Politics in a sixteenth-century Ottoman scholar’s worldview: Taşköprizade Ahmed’s (d. 968/1561) discourse on rulership

Abstract

This thesis focuses on the theme of rulership in the discourse of the Ottoman scholar Taşköprizade Ahmed (d. 968/1561), who lived during the reigns o Selim I (1512- 20) and Süleyman (1520-1566). Through an analysis of his three works, which might be regarded as ethical, philosophical and sufi texts, this thesis sheds light on Taşköprizade’s political and moral teachings within the context o the mid-sixteenth century Ottoman Empire. Three aspects of that context are highlighted, namely the incorporation of the Arab lands into the Ottoman Empire, the emphasis on moral perfection along with the increasing role of ulema in government, and the complex relationship between the sufis and the Ottoman political authorities. The central argument o the thesis is that Taşköprizade’s oremost scholarly model and main source of inspiration in formulating his views on rulership was Ab mid al-Ghaz lī. Envisioning an ideal ruler to be an ascetic, Taşköprizade embraced and reappropriated many aspects o Ghaz lī’s discourse on rulership, namely, the degrees of government, the emphasis on knowledge in rulership, the ideal relationship between scholars and sultans as well as the high standards of piety or rulers. Taşköprizade’s second source in ormulating his views on rulership was Ibn al-‘Arabī, whose symbolic language helped Taşköprizade make a direct correlation between the government of self and the government of human community. Notwithstanding his peculiar discourse, Taşköprizade can be situated among the sixteenth-century Ottoman political writers who maintained a moralphilosophical approach to rulership.