TURKOMANS BETWEEN TWO EMPIRES: THE ... - Bilkent University

and old age while his subjects fell into miserable life conditions and poverty. He states
that “the power and splendor of Shah Ismail reached such a degree that the populations
of Anatolia were in expectation with great fear that the Shah shall come to Rūm either
today or tomorrow!” 1526
Selim successfully used this pessimistic atmosphere for his purpose. The
following verse of Celalzāde evidently shows ideological construction of pro-Selim
camp: “Vücūdı olmasa Sultan Selim’in / Sa’ādet menba’ı şāh-ı kerīmin / Alurdı milketi
(memleketi) düşman ser-ā-ser / Fütūh u nasr olmazdı müyesser.” 1527 ‘Ali follows the
traditional line of Selimnāme authors which profoundly appropriates pro-Selim stand, in
depicting princes and their attitudes regarding to the appalling situation of the country.
He portrays Prince Ahmed, who was then the foremost candidate to the throne, as a man
of laxity of pleasure. To him, Ahmed was not interested in the deteriorating conditions
of the country, and those of the subjects, but his only concern was to secure the throne
for himself and have a more enjoyable life in the palace. 1528 In a similar vein, Prince
Ahmed was indifferent to the rising qizilbash threat as well. ‘Ali follows the traditional
line in arguing that the most suitable candidate to the throne was Selim, even if he was
the youngest prince. Because he had the qualifications needed for a good ruler of which
the other princes were lacking. In that aspect Selim was the greatest among all
1526 ALI’s account runs, “Bu tarīkle rūz be rūz askerini ziyāde itmekde ve saat be-saat memālik-i ma’mūre
halkının huzūr u āsāyişi zāil olub gitmekde idi. Hodāvendigār ise, za’f-ı kuvāsına bināen ızhār-ı sekīne vü
vakār ile ser-gerdān ve vüzerā vü ümerā ol cānibde tagallübe hayrān, re’āyā ise bu ortalıkda perişān-hāl
ü ser-gerdān olub, Şah Đsmail’in sīt u savleti bir dereceye vardı ki, ‘Acabā vilāyet-i Rūm’a bu gün mü
gelür ki veyāhud teveccühi yarına veya obir güne mi kalur ki?’ diyū havfile tereddüd iderdi. ‘Ve bu ru’b u
hirās sonı niye varsa gerekdür?’ diyū birbirlerine söylerlerdi. Hattā vilāyet-i Rūm’a mahsūs emti’adan
ba’zı nesne ister oldı. Sūret-i ‘arz-ı muhabbetde ādemleri gelüb, ahvāl-i vilāyeti ve kendüden olan havf u
huşū’ı tamāmen fehm eyledüği muhakkak buldı.” See ALI, pp. 935-6.
1527 CLZ, p. 131.
1528 ALI, p. 936.
446