Administrative Arrangements in Balikesir Central Villages in 19th Century


The villages and neighborhoods, which are the lowest administrative units of the Ottoman Empire, are worth considering in every aspect. Attractive topics such as political events and changing aspects of the state are of course more interesting to the researchers, but the people who form the whole of the cities need to find a place among them. Mukhtars and imams representing the lowest level of the Ottoman administrative system and the connection of the people with the center are important figures in terms of their effects (influences) on the people. The reformation process that began in the Ottoman Empire starting from the seventeenth century reached a point where it was spread to almost all areas of the state by the nineteenth century. Of course, the neighborhoods in the cities and the villages where the majority of the people live are affected from this situation. In this study, the newly established village administration in Balıkesir is explained by making use of the register numbered 1659 in Ruus Records in the Ottoman Archives. The Ruus Office is the unit where all civil servants other than high-ranking viziers, the admistrator of state (beylerbeyi) and governer (sancakbeyi) are appointed and registered. Since the names of the selected mukhtars were recorded in the register and sent to the Ceride Ministry, these registers were kept in Ruus Office. The information obtained from the book numbered 1659 belonging to Balıkesir has been compared with the previous studies based on the temettuat and kadı records. Thus, in the nineteenth century, the newly established village administration of Balıkesir has emerged. The social and economic structure of Balıkesir villages is also mentioned. In doing so the renewed Ottoman village administration in Balıkesir is discussed.


Keywords


Ottoman Village Administration, Balıkesir Villages, Mukhtarship Organization, XIX. Century, İmams.

Author : Şenay ATAM
Number of pages: 1-14
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.29228/TurkishStudies.38885
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Turkish Studies - Historical Analysis
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