DANUBIAN BORDER IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE 16th CENTURY: REVOLUTION AND TRANSFORMATION, TRADITION AND CONTINUATION ON THE EVE OF A NEW ERA A Ph.D. Dissertation By NURAY OCAKLI Department of History İhsan Doğramacı Bilkent University Ankara July 2013 TO BERKE AND SAİT DANUBIAN BORDER IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE 16th CENTURY: REVOLUTION ANF TRANSFORMATION, TRADITION AND CONTINUATION ON THE EVE OF A NEW ERA Graduate School of Economics and Social Sciences of Ġhsan Doğramacı Bilkent University By NURAY OCAKLI In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN HISTORY in DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY ĠHSAN DOĞRAMACI BILKENT UNIVERSITY ANKARA July 2013 I certify that I have read this thesis and have found that it is fully adequate, in scope and in quality, as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History. ---------------------------- Prof. Dr. Halil Ġnalcık Supervisor I certify that I have read this thesis and have found that it is fully adequate, in scope and in quality, as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History. ----------------------------------------- Asst. Prof. Dr. Evgeny Radushev Examining Committee Member I certify that I have read this thesis and have found that it is fully adequate, in scope and in quality, as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History. ---------------------------------------- Prof. Dr. Mehmet Seyitdanlı Examining Committee Member I certify that I have read this thesis and have found that it is fully adequate, in scope and in quality, as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History. ---------------------------------------- Prof. Dr. Özer Ergenç Examining Committee Member I certify that I have read this thesis and have found that it is fully adequate, in scope and in quality, as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History. ---------------------------------------- Asst. Prof. Dr. Nur Bilge Criss Examining Committee Member Approval of the Graduate School of Economic and Social Sciences Prof. Dr. Erdal Erel Director ABSTRACT DANUBIAN BORDER IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE 16th CENTURY: REVOLUTION AND TRANSFORMATION, TRADITION AND CONTINUATION ON THE EVE OF A NEW ERA Ocaklı, Nuray Ph.D., Department of History Supervisor: Prof.Dr. Halil Ġnalcık July 2013 This study focuses on pre-Ottoman Turkic presence and their remainings as the first phase of the Turkic presence and examines how the Ottomans adapted, re-organized and re-structured the existing military organizations, distribution of population and settlement system against the changing priorities and military concerns of the central authority during the 15th and 16th century as the second phase of the Turkish presence in the Danubian frontier. As the turning point on the eve of a new era, this study examines reactions of pre-Ottoman military aristocracy most of whom were Christian former nobles excluded from the timar system. Their rebellious attapt broken out at the end of the 16th century was supported by the anti-Ottoman alliences formed on the north of Danube as a continuation of the rebellious tradition of the region. The resulting picture of the Danubian frontier in the 15th and 16th century reveals the tradition and continuation, revolution and transformation in the Nigbolu Sandjak during the period from the post conquest era to the end of the 16th century, on the eve of a new era. Key words: Nigbolu, Rumelia, Danube, Frontier, Cuman, Nomads, Voynuks, Tirnova. iii ÖZET 16.YY’IN ĠKĠNCĠ YARISINDA TUNA SINIRI: YENĠ BĠR DÖNEMĠN ARĠFESĠNDE DEĞĠġĠM VE DÖNÜġÜM, GELENEKSELLĠK VE DEVAMLILIK Ocaklı, Nuray Doktora, Tarih Bölümü Tez Yöneticisi: Prof.Dr. Halil Ġnalcık Temmuz 2013 Bu çalıĢma öncelikle bölgedeki Türk varlığının ilk safhası olarak Osmanlı öncesi Türk yerleĢimcilerine ve bunun Osmanlı dönemindeki izlerine odaklanmakta ve Tuna sınırındaki Türk varlığının ikinci safhası olarak Osmanlılar’ın 15.yy ve 16.yy boyunca bölgedeki askeri düzeni, nüfus yapısını ve yerleĢim sistemini nasıl yeniden yapılandırdığını ve kendi sistemine uyarladığını incelemektedir. Bu çalıĢma 16.yy’ın sonunda, Bulgar Devleti’nin ve feodal aristokrasinin merkezi olan Tırnova bölgesinde, isyancı geleneğin bir devamı olarak, askeri sınıfın dıĢında bırakılmıĢ Hıristiyan boyar ailelerinin ve ruhban sınıfının ileri gelenlerinin merkezi otorite karĢısında gösterdikleri tepkileri değerlendirmektedir. Tuna serhaddinin bu analizler sonunda çizilen resmi yeni bir dönemin arifesinde Niğbolu Sancağı’nda gelenek ve devamlılığın, köklü değiĢimlerin ve dönüĢümlerin nasıl yan yana var olduğunu göstermektedir. Anahtar Kelimeler: Nigbolu, Rumeli, Tuna, Sınır, Kuman, Yörük, Voynuklar, Tırnova. iv v TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………………… iii ÖZET........................................................................................................................... iv TABLE OF CONTENTS............................................................................................ vi LIST OF TABLES AND GRAPHS............................................................................ ix CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION...………………………………….…………………..………….. 1 1.1 Measurement of Demographic Data …………………….…………... 7 1.2 Niğbolu as the Gate of Danubian Frontier Region…………………. 10 1.3 Geography, Climate and Nomadis...………………………………... 11 1.4 Conquest of Nigbolu ……………………………………………….. 13 1.5 Ottoman Rule in the Nigbolu Sandjak……………………………… 15 1.5.1 Timars and Timariots……………………………………….. 15 1.5.2 Native Christians: Migrations, Deportations, Population…... 17 1.5.3 Bogomils in Ottoman…………………………...………...... 20 1.6 Town and Village System in the Ottoman Nigbolu…......…………. 22 1.7 Ottoman Social, Economic and Military System in the Sandjak..…. 24 1.8 Scope and Focuses of the Study……………………..……………... 27 CHAPTER 2: ANATOLIAN IMMIGRANT PROFILE AND CHANGING SETTLEMENT PATTERNS OF 15TH CENTURY OTTOMAN NIGBOLU………………………………………………………………................. 31 2.1. Population Pressure in Anatolia and Depopulation of the Old Settlements in The Danubian Region…………………………….... 31 2.2. Motives of the Central authority to Transplant Population from Anatolia: Revival of Old Villages and Re-populating the Empty Lands……………………………………………………………..… 34 2.3. Deportation and Volunteer Immigration from Anatolia……..…….. 37 2.4. Motivations of Sufi Orders………..………………………………... 40 2.5. Cities and Big Towns: Demography and Settlers………………...… 47 2.6. Settlement patterns of Anatolian Immigrants in the 15th Century..... 50 2.6.1 Where had been Populated …………………………..….…….. 50 2.6.2 Re-population of Abandoned Old Settlements and New Muslim Villages: Villages, Mezraas, Yenices and Anatolian Nomads……..….. 53 vi 2.6.3 Onomastics of Double named villages and Mezraas……..... 61 2.6.4 Profile of Anatolian Immigrants in Rural areas of the Nigbolu Sandjak in the 15th Century………………………..……..... 64 2.7 Conclusions……………………………………………....…………… 67 CHAPTER 3: CHANGING SETTLEMENT PATTERNS AND IMMIGRANT PROFILE OF NIGBOLUSANDJAK: CONTINUITY AND CHANGE ON THE EVE OF A NEW ERA…………………………………………………………….. 72 3.1 Continuity and Change in the Ottoman Nigbolu During the 16th Century……………………………………….………………... 74 3.2 A New Era in the first Half of the 16th Century.…………………... 79 3.2.1 Changing Profile of Urban and Rural Settlements……...….. 79 3.2.2 Changing Nomad Identity and Its Implications in Names of Villages and Cemaats……………….………...…………..... 84 3.2.3 A New Settlement Pattern in the 16th Century …………..... 94 3.2.4 Codifying the New Settlement Movement of the Muslim Anatolians: Kanunnames of the Nigbolu Sandjak..…………97 3.2.5 New Nomad Villages: Founders, Village Names, and Settlers…………………………………………………….. 101 3.3 Religious Orders and Their Roles in the New Settlement Movement in the 16th Century……………………………………...……...…….. 107 3.4 Changing Nomad Identitiy and Its Implications in Names of Villages and Cemaats………………………………………….….. 113 3.5 Conclusions………….…………..…………………………………. 115 CHAPTER 4: FOOTSTEPS OF PRE-OTTOMAN TURKIC SETTLERS IN BULGARIA…………………..…………………..………………………………. 120 4.1 Pre-Ottoman Turkish Presence in the Danubian Border.….....….. 125 4.2 Pre-Ottoman Turkic People in Bulgaria as Ruling Class, Settlers and Ethno- Cultural Entity………………………..…………………… 144 4.3 Warriors of the Steppe region in North-eastern Balkans as a part of pre-Ottoman Military Elite……………………………..………. 148 4.4 Pre-Ottoman Turkic Settlers in Nigbolu Sandjak: Turkic People as Christian Peasants and Soldiers in the mid-16th Century Ottoman Tax Register…………...………………………………………..…..153 4.5 Turkic Christian Warriors in the Early 16th century Registers of Bulgarian Voynuk…………...…………………………….………. 161 4.6 Conclusions…………..…………………………………………… 168 vii CHAPTER 5: TIRNOVA UPRISING: THE FIRST NATIONAL UPRISING IN THE OTTOMAN BALKANS OR AN ATTEPT THAT COULD NOT BE ACCOMPLISHED ……………………………………………………………… 171 5.1 Continuity and Change in the Tirnovi Region: From Center of Second Bulgarian Kingdom to a Military Center of the Danubian Border………………………………………………..…. 178 5.2 Tirnova in the Early 16th Century……………………..………….. 180 5.2.1 Urban and Rural Settlements…..……………………………... 185 5.2.2 Pre-Ottoman Military Nobility in the Region ……………...… 190 5. 3 The Ottomans’ War with Wallachia and Tirnova Uprising..……... 194 5.4 Conclusions……………………..…………………………………….…... 197 CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSIONS………..……………...………………………… .202 SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY……..…………………….…………………………. 216 viii LIST OF TABLES AND GRAPHS Table 1.1 Government Officials Holding Timar in the late 15th Century...……….. 17 Table 2.1 Wakf Villages in theEarliest Registers of Nigbolu Sandjak………...…... 37 Table 2.2 Sufi