View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Istanbul Sehir University Repository A TRIBUTE TO THE KINGLY VIRTUES OF SULTAN AHMED I (r. 1603- 1617): HOCAZÂDE ABDÜLAZİZ EFENDİ (d. 1618) AND HIS AHLÂK-I SULTÂN AHMEDÎ A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES OF İSTANBUL ŞEHİR UNIVERSITY BY SEMRA ÇÖREKÇİ IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN HISTORY SEPTEMBER 2012 ABSTRACT This thesis aims to offer a literary-historical analysis of Ahlâk-ı Sultân Ahmedî (Morals of Sultân Ahmed), an early seventeenth-century Ottoman treatise on ethics prepared for Sultan Ahmed I (r. 1603-1617). This work of ethics was originally written in Persian in 1494-5 under the title, Ahlâk-ı Muhsinî (Morals of Muhsin), by Hüseyin Vâiz Kâşifî, a renowned Timurid scholar and intellectual. This work of ethics was dedicated to the Timurid ruler, Hüseyin Baykara (r. 1469-1506), but the main adressee was his son Ebu‘l-Muhsin Mirza. In around 1610, Ahmed I ordered a translation of this Persian work into Ottoman Turkish, a task which was completed, with some critical additions, in 1612 by Hocazâde Abdülaziz Efendi (d. 1618), the fourth son of the famous Hoca Sadeddin Efendi (d. 1599). Overall, this thesis is an attempt to provide a critical examination of Ahlâk-ı Sultân Ahmedî particularly with respect to the question of how such a translated book on ethics was used as a tool to create as well as to legitimize a powerful image of the Ottoman sultan at a time of crisis and change in the Ottoman imperial and dynastic establishment. The main contention is that the production of Ahlâk-ı Sultân Ahmedî should be understood as part of a much larger political agenda carried out by Ahmed I, who, as a young and ambitious ruler, tried hard to present his reign and rule as a recovery from the turbulent years of wars and rebellions since the late 1590s. Key Words: Ahlâk-ı Sultân Ahmedî, Sultan Ahmed I, Hocazâde Abdülaziz Efendi, Books on Ethics, Süleymanic Image, Patronage. iii ÖZ Bu tez 17. yüzyılda Sultan I. Ahmed (hük. 1603-1617) adına hazırlanmış bir Osmanlı ahlak kitabı olan Ahlâk-ı Sultân Ahmedî‘nin edebi-tarihsel analizini yapmayı amaçlamaktadır. Şimdiye kadar üzerine detaylı bir tarihsel çalışma yapılmamış olan bu Osmanlı ahlak kitabı, aslında, ünlü bir Timurlu âlim olan Hüseyin Vâiz Kâşifî tarafından Ahlâk-ı Muhsinî başlığıyla Farsça olarak 1494-5 yılında kaleme alınmıştır. Eser Sultan Hüseyin Baykara‘ya (hük. 1469-1506) ithaf edilmesine rağmen, aslen Sultan Baykara‘nın oğlu Ebu‘l-Muhsin Mirza‘ya hitap etmektedir. 1610 civarında Sultan I. Ahmed sözkonusu Farsça eserin kendisi adına Osmanlı Türkçesine çevrilmesini emretmiş ve eserin çevirisi meşhur Hoca Sadeddin Efendi‘nin (öl. 1599) oğlu Hocazâde Abdülaziz Efendi (öl. 1618) tarafından bazı eklemelerle 1612 yılında tamamlanmıştır. Bu tez, genel olarak, padişah adına çevrilmiş bir ahlak kitabının Osmanlı İmparatorluğu‘nun kriz ve dönüşüm zamanında sultanın güçlü imajına nasıl katkıda bulunduğu sorusuna bağlı olarak Ahlâk-ı Sultân Ahmedî‘nin eleştirel bir çalışmasını öngörmektedir. Tezin ana argümanı, Ahlâk-ı Sultân Ahmedî‘nin yazılmasının, genç ve azimli bir padişah olarak bilinen Sultan I. Ahmed‘in saltanatını 1590‘lardan beri süregelen karmaşık savaş ve isyan zamanlarının ardından gelen bir iyileşme dönemi olarak sunma yönünde yürütmüş olduğu politik ajandasının bir parçası olarak algılanması gerektiğidir. Anahtar Kelimeler: Ahlâk-ı Sultân Ahmedî, Sultan I. Ahmed, Hocazâde Abdülaziz Efendi, Ahlak Kitapları, Süleyman İmajı, Hamilik. iv To my husband Uğur v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS It is my pleasure to express my deep gratitude to my thesis advisor, Assistant Professor Günhan Börekçi, for his invaluable guidance and kind assistance during my research and writing process. This thesis could not be written without his firm support, inspiration and encouragement. I am also grateful to the members of my thesis committee, Professors Engin Deniz Akarlı, Hızır Murat Köse and Abdülhamit Kırmızı, for their constructive criticisms and contributions. In addition, I would like thank all other faculty members of the Department of History at İstanbul Şehir University for their efforts and courses that were indispensible for my academic formation in the field. I would also like to specially thank to Mehmet Genç, Yunus Uğur, Derin Terzioğlu, Didem Zeynep Havlioğlu, Bilgin Aydın, Fehmi Yılmaz, Hayrunnisa Alan, David Albachten and Ted Brooks for their generous help. And my special thanks go to my dear friends, Meryem Karabekmez and Cemile Başaran whose moral support and friendship has always been a refuge to me. I cannot express enough thanks to my family members who were patient with my negative mood