Ii. Murad Dönemi̇’nde Osmanli Tari̇h Yaziciliğinin Başlamasinda Ti̇murlularin Etki̇si̇

Abstract

This article was written to demonstrate when and why Ottoman historiography began. The sources used in the study generally involve some informative sources belonging to the Anatolian Seljuk era like El-Evamirü'l-Alâ'iyyefi'l-Umûri'l-Alâ'iyye and works by such authors as Şikârî, Makrizî and Tagriberdî which provide information about states of the period like Karamaoglus and Timurids. Likewise, early Ottoman chronicles such as Tevârih-i Âl-i Selçuk, Aşıkpaşazade Tarihi, Oruç Bey Tarihi and Behcetü't-Tevârîh and some memories such as those written by Konstantin Konstatinoviç and Mihailović were made use of. It is seen that the conflicts experienced between the Ottomans and the Timurids had a role in the start of Ottoman historiography during the reign of Murad II. In this sense, the Ankara War (1402) is a turning point in the formation of the concept of state in the Ottoman state. The Ottoman State had had the upper hand on its rivals in the Balkans and Anatolia until the sultanate of Yıldırım Bayezid. Military and political achievements had enabled the Ottomans to gain dominance over a large area. However, the unity established on Anatolian soil crumbled and former principalities were revived as a result of the loss of the Ankara War in 1402. A large majority of the land lost during the reign of Mehmed I was recaptured. The efforts by Timurid rule Shakhruh to exert his dominance over Murad II on grounds of "lineage" served as an important factor in the beginning of the Ottoman historiography. Murad II ordered Yazıcızâde Ali to write a book on Ottoman history. Yazıcızâde Ali translated İbn Bibi's work entitled El-Evamirü'l-Alâ'iyyefi'l-Umûri'l-Alâ'iyye by making some changes and additions to it. It was emphasized in the parts added with regard to the lineage of Murad II and the Ottomans that Âl-i Osman was higher than Âl-i Cengiz in terms of ancestry. This approach, which was maintained in Şükrullah's work, manifested itself in lineages that appeared in subsequent Ottoman sources that took the bloodline of the Ottomans to Oghuz Khan and Noah.