Literature on the Question of Ottoman Caliphate
The question of Ottoman caliphate can roughly be examined in three periods: The first is the period that covers up to the 1770s, the second is the period that starts with the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca of 1774 and continues until the end of the Second Constitutional Period, and the third is the period that covers the years up to the abolition of the caliphate in 1924 and after. This article is an attempt to survey articles and books that examine the question of Ottoman caliphate in the first two periods. The first section of the article starts with a short analysis of the emergence of the question of Ottoman caliphate in the XVIth century and continues with reviews of articles and books that focused on the question. The second section includes an assessment of the importance of the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca from the viewpoint of the caliphate question and then examines literature on the second period of the subject. In its conclusion, an overall evaluation of the literature on the subject is made and important aspects of the caliphate question that have not yet been examined are indicated.
S. TUFAN BUZPINAR
