The Emergence and Development of Ottoman Historical Writing up until the End of the Fifteenth Century

Abstract

The research deals with the development of the process of codifying Ottoman history from its inception until the late fifteenth century, and provides a survey of the most important Ottoman historical works and an overview of their authors, clarifies the general trends of Ottoman political history and their reflections in their works, and addresses the absence of Ottoman historical works throughout the fourteenth century, which constitutes a large gap and a mystery in Ottoman history. The research is split into four topics. The first studies the gap in Ottoman history in the fourteenth century. The second deals with the foundational beginnings of its codification until the middle of the fifteenth century. The third covers the reign of Sultan Muhammad II, which represents the true beginning of the codification of official Ottoman history. Finally, the fourth deals with the golden age of the Ottoman historiographical movement from 1484 until the end of the fifteenth century.