Court Disputes over the Debts of the Executed Varvari Ali Pasha as a Historical Source (1647-1649): A Contribution to the Biography of Varvari Ali Pasha

Varvari Ali-pasha was an Ottoman high military commander and governor who flourished during the first half of 17th century. He was native of village Varvara in Bosnia. In this paper, the six archival documents from 1649 were analyzed. The documents were dealing with settling of Paša’s debts. The debts were covered from his inheritance which was excluded from the part of his property confiscated by the State Treasury. His then unsettled debts amounted to 728. 800 akçes. According to the documents, there were Pasha’s six creditors. Five of them were Muslims, one person was Jewish. Mustafa Bey, who was the Pasha’s son, was one of his creditors as well. The documents provide important data on Pasha’s biography, on his family, on his entourage and his household, as well as on the circulation of the European silver coins in the Ottoman Empire during mid of 17th century. Also, they illustrate the socio-economic situation of the Empire in the given period.