Turkey: Seljuks and the Ottoman Empire

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EuroDocs > History of Turkey: Primary Documents > Seljuks and the Ottoman Empire

10th-15th century

"A massive 10th century Byzantine Greek historical encyclopedia of the ancient Mediterranean world, covering the whole of Greek and Roman antiquity and also including Biblical and Christian material." Contains ancient sources otherwise lost to history.
(10th century; English interface)
(922; English translation)
A history of the rulers of the Byzantine Empire down to the author's own time
From the Internet Ancient History Sourcebook
(1018-1078; English translation)
By Anna Komnene, Byzantine princess and historian
Special thanks to Other Women’s Voices
(1083; English translations)
By Urban II, according to Fulcher of Chartres. "Note how the traditions of the peace and truce of God - aimed at bringing about peace in Christendom - ties in directly with the call for a Crusade. Does this amount to the export of violence?"
From the Internet Ancient History Sourcebook
(1095; English translation)
  • The Sack of Constantinople by Byzantine Sources
Accounts of the Crusades from figures such as Nicetas Choniates and Eustathius Of Thessalonika
Anna Comnena's Account of the Crusaders
Crusaders Run Wild in Constantinople
A Byzantine View of Manuel's Favours to the Latins
Destruction of Ancient Art in the Latin Sack of Constantinople
Michael Choniates Laments Sgouros's Seizure of the Peloponnesus
Norman Atrocities and Devastation in Thessalonika
Mutual Hostility
From Myriobiblos
(12th-13th century; English translation)
HIT REFRESH TO LOAD PAGE. From the DeGreorio Collection of Antiquities come over 900 manuscripts with Turkish background
(13th-17th century; facsimile)
Also called Historia imperatorum Turcarum OR Χρονικὸν περὶ τῶν Τούρκων Σουλτάνων
This chronicler loved Byzantium as the “head and queen of all cities" and was bitter against the rich nobles who he believed caused the fall of Constantinople.
From the Vatican Library
(1373-1513; Greek facsimile with introduction in German)
The lifetime of the historian Laonikos Chalkokondyles coincided with the fall of Constantinople and the collapse of the Byzantine Empire...Histories, written towards the end of his life...focuses in particular on the rise of the Turks and the Ottoman Empire and makes use of Turkish sources.
16th century manuscript
(1423-1490; facsimile)
Observer's first-hand account of the event.
Provided by EyeWitness to History.
(1453; English translation)
Letters of the Emperor Manuel Palaiologos
(late 15th-early 16th century; French facsimile)
Manuel Palaiologos. The chronicle of Gregory Phrantzae.
(late 15th-early 16th century; Latin facsimile)
Epic stories describing the mythic origin of the Oghuz Turks. Originated in oral traditions.
(15th century; English translation)
His firsthand account of the Council of Florence
The Syropoulos Project
(15th century; English translation)

