The Türk In Aşıkpaşazâde: A Private Individual’s Ottoman History

Abstract

The relationship between the Ottoman state and the fifteenth century Ottoman historians require more attention than it has received to date. The evidence suggests that where the interests of the state and political individuals conflicted, writing a history book have served as an alternative venue through which an individual could practice power. The impact of such history books were remarkable and it is in this respect that Aşıkpaşazâde’s Kitabı Tevarihi Ali Osman offers an ideal example regarding the role of the individuals in the construction of Ottoman identity during its formative period.