Composition analysis of miniatures describing the military order and equipment of the Ottoman army through three works on the Zigetvar Expedition

Miniatures are among the important sources not only in terms of art but also in terms of documenting and understanding historical events. In this thesis, the expansion policies of the Ottoman Empire in Europe in the 16th century and the Siege of Szigetvar, which was an important result of these policies, will be analyzed through miniatures of the Ottoman army's battle depictions. The Siege of Szigetvar was a major military expedition between the Ottoman Empire and Croatia in 1566. It was organized to consolidate the Ottoman Empire's dominance in Central Europe and to gain strategic advantage against the Habsburg Dynasty. Although Suleiman the Magnificent was 72 years old during this expedition, he led his army and made a great contribution to the successful completion of the expedition. However, the fact that Suleiman the Magnificent lost his life during the expedition made this expedition even more important in historical terms. When the periods of Turkish miniature art are examined, it is seen that the manuscripts depicting battles are mostly from the classical period. In this context, the miniature works depicting the stages of the war, which was an important military movement, were selected in a way that would ensure integrity of subject. In the miniatures depicting war, the three stages of the campaign were depicted in their historical course. In the Zafername work, which is the first stage of the campaign, the army's crossing of the Drava Bridge and the army's transfer to the place where the campaign will take place are depicted. The second stage is the general view of the castle siege in the Hünername work, and the third stage is the capture of the inner castle depicted in the Nüzhet-i Esrarü'l-Ahyar Der-Ahbar-ı Sefer-i Sigetvar work. The miniatures of the mentioned works were made by Nakkaş Osman. The miniatures to be analyzed over the three works will be evaluated in terms of the military order of the Ottoman army, the figures of the soldiers who carried out the Conquest and their duties, the weapons used, and military clothing. Documenting the war inventory used by our ancestors in the past and transferring it to future generations has led us to prepare this thesis.