[Zafername] - [ظفرنامه]

This volume contains the Zafername ('Book of Victory'), a detailed account of the Polish campaign of the Ottoman Sultan Osman II (1013-1031 AH/1604-1622 CE, reigned 1027-1031 AH/1618-1622 CE), known as Genç Osman. Its author is Kilari Mehmed Çelebi (death date not known), who wrote with the mahlas of Halisi. He was a bookkeeper for the expenditures (masraf kitabeti) of the imperial larder. The Zafername recounts the Hotin (Khotyn) Campaign, personally led by Osman II, beginning with the Sultan's decision to go on campaign in Cemaziyülevvel 1030 AH/ April 1621 CE and ending with the journey back to İstanbul in Zilkade 1030 AH/ October 1621 CE. The Sultan is reverentially addressed in this work as Osman Gazi, the title of the first Ottoman Sultan after whom he was named. The work praises Osman for his justice, military prowess, and strength against the enemy. Though the campaign ended in a stalemate and treaty, it is portrayed in this work as an absolute victory. After Osman's regicide, Halisi wrote another work in support of his successor Mustafa I (reigned 1026-7, 1031-2 AH/1617-1618, 1622-1623 CE), called the Beşaretname ('Book of Glad Tidings'). This later work criticises Osman both implicitly and explicitly. Begins (1v):. Hamd-i bi-hadd ve sena-yi bi-'add Ol Müfettih-i hısn-ı hasin-i feth-i mübin ve Mübeşşir-i ayet-i Beşşiri'l-müminin Hazretininki cünud-i nusret-karini a'da-yi duzah-mekin üzerine İnna fetehna leke fethen mübinen…. Ends (94v):. Cihad-ı azamin vasfın ederken Halisi benden * Zihi gaza ola tarihi ol dem gaybdan mülhem. There is an illuminated heading on the unvan sayfası (1v). The work is described in the preface with the fuller title Zafername-i belagat-unvan der beyan-ı gazevat-ı Sultan Osman Han-ı Gazi (f 5r). On 187r, which lacks a full colophon, the author is named as Halisi. The date of completion is given as 1030 AH/1621-2 CE, on the basis of the chronogram given by the author, 'gaybdan mülhem.' The copy itself is undated, but is likely from around the 11th century AH/17th century CE.

Available for research unless otherwise stated

Purchased at Christie's auction sale, 16 April 2010: Lot 219

On the Zafername see Baki Tezcan, 'II. Osman Örneğinde İlerlemeci Tarih ve Osmanlı Tarih Yazıcılığı,' in Güler Eren et al (eds.), Osmanlı (Ankara: Yeni Türkiye Yayınları, 2000), VII: 658-668; Id., 'Zafername Müellifi Halisi'nin Bilinmeyen Bir Eseri Münasebetiyle,' Osmanlı Araştırmaları, XIX (1999), 83-98; Id. 'The multiple faces of the One: the invocation section of Ottoman literary introductions as a locus for the central argument of the text,' Middle Eastern Literatures, 12/1 (2009), 27-41; Yaşar Yücel, 'Yeni Bulunan II. Osman Adına Yazılmış Bir 'Zafer-Nâme',' Belleten XLIII/170 (1979), 313-364. For a contextualised study see Özlem Yıldız, 'The Sultan and his Commanders: Representations of Ideal Leadership in the Şehnāme-i Nādirī' (Masters' thesis, Sabancı University, 2017).

For a facsimile, see Hâlisî, II. Osman Adına Yazılmış Zafernâme, introduced by Yaşar Yücel (Ankara 1983). For a transcription, see Zeynep Türk Sarıışık, 'II. Osman Dönemine Aid Bir Kaynak: Zafernâme,' (Masters' thesis, Ankara University, 1999).