Historiography in Ottoman Europe

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Main Sources

The HOE-database contains a wide rage of main sources, to which auxiliary material is provided. Below, there is a list of these main sources for your convenient reference. The search function of our collection allows you to search for titles, transcribed titles, or translated titles. Furthermore, you can refine and customize your search results with the help of our various facets.
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A B C D G H I K L M N O P R S Z

Theodoros Agallianos / Theophanes of Medeia († before 1474) – Short Chronicle

Ioan Agapie / Ioannis Agapios (2^nd half of the 18^th century) – History of Prince Mavrogheni (“Ἱστορία τοῦ αὐθέντου Μαυρογένου”)

Paulus Angelus / Paolo Angelo († 1469) – Genealogy of the Angelo family (“Liber illustris generationis Isacij patricij senatorisque Romani cognomente Angelus”)

Anonymous (second half of the 15^th century) – Additions to Zonaras’ Epitome of Histories in Mutinensis gr. 122

Anonymous (1574) – Painted “chronicle” of Bucovăț

Anonymous (2^nd of the 16^th century) – The death of Michael Kantakouzenos in BNF – Coislin 316

Anonymous (2^nd half of the 16^th century) – Short chronicle in BAS ms. gr. 16

Anonymous (after 1573 – before 1625) – Chronicle of the Turkish Sultans (“Χρονικὸν περὶ τῶν Τούρκων Σουλτάνων”)

Anonymous (1678 or 1679) – Miscellany (including fragments from a Chronograph) in NSL Oct. Serb. 1

Anonymous (2^nd half of the 17^th century) – Serbian Cronograph, followed by a Genealogy of the Turkish Sultans,in BUB – Marsili 103/V, ff. 19-26^r

Anonymous (attributed to Constantin Cantacuzino / Ioan Frâncul) (end of 17^th – beginning of the 18^th century) – Catalogue of the Princes of Moldavia (“Catalogo de’ Prencipi di Moldavia”)

Anonymous (attributed to Constantin Cantacuzino / Ioan Frâncul) (end of 17^th – beginning of the 18^th century) – Catalogue of the Princes of Wallachia (“Catalogo de’ Prencipi di Walachia”)

Anonymous (attributed to Constantin Cantacuzino / Teodosie Veștemeanul / Ioan Frâncul) (end of 17^th – beginning of the 18^th century) – History of Wallachia (“Istoriia Țărâi Rumânești”)

Anonymous (translated from Greek to Romanian by Radu Greceanu) (end of 17^th – beginning of the 18^th century) – Short mournful story about the injust death of the most-honourable Constantin Cantacuzino, grand postelnic of Wallachia (“Povéste de jale și pre scurt asupra nedreptei morți a prea cinstitului Costandin Cantacozino, marelui postélnic al Țării Rumânești”)

Anonymous (attributed to Radu Greceanu / Constantin Cantacuzino / Florea erei / Dumitrache medelnicer) (end of 17^th – 18^th century) – Chronological List

Anonymous (translated from Ottoman Turkish to Greek by Matthaios of Chios, in 1704) – History from the beginning of the Turkish emperors (“Ἱστορικὸν τῶν ἐξ ἀρχῆς βασιλέων τουρκῶν”)

Anonymous (translated from Ottoman Turkish to Greek by Matthaios of Chios, in 1704) – Narration on the island of Crete (“Διήγησις τοῦ νησίου τῆς Κρήτης”)

Anonymous (after 1715) – The Story of Prince Constantin Brâncoveanu (“Istoria lui Costandin vodă Brâncoveanul”)

Anonymous monk(s) of Zographou (shortly before 1744) – Composite Charter or Imaginary Chronicle of Zographou

Anonymous (1758) – Chronograph, called the Book of Emperors (“Letopiseț, ce se zice cartea împăraților”) in BAR ms. rom. 1070

Anonymous (probably 1767) – The Story of Stavrakoglu (“Ἱστορία τοῦ Σταυρὰκ Ὀγλοῦ”)

Anonymous (1769 or after) – Words in verses of Hotin fortress (“Cuvinte în verșuri a cetății Hotinului”)

Anonymous (1769 or after) – History of the suffering of Galați (“Istorie di patima Gălaților”)

Anonymous (1781 or after) – The Runnign Away from Home of the Sons of Alexandru Ipsilanti

Anonymous (1788 or after) – Poem of the German General called Horváth (“Stih gănărariului nemțăscu anumi Arvat”)

