XVI. Yüzyıl Rus Edebiyatında “Fatih Sultan Mehmet Menkıbesi”
“Sultan Mehmet The Conqueror Saga” In The XVI. Century Russian Literature

Summary/Abstract: In Old Russia, Istanbul was called Tsargrad, “The City of Tsar”. The city that gathers attention for all the times has gained huge importance after it has been conquered by Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror, and then been subject to many works of literature. In old Russian literature, especially after the second half of XVth century, with the improvement of writings which were touching on the non-religious subjects also contemporary, social and political problems, the story of Constantinopolis’ fall and its invasion by Turks has been one of the common subjects. The well known author of XVIth century, Ivan Peresvetov had criticised the Russian state government system at the “Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror Saga” (Сказание о Магмет-салтане), which shaped Russia’s socio-political thought system and within that saga, the author have informed young Tsar Ivan IV (Ivan The Terrible) and shaped the future of social reforms that Russia had needed. Sultan Mehmet The Conqueror who gained a “political utopia” hallmark by Peresvetov in his opinion was a strong, authoritarian and wise emperor, philosopher and a person that should be taken as a role model. While at the saga, the reasons of Byzantine Empire’s fall, centralist and absolutist state order and religious thoughts have been narrated with details, young Tsar also had received the message of how to protect himself from the same situation as Byzantine Emperor, like it happened in the past. Having been shown as an example for the creation of fair and strong state politics of Russia, in spite of being a muslim person, Turkish emperor puts the importance of the legacy of Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror in Europe and in Russia as well. In this research, the reasons of an empire’s fall, fair state system of the ideal Turkish emperor Sultan Mehmet The Conqueror and the strong new state order thatPeresvetov’s expectations from young Tsar have been presented in the light of various quotations form the saga.

• Details
• Contents