THE ROLE OF ALVISE GRITTI WITHIN THE OTTOMAN POLITICS IN THE CONTEXT OF THE “HUNGARIAN QUESTION” (1526-1534) A Master’s Thesis by ELVİN OTMAN DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY BILKENT UNIVERSITY ANKARA September 2009 To my fellow-traveler THE ROLE OF ALVISE GRITTI WITHIN THE OTTOMAN POLITICS IN THE CONTEXT OF THE “HUNGARIAN QUESTION” (1526-1534) The Institute of Economics and Social Sciences of Bilkent University by ELVİN OTMAN In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS in THE DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY BILKENT UNIVERSITY ANKARA September 2009 I certify that I have read this thesis and have found that it is fully adequate, in scope and in quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Arts in History. --------------------------- Assist. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Kalpaklı Supervisor I certify that I have read this thesis and have found that it is fully adequate, in scope and in quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Arts in History. --------------------------- Prof. Dr. Özer Ergenç Examining Committee Member I certify that I have read this thesis and have found that it is fully adequate, in scope and in quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Arts in History. --------------------------- Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mustafa Soykut Examining Committee Member Approval of the Institute of Economics and Social Sciences --------------------------- Prof. Dr. Erdal Erel Director ABSTRACT THE ROLE OF ALVISE GRITTI WITHIN THE OTTOMAN POLITICS IN THE CONTEXT OF THE “HUNGARIAN QUESTION” (1526-1534) Otman, Elvin M.A., Department of History Supervisor: Assist. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Kalpaklı September 2009 Alvise Gritti is one of the most interesting and vivid characters appeared in both Ottoman and European history of the sixteenth century. As an Istanbul-born Venetian, Gritti was the son of Andrea Gritti, the Doge of Venice elected in 1523, from a non-Muslim Ottoman woman. Since he was accepted as illegitimate according to the Venetian law, he was deprived from the right of participation into the Venetian politics. He found the opportunity of having a political carrier in Istanbul, his birth place, where he had come to engage in commerce; mediated between the Ottoman sultan and the European states; and undertook important tasks in the “Hungarian Question”, which was considered as one of the most important political problems of the period. iii This thesis intends to peruse the life and the roles of Alvise Gritti within the Ottoman politics. In this context, besides the political conjuncture of the period, the family, the personality, and the extensive commercial and political networks of Alvise Gritti and the tasks that he undertook as part of the “Hungarian Question” mainly by light of the Venetian sources. The thesis reaches the conclusion that Alvise Gritti is one of the “versatile personalities” of his time; he advanced through the present political system and deposed by the same system whenever he started to use it for his benefits. Thus, it was deduced that the examination of the life of Gritti and his political roles is important and necessary not only to reveal a figure rarely appeared in the Ottoman history but also to understand the general political structure and the diplomatic relations of the period more clearly. Keywords: Alvise Gritti, Gritti Family, Beyoğlu, Suleyman I, Ibrahim Pasha, Charles V, Ottoman-Habsburg rivalry, “Hungarian Question” János Szápolyai, Italian Wars, Balance of Power, Universal Sovereignty. iv ÖZET “MACARİSTAN MESELESİ” BAĞLAMINDA ALVİSE GRİTTİ’NİN OSMANLI SİYASETİ İÇERİSİNDEKİ ROLÜ (1526-1534) Otman, Elvin Yüksek lisans, Tarih Bölümü Tez Yöneticisi: Yard. Doç. Dr. Mehmet Kalpaklı Eylül 2009 Alvise Gritti on altıncı yüzyıl Osmanlı ve Avrupa tarihinde görülen en ilgi çekici ve renkli karakterlerinden biridir. İstanbul doğumlu bir Venedikli olan Alvise Gritti, 1523 yılında Venedik Doçu seçilen Andrea Gritti’nin gayr-ı Müslim bir Osmanlı kadınından olma oğludur. Venedik yasalarına göre gayr-ı meşru çocuk kabul edilmesinden dolayı Venedik siyasetine katılma hakkından mahrum bırakılmıştır. Venedik’te bulamadığı siyasi kariyer fırsatını, ticaret yapmak için geldiği ve aynı zamanda doğum yeri olan İstanbul’da bulmuş; Osmanlı Sultanı ve diğer Avrupa Devletleri arasında arabuluculuk yapmış ve dönemin en önemli siyasi sorunlarından biri olarak değerlendirilen “Macaristan Meselesi”nde önemli görevler üstlenmiştir. v Bu tez çalışması Alvise Gritti’nin hayatı ve Osmanlı siyaseti içinde üstlendiği rolleri incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Bu bağlamda, dönemin genel siyasal yapısının yanı sıra çoğunlukla dönemin Venedik kaynaklarının ışığında, Alvise Gritti’nin aile yapısı, kişiliği ve İstanbul’da sahip olduğu geniş ticari ve siyasi bağlantıları tartışılmış ve Gritti’nin “Macaristan Meselesi” kapsamında üstlendiği görevler incelenmiştir. Tez, Alvise Gritti’nin dönemin çok yönlü insan tipolojisinin güzel bir örneği olduğu, mevcut siyasal sistem sayesinde yükseldiği ve kazanımlarını kendi