Anonymous (1789 or after) – Anonymous chronicle of Nicolae Mavrogheni’s reign

Anonymous (attributed to Ianache Văcărescu) – Bulgaria and Romania (“La Bulgaria e Romania” – Siena 1791)

Anonymous (probably Gheorghe Nacul) (1792 or after) – The death of Prince Potemkin

Anonymous (after 1766 – 1795) – Notes on a manuscript

Anonymous (1796) – The replacement by the Porte of Prince Alexandru Moruzi of Wallachia

Anonymous (2^nd half of the 18^th century) – Miscellany (including perhaps a version of Nestor-Iskender’s Tale on the Conquest of Constantinople) in Cod. D. slavo 34

Anonymous (1799 or after) – The Story of Prince Hangerli (“Istoriia voevodului Hangeri”)

Anonymous [probably Ioniță Arhip († 1833)] – Verses of the most-highly Prince Alexandru Constantin Moruzi (“ Stihurile pre-înălțatului domnu Alecsandru Costantin Moruzi”)

Anonymous (beginning of the 19^th century) – Historical Summary of Moldavia (“Ἱστορικὴ περίληψις τῆς Μολδαβίας”)

Aṯanāsiyūs III al-Dabbās († 1724) – Synopsis, with the help of the Holy God, on the most-holy Patriarchs of the great divine city of Antioch (“Σύνοψις σὺν Θεῷ ἁγίῳ περὶ τῶν ἁγιωτάτων πατριαρχῶν τῆς μέγαλης θεουπόλεως Ἀντιοχείας”)

BAR ms. rom. 237 (1430-1743) [Corneliu Istrati (ed.), Condica lui Mavrocordat, Iași: Editura Universității “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” 2008]

Mula Mustafa Ševki Bašeskija († 1809) – Antology (“Mecmua”)

Fra Bonaventura Benić († 1785) – Chronicle of Sutjeska Monastery (“Protocollum conventus Suttiscæ”)

BNF (Bibliothèque Nationale de France) – Paris – Coislin 316 (15^th-16^th century)

BNR (Biblioteca Națională a României) – Bucharest – ms. 4256 (19^th century) – Miscellany of versified chronicles

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Dimitrie Cantemir († 1723) – The history of the growth and decay of the Othman empire (“Demetrii principis Cantemirii Incrementorum et decrementorum Aulæ Othman[n]icæ sive Aliothman[n]icæ Historiæ a prima gentis origine ad nostra usque tempora deductæ libri tres”)

Dimitrie Cantemir († 1723) – Life of Constantine Cantemir, called ‘the Old’, Prince of Moldavia (“Vita Constantini Cantemyrii, cognomento Senis, Moldaviæ Principis”)

Giovanni Michele Cigala / Mehmet Bey – History of Mehmet Bey, first published in 1667

Constantine of Kostenets, or Constantine the Philosopher († after 1431) – Life of Despot Stefan Lazarević (“Житија деспота Стефана Лазаревића / Житие Стефана Лазаревича”)

(attributed to) Miron Costin († 1691) / (attributed to) Metropolitan Dosoftei of Moldavia († 1693), Tvorenie (“Creation”)

Laonikos Chalkokondyles († after 1464) – Proofs / Demonstrations of Histories (“Ἀποδείξεις Ἱστοριῶν”)

DANIC ms. 705 (1692-1714) [Melentina Bâzgan (ed.), Condica Marii Logofeții 1692-1714, Pitești: “Paralela 45” 2009]

Ioustinos Decadios († ~ 1533) – Remembrance of our father among the saints Niphon archbishop of Constantinople / Remembrance of our father among the saints Niphon, who became patriarch of Constantinople (“Μνήμη τοῦ ἐν ἁγίοις πατρὸς ἡμῶν Νήφωνος ἀρχιεπισκόπου Κωνσταντινουπόλεως / Μνήμη τοῦ ἐν ἁγίοις πατρὸς ἡμῶν Νήφωνος, πατριάρχου γεγονότος Κωνσταντινουπόλεως”)

Metropolitan Dosoftei of Moldavia († 1693), The Princes of Moldavia (“Domnii țărăi Moldovei”)

Doukas (15^th century) – History

Gavriil Protul († probably after 1548) – The Life and Deeds of our Father Niphon, Patriarch of Constantinople, who Shone in the Midst of many Passions and Temptations in Constantinople and Wallachia (“Viața și traiul Sfinției Sale părintelui nostru Nifon patriarhul Țarigradului care au strălucit între multe patemi și ispite în Țarigrad și în Țara Muntenească”)

