Social class in the Ottoman Empire

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History of the Ottoman Empire
Social structure
Court and aristocracy
Ethnoreligious communities
Rise of nationalism
Classes

The Ottoman Empire was one of the most dominant empires in the Mediterranean region, having lasted ~600 years and controlling much of the Eastern and Southern portions of the Sea. Albert Hourani described the Ottoman Empire as "a bureaucratic state, holding different regions within a single administrative and fiscal system".[1] It contained three primary social classes: the Askeri, Ayan, and Rayah. Ottoman social classes were considered largely a legal matter, with foggy boundaries between them.[2]

The Ottoman Empire lasted for over six hundred years (1299–1923) and encompassed present-day Turkey, the Balkans and the Fertile Crescent. Thus the Empire included an extremely diverse population ranging from the Muslim majority (Turks, Arabs, Bosniaks, Albanians, etc) to various minority populations, specifically Christians and Jews, whom Muslims referred to as "People of the Book". As an imperial/colonial enterprise, the Ottoman system allowed some Greeks, Tatars, Italians, Albanians, Serbs, Hungarians, Georgians, Bulgarians, Ruthenians and Circassians, kul and azad, to attain high office as soldiers, viziers or members of the imperial family.

Askeri[edit]

They were a social class made up primarily of the military and all public servants and members of their households. This class depended on the Sultan for income and as such, were not included in taxation. They were not considered to be aristocrats however, as membership depended on the Sultan's desires[3]. The askeri held their class unless specifically dismissed by the Sultan or if they pursued a non-governmental role.[4] Additionally, according to some sources, only non-Muslims were allowed to join this class, as a means to ensure loyalty only to the Sultan.[5]

The soldiers and their commander belonged to a subclass called the "kul" and were considered slaves of the Sultan.[6]

On the other hand, there was a political subclass called the "askeri kassam". Whose estates were often liable to confiscation by the Sultan.[7]

Some sources instead divide the askeri into multiple branches: the kalemiye, the seyfiye, and the ilmiye.

The kalemiye were the scribal branch, the ilmiye focused on religious and judicial services, and the seyfiye were the military and administrative branch.[8]

Some of the most notable roles to fall under the askeri class were people who performed: praying, preaching, scribal service, superintendancy, tax and rent collection, trusteeship, couriers, falconers, guardians of bridges and passes, tent-makers, dealers of oil and butter, tent-pitchers, copper miners, rice-growers, judges, circuit judges, and city wardens, along with the sons and wives of askeri members and freed slaves. [9]

Ayan[edit]

This was a class of local notables, who often had a role in governing to some degree, especially from the seventeenth century onward.[10] Also played the role of warlords at times, appearing most often in Anatolia, Syria, and Egypt.[11] In the mid-18th century, in Rumelia and Anatolia, this became a title for district nobles who were elected by their community to negotiate in its name and handle taxes and security.[12]

Rayah[edit]

Alternatively spelled as "reaya".[13] Considered to be the class that was ruled over. Made up of merchants, artisans, and peasants and were the taxed class.[2] This group was largely Muslim, though their Christian counterparts were also placed under the same label.[6] Ottoman officials sought to disarm this class and prevent them from achieving any sort of military status in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.[6] They were typically considered the lesser class and dubbed as non-governing.[14]

The rayah class was largely divided by religion, with each religious group being divided into a. internally autonomous community called a millet. These groups were allowed to maintain their own traditional laws and could have internal administrative organizations led by their own religious leader.

The Muslim millet was considered to be above the other millets due to their practicing of the same laws and religion as the ruling class of the empire.[15]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Hourani, Albert Habib (1991). A History of the Arab Peoples (revised ed.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press (published 2002). p. 207. ISBN 9780674010178. Retrieved 29 July 2020. The empire was a bureaucratic state, holding different regions within a single administrative and fiscal system. It was also, however, the last great expression of the universality of the world of Islam. [...] It was also a multi-religious state, giving a recognized status to christian and Jewish communities.
  2. ^ a b Tuluveli, Guclu (2005). "State and Classes in the Ottoman Empire: Local Notables in Historical Perspective". Journal of Mediterranean Studies. 15 (1): 123, 125. ISSN 2523-9465.
  3. ^ Inalcik, Halil (1954). "Ottoman Methods of Conquest". Studia Islamica (2): 112. doi:10.2307/1595144. JSTOR 1595144.
  4. ^ Inalcik, Halil (1954). "Ottoman Methods of Conquest". Studia Islamica (2): 113. doi:10.2307/1595144. ISSN 0585-5292. JSTOR 1595144.
  5. ^ Hubbard, Glenn; Kane, Tim (2013-05-21). Balance: The Economics of Great Powers from Ancient Rome to Modern America. Simon and Schuster. p. 151. ISBN 978-1-4767-0025-0.
  6. ^ a b c Faroqhi, Suraiya (1997-04-28). An Economic and Social History of the Ottoman Empire. Cambridge University Press. pp. 435–436. ISBN 978-0-521-57455-6.
  7. ^ Faroqhi, Suraiya (1997-04-28). An Economic and Social History of the Ottoman Empire. Cambridge University Press. p. 550. ISBN 978-0-521-57455-6.
  8. ^ Barkey, Karen. "The Ottoman Empire (1299-1923): The Bureaucratization of Patrimonial Authority". Unknown. Cambridge University Press. p. 111.
  9. ^ Tuluveli, Guclu (2005). "State and Classes in the Ottoman Empire: Local Notables in Historical Perspective". Journal of Mediterranean Studies. 15 (1): 126–127. ISSN 2523-9465.
  10. ^ Faroqhi, Suraiya (1997-04-28). An Economic and Social History of the Ottoman Empire. Cambridge University Press. p. 565. ISBN 978-0-521-57455-6.
  11. ^ Faroqhi, Suraiya (1997-04-28). An Economic and Social History of the Ottoman Empire. Cambridge University Press. p. 663. ISBN 978-0-521-57455-6.
  12. ^ A ́goston, Ga ́bor; Masters, Bruce Alan (2010-05-21). Encyclopedia of the Ottoman Empire. Infobase Publishing. p. 65. ISBN 978-1-4381-1025-7.
  13. ^ Masters, Bruce (2013-04-29). The Arabs of the Ottoman Empire, 1516-1918: A Social and Cultural History. Cambridge University Press. p. 37. ISBN 978-1-107-03363-4.
  14. ^ Tuluveli, Guclu (2005). "State and Classes in the Ottoman Empire: Local Notables in Historical Perspective". Journal of Mediterranean Studies. 15 (1): 139. ISSN 2523-9465.
  15. ^ Jelavich, Charles; Jelavich, Barbara; Studies, University of California Center for Slavic and East European. The Balkans in Transition. University of California Press. p. 61.

Bibliography[edit]


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