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The Economic and Social Roles of Janissaries in a 17Th Century Ottoman City: the Case of Istanbul

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The Economic and Social Roles of Janissaries in a 17Th Century Ottoman City: the Case of Istanbul THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL ROLES OF JANISSARIES IN A 17TH CENTURY OTTOMAN CITY: THE CASE OF ISTANBUL by Gülay Yılmaz A Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Institute of Islamic Studies McGill University Montreal April, 2011 © Gülay Yılmaz 2011 ABSTRACT Title: The Economic and Social Roles of Janissaries in a 17th Century Ottoman City: The Case of Istanbul Author: Gülay Yılmaz Department: Institute of Islamic Studies Degree: Doctor of Philosophy This study examines the ways in which the janissaries were part of civic society in early seventeenth-century Istanbul. It is based on the premise that investigation of the relationship between military cadres and civilians in Ottoman cities will reveal how hitherto unnoticed or underestimated aspects of urban life was during the early modern era. Making use of the Istanbul court records (şer’iye sicils), probate registers (tereke defters), conscription (eşkal defters) and salary registers (mevacib defters) of the janissaries, and registers of central state decrees (mühimme defters), the study focuses on the economic and social roles of the janissaries in Istanbul, as they entered into an enhanced urbanization process due to the social and political transformations of the Ottoman Empire in the seventeenth century. By studying various aspects of janissaries’ lives this dissertation reveals the extent of their involvement in seventeenth century Istanbul’s civic society. First, the methods of becoming a janissary are investigated and how these methods changed during the early seventeenth century are laid out. The profiles of janissaries in seventeenth-century Istanbul became much different than those of previous centuries as a result of changes in the conscription methods. These profiles are looked at more closely in the following sections of the dissertation. An examination of the janissaries’ residential patterns in Istanbul reveals that the urban topography of the capital was directly influenced by an increase in the number of janissaries who were not living in the barracks and therefore were not segregated from the civic population. Solidarities and antagonisms that emerged thanks to the intertwinement of the janissaries with the city is another important concentration of this dissertation. A two-way i movement between the janissaries and the artisans as well as solidarity among them emerged, which was reflected in janissary-led urban protests. These are all important dimensions of the newly emerged urban dynamics in Istanbul. Another one is the enhanced janissary solidarity through the economic bonding among the same regiment members through the strengthening of the regiment waqfs. This study reveals that the urbanization process of the janissaries in seventeenth-century Istanbul and their economic activities was a reflection of the general trends of increased capital accumulation and growth of a credit economy in Ottoman society. ii RÉSUMÉ Titre: Les rôles économiques et sociales des Janissaires dans une ville ottomane du 17e siècle: le cas d’Istanbul Auteur: Gülay Yılmaz Département: Institut d’études islamiques Grade: Docteur en philosophie La présente étude vise à examiner les moyens dans lesquelles les Janissaires faisaient partie de la société civile d’Istanbul au début du 17e siècle. Il se fonde sur la prémisse qu’une investigation des rapports entre cadres militaires et civiles dans les villes ottomanes révélera des aspects de la vie urbaine, jusqu’ici inaperçus ou sous-estimés, dans la période moderne. En exploitant les documents de la cour de justice d’Istanbul (şer’iye sicils), les registres de testament (tereke defters), les registres de conscription (eşkal defters) et des salaires (mevacib defters) des Janissaires, et les registres des décrets de l’état centrale (mühimme defters), l’étude concentre sur les rôles économiques et sociales des Janissaires en Istanbul au moment où ils se sont embarqués dans un processus d’urbanisation rehaussée dû à la transformation sociale et politique de l’empire ottoman au 17e siècle. Par une étude des différents aspects de la vie des Janissaires, cette dissertation découvre l’étendu de leur implication dans la société civile d’Istanbul dans cette période. D’abord, il est question d’examiner les moyens de devenir janissaire et comment ces moyens ont changé dans les premières décades du 17e siècle. Les janissaires d’Istanbul ont subis en ce temps un grand changement de profil à la différence des siècles précédents suite aux changements dans les méthodes de conscription. Ces profils sont examinés de plus près dans les sections