Osman Ağa of Temeşvar (Turkish: Temeşvarlı Osman Ağa; 1670–1725) was an Ottoman army officer, historian, and travel writer, as well as one of the few Turkish-language autobiographers of the era.[1][2] The former prisoner-of-war wrote mostly of his adventures - and imprisonment - in Habsburg Austria.[3] His autobiography was the sole Ottoman Turkish example of its kind.

Life

Osman was born in Temeşvar (Timișoara), Temeşvar Eyalet (now in western Romania), probably in a family of South Slavic origin.[4] He spoke German and Serbo-Croatian (South Slavic).[5] Temesvár was inhabited by Romanians, Southern Slavs (Serbs), and Hungarians at the time and had been conquered by the Ottoman Empire in 1552.

Osman Aga was a low-ranking army officer in Temesvár who excelled in learning foreign languages and equitation.

After the unsuccessful Siege of Vienna in 1683, the tide turned and the Holy League of European nations began to force the Ottomans out of Hungary during the Great Turkish War between 1683–1699.

Military service

The Austrians were unable to capture Temesvár during the war. In 1688, Osman's squadron of 80 men were tasked with delivering the salaries of army officers to Lipova, Arad, just north of Temesvár.[6] They were attacked by superior Austrian Forces in Arad County. The city council decided to surrender, leading Osman to become a prisoner-of-war at the age of 18.[4]

Prisoner-of-war

Osman Aga was awarded to a military judge in the Austrian Army who asked for a ransom. Despite having the means to pay for his freedom, he was not released. He was sold to several new masters in Kapfenberg and Vienna. He spent several months in dungeons and was frequently beaten and whipped by his masters during the early years, but his skill in equitation and learning German helped him to live a relatively stress free life in later years. One of his masters offered him freedom in return for converting to Christianity, which he refused.[7] After the Treaty of Karlowitz, he returned to Temesvár in 1700.

Austrian-Ottoman War and later life

Austrian forces led by Eugene of Savoy besieged Belgrade in 1717, during the Austro-Turkish War of 1716-18.

As a result of the German he had learned during his servitude, he became the official dragoman (translator) of Temesvár and served in several diplomatic missions to Austria. However, his newly-comfortable lifestyle was shattered at the outbreak of a new war between the Ottomans and the Austrians in 1715. This time Eugene Savoy of Austria captured Temesvár in 1716. Osman Aga fled to Belgrade (now in Serbia). Despite Osman Aga's retreat, Belgrade shared the same fate in 1717. Shortly before the final assault of the Austrians on Belgrade, they blew up the ammunition dump of the fort on 14 August 1717. This resulted in the deaths of 3,000 people, which included most of Osman's family. After the loss of Belgrade, he served in Vidin (now in Bulgaria) and then came to Istanbul, where he continued his civil service as dragoman.[8]

Work

Osman Aga's most important work is Prisoner of the Infidels (1724), which summarizes his adventures in Austria between 1688 and 1700. He also wrote Austrian History (Turkish: Nemçe Tarihi), an unfinished work up to 1662. His other works include notes about his diplomatic missions after 1700.

  • Austrian History (Turkish: Nemçe Tarihi, 1722), an unfinished work up to 1662.
  • Prisoner of the Infidels (Turkish: Gâvurların Esiri, German: Der Gefangene der Giauren, 1724), his summary of his adventures in Austria between 1688 and 1700. (British Museum NR. MS Or. 3213[9]) (Timisoara, Osman of (September 2021). English language edition. Univ of California Press. ISBN 9780520383395. published in 2021)

See also

References

  1. ↑ Westermann, Jacob. "The self in captivity: Slavery and autobiographical rebirth in the memoirs of Osman Aga (1670-1725)". escholarship.mcgill.ca. Sumeyra Aslihan Gurbuzel (Supervisor). Retrieved 2023-02-16.
  2. ↑ Aksan, Virginia (2001), Fay, Mary Ann (ed.), "The Question of Writing Premodern Biographies of the Middle East", Auto/Biography and the Construction of Identity and Community in the Middle East, New York: Palgrave Macmillan US, pp. 191–200, doi:10.1007/978-1-349-62114-9_13, ISBN 978-1-349-62114-9, retrieved 2023-02-16
  3. ↑ Skenderović, R (2022). "Descriptions of the Forests of Slavonia in Travelogues of the Early Modern Age". Historical Studies on Central Europe. 2: 27–44. doi:10.47074/HSCE.2022-1.02. hdl:10831/85239. S2CID 249947124.
  4. 1 2 Wendy Bracewell (2009). Orientations: An Anthology of East European Travel Writing, ca. 1550-2000. Central European University Press. pp. 42–. ISBN 978-963-9776-10-4. Osman-aga, born to a family of South Slav origin in Temesvar (present- day Timisoara in Romania)
  5. ↑ Зборник за историју. Матица српска, Одељење за друштвене науке. 1982. p. 186. То је Осман-ага, тумач родом из Темишвара (око 1671—1725?), образован човек, добар зналац српскохрватског и немачког језика. Он сведочи о устанку српске paje (Die serbischen Raiáyá)." Да бих показао да Станојевић пише....
  6. ↑ Hanß, Stefan (2019). "Hair, Emotions and Slavery in the Early Modern Habsburg Mediterranean". History Workshop Journal. 87 (Spring 2019): 160–187. doi:10.1093/hwj/dbz004.
  7. ↑ Osman Ağa (1971). Gâvurların esiri. Milliyet Yayınları.
  8. ↑ Sheridan, R. Aslıhan Aksoy (2021-07-02). "Nostalgia of a Frustrated Ottoman Subject: Reading Osman Agha of Timișoara's Memoirs as Self-Narrative | International Journal of Middle East Studies | Cambridge Core". International Journal of Middle East Studies. Cambridge.org. 53 (2): 323–330. doi:10.1017/S0020743821000386. S2CID 235717050.
  9. ↑ "Kitapmekani: Prisoner of the Infidels". Archived from the original on 2016-08-28. Retrieved 2010-05-24.
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