16th-19th century

Books printed in Izmir, Constantinople, Thessaloniki, Amsterdam, Livorno, Jerusalem, and Venice.
Ability to search or browse by printing place or year.
About the collection.
From the Bulgarian State Archives.
(1520-1915; facsimiles, Bulgarian interface)
Written by Bartol Gyurgieuits about the Ottoman Empire. He was a Croat who was taken captive in battle and escaped from slavery after 13 years.
Antwerpen publication. See Croatian History
(16th century; Latin; facsimile)
  • Four Eyewitness Reports of the Battle of Mohács
Hernach volget des Bluthundts der sich nennet eyn türckischen Kayser Gethaten....
(Hereafter follow the deeds of the bloodhound who calls himself a Turkish Emperor....")
New Zeyttung, wie der turckischen Keyser mit dem König von Ungern dye Schlacht gethan hat auff den Tag Johannis Enthauptung....
("News of how the Turkish Emperor fought the battle with the King of Hungary on the day John the Baptist was beheaded....")
Newe Zeyttung, wie die Schlacht zu Ungern mit dem tücrkischen (sic!) Keyser ergangen: Hat einer vonn Wien so dabey gewest... geschriben.
("News of how the battle for Hungary proceeded with the Turkish Emperor. Written... by someone from Vienna who was there.")
Newe Zeyttung, wie es mit der Schlacht zwüschen dem Künig von Ungern und dem türckischen Keysser ergangen....
("News of how it went with the battle between the King of Hungary and the Turkish Emperor....")
Digital copies from the Hungarian Electronic Library of the Széchényi National Library.
(28-29 August, 1526; PDF German pamphlet facsimiles)
Letters of a Flemish ambassador to the Ottoman Empire. Letter III includes an earthquake in Constantinople.
(ca 1581; English translation)
By Naima
(1591-1659; English translation)
  • Urkunden und Actenstücke zur Geschichte der Verhältnisse zwischen Österreich, Ungern und der Pforte im XVI. und XVII. Jahrhunderte
Documents and Reports on the History of Relations between Austria, Hungary and the Ottoman Empire in the 16th and 17th Century
1527
1528
1529
1530
1531-1532
1532-1533
1534
1536
1536-1537
1539-1540
(Print facsimiles with entries variously in Latin, French, German, Italian, Turkish, Spanish and Greek)
By Eremia Çelebi Kömürcüyan
(1670; written facsimile)
Six trips by Jean Baptiste Tavernier in Turkey, Persia, and India
Manuscript from Early Books and Special Collections Reading Room
(1676; French facsimile)
" The sultan’s threat-laden declaration shows that religious and political questions were inseparable in the Turkish-Austrian rivalry."
German History in Documents and Images
(1683; English translation)
Words of an Austrian diplomat.
(1684; Russian transcription)
Treaty ending the Austro-Ottoman War.
(January 26, 1699; English translation)
From the reign of Othman the Founder to the Siege of Vienna in 1683. By Dimitrie Cantemir (Voivode of Moldavia)
(ca 1711; English facsimile)
See also Letters written during her travels in Europe, Asia, and Africa
As wife of the British ambassador in Turkey, she wrote "the very first example of a secular work by a woman about the Muslim Orient."
(beginning 1716; English facsimile)
Treaty between Ottoman Empire and the Habsburg Monarchy at the end of the Austro-Turkish War.
(July 21, 1718; English)
Treaty concluding the Austro-Turkish war, part of the larger Russo-Turkish war.
(September 18, 1739; Russian translation)
Treaty ending the Russo-Turkish war. Also available in Russian.
Old Russian transcription and modern Russian translation available here.
(July 21, 1774; Turkish)
History of agreement between Russia and Turkey about sea and land borders and rights.
(21 July 1774; map, modern Russian translation)
Treaty ending the Russo-Turkish War of 1787–92, which was signed in Iași, Romania.
(January 9, 1792; Old Russian transcription, modern Russian translation)
Treaty ended war of 1806-1812 between Russia and Turkey.
(16 (28) May 1812; Old Russian transcription, modern Russian translation)
Book by Adam Neale on his travels
In cooperation with Bayerische StaatsBibliothek
(1818; English facsimiles)
Treaty determines borders and territories between the two empires.
(2 (14) September 1829; Old Russian transcription, modern Russian translation)
Book by John Cam Hobhouse Broughton on his travels from 1809-1810
In cooperation with Bayerische StaatsBibliothek
(1833; English facsimiles)
1839 to present; English translations)
  • Armenian History and the Ottoman Empire
Reports received from Her Majesty’s consuls relating to the condition of Christians in Turkey British Foreign Office Archives on Armenians and Greeks in the Ottoman Empire. (in English)
The Ottoman Empire, 1839-1877 - England and Russia in the question of the East, by a former diplomat. (in French)
The Armenians of Turkey (in French)
From Haybook - Armenian eBooks
(1861-1877; French, English; facsimiles)
Also known as "The Edict of the Rose Chamber," "Imperial Edict of Reorganization" or "The Rescript of Gülhane"
Declaration beginning a period of Tanzimat reforms in the Ottoman Empire.
(November 3rd, 1839; English translation)
Treaty ending the Crimean War.
Agreement between Austria, France, Great Britain, Prussia, Russia, Sardinia, and Turkey about peace, borders, war prisoners, and trade between countries.
Includes agreements about Black Sea and Danube use as well as territorial changes.
Modern Russian translation also available here.
(30 March 1856; Old Russian transcription; modern Russian translation)
Ended Russian-Ottoman war of 1877-8.
Serbia, Romania, and Montenegro receive independence from the Ottoman Empire (previously had autonomous status).
Bulgaria, Bosnia, and Herzegovina gained autonomy.
Turkish troops withdraw from Bulgaria and Russia.
English translation available here.
(19 February (3 March) 1878; modern Russian translation)
Agreement between European powers on the partition of West Africa.
(February 26, 1885; English)
Volume II, the Turkish Provinces
(1890s; English translation)

