Mehmet Mert Sunar
Istanbul Medeniyet University, History, Faculty Member
During his first years as sultan, Mahmud II faced direct threats to his life from the Janissaries and their allies in Istanbul. Although he was able to keep his life and throne during the Alemdar Incident of 1808, he endured continuous... more
During his first years as sultan, Mahmud II faced direct threats to his life from the Janissaries and their allies in Istanbul. Although he was able to keep his life and throne during the Alemdar Incident of 1808, he endured continuous political harassment and humiliation at the hands of the Janissaries in the following years. Such bitter experiences left deep scars in Mahmud II's psyche and he developed a deep hatred for his tormentors. Even his well-planned victory in 1826 and the destruction of the Janissaries could not convince the sultan that the Janissary threat was over. As a result, Mahmud II urged his ministers and officials to be vigilant for any signs of Janissary conspiracy following the so-called Auspicious Event in 1826. As his hypersensitivity on the subject led him to believe any allegation of potential Janissary plots and reprimand his ministers for their negligence, government officials quickly realized that they had to appear more vigilant than the sultan if they were to protect their careers. Some even exploited the sultan's weakness by exaggerating rumors or feeble attempts at rebellion as empire-wide Janissary conspiracies, seeking to get into the sultan's good graces. This atmosphere of paranoia had serious consequences for ordinary people, as anyone accused of criticizing or voicing an opinion against the sultan's new regime risked being exiled or executed. Thus, the period between 1826 and 1830 witnessed the uncovering of alleged Janissary plots against Mahmud II's administration and the subsequent executions and exiles of former Janissaries and civilians.
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This study aims to present the profile of a random group of people who were on the paylist of the Janissary Colps in the ealy nineteenth-century Istanbul. Majority of the Ottoman chronicles as well as secondary sources has pointed to the... more
This study aims to present the profile of a random group of people who were on the paylist of the Janissary Colps in the ealy nineteenth-century Istanbul. Majority of the Ottoman chronicles as well as secondary sources has pointed to the increasing level of janissary involvement in trade and crafts in Istanbul which became an undenaible fact of everyday life starting from the seventeenth century.
Testing of these observations in the light of janissary payroll registers (esame defterleri) as well as the question of the degree of janissary involvement in trade and crafts at specific time periods and locations emerge as curious subjects which are worthy of attention. Present study tries to examine the profile of a random group of people who were on the paylist of the Janissary Corps by using four distant payrol registers dated to the period between 1815 and 1824.
Testing of these observations in the light of janissary payroll registers (esame defterleri) as well as the question of the degree of janissary involvement in trade and crafts at specific time periods and locations emerge as curious subjects which are worthy of attention. Present study tries to examine the profile of a random group of people who were on the paylist of the Janissary Corps by using four distant payrol registers dated to the period between 1815 and 1824.
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1826 yılında Yeniçeri Ocağı’nın kaldırılmasının ardından Osmanlı Devleti’nin mevcut askeri geleneğini bırakıp Avrupa usulü harbe ayak uydurma çabasına girmesi Türkiye’nin askeri tarihinde yepyeni bir safhayı beraberinde getirecekti.... more
1826 yılında Yeniçeri Ocağı’nın kaldırılmasının ardından Osmanlı Devleti’nin mevcut askeri geleneğini bırakıp Avrupa usulü harbe ayak uydurma çabasına girmesi Türkiye’nin askeri tarihinde yepyeni bir safhayı beraberinde getirecekti. Çevresindeki dünya ile ve özellikle de Avrupa ile girdiği etkileşim sonucu şekillenen ve değişen beş yüz yılı aşkın bir askeri geleneğe sahip Osmanlı Devleti’nin bu gelenekten vazgeçip yeni bir sisteme geçmesi son derece zor bir süreci beraberinde getirecekti. Yeni askeri reformlar sırasında Sultan II. Mahmud ve danışmanlarının üzerinde çok düşünmeden verdiği bir kararla Türk tarzı eyerler yerine Avrupa eyerleri kullanmaya başlayan yılların binicisi Osmanlı süvarilerinin bir anda atlarının üzerinde zor durur hale gelmesi aslında yeni Osmanlı ordusunun içinde olduğu durumunu gayet güzel özetlemekteydi. Kendini bir anda yürümeyi öğrenmeye çalışan bir bebek mesabesinde bulan Osmanlı ordusunun düşe kalka belli bir vasatı yakalaması ise bundan neredeyse bir asır sonra I. Dünya Harbi arifesinde gerçekleşecekti. Bu kitap 1826 sonrası gerçekleşen askeri reform sürecini anlamaya ve anlamlandırmaya yönelik bir çalışmadır. Asâkir-i Mansûre Ordusu’nun teşkilatlanma ve kuruluş süreci, bu sürecin nasıl geliştiği, hangi kaygılar ve amaçlar ile şekillendirildiği ve reformun temel amacı olan Avrupa askeri bilgisinin transferinde talimnamelerin rolü kitabın ana temalarını oluşturmaktadır. Avrupa usulü harbin uygulanmasında hayati önemi sahip olan talimnameler içinden seçilen ve Süleymaniye Yazma Eser Kütüphanesi Hüsrev Paşa koleksiyonunda bulunan dördü yazma, biri taşbaskı olmak üzere beş adet askeri talimnamenin transkripsiyonu da kitaba eklenmiştir.