Summary: Researchers focusing on the period of Ottoman history predating the establishment of what we know as the classical Ottoman bureaucracy and the earliest surviving court records are faced with major challenges when it comes to source material. In this episode, Christopher Markiewicz discusses one type of source that can be used to study this period: insha collections (inşa mecmuaları). While these collections of letters can be used to study diplomacy and the earliest formation of an Ottoman professional bureaucracy, Chris explains some of the ways in which these sources could potentially be used for a wide variety of historical topics related to cultural and social history of the early Ottoman Empire.