çıkarları doğrultusunda kullanmaya başlayınca da yine kendisini yükselten sistem tarafından alaşağı edildiği sonucuna varmıştır. Bu sebeple, Gritti’in yaşamının ve siyasi rollerinin incelenmesinin hem Osmanlı tarihinde eşine ender rastlanan bir figürün açığa çıkarılması hem de dönemin siyasal yapısının ve diplomatik ilişkilerinin daha iyi anlaşılması bakımından önemli ve gerekli olduğu ortaya çıkmıştır. Anahtar Kelimeler: Alvise Gritti, Gritti Ailesi, Beyoğlu, I. Süleyman, İbrahim Paşa, V. Karl, Osmanlı-Habsburg rekabeti, “Macaristan Meselesi”, János Szápolyai, İtalya Savaşları, Güçler Dengesi, Evrensel Hâkimiyet. vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Although this thesis seems to be the work of only one author, it could never have come into existence without the sincere contributions of others. First of all, I should express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor Mehmet Kalpaklı, who was always ready to read, to advise and to motivate. I have always felt his support and encouragement when I was carrying out my research. In addition, I am so grateful to my two other professors who have always stood by me and who worked as much as I did to make this thesis better: Özer Ergenç, who undersigned most of the things that I have learned about not only the Ottoman History, but also the life in general; and Mustafa Soykut, my dearest professor and fellow-traveler, whose support I have felt since the day I decided to be a historian and who I know will always with me with his invaluable support, advises and sincere affinity. I am honored to be the student of you all… I also owe a lot to my professors in History Department at Bilkent University. I would particularly like to give my thanks to Oktay Özel, Eugenia Kermeli and Paul Latimer, who have been always ready to reply to all of my questions and who contributed a lot to my works with their recommendations and critics. I should also thank to the academic staff of Middle East Technical University Department of History, where I conducted my undergraduate study, particularly to Seçil Karal vii Akgün, chair of the department, for their great contributions to me to have a strong academic background in the field of history. This study was the product of the scholarship granted to Turkish students by the Italian Government. Therefore, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to staff of the Institute of Italian Culture in Ankara and the Turkish Ministry of National Education, Office of the International Relations who both thought that I deserved this scholarship. I also owe special thanks to Maria Pia Pedani, a prominent Italian professor from the Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, who accepted to be my supervisor during my research in Venice. She also was the person who suggested me to study on this topic and introduced to me the documents in the National Archive of Venice and she sincerely replied to every question that I asked not only during the days I stayed in Italy but also whenever I needed. She also voluntarily helped me in overcoming the orthographic and linguistic problems I faced when I was reading and trying to understand and evaluate the Italian documents regarding Venetian-Ottoman relations. I also would like to refer to two other professors who have supported, encouraged, and helped me to enrich my thesis with their suggestions when I stayed in Venice: Vera Constantini and Giampiero Bellingieri from the Department of Turcology of the Ca’ Foscari University. I would also like to thank my landlords Michela Dal Borgo and her husband Sandro Bosato, who helped me carry out my studies without any problem or difficulty. My Italian family deserves a particular appreciation: I am so grateful to the Caiazza family, who have got a keen interest on me since the day I arrived in Venice and the day I departed from the city, who have seen me as their own daughter, who have not only showed and taught me the Italian culture but also have made me spend viii an unforgettable six months. I could not find any words to express my gratitude to Concetta Ianuzelli and Saverio Caiazza who were second parents to me, and to my dear brothers Manlio and Gianluca. Bahar Gürsel was indisputably the most important person who helped me have an untroubled life in Italy. She was a close companion when I was in Italy, and she witnessed the preparation phase of this study. She was also the first person to read the text. I am grateful to her for her support, suggestions and contributions. Naturally, my friends, with whom I am very proud of being colleagues in future, deserve the most particular gratitude. They witnessed all ups and downs of this study, and they willingly rushed to help me without any second thought despite they were undergoing a similar process. Gizem Kaşoturacak, Ayşegül Avcı, Fatmagül Karagöz, Sena Hatip Dinçyürek, the best souvenirs of Bilkent, I am so grateful to you… Moreover, I managed to have many good class mates in the Department of History to whom I am very indebted for their invaluable support. Those are Gülşah Şenkol, Berke Torunoğlu, Acar Bilican Kemaloğlu, Ayşegül Keskin, Ekin Enacar and Fahri Dikkaya.