the black death in early ottoman territories - Bilkent University

6. Oruç Beğ Tarihi 70 by the eponymous author is yet another fifteenth-century
chronicle. This chronicler was born in Edirne as the son of a trader in silk. It seems
fairly certain that he continued to live in Edirne for the rest of his life, since he was
well-aware of the coming-and-going of Murad II and Mehmed II, not only of their
campaigns, but also of their frequent visits to the yayla. His father's profession
certainly was one that could easily have provided him with information about
outbreaks in cities along the trade routes or even have brought him contact with
the disease himself. Could this have been the reason why Oruç Beğ mentions a
great plague outbreak in Hicri 838, that is between 7 August 1434 and 26 July
1435 ? 71 This is the first time that an Ottoman chronicle reports a plague outbreak
that had news value of its own. It was not linked to the death of members of the
Ottoman dynasty nor of other Ottoman grandees. Its sole importance lies in being
a major outbreak. The other outbreak he records is the one of Hicri 871 (August
1466- August 1467). 72 There he describes how a major plague epidemic obliged
Mehmed II to stay in Filibe.
7. Târîh-i ebü'l-Feth by Tursun Bey 73 . In contrast to the previous authors, Tursun
bey was not a descendent of the ulemâ, nor of a merchant family, but a member of
the ümerâ. His family belonged to the inner circles of Murad II and were timar
holders in the vicinity of Bursa. This meant he would join Mehmed II on several
campaigns, such as the conquest of Istanbul, the second Belgrade campaign (1456)
and the campaign against Serbia (1458). Tursun Beğ subsequently made career as
a divan kâtip, his erudition being evident from the literary style of his writings.
70
Oruç Beğ. Oruç Beğ Tarihi. edited by Atsız. Istanbul: Tercüman (no year of publication)
71
Oruç Beğ Tarihi, 85.
72
Oruç Beğ Tarihi, 121.
73
Tursun Bey. Târîh-i ebü'l-Feth. edited by Mertol Tulum. Istanbul: Baha Matbaası, 1977.
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