| Osman Aga of Temesvar | |
| Birth Date: | 1670 |
| Birth Place: | Temeşvar, Ottoman Empire (now Timișoara, Romania) |
| Death Date: | 1725 |
| Death Place: | Istanbul, Ottoman Empire |
| Nationality: | Ottoman |
| Occupation: | Army Officer, Historian, Travel Writer |
| Notable Works: | Autobiography detailing his adventures and imprisonment in Habsburg Austria |
| Genre: | Autobiography, Ottoman history |
Osman Ağa of Temeşvar (Turkish: Temeşvarlı Osman Ağa; 1670–1725) was an Ottoman army officer, historian, and travel writer, as well as one of the few Turkish-language autobiographers of the era.[1] The former prisoner-of-war wrote mostly of his adventures - and imprisonment - in Habsburg Austria.[2] His autobiography was the sole Ottoman Turkish example of its kind.
Osman was born in Temeşvar (Timișoara), Temeşvar Eyalet (now in western Romania), probably in a family of South Slavic origin.[3] He spoke German and Serbo-Croatian (South Slavic).[4] Temesvár was inhabited by Romanians, Southern Slavs (Serbs), and Hungarians at the time and had been conquered by the Ottoman Empire in 1552.
Osman Aga was a low-ranking army officer in Temesvár who excelled in learning foreign languages and equitation.
After the unsuccessful Siege of Vienna in 1683, the tide turned and the Holy League of European nations began to force the Ottomans out of Hungary during the Great Turkish War between 1683–1699.
The Austrians were unable to capture Temesvár during the war. In 1688, Osman's squadron of 80 men were tasked with delivering the salaries of army officers to Lipova, Arad, just north of Temesvár.[5] They were attacked by superior Austrian Forces in Arad County. The city council decided to surrender, leading Osman to become a prisoner-of-war at the age of 18.[3]
Osman Aga was awarded to a military judge in the Austrian Army who asked for a ransom. Despite having the means to pay for his freedom, he was not released. He was sold to several new masters in Kapfenberg and Vienna. He spent several months in dungeons and was frequently beaten and whipped by his masters during the early years, but his skill in equitation and learning German helped him to live a relatively stress free life in later years. One of his masters offered him freedom in return for converting to Christianity, which he refused.[6] After the Treaty of Karlowitz, he returned to Temesvár in 1700.
As a result of the German he had learned during his servitude, he became the official dragoman (translator) of Temesvár and served in several diplomatic missions to Austria. However, his newly-comfortable lifestyle was shattered at the outbreak of a new war between the Ottomans and the Austrians in 1715. This time Eugene Savoy of Austria captured Temesvár in 1716. Osman Aga fled to Belgrade (now in Serbia). Despite Osman Aga's retreat, Belgrade shared the same fate in 1717. Shortly before the final assault of the Austrians on Belgrade, they blew up the ammunition dump of the fort on 14 August 1717. This resulted in the deaths of 3,000 people, which included most of Osman's family. After the loss of Belgrade, he served in Vidin (now in Bulgaria) and then came to Istanbul, where he continued his civil service as dragoman.[7]
Osman Aga's most important work is Prisoner of the Infidels (1724), which summarizes his adventures in Austria between 1688 and 1700. He also wrote Austrian History (Turkish: Nemçe Tarihi), an unfinished work up to 1662. His other works include notes about his diplomatic missions after 1700.