The Rebellious Kapudan of Bosnia: Hüseyin Kapudan (1802-1834)

Abstract

This paper examines a local elite from Bosnia, Hüseyin Kapudan, and ana- lyzes the dynamics of Bosnia that gave him the power to resist the central authority at the beginning of the nineteenth century. I first study his family background and try to show how he, coming from a relatively small city of Bosnia, Gradacac, found a suitable environment for establishing his power and preserving it. In that part, by tracing back the biographical details of Hüseyin Kapudan, I aim to reflect the sur- rounding conditions in Bosnia which eased the path of Hüseyin Kapudan. Secondly, I concentrate on his kapudanlık years between 1821 and 1832, and explain how Hüseyin Kapudan had thrived and become increasingly prosperous. Thirdly, I analyze the de facto governorship of Hüseyin Kapudan which started in September 1831 and lasted till June 1832. I inquire how Hüseyin Kapudan claimed his governorship in Bosnia with the support of inhabitants and how the Bosnians held the general belief that the valis whom the center sent did not protect their rights properly. I seek to answer the following questions: What were the reasons that directed local inhabitants to apply to the Porte with petitions and the demand that Hüseyin Kapudan should be the vizier of Bosnia? And how did the central authorities react to those demands? I will then concentrate on the fate of Hüseyin Kapudan and his movement. I investigate his defeat by central forces in June 1832, his escape to Austria after the suppression of his movement, his capitulation and the circumstances concerning his wealth and his relatives after he was sent to Istanbul as an exile. Finally, I will account for his death, suggesting that he was likely poisoned by the hand of the state.