Prince with Daddy Issues Seeks Sisterly Support: Two Ego Documents Penned by Şehzade Korkud

Authors : Nabil Altikriti

Pages : 69-96

Doi:10.18589/oa.1597521

View : 14 | Download : 4

Publication Date : 2024-11-29

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Following a brief analysis of self-narrative writing among Ottoman royals towards the turn of the sixteenth century, this article argues for consideration of “collective biography” as a methodological approach before presenting two “ego-documents” by one of those royals. Şehzade Korkud (d. 1513), who left behind several small samples of self-narrative, also wrote two clear examples of ego-documents, a treatise to his father Bayezid II (d. 1512) defending his decision to go on the ḥajj, and a fearful letter to his sister Sofu Fatma (fl. 1512) seeking political guidance in the midst of a politically tense succession struggle. The treatise, Wasīlat al-aḥbāb, is summarized and analyzed here, while the letter is transliterated and translated in full.
Keywords : Şehzade Korkud, Hajj, Bayezid II, Ottoman History, Sofu Fatma, Ego Documents, Self Narrative, Selbstzeugnis