The State Of Sultan Abdülaziz’s Personal Treasury based On The Ceyb-i Hümâyûn Records Dated Back To R.1286-1288/M.1870-1872

Ceyb-i Hümâyûn was a term to describe Ottoman Sultans’personal treasure which was used for the Sultan’s personal income and expenses. Ceyb-i Hümâyûn is a composite term which was composed of two words, Hümâyûn, all things belonged to the Sultan, and ceyb, pocket; so, Ceyb-i Hümâyûn meant pocket of the Sultan. Ceyb-i Hümâyûnwas a personal treasure where the the Sultan’s income saved for his personal expenses was gathered and each spending was recorded. During the Ottomans, from the Classical era to Tanzimat, all income and expenses of the Sulytan were recorded in Ceyb-i Hümâyûn. Although beginning from the Tanzimat era, some efforts were spenton building a formal system into the Ceyb-i Hümâyûn operations, it almost kept its original form until the end of the Ottamans. In the present study, official records of Ceyb-i Hümâyûn written between 1870 and 1872 were analyzed to understand what Ceyb-i Hümâyûn means for the Ottoman Sultans and its relation with the Ottoman treasury system, to determine income and expenses, and to explore its importance for the Ottoman state and the public’s economical and socio-cultural situation. To accomplish purposes of the study, the researcher organized, transcribed and analyzed 34 Ceyb-i Hümâyûn records dated back to 1870 and 1872 via utilizing the micro history approach and scientific historical methods. The records are catalogued in the Turkish Prime Minister’s State Archives and Topkapi Palace Archive Museum. After the analysis of the Ceyb-i Hümâyûn documents, all income and expenses between 1870 and 1872, and all gifts given to the Sultans were determined. Also, the study revealed the importance of the Ceyb-i Hümâyûn treasure for the Ottoman socio-economic and socio-cultural structure, and the role of the treasure within the reform movements of the state was understood.

Keywords

Ceyb-i Hümâyûn, Sultan Abdülaziz, Treasury, Finance.