An Ottoman Historiographer: Athanasios Komnenos Hypsilantis

Historical works rendered in Greek during the Ottoman period are not widely known and used in Ottoman studies and are not typically regarded as part of Ottoman historiography. One such work was written by Athanasios Komnenos Hypsilantis in almost forty years and was only partially published—namely the section narrating the period between 1453 and 1789—in the year 1870 under the title Ta Meta tin Alosin. This book has been so far used mostly in studies written in Greek, and despite its importance, has not been used widely in Ottoman studies. Due to his Phanariot origins, Hypsilantis received a good education and served in prominent posts. Due to his social status and networks, he was in a position to make first-hand observations on matters related to the Orthodox Church, the principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia, and finally the Russian-Ottoman relations. For this reason, Hypsilantis’ work offers valuable material for historians on these issues from a different perspective. In this article I will first attempt to shed light on the history of the Hypsilantis family as a case study of how a Phanariot family comes to prominence in the Ottoman World. Then, I will look at the content and style of Hypsilantis’ work as well as his life and examine his observations on the affairs of the Orthodox Patriarchates and how he positions himself in these matters. Finally, I will ponder on the reasons behind the disregard for works in Greek such as Hypsilantis’ in Ottoman historiography despite their importance in Ottoman studies