You are kindly invited to the seminar entitled as \u201cThe Battle of Nicopolis (1396) from the perspective of French authors\u201d organized by the Department of History.<\/p>\n
Date: 20 February 2025, Thursday
\nTime: 16.30
\nAvenue: A-130 FEASS Seminar Room<\/p>\n
Title: The Battle of Nicopolis (1396) from the perspective of French authors
\nSpeaker: Zeynep Kocab\u0131y\u0131ko\u011flu \u00c7e\u00e7en, Royal Holloway University of London<\/p>\n
Abstract:
\nThe Battle of Nicopolis, fought in 1396 within the present-day borders of Bulgaria, ended with the defeat of the Crusader army, primarily composed of French knights, against Ottoman Sultan Bayezid I. This battle was the first major encounter between Western Europe and the Ottomans, leaving a significant impact on France due to the heavy losses among its noble knights. The battle\u2019s aftermath is extensively reflected in various contemporary Western European literary works, providing critical perspectives on both the battle and the Ottomans.
\nThese sources are valuable for historical analysis in two ways: first, they offer insights into early Western European perceptions of the Ottomans before they were considered a major threat; second, they serve as important references for understanding the Battle of Nicopolis, which is relatively underrepresented in Ottoman historiography. This lack of focus in Ottoman sources is attributed to later events, such as the 1402 defeat of Bayezid by Timur and the subsequent interregnum, as well as the shift in Ottoman historiography towards imperial expansion after the conquest of Constantinople in 1453.
\nThe presentation paper will explore seven French texts, namely works by Philippe de M\u00e9zi\u00e8res, Honorat Bovet, Eustache Deschamps, historical chronicles of Jean Froissart and of the Saint-Denis Monastery, an anonymous chivalric chronicle all written in the immediate aftermath of the defeat and the travelogue of Bertrandon de la Broqui\u00e8re written in the mid fifteenth-century. The earlier works depict the battle\u2019s impact, criticising the Crusaders\u2019 lack of discipline and excessive luxury while also acknowledging the military prowess and organizational skills of the Ottomans. Notably, some texts describe Bayezid I as both a formidable and pragmatic leader, while others emphasize the Ottomans\u2019 perceived cruelty. Broqui\u00e8re\u2019s work, written in the context of later Burgundian crusading ambitions, while highlighting continued Western interest in understanding Ottoman military strategies, also reinforces the credibility of the earlier accounts through its first-hand observations on Ottoman discipline, warfare tactics, and governance that align with them.
\nMoreover, all these texts, while illustrating how Western Europe, still unfamiliar with the Ottomans, grappled with the reality of their military capabilities while simultaneously seeking to learn from and counter them in future encounters.<\/p>\n
Bio:
\nZeynep Kocab\u0131y\u0131ko\u011flu \u00c7e\u00e7en received her MA and PhD in History from Bilkent University in Ankara, Turkey, in 2005 and 2012, respectively. She has taught as a part-time instructor at Bilkent and TED Universities in Ankara and has been affiliated with Royal Holloway, University of London, as an honorary research associate since 2023.
\nHer research primarily focuses on the reflections of late medieval knighthood and the Crusades in medieval literature, as well as their memory in Turkey from the late nineteenth century onward. More broadly, she is interested in knighthood, warfare, and East-West interactions.<\/p>\n
In addition to publishing articles in international journals and conference proceedings, she has co-edited and co-authored Ay\u015feg\u00fcl Keskin \u00c7olak\u2019a Arma\u011fan: Tarih ve Edebiyat Yaz\u0131lar\u0131 (2016), a collection of essays on history and literature. She also edited and co-authored Orta \u00c7a\u011f\u2019a Yeni Yakla\u015f\u0131mlar (2019), a volume of essays on the Middle Ages, and translated and edited Berthe Georges-Gaulis\u2019den Mektuplar: Bir Frans\u0131z Gazetecinin T\u00fcrkiye ve Ortado\u011fu \u0130zlenimleri (2021), a collection of early twentieth-century letters on Turkey and the Middle East.<\/p>\n
Her most recent publication is Ha\u00e7l\u0131lar\u0131n Hezimeti Ni\u011fbolu Muharebesi: Frans\u0131z Kaynaklar\u0131ndan T\u00fcrkler\u2019e Bak\u0131\u015f (2024), which includes translations of medieval French sources and their analysis. Her forthcoming works include a chapter on the memory of the Crusades in Turkey and an English translation of Philippe de M\u00e9zi\u00e8res\u2019s Epistre Lamentable (1397), both to be published by Routledge in 2026\u201327.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
You are kindly invited to the seminar entitled as \u201cThe Battle of Nicopolis (1396) from the perspective of French authors\u201d organized by the Department of History. Date: 20 February 2025, Thursday Time: 16.30 Avenue: A-130 FEASS Seminar Room Title: The Battle of Nicopolis (1396) from the perspective of French authors [\u2026] <\/p>\n