The Ottoman tradition of patronage of the literary arts up to the era of Selim II

ABSTRACTTHE OTTOMAN TRADITION OF PATRONAGE OF THE LITERARY ARTSUP TO THE ERA OF SELIM IIsen-Durmuş, Tûbâ IşınsuP.D.,Department of Turkish LiteratureSupervisor: Yrd. Doç. Dr. Mehmet KalpaklıNovember 2006This study explores the Ottoman tradition of patronage of the literaryarts up to the era of Selim II. It analyzes the definition of patronage, as wellas its emergence and development, which coincided with the development ofthe empire, and compares disparate and similar views of patronage as itexisted before and after the establishment of the Ottoman State. The mainsources drawn upon in the chapters, ?An Overview of the Founding of theOttoman Tradition of Patronage of the Literary Arts,? ?Patrons and Critics:The Presentation and Evaluation of Poetry during the Ottoman Empire?sFoundation,? ?The Benefits of the Patronage System as Enjoyed by the Artist,the Patron and Society in General,? and ?An Evaluation of Criticism of thePatronage System,? are poets? biographies (tezkire) and original documentsacquired from Topkapı Palace?s Treasury Archive. This study illustrates thecrucial role that the Ottoman system of patronage played in the developmentof Ottoman poetry, and argues that the richness of the Ottoman poeticrepertoire is due, in part, to its patrons? double role as patrons and critics. Atfirst glance, this system?s first benefit for the artist appears to be the câize, orreward given to the poet for a laudatory poem. However, when oneconsiders the polemics surrounding this reward system, which point to itsceremonial nature, it becomes obvious that such material benefits were oflesser importance than the values of ?protection and authority? which thepatronage system ensured both patrons and artists.Key Words: Ottoman literature, patronage of the literary arts, relationship ofpoet and patron, câize