Early 20th century

Proclamation for the Ottoman Empire
(1908; English translation)
Constitution that made the Ottoman Empire a constitutional monarchy.
(December 23, 1876; English translation)
Revised Articles of the 1876 Constitution
(August 1909; English translation)
Small selection of newspapers from early 20th century Turkey, highlighting important military happenings
From Europeana Newspapers
(1909-1918; Turkish facsimiles with English description)
” A survivor's recollections, shared by her grandson, bring into vivid view the devastation of her people by Turkey 100 years ago.”
From the Portland Press Herald
(2015 publication from the 1909 event; English transcription; photographs)
Treaty ending Turco-Italian War. Also called First Treaty of Lausanne.
(October 18, 1912; English)
Between the Ottoman Empire and Greece following two Balkan Wars. Ceded Macedonia and other lands to Greece.
(1913; English translation)
(pre-1914 to post-1918; translations and transcriptions)
By M. Edith Durham. "The present is unspeakably miserable. Whole districts have been purposely depopulated, for the aim of most Balkan States is...to evict members of an alien race. These, hunted out from their lands and robbed of all they possess, are appealing now urgently for help."
From A Celebration of Women Writers
(1914; English; book facsimile)
A collection of primary documents from the Internet Modern History Sourcebook.
(1914-1918; transcriptions and translations)
"The two contracting parties agree to observe strict neutrality in regard to the present conflict between Austria-Hungary and Serbia."
From the Avalon Project
( 2 August, 1914; English translation)
(Books, articles, document transcriptions, photographs)
  • The Treatment of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire
Statement by Miss Wallis, a foreign resident at Adana, recording her experiences there.
Statement by Miss Frearson, a foreign resident at Aintab, written subsequently to her departure from Turkey
Series of reports from a foreign resident at Aleppo communicated by the American Committee for Armenian and Syrian Relief
From Institute for Armenian Studies
(1915-1916; English)
Agreement between Great Britain and France with Russian consent planning the partition of Ottoman territories upon the conclusion of WWI.
(May 16, 1916; English)
Sketches of German and young Turkish ethics and politics
(1917; book facsimile; English translation from German)
Treaty between Central Powers and Soviet Russia ending Russia's involvement in WWI.
(March 3, 1918; English)
"Mrs. Mugerditchian and her family, dressed in Kurdish costume, succeeded in making their escape into the country held by the Russians."
(1918; English; book facsimile)
Short lived declaration of Ottoman neutrality at the beginning of WWI.
(August 14, 1918; English)
Agreement between Turkey and Germany ending Turkish involvement in WWI.
(October 30, 1918; English translation)
Signed between the Allied and Associated Powers and Turkey.
Map from treaty.
(10 August 1920; English transcription, facsimile)
Secret agreement between the British Empire, France and Italy concerning Turkey.
(10 August 1920; English transcription)
The Russian Bolshevik 11th army captured Armenia, which means that upon signing this treaty on December 2, 1920, Armenia was not an independent country. Armenia was no longer a country, moreover, this treaty was not ratified.
(1920; English translation)
Also includes map facsimile signed by President Woodrow Wilson defining the border.
(1920; transcription)
Washington, D.C. Government Printing Office, 1920.
(Facsimile and transcription)
First constitution of the Republic of Turkey.
(January 1921; Turkish)
Between Russia and Turkey.
(16 March 1921; Russian transcription)
Ended the Franco-Turkish War
(October 20, 1921; French facsimile)
Treaty of friendship between Turkey and the Soviet Republics of Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Russian translation
(October 23, 1921; English translation)



EuroDocs > History of Turkey: Primary Documents > Seljuks and the Ottoman Empire

EuroDocs Creator: Richard Hacken, European Studies Librarian,
Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA.
Feel free to get in touch: Hacken @ byu.edu

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