Table of Contents

1. The formative years (1490–1523); 2. The secretary's progress (1523–34); 3. The empire and its chancellor (1534–53); 4. Toward the end (1553–67); 5. Narrating the empire: history-writing between imperial advocacy and personal testimony; 6. Imagining the empire: the sultan, the realm, the enemies; 7. Managing the empire: institutionalization and bureaucratic consciousness.

Promotional Information

A revisionist reading of Ottoman history during the reign of Süleyman the Magnificent (1520–66), examining the life of a bureaucrat, Celalzade Mustafa.

About the Author

Kaya Şahin is Assistant Professor of History at Indiana University, Bloomington. His research and writing have been supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Newberry Library, and the Social Science Research Council.

Reviews

'Şahin gives us an excellent account of how Ottoman universalism was formulated by a high-ranking bureaucrat in the dual and seemingly unrelated contexts of Ottoman factionalism and early modern imperial rivalries. As he skilfully demonstrates, we need to connect the histories of different polities in order to understand such complex issues as political legitimacy and imperial ideology. Ottoman historians have come a long way in rescuing their subject from the isolationism and exceptionalism of the 1960s and 70s. Kaya Şahin's work is graceful testimony to this progress.' The Times Literary Supplement

'For Suleiman the Magnificent consult Kaya Sahin's very impressive Empire and Power in the Ade of Süleyman …' translated from Bibliothèque d'Humanisme et Renaissance

'Drawing on an impressive bibliography, which includes early modern history, New Historicism and literary theory, empire studies, Ottoman and Islamic studies, and social theory, Şahin offers a clearly written and thorough re-examination of Ottoman 'Great Power' status that will be of great interest primarily to Ottomanists but also to those interested in comparative empires and early modern world history.' Sahar Bazzaz, The Historian

'In narrating Mustafa's views and accounts, Şahin gives abridged translations in prose rather than quoting long and lofty passages from his works. This not only renders Mustafa's expressions readily understandable and makes it rather readable for the non-specialist, it also transmits the poetic/literary aspect of Mustafa's style and his imagery.' N. Zeynep Yelçe, Canadian Journal of History