qui suivent. Une étude des dispositions résidentielles des Janissaires en Istanbul révèle que la topographie urbaine de la capitale a été directement liée au surcroit dans le nombre de Janissaires qui ne résidaient plus dans les casernes et qui n’étaient donc pas isolés de la population civile. Les solidarités et les antagonismes qui s’ensuivaient, dus aux iii entrelacements des Janissaires avec la ville, font un autre focus de cette dissertation. Le va-et- vient entre les janissaires et les artisans, ainsi que la solidarité qui se formait entre ces deux groupes, est reflété dans les protestations menées par les janissaires. Ce sont tous des dimensions signifiantes d’une nouvelle dynamique urbaine à Istanbul. Un autre, c’est la solidarité rehaussée parmi les Janissaires qui découlait de la rapprochement économique à l’intérieur des régiments causée par la renforcement des waqfs régimentaires. L’étude révèle aussi que le processus d’urbanisation des Janissaires dans l’Istanbul du 17e siècle ainsi que leurs activités économiques reflétaient les tendances générales d’accumulation accrue du capital et l’essor d’une économie de crédit dans la société ottomane. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First I would like to express my gratitude to my supervisors Professor A. Üner Turgay and Professor Victor Ostapchuk. Professor Turgay’s personal and academic advice was crucial in helping me accomplish this work. His allowing me the independence that I needed enabled me to broaden the scope of this dissertation. I also owe special thanks to my mentor Professor Victor Ostapchuk who introduced me to Ottoman documents and provided a stimulating environment for Ottoman studies at the University of Toronto. He worked meticulously on my dissertation, and saved me from many embarrassing mistakes. Parts of this dissertation were funded by grants and fellowships from McGill University (2003-2010), the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (2006-2007), and the Research Centre for Anatolian Civilizations (RCAC) of Koc University (2010-2011). During my stay in Istanbul, the administration and staff of the Başbakanlık State Archives, the İslam Araştırmaları Merkezi (ISAM), the Süleymaniye Library, and the RCAC Library provided invaluable support. I would like especially to thank ISAM for providing the perfect environment for research and dissertation writing, and my friends Nuray Güler, Nazlı Pişkin, and İlkay Kanık for their support throughout my work there. My friends and colleagues, among them Ariel Salzmann, Erol Özvar, Elena Frangakis- Syrett, Dana Sajdi, Nüket Varlık, Ekin Tuşalp, James Baldwin, and Zeynep Altok, all kindly read sections from my work and provided encouraging feedback from which I benefited greatly. I would also like to thank Suraiya Faroqhi for her valuable guidance and Idris Bostan and Mehmet Genç for bringing archival sources significant for my work to my attention. I owe special gratitude to Prof. Machiel Kiel and Hedda Reindl-Kiel for generously sharing findings from their unpublished research related to my study. v Last but not least, I thank my mother, father, and sister for their endless patience, loving support and confidence in me while I was in Canada and while completing my research in Turkey. Without their support this work could never have been finished. vi CONTENTS Abstract……………………………………………………………………….. i Acknowledgements………………………………………………………….. v Contents…………………………………………………………………… vii List of Illustrations…………………………………………………………. ix Abbreviations………………………………………………………………. x A Note on Transliteration……….…………………………………………. xi INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................. 1 1. Research Parameters………………………………………………....14 2. Sources .…….………………………………..........................……….18 CHAPTER 1: THE MAKING OF A JANISSARY: THE DEVSHIRME SYSTEM AND THE RESPONSIBILITIES AND ROLES OF ‘ACEMI OGLANS .....…………23 1.1.The Historical Background of the Devshirme System ………………..…....... 25 1.2.The Conscription of Children as Devshirmes …………....…………………30 1.2.a. Selection of Boys………………………………………………..30 1.2.b. Methods of Avoiding Child-Levy……………………………... 34 1.2.c. The Conscription Process…………………………..………….. 39 1.2.d. A Closer Look to the 1603-4 Conscription……………………..41 1.2.e. The Ages of Boys……………………………………................ 55 1.3. After Arrival to Istanbul……………………………………………………. 60 1.3.a. İç Oglans……………………………………………............... 60 1.3.b. ‘Acemi Oglans…………………………………………………. 62 1.3.c. The Responsibilities as ‘Acemi Oglans………………………... 65 1.4. Examining the Transformation of the Devshirme System through the Comparison of 1603 Conscription with 1490s…….……………... 71 CHAPTER 2: THE JANISSARIES AND THE CITY: SPATIAL RELATIONSHIPS AND SOLIDARITIES………………………………………………………………..84 2.1. Istanbul: The Mega City ……………………………….…………………... 85 2.2. A Look at the Events and Campaigns
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