Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts covered in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book analyses the accounts of the sieges of Nagykanizsa provided by four 'eyewitnesses': three Ottoman historians, Hasan Beyzade, Abdülkadir Topçularkatibi and Ibrahim Peçevi, and that by the grand vizier in his report of the siege to the sultan. It also analyses two versions of the Nagykanizsa fethname sent to Queen Elizabeth I in 1600. It concentrates on the most detailed description of the second siege as contained in a corpus of twenty-five manuscripts collectively referred to as the Gazavat-i Tiryaki Hasan Pas, a. The book examines the Ottoman historians Katib Çelebi and Naima's readings of a Nagykanizsa gazavatname as evidenced through their re-inscriptions of the text in their respective histories. It explores Naima's reading and incorporation of Katib Çelebi's text in his Tarih-i Naima, a process which essentially establishes the version of events for future audiences.