celalzade mustafa çeleb, bureaucracy and

267 Pages·2006·4.61 MB·English

“KOCA NİŞANCI” OF KANUNİ: CELALZADE MUSTAFA ÇELEBİ, BUREAUCRACY
AND “KANUN” IN THE REIGN OF SULEYMAN THE MAGNIFICENT (1520–1566)

A Ph.D. Dissertation

by
MEHMET ŞAKİR YILMAZ

Department of History

Bilkent University
Ankara
September 2006
To my family
“KOCA NİŞANCI” OF KANUNİ: CELALZADE MUSTAFA ÇELEBİ, BUREAUCRACY
AND “KANUN” IN THE REIGN OF SULEYMAN THE MAGNIFICENT (1520–1566)

The Institute of Economics and Social Sciences
of
Bilkent University

by

MEHMET ŞAKİR YILMAZ

In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

in

THE DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY
BİLKENT UNIVERSITY
ANKARA

September 2006
I certify that I have read this thesis and have found that it is fully adequate, in scope and in
quality, as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History.

---------------------------------
Prof. Dr. Halil İnalcık
Supervisor

I certify that I have read this thesis and have found that it is fully adequate, in scope and in
quality, as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History.

---------------------------------
Prof. Dr. Özer Ergenç
Examining Committee Member

I certify that I have read this thesis and have found that it is fully adequate, in scope and in
quality, as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History.

---------------------------------
Prof. Dr. Evgeni Radushev
Examining Committee Member

I certify that I have read this thesis and have found that it is fully adequate, in scope and in
quality, as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History.

---------------------------------
Asst. Prof. Hasan Ünal
Examining Committee Member

I certify that I have read this thesis and have found that it is fully adequate, in scope and in
quality, as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History.

---------------------------------
Assoc. Prof. Fatma Acun
Examining Committee Member

Approval of the Institute of Economics and Social Sciences

---------------------------------
Prof. Dr. Erdal Erel
Director

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ABSTRACT

“KOCA NİŞANCI” OF KANUNİ: CELĀLZĀDE MUSTAFA ÇELEBİ,
BUREAUCRACY AND “KANUN” IN THE REIGN OF SULEYMAN THE
MAGNIFICENT (1520–1566)

Mehmet Şakir Yılmaz
Ph. D., Department of History
Supervisor: Prof. Halil İnalcık

September 2006

This dissertation analyzes the development of Ottoman administration and its
consequences in political reasoning under the reign of Sultan Süleyman in the light
of career and works of nişancı Celālzāde Mustafa Çelebi. It shows that Ottoman
bureaucracy did not only provide the tools for an effective administration of the state,
but it also played an important role in the production of genuine Ottoman political
understanding. It investigates expansion of Ottoman bureaucracy at the beginning of
Süleyman’s reign and its effects on the development of a new political discourse with
its emphasis on justice and kanun. It shows bureaucrats’ (kalemiyye) perception of
Ottoman rule and its articulation in the works composed by members of bureaucracy
on history and politics.
Celālzāde Mustafa was a model bureaucrat, prose stylist and historian for late
16th century Ottoman literati, who served in the Ottoman chancery as a divan scribe
(1517-1525), as reisülküttab (1525-1534) and nişancı (1534-1556, 1566-7). He
contributed to the formation of a genuine Ottoman political reasoning with his works
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on history and ethics, as well as with his service in the chancery which undertook the
codification of Ottoman laws, kanun. He was an influential bureaucrat and his views
were representative for the members of Ottoman bureaucracy. A study of his life and
works will reveal the struggle between different branches of Ottoman administration
and the role of bureaucrats in the formation of genuine political literature which
emphasized on kanun for the legitimacy of Ottoman rule.

