Uncovering Ottoman Political Thought in Political Actors Who Did Not Write

This chapter explores how Ottoman documentary sources reveal the political thought of people who did not express themselves through political literature, from sultans through officials and military men to peasants and townsmen. It argues against the notion that political thought is what is contained in the literature of political thought, or that its authors were accurate and reflected the thinking of most people of their day. It asks two questions: who thought Ottoman political thought but did not write it, and what sources depict what that political thought must be. The first question is addressed from prior research, while the second, due to COVID-19, is explored in published documentary sources such as mühimme and ahkâm registers, grand viziers’ telhis, and kadı sicills. The chapter concludes that “political literature” is woefully incomplete in depicting Ottoman political thought.