Between Two Worlds Kafadar.pdf

Islam 2(1980):340-49. Ibn Khaldun's * brief narrative on the first century of
the Ottomans does not contain any reflection on their institutional
peculiarities or any fresh analytical insights. But then, Ottoman peculiarities
were not that obvious when the Arab historian wrote and, to the extent they
were, systematic information on the subject could hardly have been available to
him. The relevant passage from his world history (not the famous Muqaddimah,
which is a theoretical work) is translated on pp. 161-64. in C. Huart, "Les
origines de l'empire ottoman," Journal des Savants, n.s., 15(1917):157-66.
Another Arab historian, Ibn Hajar * (1372-1449), writes that he heard it said a
number of times by none other than Ibn Khaldun * that "there was no one to fear
with regard to Egypt but the Sons of Osman"; see Sevkiye * Inalcik * , "Ibn
Hacer'de Osmanlilara Dair Haberler," Ankara Üniversitesi Dil Tarih Cografya *
Fakültesi Dergisi 6 (1948):356 (or p. 351 of her trans.).
143. Ménage, "Some Notes on the Devshirme," BSOAS 29(1966):75 n. 48. Note that
El Cid of the medieval Iberian frontier also takes one-fifth from his fellow
warriors.
144. Cezbi * , Velayetname-i * Seyyid `Ali * Sultan * , Ankara Cebeci Il * Halk
Library, MS 1189; this copy was made in Rebi`u'l-evvel * A.H. 1313/ A.D. 1895.
Iréne Beldiceanu-Steinherr was the first to note the significance of this source
for rethinking the Thracian conquests: "La vita de Seyyid `Ali * Sultan * et la
conquête de la Thrace par les Turcs," in Proceedings of the 27th International
Congress of Orientalists ... 1967, ed. D. Sinor (Wiesbaden, 1971), 275-76. On
alternative renderings of the Thracian conquests, also see her "La conquête
d'Andrinople par les Tums: La pénétration turque en Thrace et la valeur des
chroniques ottomanes," Travaux et Mémoires 1(1965):439-61; and idem, "Le règne
de Selim * Ier: Tournant dans la vie politique et religieuse de l'empire
ottoman," Turcica 6(1975):34-48.
145. It is surprising, however, that Bayezid * I (r. 1389-1402) is mentioned as
the ruler of the time, since the Thracian adventures of the Turco-Muslim
frontier warriors, including the Ottomans, dearly started under Bayezid's *
grandfather. To the extent one can discern "historical" events in this source, a
good many are known to have occurred before even Bayezid's * father reached
rulership. The hagiographer must have "slipped" here because he or she cites a
document ( berat * ) to prove that the rights of the assaulted protagonist over
his property had been legitimized by the Ottomans themselves; and that document
was apparently a deed issued by Bayezid * . Later archival sources indeed refer
to a title deed given by that sultan to Kizil * Deli (or the sheikh of the
shrine complex named after him?) in 1400/1401; see Tayyib Gökbilgin, XV-XVI.
Asirlarda Edirne ve Pasa * Livâsi: Vakiflar — Mülkler — Mukataalar (Istanbul,
1952), 183. I also had the good fortune to hear Irene Beldiceanu-Steinherr's
presentation on Ottoman archival documents concerning that endowment in a
symposium on the Via Egnatia, held at the University of Crete, Rethymnon, in
January 1994; the proceedings are forthcoming.
146. There are differences between the versions of the anonymous chronicles and
of the YF-Apz narrative, but I will disregard them to highlight the comparison
with the tales of Kizil * Deli.
147. Much more is known about the "historical" Emir * Sultan * (d. 1429) than
about Seyyid `Ali * and others in his entourage. The former evidently did take
part in Ottoman campaigns. A Byzantine account of the 1422 siege of
160