“Drinking Rosé Wine in the Land of the Turks”: The Concept of Türk İli in 15th-16th Century Ottoman Historiography

Kadir Purde

Article Details

“Drinking Rosé Wine in the Land of the Turks”: The Concept of Türk İli in 15th-16th Century Ottoman Historiography

Authors:

Kadir Purde

Publisher:

Ege University

Main Topics:

Yeniçağ Osmanlı Tarihi

Journal:

Türk Dünyası İncelemeleri Dergisi Vol.25 Issue 1, pp.205-220

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

6/2025

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001351579

pISSN:

1301-2045

Keywords:

Abstract:

 This study explores the use of the term Türk ili in 15th and 16th century Ottoman historiography, focusing on which authors employed the term and in which contexts it was used. Ottoman historians and writers referred to Ottoman lands using various expressions such as memâlik-i Osmâniye Ottoman realms, diyâr-ı Rûm land of Rum, and devlet-i Osmâniye Ottoman state. Another term they used was Türk ili. This research explores the occurrences of Türk ili in the works of 15th and 16 th century Ottoman authors, examining its contextual meanings and semantic layers. Based on an extensive survey of 15th and 16th century Ottoman historical texts, the study finds that the term Türk ili appears only in a limited number of these sources. Notably, some authors employed Türk ili to denote Ottoman territories, which represents a significant usage of the term and is discussed in detail. The study also highlights the presence of words corresponding to Turkey in various European languages from the 12th century onward, used with shifting geographical boundaries to describe Anatolia and regions inhabited by the Ottomans. The fact that Türk ili appears in Ottoman sources as a semantic counterpart to these terms is another key finding of this research. In this context, the study aims to shed light on the place and meaning of Türk ili in Ottoman historiography, offering a fresh perspective on the diversity and conceptual continuity of terms used to describe the Ottoman geographical space.

 This study explores the use of the term Türk ili in 15th and 16th century Ottoman historiography, focusing on which authors employed the term and in which contexts it was used. Ottoman historians and writers referred to Ottoman lands using various expressions such as memâlik-i Osmâniye Ottoman realms, diyâr-ı Rûm land of Rum, and devlet-i Osmâniye Ottoman state. Another term they used was Türk ili. This research explores the occurrences of Türk ili in the works of 15th and 16 th century Ottoman authors, examining its contextual meanings and semantic layers. Based on an extensive survey of 15th and 16th century Ottoman historical texts, the study finds that the term Türk ili appears only in a limited number of these sources. Notably, some authors employed Türk ili to denote Ottoman territories, which represents a significant usage of the term and is discussed in detail. The study also highlights the presence of words corresponding to Turkey in various European languages from the 12th century onward, used with shifting geographical boundaries to describe Anatolia and regions inhabited by the Ottomans. The fact that Türk ili appears in Ottoman sources as a semantic counterpart to these terms is another key finding of this research. In this context, the study aims to shed light on the place and meaning of Türk ili in Ottoman historiography, offering a fresh perspective on the diversity and conceptual continuity of terms used to describe the Ottoman geographical space.

 This study explores the use of the term Türk ili in 15th and 16th century Ottoman historiography, focusing on which authors employed the term and in which contexts it was used. Ottoman historians and writers referred to Ottoman lands using various expressions such as memâlik-i Osmâniye Ottoman realms, diyâr-ı Rûm land of Rum, and devlet-i Osmâniye Ottoman state. Another term they used was Türk ili. This research explores the occurrences of Türk ili in the works of 15th and 16 th century Ottoman authors, examining its contextual meanings and semantic layers. Based on an extensive survey of 15th and 16th century Ottoman historical texts, the study finds that the term Türk ili appears only in a limited number of these sources. Notably, some authors employed Türk ili to denote Ottoman territories, which represents a significant usage of the term and is discussed in detail. The study also highlights the presence of words corresponding to Turkey in various European languages from the 12th century onward, used with shifting geographical boundaries to describe Anatolia and regions inhabited by the Ottomans. The fact that Türk ili appears in Ottoman sources as a semantic counterpart to these terms is another key finding of this research. In this context, the study aims to shed light on the place and meaning of Türk ili in Ottoman historiography, offering a fresh perspective on the diversity and conceptual continuity of terms used to describe the Ottoman geographical space.

 Bu çalışmada 15. ve 16. yüzyıl Osmanlı tarihyazımında Türk ili kavramının hangi müelliflerce hangi bağlamlarda kullanıldığı incelenmiştir. Osmanlı tarihçileri Osmanlı topraklarını memâlik-i Osmâniye, diyâr-ı Rûm, devlet-i Osmâniye gibi muhtelif tabirler kullanarak isimlendirmişlerdir. Osmanlı tarih yazarlarının kullandığı bir diğer ifade ise Türk ili kavramıdır. Araştırmada Türk ili ifadesinin 15. ve 16. yüzyıl müelliflerinin eserlerinde ortaya çıkan kullanımı, bu kullanımların bağlamları ve anlam katmanları analiz edilmektedir. Araştırmanın veri havuzu olarak 15. ve 16. yüzyıl Osmanlı tarih kitapları kabul edilip taranmış ve bunların çok az bir kısmında Türk ili ifadesinin kullanıldığı tespit edilmiştir. Kavramın 15. ve 16. yüzyıl eserlerinde Osmanlı ülkesi anlamında kullanılıyor olması da önemli bir kullanım alanı olarak zikredilip tartışılmıştır. Anadolu ve Osmanlıların yaşadıkları bölgeler için 12. yüzyıldan itibaren çeşitli Avrupa dillerinde ve değişen sınırlarda kullanılan Türkiye anlamına gelen kelimelerin kullanılması ve bu kelimenin bir anlamdaşı olarak Türk ili kelimesinin Osmanlı kaynaklarında da kullanılıyor olması çalışmada vurgulanan olgulardan bir tanesidir. Bu bağlamda çalışma Türk ili kavramının Osmanlı tarihyazımındaki yerini ve anlamını ortaya koyarak Osmanlı coğrafyasının adlandırılmasında kullanılan terimlerin çeşitliliğine ve kavramsal sürekliliğine dair yeni bir bakış açısı sunmayı amaçlamaktadır.

Article Details

“Drinking Rosé Wine in the Land of the Turks”: The Concept of Türk İli in 15th-16th Century Ottoman Historiography

Authors:

Kadir Purde

Publisher:

Ege University

Main Topics:

Yeniçağ Osmanlı Tarihi

Journal:

Türk Dünyası İncelemeleri Dergisi Vol.25 Issue 1, pp.205-220

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

6/2025

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001351579

pISSN:

1301-2045

Türk İli (Land of the Turks)

Ottoman Historiography

Identity

Geography

15th Century

16th CenturyTürk İli

İl/El

Osmanlı Tarihyazımı

coğrafya

kimlik

15. Yüzyıl

16. Yüzyıl

Issues

Article Details

Authors: Kadir Purde

Publisher: Ege University

Main Topics: Yeniçağ Osmanlı Tarihi

Journal: Türk Dünyası İncelemeleri Dergisi Vol.25 Issue 1, pp.205-220

Document Type: Article

Publication Date: 6/2025

Document Language: Turkish

Document ID (Org No.): 2001351579

pISSN: 1301-2045

Issues

Authors:

Kadir Purde

Publisher:

Ege University

Main Topics:

Yeniçağ Osmanlı Tarihi

Journal:

Türk Dünyası İncelemeleri Dergisi Vol.25 Issue 1, pp.205-220

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

6/2025

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001351579

pISSN:

1301-2045