A critical study on Nushatü's-Selâtin by Gelibolulu Mustafa Âlî, a pioneer of reformation literature

Gelibolulu Mustafa Âlî is one of the leading Ottoman bureaucrats and intellectuals of the sixteenth century. As a medium-level bureaucrat, he was appointed to various posts in the government, but was dissatisfied due to his expectations as a university graduate. He has written a number of books in various fields. His Nushatü's-Selâtin is examplary for the change in the genre of mirrors to princes. The work was completed in 1586 and dedicated to Murat III. It consists of four chapters and a supplement. It distinguishes from the classical writing of mirrors to princes by dealing with the actual problems of his lifetime, formulating advices based on these problems, and referring to incidences in his own experience. It signals a new style in the genre. An approach having taken place in the mid-twentieth century views works in this genre as writers testimonials of their ages and, based on the information gathered from these books, argues that the Ottoman Empire entered the stage of decline in the mid-sixteenth century. The anti-thesis in the 1980s however attacks the decline argument contending that it is groundless and does not reflect the historical realities. The anti-thesis argues that the genre of mirrors to princes cannot be utilised in efforts to explore history. As an evidence, Nushatü's-Selâtin was written with career expectations and exaggeration to draw attention of top government officials. Aiming to contextualise it in its historical conditions, this dissertation examines Nushatü's-Selâtinin the context of advice literature, in the context of the concept of political thinking and its Ottoman formation, and in reference to the fundamental concepts of governance. In conclusion, the dissertation finds that the book is a valuable source for the history of the Ottoman political thinking, not as a source for the study of historical development. It therefore argues that the claims of exaggeration and the like are irrelevant. Keywords: Political thought, kânûn-i kadîm, ancient law, nasihatname, advice literature, sixteenth century