Amasya Sancağı'nda meskûn olan akvâm ile tâbi' oldukları "Tûrân, Pont, Roma, Arab, Rûm, Dânişmendî, Selçûkî, İlhânî, Türkmânî, Osmânî" nâmlarıyla meşhûr olan hükûmât-ı muhtelife zamânlarında cereyân eden vukû'âtı ve sancağın idâresini der-uhde eden zevâtı ma'lûm olabildiği kadar beyân eder. Binâ'en-aleyh birinci bâb, bir medhali ve on faslı hâvîdir.
Şu fusûlün ihtivâ etdiği asırlar üç bölük olup şems-i tâbân-ı İslâmın tulû'undan mukaddem geçen asırlara "Kurûn-ı Ûlâ"; hicret-i seniyyeden İstanbul'un fethine kadar mürûr eden senelere "Kurûn-ı Vustâ" ve ba'dehû te'âkub eyleyen yıllara "Kurûn-ı Ahîre" denir. Binâ'en-aleyh bu kitâbda vekâyi'in senelerini göstermek üzere târîh-i hicrî ihtiyâr edilmişdir. [4]
In Modern English
It tells, as far as can be known, of the events that took place in the Sanjak of Amasya among the peoples living there and under the various governments to which they were attached, known by the names "Turan, Pontus, Rome, Arab, Rum, Danishmendid, Seljuk, Ilkhanid, Turkmen, Ottoman," and of the persons who undertook the administration of the sanjak. For this reason the first chapter (bab) contains an introduction (medhal) and ten sections (fasıl).
The ages covered by these sections fall into three divisions: the ages that passed before the rising of the shining sun of Islam are called "Kurûn-ı Ûlâ" (the first ages); the years from the hijra to the conquest of Istanbul are called "Kurûn-ı Vustâ" (the middle ages); and the years that came after it are called "Kurûn-ı Ahîre" (the last ages). For this reason, in this book the hijri calendar has been preferred for giving the years of events.
Notes and Research
Old Words in the Text
- akvâm: peoples, nations
- hükûmât-ı muhtelife: various governments, states
- cereyân etmek: to take place
- vukû'ât: events
- der-uhde etmek: to undertake
- zevât: persons
- medhal: introduction
- fusûl: sections, divisions
- şems-i tâbân: the shining sun
- tulû': rising
- hicret-i seniyye: the migration of the Prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Medina
- mürûr etmek: to pass
- ba'dehû te'âkub eylemek: to follow after it
The Framework of the First Chapter
In these two paragraphs the author outlines the scope of the first chapter: the peoples living around Amasya and the states that ruled the region will be treated in a sequence running from Turan to the Ottomans. The names listed show the main political spheres to which the region was attached over time. That the chapter is made up of an introduction and ten sections is likewise stated in this text.
The encyclopedia entry on the second volume of Amasya Tarihi reports that this volume is of the nature of a general Turkish history. According to the entry, the volume treats subjects such as the characteristics of the Turks, the Arabs' appreciation of the Turks, the lineage of the Turks, the tribes of the Turkmens, the Hittites, Dânişmend Gazi, the Seljuks and the Ottomans; it then moves on to the history of Amasya. That is, the volume was designed less as the history of a single city than as a broad narrative of Turkish history.
Periodization and Calendar
The author's threefold division separates the ages before Islam, the age from the rise of Islam to the conquest of Istanbul (1453), and the age after the conquest. Counting the conquest of Istanbul as the end of the Middle Ages is a common criterion in historical writing. The author builds this framework from the viewpoint of a Muslim historian. That he gives events in hijri years means that the years encountered in the book must be converted to the Gregorian calendar to be read.
Bibliography
Primary sources
Academic studies