Week 1 - Theoretical
The Document in Historical Methodology: Epistemology of Diplomatics
We will methodologically evaluate the role of archival documents in historiography. This week traces the emergence of diplomatics in Western scholarship, beginning with Jean Mabillon, and examines how this discipline was integrated into Ottoman historical studies through the pioneering classification efforts of early historians.
Week 2 - Theoretical
Historical Institutionalization of Ottoman Archives and Fund Classifications
We investigate the Ottoman archival tradition from the establishment of the Hazine-i Evrak (Imperial Archives) to the modern era. The lecture analyzes the foundational fund structures (records of the Imperial Council, Sublime Porte, and Finance Department) and the historical classification phases they underwent by catalogers like Ali Emîrî, İbnülemin, and Muallim Cevdet.
Week 3 - Theoretical
The Imperial Council and Chancery Organization
This week dissects the document-producing heart of the Ottoman state apparatus. We will study the institutional operations and hierarchical structures of the Beylikçi, Tahvil, Ruus, and Amedi chanceries, tracing the bureaucratic traffic involved in transforming a raw administrative decision into an official charter.
Week 4 - Theoretical
Administrative and Functional Distribution of Scripts
We address the diplomatic functions of various scripts used in the Ottoman chancery, including Rik'a, Dîvânî, Celî Dîvânî, Nesih, Ta'lik, and Siyâkat. Students will learn why these styles were not merely aesthetic preferences, but practical indicators of administrative hierarchy and levels of document security or confidentiality.
Week 5 - Theoretical
Material Culture of the Document I: Paper Technology and Watermark Analysis
Focusing on the physical existence of the charter, we will study the domestic and imported (Venetian, Genoese, French) paper typologies used in the Ottoman chancery. The session covers paper preparation techniques (ahar and burnishing) and methods of analyzing watermarks, a vital tool for precise dating.
Week 6 - Theoretical
Material Culture of the Document II: Ink, Seal Diplomatics, and Preservation Forms
We examine the chemical components of chancery inks, from carbon-based ink to gold leaf, alongside the art of seal engraving. This lecture decodes the legal and diplomatic roles of imperial, grand vizierial, and judicial seals, as well as the bureaucratic meanings behind document folding methods, pouches, and storage sacks.
Week 7 - Theoretical
Diplomatic Clauses I: The Initial Protocol (Invocation and Tuğra)
We begin parsing the architectural anatomy of an Ottoman document. This week analyzes the Davet (Invocation) formulas placed at the absolute top of the text—symbolized by various Hüve forms—and the diplomatic evolution and anatomical components (sere, beyze, tuğ) of the Tuğra, which served as the sovereign’s legal signature.
Week 8 - Theoretical
Diplomatic Clauses II: Titles of Address and Protocol (Intitulatio / Inscriptio)
We decode how the rigid hierarchy of the Ottoman state was reflected in document phrasing. This lecture examines the systematic framework of Elkab (formal titles) used for everyone from the grand vizier and Şeyhülislam to provincial governors and foreign rulers, tracing how these titles fluctuated based on administrative status.
Week 9 - Theoretical
Diplomatic Clauses III: Notification, Narration, and the Core Text (Dispositio)
This session focuses on the sections of the document that state the purpose of writing and express the sovereign will. We will structurally analyze the introductory phase (Notificatio/Narratio) and the subsequent core text (Dispositio), where the legal command, administrative decision, or tax exemption is explicitly declared.
Week 10 - Theoretical
Diplomatic Clauses IV: Clauses of Sanction, Final Blessings, and the Closing Protocol
We will examine the warnings, penalties, or text segments encouraging compliance (Sanctio) aimed at those who might oppose the imperial decree. This is followed by an analysis of the closing prayers (Dua) tailored to the document’s nature, giving sense to the literary and legal boundaries of the text.
Week 11 - Theoretical
Diplomatic Clauses V: Chronology and Geography (Datation and Place of Issue)
Solving the chronological logic of Ottoman documents, we will study the application of the Hijri calendar, the tri-partite division of months into evâil, evâsıt, and evâhir (the first, middle, and last ten days), and the diplomatic significance of the locations where documents were drawn up (military camps, imperial palaces, or cities).
Week 12 - Theoretical
Textual Validation: The Sahh Sign and Chancery Authorization Mechanisms
We investigate bureaucratic control systems. Through practical reading exercises, students will identify the Sahh (valid/correct) marks indicating administrative authorization, register cross-reference notes (kuyûdat), and the physical traces left as a document circulated through various chanceries.
Week 13 - Theoretical
The Diplomatics of Copies: Legal Validity of Originals versus Transcripts
We look at cases where the original document remained in the central archives while a copy was dispatched to the provinces. We will analyze the diplomatic forms of transcripts and the specific judicial validation markers (Sahhu'l-asl / "Certified true copy") required for a copy to possess full legal authority.
Week 14 - Theoretical
Methodology of Diplomatic Criticism: Metodology on Internal and External Critique
In this concluding seminar of the first semester, we concentrate on detecting forged documents (tevzirat). By identifying anachronisms among paper types, script styles, seal placements, and structural hierarchies, we will perform practical exercises in both internal and external diplomatic criticism.