Anthimos Gazis – Map of Greece with ancient and modern place names (“Πίναξ γεωγραφικὸς τῆς Ἑλλάδος μὲ τὰ παλαιὰ καὶ νέα ὀνόματα” – Vienna 1800)

Gheorghe Golescu / Anthimos Gazis – Atlas or Universal map (“Ἄτλας ἢ χάρτης περιέχων καθολικοὺς γεωγραφικοὺς πίνακας τῆς ὑδρογείου σφαίρας...” – Vienna 1800)

Herodotus (Romanian translation) (17^th century)

Hristache pitar (second half of the 18^th century – first half of the 19^th century) – History of the Deeds of Prince Mavrogheni and of the rebellion occured in his time, around 1790 (“Istoria faptelor lui Mavrogheni vodă și a răzmiriței din timpul lui, pe la 1790”)

Ioakeim Kyprios († before 1669) – Book called Struggle, id est Battle of the Turks against the most venerable and the most illustrious Grand Ruler and Prince of the Most illustrious City of Venice (“Βιβλίον ονομαζόμενος Πάλη, ήγουν μάχη των Τούρκων μετά του ευσεβέστατου και εκλαμπρότατου μεγάλου αυθεντός και πριντσίπου της λαμπρότατης Βενετίας”)

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Ieremias Kakavelas († after 1700) – Siege of Vienna (“Ἀποκλεισμὸς τῆς Βιέννης”); Greek translation of an anonymous Raggualio historico della guerra tra l’armi Cesaree e Ottomane dal principio della Ribellione degl’Ungari fino l’anno corrente 1683 e principalmente dell'assedio di Vienna e sua liberazione, con gl’incominciati progressi delle dette armi Cesaree e Confederate (1683)

Nikolaos Karatzas († end of the 18^th century) – On Michael Kantakouzenos (“Περὶ τοῦ Μιχὴλ Καντακουζηνοῦ”)

Nikolaos Karatzas († end of the 18^th century) – Genealogy of the Karyophillis family (“Σειρὰ τοῦ γένους τῶν Καρυοφύλλων”)

Nikolaos Karatzas († end of the 18^th century) – copy-paste History of the Ottoman Empire in Ioannina ms. Kourilas 5

Ioannis Komninos / Constantin Cantacuzino / Chrysanthos Notaras – Geographical map of the most-high Principality of Wallachia (“Πίναξ γεωγραφικὸς τῆς ὑψηλoτάτης ἡγεμονίας Οὐγγροβλαχίας / Index Geographicus Celsissimi Principatus Wallachiae”), Padua 1700

Michael Kritoboulos († after 1468) – History of Mehmed the Conqueror (“Ξυγγραφὴ ἱστοριῶν”)

Konstantinos Laskaris († 1501) – Synopsis of the Histories (“Σύνοψις ἱστορικῶν »)

Fra Filip Lastrić († 1783) – Survey of the Antiquities of the Bosnian Province (“Epitome vetustatum provinciae Bosnensis”)

Nikola Lašvanin († 1750) – Chronicle (“Kronika”)

Rafael Levaković († 1650) – Life of Prince Sultan Jachia (“Vita del principe Sultan Jachia”)

Paisios Ligaridis († 1678) – Book of Prophecies, past, present, and future, about Constantinople, the new Rome, by different authors compiled and edited by the most holy and learned Metropolitan of Gaza, kyr Paisios, most honored and exarch over the entire Promised Land (“Χρησμολόγιον Κωνσταντινουπόλεως, νέας Ρώμης, παρῳχημένον, ἐνεστὼς καὶ μέλλον, ἐκ διαφόρων συγγραφέων συλλεχθὲν καὶ συναρμοσθὲν παρὰ τοῦ πανιεροτάτου καὶ σοφωτάτου μητροπολίτου Γάζης κυρίου Παϊσίου, ὑπερτίμου καὶ ἐξάρχου πάσης γῆς ἐπαγγελίας”)

Paisios Ligaridis († 1678) – Report, or Account, of the partial council which took place in illustrious Moscow against the erstwhile Patriarch Nikon, composed by the humble Metropolitan of Gaza, kyr Paisios Ligaridis of Chios (“Ἒκθεσις, ἠτοῦν Διήγησις, τῆς μερικῆς συνόδου, τῆς ἐν τῇ κλεινῆ Μοσχοβία γεγονείας, κατὰ τοῦ ποτὲ Νίκωνος πατριάρχου, συντεθεῖσα παρὰ τοῦ ταπεινοῦ μητροπολίτου Γαζέων, κυροῦ Παϊσίου, τοῦ πίκλην Λιγαρίδου τοῦ χιοπολίτου”)

