ABDURRAHMAN ŞEREF

Historiographer (b. 1853, İstanbul - d. 1926, İstanbul). He graduated from Eyüp High School and Galatasaray High School (1873). He worked as a teacher at high schools in İstanbul (1873-88), as a principal at Galatasaray High School (1895) and the School of Politics (1892-1907) and as a professor of history at İstanbul University. After the announcement of the Second Constitutional Monarchy, he worked as the Minister of Deed and Land Registry, later as a member of the Senate (1905), Minister of Education (1909-13), Minister of Foundations (1918) and as the chairman of the Supreme Court (1919). He became the Minister of Education again in 1920 and a 2nd Period Parliamentary Deputy for İstanbul in 1922.

Abdurrahman Şeref, who is considered to be the last of the Ottoman historiographers, is acknowledged to have given accurate information in his work and to have made realistic assessments when writing about the last period of the Ottoman state. His articles, which were important in the fields of literature and Ottoman history, were published in Tarih-i Osmanî Encümeni journal and Sabah newspaper during his lifetime.

WORKS:

Fezleke-i Tarih-i Düvel-i İslâmiye (A Brief History of Islamic States, 1885), Tarih-i Devlet-i Osmaniye (History of the Ottoman State, 2 volumes, 1893), Zübdetü'l Kısas (Epitome of Morals, 1899), İlmi Ahlâk (Moral Science, 1900), Tarihi Asr-ı Hazır (The History of the Present Century, 1915), Harbi Hazırın Menşei (Emergence of the Present War, 1918), Sultan Abdulhamidi Sani'ye Dair (About Sultan Abdulhamidi Sani, with Ahmet Refik Altınay, 1918), Tarih Musahabeleri (Conversations on History, 1923), Umumi Coğrafya Coğrafya-i Umrani (Characteristics of Public Works).

Moreover, he prepared for publishing the 8th volume of Lütfi Tarihi (History of Lütfi) - a book comprising the events of 1845-49, and also wrote a preface for this work.