ИЗМЕЂУ ПРИДОШЛИЦА (ECNEBİ) И НАСЛЕДНИКА СЛУЖБЕ (OCAKLIK): ТИМАРИ И ТИМАРЛИЈЕ СМЕДЕРЕВСКОГ САНЏАКА У XVIII ВЕКУ
BETWEEN OUTSIDERS (ECNEBİ) AND OCAKLIK: TIMARS AND TIMARIOTS OF THE SANJAK OF SEMENDIRE IN THE 18TH CENTURY

Summary/Abstract: Research on the distribution of timars during the transitional period of Ottoman history – the 17th and 18th centuries – is quite rare, due to a lack of archival material and especially because of questions surrounding the role and importance of sipahis in the Ottoman military system during that time. The Sanjak of Semendire (Smederevo), as a border province, frequently changed administrations and was often under the control of conquerors. This led to the creation of census defters (registers), at a time when such documents were being abandoned in other parts of the empire. Based on one summary defter (icmal) from the mid-century, two possession defters (derdest) from the beginning and end of the century, and one ruznamçe defter from 1714, an analysis was conducted regarding the number of timariots and timars, their distribution by nahiyesand other criteria, as well as the relationship between outsiders (ecnebi) and the sons (kuloğlu) or relatives of earlier timar holders. The goal of the research is a comprehensive analysis of the status of timariots and timars in the Sanjak of Semendire during the 18th century, using the aforementioned sources. The research made it possible to determine the number of timars and timar-holders in the Sanjak of Semendire throughout the 18th century, fluctuations in their numbers, with special emphasis on the ratio between ecnebis and the sons and relatives of sipahis. It was found that in the first half of the 18th century, ecnebis entered the ranks of the sipahis and completely dominated by 1714. After a census was carried out, following the sanjak’s return to Ottoman control in 1739, a new distribution of timars occurred – this time with the opposite outcome. From 1741 until the end of the 18th century, the sons of sipahis received more timars than outsiders, which has been described as an anomaly of the second half of the 18th century. Although no clear evidence was provided to explain this anomaly, the influx of sipahis from Bosnia and the inclusion of men under the control of ayans (local notables) were cited as possible causes for this phenomenon.

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