Mahmud Efendi (beginning of the 18^th century) – History of the City of Philosophers (“Târih-i Medînetü’l-Hukemâ”)

Makāriyūs Ibn al-Za‘īm († 1672) – Short histories and news concerning the princes of Wallachia (“Tawārīkh wa akhbār mukhtasira ‘an afandiyyat al-‘Aflākh”)

Matthaios of Myra († 1624) – Memorandum (“Ὑπόμνημα”)

Matthaios of Myra († 1624) – Short account of the unexpected fall from the throne of prince Șerban, also known as Radu, and the arrival in Wallachia of prince Radu, the son of Mihnea (“Διήγησις σύντομος περί τε τοῦ Σερμπάνου Βοεβόδα τοῦ καὶ Ῥάδουλου, παρ᾽ἐλπίδα τῆς ἡγεμονίας ἐκπεσόντος, καί Ῥάδουλου Βοεβόδα, υἱοῦ Μίχνα Βοεβόδα, ἐν τῇ Οὐγγροβλαχίᾳ εἰσελθόντος”)

Matthaios of Myra († 1624) – A history of the events in Wallachia from Prince Șerban to Prince Gabriel, the present ruler (“Ἱστορία τῶν κατὰ τὴν Οὐγγροβλαχίαν τελεσθέντων, ἀρξαμένη ἀπὸ Σερμπάνου Βοηβόνδα μέχρι Γαβριὴλ Βοηβόνδα τοῦ ἐνεστῶτος δουκός”)

Mitrophanis – Notes written in 1611 on a 16^th century Greek Book of Hours belonging to the Holy Metropolis of Ioannina

Teodoro Montselese – The heroic deeds of the illustrious and valiant Lazzaro Mocenigo (“Ἀνδραγαθίαν τοῦ ἐκλαμπρωτάτου καὶ ἀνδρειωτάτου Λαζάρου Μητζηνίγου”), published in Venice, in 1646

Mehmet Nergisi († 1635) – The Perfect Description of the Just Vezir (“El-vaṣfü l-kāmilfī-aḥvāli l-vezīri l-ʻādil”)

Chrysanthos Notaras – Geographical Map of the Ancient and Modern known World (“Πίναξ γεωγραφικὸς τῆς τε Παλαιᾶς καὶ Νέας Ἐγνωσμένης Γῆς”), Padua 1700

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Ömer Bosnavi (first half of the 18^th century) – The State of Religious Wars in the Province of Bosnia (“Ahvâl-i gazevât der diyar-i Bosna”)

Georgios Palamidis – History containing all the deeds and heroic deeds and wars of the illustrious voivode Michael, prince of Wallachia, Transylvania, Moldavia until the day of his death (“Ἱστορία περιέχουσα πάσας τὰς πράξεις καὶ ἀνδραγαθίες καὶ πολέμους τοῦ ἐκλαμπροτάτου Μιχαὴλ Βοηβόδα, ἀυθέντη Οὐγγροβλαχίας, Τρανσυλβανίας, Μολδοβίας, ὡς τὴν ἡμέραν τῆς τελευτῆς αὐτοῦ”)

Paraspondylos Zotikos (15^th century) – Account... on [the battle of] Varna (“Διήγησις… Βάρνας”)

Parthenios of Pogoniani – 1763 History on how the diocese of the Pogoniani archbishopric got his name (“Ἰστορία κὰτα ποίον τρὸπον ἔχει τήν ονόμάσσιαν ἡ Ἐπαρχία τῆς ἀρχίεπίσκοπῆς Πῶγωνανῆς”)

Ibrâhîm Peçevî († 1649) – History of Peçevî (“Ta'rîh-i Peçevî”)

Dimitrios Ramadanis († 1735/1745) / Konstantinos Dapontes (1713/1714-1784) – History of the events occured during the reign of Sultan Mehmed, when Mehmed Köprülü pașa the Old was Grand Vizier, until the reign of Sultan Ahmed, son of this Sultan Mehmed, when Damat Hasan pașa was Grand Vizier (“Ἱστορία τῶν συμβάντων ἐπὶ τῆς βασιλείας τοῦ σουλτὰν Μεχμέτη, ἐπιτροπεύοντος τοῦ Κιπρουλῆ γέροντος Μεχμὲτ πασᾶ, μέχρι τῆς βασιλείας τοῦ σουλτὰν Ἀχμέτη, υἱοῦ τοῦ αὐτοῦ σουλτὰν Μεχμέτη, ἐπιτροπεύοντος τηνικαῦτα τοῦ Δαμὰτ Χασὰν πασᾶ”)

