Lale Özdemir. A study of the history of the Ottoman dynasty by the fifteenth-century writer Aşikpaşazade. Dissertation (2011)

Tez KünyeDurumu
A study of the history of the Ottoman dynasty by the fifteenth-century writer Aşikpaşazade /
Yazar:LALE ÖZDEMİR
Danışman: DR. DANIŞMAN YOK
Yer Bilgisi: University of London (The School of Oriental and African Studies-SOAS) / Yurtdışı Enstitü / Tarih Ana Bilim Dalı
Konu:Tarih = History
Dizin:
Onaylandı
Doktora
İngilizce
2011
231 s.
This present thesis attempts to demonstrate that the work of the fifteenth-century writer and dervish Aşıkpaşazade (c.1400-after 1484) Tevarih- i Al-i Osman (hereafter History of the Ottoman Dynasty) is in need of re-evaluation from a modern historiographical perspective. This is because the value of Aşıkpaşazade to Ottoman historiography has usually been determined by either ideological influence identifiable in modern scholarship or by the adoption of a purely historical approach. This thesis argues that neither approach is conducive to understanding Aşıkpaşazade‟s History of the Ottoman Dynasty or its contribution to Ottoman historiography. It argues that Aşıkpaşazade‟s History of the Ottoman Dynasty is a valuable source for an understanding of fifteenth-century Ottoman historiography but that its value has sometimes been over rated simply because its content suit a particular historical theory held by scholars. In contrary to the views of some scholars, it is demonstrated that Aşıkpaşazade does not provide a “warts-and-all” account of Ottoman history and that it is not historically sound to take Aşıkpaşazade at face value to either prove or disprove whether the early Ottomans were ghazis. This thesis also aims to provide a detailed guide to the content of Aşıkpaşazade‟s history as there is a lack of recent scholarship in this area. The issues surrounding the content of Aşıkpaşazade‟s history are explored to not only determine the nature and logic of Aşıkpaşazade‟s history but to ask if the value attached to some of the themes included in his history by modern scholarship is conducive to an understanding of Aşıkpaşazade. This thesis argues that the importance attached to themes included by Aşıkpaşazade such as ghaza and istimâlet (accommodating the needs of non-Muslims) reveals more about the views of scholars than about the value of such themes to an understanding of fifteenth-century Ottoman historiography.

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