend, while he was an ordinary young man, he witnessed the fight between a tiny, sick dog and three healthy, powerful dogs. After being beaten for a long time, the tiny dog ends up in an alley with no exit. At that point, it fights back with his final energy and achieves to get rid of the monsters. Inspired by the tiny dog, Mehmet established an analogy between the situation and the relation between the Ottoman reign and Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
n peasants, and decided to go out to the mountains as an outlaw.
Revolt
In 1829, Mehmet started a revolt in KuyucakKuyucak
Kuyucak is a town and a district of Aydın Province in the Aegean region of Turkey, from the city of Aydın on the E24 highway that connects İzmir and Denizli, east of İzmir. Kuyucak is near the larger town of Nazilli.-Geography:...
a town near Atça, demanding tax cuts, fair laws, and shorter military service
Military service
Military service, in its simplest sense, is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, whether as a chosen job or as a result of an involuntary draft . Some nations require a specific amount of military service from every citizen...
. As the people were tired of the heavy tax load and endless military service from continuous wars of the declining empire, he quickly gained popularity. After he controlled Aydın
Aydin
Aydın is a city in and the seat of Aydın Province in Turkey's Aegean Region. The city is located at the heart of the lower valley of Büyük Menderes River at a commanding position for the region extending from the uplands of the valley down to the seacoast...
, people from neighboring regions also subscribed to his authority.
Although this was a revolt against Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, he stayed loyal to Padishah
Ottoman Dynasty
The Ottoman Dynasty ruled the Ottoman Empire from 1299 to 1922, beginning with Osman I , though the dynasty was not proclaimed until Orhan Bey declared himself sultan...
. Under his rule he collected taxes in the name of Padishah and sent the money collected to the capital
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
. On the coins he provided, he wrote his famous quote:
"Vali-i Vilayet Hademe-i Devlet Atçalı Kel Mehmet".
(meaning "Head of the Province, Servant of The State, from Atça; the Bald Mehmet")
Death and legacy
Ottoman EmpireOttoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
was struggling with ongoing revolts in those years. Obviously Padishah
Mahmud II
Mahmud II was the 30th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1808 until his death in 1839. He was born in the Topkapi Palace, Istanbul, the son of Sultan Abdulhamid I...
didn't approve of Atçalı's rule, and sent his forces to recontrol Aydın
Aydin
Aydın is a city in and the seat of Aydın Province in Turkey's Aegean Region. The city is located at the heart of the lower valley of Büyük Menderes River at a commanding position for the region extending from the uplands of the valley down to the seacoast...
. Eventually, Atçalı was killed in a combat against Padishah's forces in 1830.
Due to his courage, he became a prominent figure in the region. He influenced many other Efe
Efe
The Efe were the leaders of Turkish irregular soldiers and guerillas from the Aegean Region of Anatolia, called the Zeibeks and Kızan. There are many theories about the origins of the word Efe....
's including Yoruk Ali Efe
Yörük Ali Efe
Yörük Ali Efe was a Turkish leader in the late periods of Ottoman Empire and later an officer in Turkish Army during the Turkish Independence War. He was an important leader of Kuvayi Milliye in Ege. After the declaration of republic he resigned from his office and worked as a farmer and...
and Demirci Mehmet Efe. There is a statue of him in Atça
Atça
Atça is a town in the district of Sultanhisar in Turkey's Aydın Province. The plan of the town comes from Paris's Place de l'Étoile.- External links :* *...
.