Rhigas – Chart of Greece (“Χάρτα τῆς Ἑλλάδος” – Vienna 1797)

Rhigas – General map of Moldavia and part of its nearby provinces (“Γενική χάρτα τῆς Μολδαβίας καί μέρος τῶν γειτνιαζουσῶν αὐτῇ ἐπαρχιῶν” – Vienna 1797

Rhigas – New map of Wallachia and part of Transylvania (“Νέα χάρτα τῆς Βλαχίας καί μέρους τῆς Τρανσυλβανίας” – Vienna 1797)

Ṣadreddinzade Meḥmed Şirvani (translated by Yahacob Romano in 1632) – Compendium of the various sects encountered among the Turks (“Compendio delle varie sette che si trovano fra gli Turchi”)

Sa’yî Mustafa Çelebi (early 16^thcentury) – Victory letter about the conquest of the fortress of Belgrade (“Fetihnâme-i Kal‘a-i Belgrad”)

Monastery of St John – Serres (1498-1809) [Cod. Duj. 55 – Paolo Odorico (ed.), Le Codex B du Monastère Saint-Jean-Prodrome Serres XVe-XIXe siècles, Paris: Éditions de l’Association “Pierre Belon” 1998]

Metropolitan See of Serres (1606-1814) [Cod. Duj. 375 & 377 – Paolo Odorico (ed.), Mémoire d’une voix perdue. Le Cartulaire de la métropole de Serrès (17e-19e siècles, Paris: Éditions de l’École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales 1994]

Simonopetra – Cartulary (Condica) of St Nicholas monastery near Bucharest (1437-1848) [Condica... sfintei mănăstiri Mihail voievod]

Monastery of Sozopolis – Chartulary (1363-1609) [Patmiacus 770 / Jerosol. gr. 276 – Lambros Kamperidis (ed.), The Greek Monasteries of Sozopolis XIV-XVII Centuries, Thessaloniki: Institute for Balkan Studies 1993]

Hagi Stachie of Vâlcea (probably 1767) – Story of Iordache Stavarache, former grand spătar and bași capichihaia of Wallachia (“Istoriia lui Iordache Stavarache biv vel spătar și bași capichihaia al Țării Muntenești” – Romanian translation of “Ἱστορία τοῦ Σταυρὰκ Ὀγλοῦ”)

Stavrinos the Vestiary – Heroic deeds of the most pious and valiant voivode Michael (“Ἀνδραγαθίες τοῦ εὐσεβεστάτου καὶ ἀνδρειοτάτου Μιχαὴλ Βοεβόδα”)

Synadinos of Serres († after 1662) – Advices and memoirs of Synadinos, priest of Serres

Ianache Văcărescu († 1797) – History of the all-mighty Ottoman Emperors (“Istorie a preaputernicilor înpărați othomani”)

Giovanni Vergici (2^nd half of the 16^th Century) – Historia del Regno di Candia (“History of the Realm of Crete”)

Gerasimos Vlachos († 1685) – The Triumph of the most excellent and illustrious messer Alvise Mocenigo... (“Trionfo del illustrissimo et eccelentissimo Signor Alvise Mocenico...”)

Gerasimos Vlachos († 1685) – Victory over the Turkish Empire (“Θρίαμβος κατὰ τῆς τῶν Τουρκῶν βασιλείας / Одоление на Турскоецарство”)

Zilot Românul (Ștefan Ioan Fănuță) († 1853) – History of Wallachia from the Reign of Prince Alexandru Ipsilanti to the End of the Reign of Prince Ioan Caragea (1796-1818) [“Istoria Țării Românești de la domnia lui Alexandru-Vodă Ipsilanti până la sfârșitul domniei lui Ioan-Vodă Caragea (1796-1818)”]

Zilot Românul (Ștefan Ioan Fănuță) († 1853) – The Third Reign of Prince Alexandru Suțul, also called Dracache (“Domnia a treia a lui Alexandru-Vodă Suțul, ce i se zicea și Dracache”)

Zilot Românul (Ștefan Ioan Fănuță) († 1853) – The Pathetic Song of the Zealot (“Jalnica cântare a lui Zilot”)

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