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 Cons–titutional 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.
REFERENCE: Mükrimin Halil (Yınanç) / Tanzimat’tan Meşrutiyet’e Kadar Bizde Tarihçilik Tanzimat I (1940), Bekir Kütükoğlu / Vekâyinüvis (İslâm Ansiklopedisi, c. 13, 1940-88), Abdülkadir Özcan / TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi (c. 1, 1988), Şükran Kurdakul / Şairler ve Yazarlar Sözlüğü (gen. 6. bas. 1999), Son Dönem Tarih Araştırmalarına Bir Bakış (Cumhuriyet Kitap, 11 Ocak 2001), Mehmet Demiryürek / Tanzimat’tan Cumhuriyet’e Bir Osmanlı Aydını: Abdurrahman Şeref Efendi 1853-1925 (2003), İhsan Işık / Resimli ve Metin Örnekli Türkiye Edebiyatçılar ve Kültür Adamları Ansiklopedisi (2006, gen. 2. bas. 2007) - Ünlü Bilim Adamları (Türkiye Ünlüleri Ansiklopedisi, C. 2, 2013) - Encyclopedia of Turkey’s Famous People (2013).
