Two Ottoman documents in the wake of political and social situation of Hungary towards the treaty of Karlowitz

Abstract

XVII. century witnesses serious transformations in the western-oriented perspective of the Ottoman Empire. In this process which especially was testified in historical Hungarian territories, political structure of the era was redefined. Moreover it was clearly seen how balance was fragile between the eastern and western civilizations which contained fundamental differences in terms of political and cultural expectations. Recent information offered by archives makes it possible to survey the mentioned transformations more meticulously. Particularly by ensuring synthesis as much as possible between the sources, power balances for the period and decisive features of local governments in imperial policies can be figured out in a better way. In addition, the importance of Principality of Transylvania and Transylvanian society in Ottoman foreign policy can be easily understood. Two ottoman records provide a basis to this study, which are preserved in Nuruosmaniye Manuscript Library [Nuruosmaniye Yazma Eser Kütüphanesi] and pertain to 1687. Thus, in the process of military decline after the defeat of Vienna in 1683, the Sublime Porte's Transylvania policy can be monitored. In this context, in the study, the regional policy of the Ottoman Empire as a result of the changing military and political conditions coming after the position of Principality of Transylvania in the Christian world by the end of the XVII. century and the expectations of Transylvanian society, was reflected. Moreover, we tried not to neglect archive documents of the East and West in order to achieve objective results, by means of providing scientific comparison.