during the process of writing. They have always supported me with their endless love and care. My most special thanks go to my parents, Halime and Yunus, who have been my main source of inspiration in all aspects of life. I would like to thank my sisters Nermin for her caring love and Asuman for her endless support and belief in me. I would like to express my gratitude to my brother Muhammed for his encouragement and good humor and my brother-in-law Özgür for his prayers. I will unfortunately not be able to thank my late brother-in-law, Yakup, who was always ready to give his help and support during my undergraduate years. And I would like to thank my dear nephews Faruk and Mehmet Naci and my beautiful niece Şevval who bring delight into my life. Most of all, I would like express my gratitude to my partner in life, Suphi Uğur who shared all the hardship of thesis process and encouraged me when things were not going well. It will be a pleasure to share my entire life with my dear husband. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ........................................................................................................................... .iii Öz ..................................................................................................................................... iv Dedication ......................................................................................................................... v Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................... vi Table ofContents ............................................................................................................. vii CHAPTER INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................ 1 I.THE HOCAZÂDES: ABDÜLAZİZ EFENDİ AND HIS FAMILY .......................... 21 I.1. A Powerful Father and His Sons: The Beginning of a Heady Career for Hocazâde Brothers ............................................................................................. 21 I.2. The İlmiye Careers of Hocazâde Abdülaziz and His Brothers after Hoca Sadeddin ............................................................................................................. 30 I.3.The Hocazâdes under Ahmed I ..................................................................... 32 I.4.The Hocazâde Network ................................................................................ 38 I.5. Conclusion ................................................................................................... 41 II. THE REIGN AND ROYAL PATRONAGE OF AHMED I .................................... 42 II.1. An Overview of Ahmed I‘s Reign ............................................................. 43 II.2. Ahmed I and his Endeavor to Become a ―Second Süleyman‖ .................... 45 II.2.1 Ahmediyye: A Sign of Piety ......................................................... 45 II.2.2. The Restoration of Ka‗ba in Mecca ............................................. 50 II.2.3. A Warrior Sultan or A Passionate Hunter ................................... 51 II.2.4. Auspicious Ceremonies as Signs of Prosperous Times ............... 53 II.2.5. Ahmed‘s Patronage of Manuscripts ............................................ 54 II.3. Patronage Networks at the Imperial Court ................................................. 55 II.3.1. The Patronage of El-Hac Mustafa and His Relationship with Hocazâde Abdülaziz Efendi ................................................................... 56 II.4. Manuscript Patronage: The Books on Ethics Presented to Ahmed I ......... 62 II.5. Conclusion .................................................................................................. 70 III. A DISCOURSE ON THE SULTANIC IMAGE OF SULTAN AHMED I AS IT IS CONSTRUCTED IN AHLÂK-I SULTÂN AHMEDÎ ...................................................... 72 III.1. The Preface of the Book: The Purpose of the Translation ........................ 72 III.1.1. The patrons: Ahmed I and El-Hac Mustafa as They are Presented in the Preface Section ............................................................................. 74 vii III.1.2.The Intentions of the Translator: Expectation for a Reappointment ................................................................................................................. 78 III.2. A Comparative Perspective: Ahlâk-ı Sultân Ahmedî and Zübdetü‟t-Tevârîh ............................................................................................................................. 80 III.3. Kingly Virtues of Ahmed I as Constructed in Ahlâk-ı Sultân Ahmedî ...... 83 III.3.1.The pious sultan .......................................................................... 84 III.3.2. Sultanic