Turkish Archery as a Strategic Element in the Foundation Period of the Ottoman Empire (1284–1396)

Recently, growing interest in Turkish traditional archery in Turkey has supported research in the field. Accordingly, the general studies carried out in the past have begun to be detailed. Today, we have reached a substantial amount, both by transferring primary sources to today’s Turkish and by approaching archery in the context of different disciplines. Despite this, especially in terms of military history, the processes of Turkish archery could not be clarified clearly due to probability and resource constraints. As such, more practical issues came to the center of Turkish archery research. The era of the foundation of the Ottoman Empire has now been evaluated from many angles. Although there are issues that have been revealed, it is obvious that there are still issues that remain in the dark. More recently, Prof. Dr. Even the discussions about the history of 1302, which İnalcık put forward about the establishment, did not come to an end. It seems that new sources and perspectives will continue to be discussed. This study looked at the issue of the foundation of the Ottoman Empire in terms of Turkish archery. Accordingly, one aspect of the establishment was tried to be explained by emphasizing the strategic advantages provided by Turkish archery. The overlooked points of previous research on the establishment and period sources were also used to support this thesis. In this sense, it is hoped that the study will offer a new perspective both in terms of the founding era and traditional Turkish archery.

Cite this article as: Çağ, G. (2022). Turkish Archery as a Strategic Element in the Foundation Period of the Ottoman Empire (1284–1396). Journal of Literature and Humanities, 69, 53-59.