This volume contains the Nusretname of Gelibolulu Ali (Âlî Mustafa Efendi) recounting Lâle Mustafa Paşa's conquest of Georgia (Gürcistan) in 986 AH (1578 CE).The author, whose Hayatu'r-rical (Or 3292) is also in the British Library holdings, states in the introduction that, by special desire of Lâle Mustafa Paşa, he was attached as secretary to that General, whom he accompanied throughout the campaign. The work contains copious specimens of the political correspondence he had to carry on in the name of his chief, and also some occasional poems of his own composition. The narrative begins with the appointment of Lâle Mustafa Paşa to the supreme command on 22 Şeval 985 AH (11 January 1578 CE) and is brought down to 19 Zulkade 987 AH (16 January 1580 CE), when the general was recalled to İstanbul and replaced by Sinan Paşa. In his conclusion, the author records the death of his chief, which took place shortly after his return to the Ottoman capital on 25 Recep 988 AH (14 September 1580 CE). This copy of the text contains one single-page illustration and five double-page illustrations :. f 6r : Marginal painting of a comet that appeared in 980 AH (1572 CE) and that was regarded as an omen of war and strife;. ff 70v-71r : The battle of Çıldır that took place between the Ottoman and Safavid Empires. On the right is the Ottoman army under the command of Lâle Mustafa Paşa who won the Battle of Çıldır on 10 August 1578. Ahmet Paşa, Behram Paşa, and Osman Paşa are on his right, preceded by their peykler. Derviş Paşa is in the centre. Lâle Mustafa Paşa is seated in his tent in the foreground, near a tower of skulls. On the left, the Safavid army is in disarray facing the Ottoman one, their leader, Tokmak Khan, on horseback in the foreground, with two peyk in turbans preceding him, and men kneeling to fire their matchlocks. There is a central pool with turbans, caps, and a helmet floating on it, behind which a deli, wearing eagle feathers in his cap and a leopard-skin cloak, in spearing an enemy. Safavid turbans with red caps and long red 'batons' are worn by some of the Iranians;. ff 81v-82r : The Ottoman army is pictured parading before the walls of Tblisi in August 1578 CE after the city had been evacuated by Davud Khan. On the right is Lâle Mustafa Paşa on horseback wearing a blue kaftan with a bold gold design and a high white turban, a plume and an aigrette. He is preceded by two peyk wearing plumes in their tall gold caps known as külâh-i peyk. Solaks with their large plumes (süpürge sorguçlu) and the silahdar and mataracı in their red janissary headdresses (börkler) are in the procession, also matchlock men (mumcular), wearing white janissary headdresses (keçeler) and short tunics. There are fourteen tents in addition to a larger square tent with an awning over the entrance. Two standard poles, each with a gold disk at the top and three horsetails (tuğlar) are on either side of the large tent, denoting that Lâle Mustafa Paşa was a paşa of three tuğ. In the centre, near the tents, is one of the two churches that were converted to mosques. On the left, Osman Paşa is on horseback, preceded by two peyk similar to those on the right. At the top of both pages is the River Kura with a bridge over it. The buildings of Tblisi include two with hot springs, in the background. Twelve janissaries are shown on the rooftops, and cannons protrude from apertures in the walls of the buildings;. ff 97v-98r : The defeat of the Safavid commander Emir Khan by the Ottoman army is portrayed in this illustration. On the right, Lâle Mustafa Paşa is seated in a tent writing a ferman with a pen. He is wearing a sleeveless blue kaftan with the bold gold design and a black and white fur lining. His pencase with its chain is on the ground. His standard, as in the previous illustration, is near his ornate tent and there are nineteen tents in the background. Mustafa Paşa, Behram Paşa, and Osman Paşa are on horseback, followed by an escort of turbaned youths. On the left, the Safavid cavalry is trying to escape across the river and is hotly pursued by the Ottoman cavalry, including two deli. A Safavid cap is floating on the water. Emir Khan is turning in his saddle to watch the battle;. ff 