Osmanlı Devleti’nin XIX. Yüzyıl Ordu Atı Tedarik Mekanizmaları Hakkında Arşiv Belgeleri Üzerinden Bir Tartışma
A Discussion on the Archival Sources about Military Horse Supply Mechanisms of the Ottoman Empire in the 19th Century

Summary/Abstract: The Ottoman Empire was a political organisation in which equestrian culture reached an advanced level. The significant share of the Central Asian steppe tradition was a decisive factor in this. On the other hand, the state also assumed the role of patronising and encouraging this tradition with the breeding institutions it opened. Thus, the Ottomans were one of the few states that had large cavalry forces at a time when the horse constituted the backbone of the army forces, and were able to nourish this force with their own internal dynamics. However, within the political, military and economic variables of the XIXth century, when the state was going through a process of dissolution, horse breeding was also subjected to a serious decline. The liquidation of the fief system, which embodied the ancient breeding centres of the state, and the shift towards the procurement of army horses from foreign markets following the Crimean War of 1853-1856 were two important developments that played a decisive role in this decline. This study analyses the period between 1890 and 1900, when the Ottomans tried to procure military horses from foreign markets. In this period of intensive foreign procurement, some of the basic dynamics of the issue have been tried to be revealed based on official state records, which are first-hand sources.

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