Publication: Manuscript collections of the chief harem eunuchs in the early modern Ottoman Empire
Abstract
Darüssaade Ağaları Erken Modern dönemde Osmanlı İmparatorluğu'nun en güçlü figürlerinden biridir. 16. yüzyılın sonlarında önce Yeni Saray'ın ardından da Haremeyn Evkafı'nın yönetimini devralmalarıyla birlikte başlayan bu yükseliş 17. yüzyılın ortalarına kadar devam etmiştir. Bu süreçte büyük bir güce ve zenginliğe sahip olan ağaların pek çok vakıf eserinin yanı sıra kitap koleksiyonları da vakfettikleri görülmektedir. Bu tezde Darüssaade Ağalarının kitap koleksiyonları incelenerek ağaların kitaplarla olan ilişkileri ortaya konulmaya çalışılmıştır. Çalışma için günümüze ulaşmış koleksiyonların yanı sıra arşiv belgelerinden izleri sürülebilen vakfettikleri diğer koleksiyonlar da tez kapsamına dahil edilmiştir. Ağalarla ilgili daha fazla fikir sahibi olabilmek için sadece vakfettikleri kitaplar değil, terekelerinden çıkan ya da müsadere edilen kitapları da incelenmiştir. Dönemin pratikleriyle birlikte değerlendirildiğinde Ağaların kitapları bir meşruiyet ve hamilik ilişkileri çerçevesinde araçsallaştırdıkları fikri doğmuştur. Gittikçe önem kazanan himaye ağlarının ve devletin genişleyen yapısının etkisiyle kitaplara duyulan ihtiyaç artmış Ağalar da bu ihtiyacı ellerindeki imkanları akıllıca kullanarak doldurmuşlardır. Diğer taraftan Ağaların terekelerinden çıkan kitaplar ve günümüze ulaşmış yazmalardaki kişisel notları bir miktar kişisel eğilimlerini yansıtmaktadır. Bu da ağaların kitapları tamamen metalaştırmadıklarını, her ne kadar kitaplarla ulema sınıfı gibi profesyonel bir ilişkileri olmasa da tamamen ilgisiz olmadıklarını gösterdi.
The Chief Harem Eunuchs were one of the most powerful figures of the Ottoman Empire in the Early Modern period. This rise, which started at the end of the 16th century with the takeover of the management of the New Palace and then the Evkafü’l-Haremeyn, continued until the middle of the 17th century. In this process, it is seen that the aghas, who had great power and wealth, donated manuscript collections as well as many other pious foundations. The subject of this thesis is the manuscript collections of the chief harem eunuchs and the relations of the aghas with the books. The scope of the study includes their collections in Süleymaniye Manuscript Library today and their collections that we can reach through archival documents. Moreover, to have a better idea about the aghas, apart from the manuscripts they endowed, it is also evaluated their leaved and confiscated manuscripts. When interpreted together with the practices of the period, the aghas seem to instrumentalize the books within the framework of legitimacy and patronage relations. The need for books increased with the effect of the patronage networks and the state's expanding structure, which became increasingly important. On the other hand, the manuscripts in their heredity and the personal notes in the manuscripts reflect their personal tendencies to some extent. This showed that the aghas did not completely commodify the books. Although they did not have a professional relationship with the books like the scholar class, they were not wholly uninterested.
The Chief Harem Eunuchs were one of the most powerful figures of the Ottoman Empire in the Early Modern period. This rise, which started at the end of the 16th century with the takeover of the management of the New Palace and then the Evkafü’l-Haremeyn, continued until the middle of the 17th century. In this process, it is seen that the aghas, who had great power and wealth, donated manuscript collections as well as many other pious foundations. The subject of this thesis is the manuscript collections of the chief harem eunuchs and the relations of the aghas with the books. The scope of the study includes their collections in Süleymaniye Manuscript Library today and their collections that we can reach through archival documents. Moreover, to have a better idea about the aghas, apart from the manuscripts they endowed, it is also evaluated their leaved and confiscated manuscripts. When interpreted together with the practices of the period, the aghas seem to instrumentalize the books within the framework of legitimacy and patronage relations. The need for books increased with the effect of the patronage networks and the state's expanding structure, which became increasingly important. On the other hand, the manuscripts in their heredity and the personal notes in the manuscripts reflect their personal tendencies to some extent. This showed that the aghas did not completely commodify the books. Although they did not have a professional relationship with the books like the scholar class, they were not wholly uninterested.