103v-104r : In this illustration, mutinous Ottoman troops are being persuaded by Lâle Mustafa Paşa to cross a swollen river in Georgia. On the right, the beylerbey of south-eastern Anatolia is in his tent with his standard of two tuğ nearby. Lâle Mustafa Paşa, riding a blue-grey horse, is in the middle of the river, accompanied by two peyk and two solak who are up to their shoulders in water. A third solak and the two attendants in the red janissary headdresses are still on dry land. One man in the water is being threatened by a Janissary holding a halberd. In the background, Janissaries and topçular are arguing. On the left, Lâle Mustafa Paşa's tent, two of his attendants and his three-tuğ standard are all seen. Two horsemen and a left horse, with a cover on its saddle, are nearby but no names are given to the two riders;. ff 198v-199r : This illustration portrays the repair of Kars' ramparts on the right and Lâle Mustafa Paşa's encampment on the left. The first shows the repairs made following the incorporation of the region into the Ottoman Empire persuant to the peace treaty with the Safavid Empire in 1590 CE. Seven men wearing the large white turbans (mücevvezeler) of Ottoman officials are overseeing the building operations. Mehmet Paşa of Erzerum is standing, staff in hand, behing the building in the centre which has an inscription stating it is the palace of the Emir-i Emiran. Other overseers besides Mehmet Paşa of Erzerum are Rezvan Paşa, Han (?) Paşa of Rum, Behram Paşa of Diyarbakır, another Mehmet Paşa (seated on a stool), and Mahmud Paşa of Rum. Workmen are carrying stone slabs, spreading mortar, breaking rocks, and laying slabs. In the foreground is Hasan (?) Paşa of Şam and on the left the Ağa of the Sipahiler. On the left, too, is the kethüda of the Janissaries. A castle and two mosques are also shown. On the left, we see Lâle Mustafa Paşa sitting on a stool under a canopy which has poles with metal joints. Ali Çelebi, the author of the text, is kneeling before him. Another named character is İbn-i İskender, shown amongst the cavalry. Besides Lâle Mustafa Paşa's special tent, there are twenty-eight ordinary tents. Usual two standards with three tuğ are seen. There are also rows of officials in mücevvezeler and sleeveless kaftans. A scribe in the foreground has his pencase tucked into his belt. Three peyk in tall gold caps, and two deli, are included. Molla Çelebi Katıazade, wearing a white cap with broad upturned brim, has a spear on which a red Safavid cap with a tall baton and a collection of human ears are strung on cords, denoting victory over the Safavid army. The item contains an ornate unvan with floral illumination, primarily in blue and gold, with accents in red, orange, green and white. The text on ff 1v-2r is enclosed in gold cloudbands. Occasional marginal provides additional context. At the end of the volume is an appended note in French containing incorrect information about the manuscript's contents, or refers to a different manuscript. The note was discovered upon purchase of the item. The manuscript was completed on 4 Rebiülahir 990 AH (7 May 1582 CE) by el-Fakir Şeyh Cuma ül-Özür.
Nusretname - نصرت نامه
This material is held atBritish Library Asia, Pacific and Africa Collections
- Reference
- GB 59 Add MS 22011
- Dates of Creation
- 1582
- Language of Material
- French Turkish
- Physical Description
- 1 text 281 ff Materials : Paper. Dimensions : 267 mm x 197 mm. Folations : 280 ff, European. Ruling : Gold-ruled text frames surrounded by black or black and blue text boxes; text boxes measure 185 mm x 95 mm and are comprised of 17 lines. Script : Nesih. Inks : Black ink with red used for catchwords, titles, separators, and overlines. Binding : Bound in gilt and stamped leather, with front and back boards featuring gilt medallions.
Scope and Content
Access Information
Not Public Record(s)
Restrictions to access apply please consult British Library staff
Acquisition Information
This manuscript was purchased at the Payne and Foss Sale, Lot 2507, on 1 May 1857.
Other Finding Aids
See Rieu, Catalogue of the Turkish Manuscripts in the British Muesum, pp. 61-62; and Titley, Miniatures from Turkish Manuscripts, pp. 27-28.