The hagiographical writings and spiritual genealogies of Sufi orders have attracted increasing levels of scholarly attention over the past two decades in the field of Islamic history. These materials have not been fully exploited, although a solid foundation allowing for the critical use of these sources has emerged. More importantly, attempts to intersect these narratives with other types of Ottoman sources remain limited. This paper seeks to bridge the gap between the manuscript literature that marks the Süleymaniye and other libraries, and archival documents such as those found in the Prime Ministers’ Archive. To narrow the gap between these source bases, I will examine the evolution of a sub-branch of the Halveti Sufi order as it expanded its following into the Ottoman capital. During the latter half of the eleventh/seventeenth century, the Kastamonu-based Şa`baniyye began to expand westward out of their traditional heartlands in north-central Anatolia. By the 1670s, their leader, Karabaş `Ali Veli, developed an extensive following after settling in the Istanbul suburb of Üsküdar. However, his aggressive recruitment of followers ran afoul of the powerful leaders of the puritanical Kadızadeli movement, and he was exiled to the island of Limni along with his son, never to return. Due to the large number of followers he had cultivated, the order risked fragmentation after his death, especially after his son died in 1702. Ultimately, the confusion that followed Karabaş `Ali’s death was resolved in favor of Muhammad Nasuhi, whose descendants would carry Şa`baniyye teachings all the way down to the founding of the Turkish Republic. However, the later success and influence of this branch of the Halveti order obscured the fact that his assumption of leadership was hardly a foregone conclusion early in the twelfth/eighteenth century. The reasons for the emergence of the Nasuhiyye therefore require scrutiny, and this is best accomplished by intersecting hagiographical literature with more mundane writings, such as bureaucratic documents and correspondence. From these materials, an outline of the network of figures that helped to bring Muhammad Nasuhi to prominence can emerge—many of whom were not Sufi notables. In fact, the most prominent figure contributing to Nasuhi’s rise may well have been an Ottoman naval captain, Mezzemorto Hüseyin Paşa. This paper will use various sources to outline the story of his involvement with the order.