Cem et la Légende de la Princesse Française Selon Evliyâ Çelebi

Abstract

In the ten volumes of his Seyahatnâme, Evliya Çelebi often mixes facts and anecdotes, which do not have any apparent connections, together and yet succeeds in getting a narration apparently coherent. Such is the example we present here. Thus the tardy legend of the French princess who married Mehmed the Conqueror encounters a wide imaginary history of Sultan Cem which itself draws upon the memory of King Jamshid in the Şâhnâme, the Persian Book of Kings. Around this recomposed legend orbit a white parrot, a monkey playing chess, and a lot of other strange elements. All these elements produce a very entertaining text, in which Evliya once more proves his talent as a storyteller and his deep knowledge of Ottoman poetry.