earliest account of the suppression of the Janissaries

The earliest and most comprehensive account of Sultan Mahmud II's suppression of the Janissaries in 1826, composed by the court historian and scholar Mehmed Es'ad Efendi (1789-1848).

Mahmud II (1785-1839) sought to reform the Ottoman state, but found the entrenched Janissary Corps a constant obstacle to his plans. In 1826 he announced their dissolution and the formation of a new modern army, which provoked a mutiny by the Janissaries. The Sultan acted with force and by the end of 1826 he had killed or exiled the vast majority of Janissaries, along with the Bektashi Sufi order (closely associated with the Janissaries) whose adherents were also exiled. This is the first significant account of this event which saw a vast transformation in the Ottoman state over the course of a single year.

First edition, single volume printed in Ottoman Turkish, complete with fihrist and dedication to Mahmud II, printed in single column, catch-words, some light thumbing, ex-libris stamp and one ink ownership inscription; in original leather-backed embossed boards, ornamental devices gilt to covers, spine gilt, extremities very slightly rubbed otherwise a very clean copy. 218 x 125mm (8½ x 5 inches).