Land, Power, and Petition: Çiftlik-Related Complaints from the Province of Anatolia to the Imperial Council (1768–1780)
CIEPO - Comité International des Études Pré-Ottomanes et Ottomanes, Varna, Bulgaristan, 23 - 27 Haziran 2026, cilt.1, ss.74-75, (Özet Bildiri)
- Yayın Türü: Bildiri / Özet Bildiri
- Cilt numarası: 1
- Basıldığı Şehir: Varna
- Basıldığı Ülke: Bulgaristan
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.74-75
- Açık Arşiv Koleksiyonu: AVESİS Açık Erişim Koleksiyonu
- Bursa Uludağ Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
The 18th century in the Ottoman historiography is often described as the “age of the ayans.” Following the outbreak of the Russo-Ottoman War in 1768, ayans increasingly assumed key roles in provincial administration. Earlier interpretations viewed this development as a process of decentralization; however recent scholarship emphasises a form of partnership between the central state and local elites. Nevertheless, petitions sent from the provinces to the Imperial Council (Divân-ı Hümâyûn) reveal a rise in the number of complaints, a continued protection of the reaya’s right to petition, and more detailed recordkeeping by the state, which suggests both a reinforcement of legitimacy and continued surveillance over the provinces. A significant phenomenon of this period was the growing number of çiftliks. Many provincial notables owned çiftliks, while others were accused of unlawful encroachments on neighboring estates. In addition, disputes between çiftlik owners and state officials, particularly over taxation, land boundaries, and inheritance, frequently reached the Divan. This paper examines petitions from the Province of Anatolia, submitted to the Imperial Council between 1768 and 1780, focusing on complaints related to çiftliks. The majority of concerns in these petitions were unauthorized interference and conflicts over tax collection or agricultural production. The central government’s decisions, as well as the appointment of imperial commissioners (mübaşirs) to investigate such disputes, reveal how the state maintained its administrative authority despite local power dynamics. Most complainants and accused persons included in the military-administrative class, while the emergence of an intermediary mütegallibe group between the askerî and the reâyâ is also noteworthy. By analysing çiftlik-related complaints reflected in the Anadolu Ahkâm Registers from the second half of the eighteenth century, this paper aims to contribute to the broader literature on çiftlik studies and the dynamics of provincial society in Ottoman history.