Key words: Ottoman bureaucracy, chancery, Celālzāde Mustafa, 16th century
Ottoman historiography, kanun, nişancı.
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ÖZET

KANUNİ’NİN “KOCA NİŞANCI”SI: KANUNİ SULTAN SÜLEYMAN
DEVRİNDE (1520–1566) CELĀLZĀDE MUSTAFA ÇELEBİ, BÜROKRASİ VE
“KANUN”

Mehmet Şakir Yılmaz
Doktora, Tarih Bölümü
Tez Yöneticisi: Prof. Halil İnalcık

Eylül 2006

Bu tez Sultan Süleyman devrinde Osmanlı yönetiminin gelişimini ve bunun
siyasī algılayıştaki etkilerini nişancı Celālzāde Mustafa Çelebinin hayatı ve eserleri
ışığında analiz etmektedir. Osmanlı bürokrasisinin sadece devlet idaresine etkin
araçlar sağlamakla kalmadığını aynı zamanda özgün Osmanlı siyasi algılayışının
oluşumunda da önemli bir rol oynadığını göstermektedir. Sultan Süleyman devri
başlarında Osmanlı bürokrasisinde görülen genişleme ve bunun kanun ve adalete
vurgu yapan yeni siyasi söylemin gelişimindeki etkilerini araştırmaktadır.
Bürokratların (kalemiyye) Osmanlı idaresi hakkındaki algılayışlarını ve bu algılayışın
bürokrasi mensupları tarafından kaleme alınmış tarih ve politika kitaplarında nasıl
ifade edildiğini göstermektedir.
Celālzāde Mustafa 16. yüzyıl sonundaki okumuş kesim tarafından model
olarak kabul edilen bir bürokrat, yazar ve tarihçidir. Osmanlı yönetiminde divan
kātibi (1517-1525), reisülküttab (1525-1534) ve nişancı (1534-1556, 1566-7) olarak
hizmet etmiştir. Özgün Osmanlı siyasi algılayışının oluşumuna ahlak ve tarih üstüne
olan kitapları ile ve Osmanlı kanunlarının derlenmesi görevinden de sorumlu olan
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divandaki çalışmaları ile katkıda bulunmuştur. Etkili bir bürokrat olan Celālzāde’nin
fikirleri Osmanlı bürokrasisi mensubu kişilerce de paylaşılmaktadır. Onun eserlerinin
ve hayatının ele alınması Osmanlı yönetiminin farklı birimleri arasında yaşayan
çekişmeyi ve Osmanlı idaresinin meşruiyet kaynağı olarak kanun’a vurgu yapan
özgün Osmanlı siyaset literatürünün oluşumunda bürokratların oynadığı rolü
aydınlatacaktır.

Anahtar Kelimeler: Osmanlı bürokrasisi, divan, Celālzāde Mustafa, 16. yüzyıl
Osmanlı tarihçiliği, kanun, nişancı.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

It is really hard to write acknowledgements, since I am sure I will fail to
express all the names I am indebted for their contributions to my educational life and
to this work.
I have to express my gratitude to the supervisor of the dissertation, Prof. Halil
İnalcık. He proposed the topic, and helped me in every stage by his suggestions,
recommendations and encouragement. I am aware of the fact that it is a privilege for
a graduate student to complete his dissertation under the supervision of the great
master of the Ottoman History.
I am grateful to my professors at Bilkent University, History Department,
Evgeni Radushev, Eugenia Kermeli, Mehmet Kalpaklı, Oktay Özel and Necdet Gök
for their support and encouragement.
I am especially indebted to my friends and colleagues Metin Bezikoğlu, Fatih
Bayram and Mehmet Ali Doğan who devoted their precious time to help me by their
comments and encouragement through the writing process.
I would like to express my gratitude to my colleagues Erhan Afyoncu, Recep
Ahıskalı, Yüksel Çelik and Bilgin Aydın from Marmara University, and Babür
Turna, Rıza Yıldırım and Kürşat Akpınar from Bilkent University for their support.
Finally, I would like to thank the directors and personnel of Süleymaniye
Library, Ottoman Archives and Topkapı Palace Archive.
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ABBREVIATIONS

Atāī Hadāiku’l-Hakāik fi Tekmileti’ş-Şakāik
BOA Başbakanlık Osmanlı Arşivi
EI2 Encyclopedia of Islam, second edition
KK Başbakanlık Osmanlı Arşivi, Kamil Kepeci Tasnifi
MEB İA Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı İslam Ansiklopedisi
Mevāhib Mevāhibu’l-Ḫallāķ fi Merātibi’l-Aẖlāķ
Ṭabaḳāt Ṭabaḳātu’l-Memalik ve Derecatu’l-Mesalik
TDV İA Türkiye Diyanet Vakfı İslam Ansiklopedisi
TSMK Topkapı Sarayı Müzesi Kütüphanesi
TTK Türk Tarih Kurumu

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