Picturing violence in the Ottoman Visual Chronology: Othering and reproducing political authority in illustrated manuscripts of the 10th century AH

Document Type : Research Article

Author

Assistant Professor of Islamic Art, Faculty of Art and Architecture, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran.

Abstract
Ottoman illustrated historiography of the tenth century AH (sixteenth century CE) functioned not only as a means of recording historical events but also as a visual medium for constructing and disseminating the political discourse of the Ottoman court. This study examines the representation of violence in illustrated Ottoman chronicles and investigates its role in the processes of othering and the reproduction of political authority. Using a descriptive-analytical approach based on documentary research and visual analysis of selected illustrations from major sixteenth-century Ottoman historical manuscripts, the study analyses how violence was represented and how these representations contributed to the legitimisation of imperial ideology. The findings demonstrate that violence was not merely a reflection of historical events but a deliberate visual strategy through which European Christian enemies, Safavid Qizilbash communities, and internal opponents were systematically portrayed as the “Other.” In contrast, Ottoman rulers and their military elites were represented as legitimate agents of justice, religion, and political order. Through the repeated visualisation of warfare, executions, and public punishment, illustrated chronicles reinforced ideological boundaries, legitimised imperial authority, and strengthened collective identity among members of the Ottoman ruling elite.

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Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 12 July 2026

  • Receive Date 17 October 2025
  • Revise Date 08 July 2026
  • Accept Date 12 July 2026