The Issue of Abolition of Provincial Kapı Kethüdalıkları at the Reorganization (Tensikat) After the Proclamation of the Second Constutional Period

In this article, the changes made to the provincial kapı kethüdalıks, which had maintained their existence in the Ottoman State organization for a long time, during the 1908-1909 severance (personnel reduction) and the abolition of the said institution in the subsequent process was dealt with. Vilayet kapı kethüdaları (provincial stewards) are the provincial officers who work for the Kapı Kethüdaları Komisyonu (Committee) within the Interior Ministry and perform the official works of their respective provinces. Kapı kethüdas main work were the registration of the official documents that sent from provinces to Babıâli and the official replies of Babıâli, they also deliver these documents to the authorities they belong to with the help of kapı çukadars. Thus, the communication between different state institutions get easier, and the transactions became faster. They also provide the safe transaction of important documents, and the transmitting of orders to relevant institutions. Kapı Kethüdaları, which were present in the state organization from the second half of the 16th century; underwent radical reorganizations three times, in 1793, 1863 and 1909 respectively. While there are various studies about the first two reorganizations, there is no separate and comprehensive academic research about the third reorganization of 1909. This subject has been studied under the general reorganization of the Ministry of Interior (Dahiliye Nezareti Tensikatı), which was begun after the proclamation of the Second Constitutional Period (II. Meşrutiyet). In this article; the issue of abolition of the kapı kethüdalıkları at 1908 and 1909, the solution of this issue between the Minister of Interior (Dahiliye Nazırı), sadrazam (Prime Minister of the Ottoman Empire) and the kapı kethüdaları and the discussions in the Chamber of Deputies (Meclis-i Mebusan) were tried to explain in the light of archival documents. Consequently, the developments and changes that took place in the course of time led to postal work in the Ottoman state to be implemented with more modern and faster methods than in the past. Therefore, there was now no need for mediation of kapı kethüdas with regard to paperwork and consequently provincial kapı kethüdalıks, which were among the last remnants of the Ottoman system was abolished on May 16th, 1909 by the Ottoman Parliament.

Keywords

The Ottoman Empire, 1908-1909 Ottoman layoffs, The Interior Affairs Ministry, Kapı Kethudası, The Pr