Eyalet
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Eyalets (Ottoman Turkish: ایالت Turkish pronunciation: ) were a former primary administrative division of the Ottoman Empire. The term is sometimes translated province or governorate. Depending on the rank of the governor, they were also sometimes known as pashaliks (governed by a pasha), beylerbeyliks (governed by a bey or beylerbey), and kapudanliks (governed by a kapudan).
From 1453 to the beginning of the nineteenth century the Ottoman local government was loosely structured.[1] The Empire was at first divided into provinces called Eyalets, presided over by a Pasha of three Tails.[1] The Grand Vizier was responsible for nominating all the high officers of State, both in the capital and the provinces.[1] Between 1861 and 1866, these Eyalets were abolished, and the territory was divided for administrative purposes into Vilayets.[1]
The eyalets were subdivided into districts called livas or sanjaks, each of which was under the charge of a Pasha of one tail, with the title of Mira-lira, or Sanjak-bey.[2] These provinces were usually called pashalics by Europeans.[2] The pasha was invested with powers of absolute government within his province, being the chief of both the military and financial departments, as well as police and criminal justice.[2]
At official functions, the order of precedence was Egypt, Baghdad, Abyssinia, Buda, Anatolia, "Mera'ish", and the Capitan Pasha in Asia and Buda, Egypt, Abyssinia, Baghdad, and Rumelia in Europe, with the remainder arranged according to the chronological order of their conquest.[3]
Contents |
Map
List
From the mid-14th century until the late 16th century, only one new beylerbeylik (Karaman) was established.
Disappeared before 1609
The eyalets that existed before 1609 but disappeared and eyalets created after 1609.
| Province Name | Ottoman Turkish Name and Transliteration (Modern Turkish) | Existed for | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abkhazia | Abhazya | ? years (1578–?) | also called Sukhum [Sohumkale] or Georgia [Gürcistan] and included Mingrelia and Imeretia as well as modern Abkhazia – nominally annexed but never fully conquered |
| Akhaltsikhe | Ahıska | ? years (1603–?) | either split from or coextensive with Samtskhe |
| Dagestan | Dağıstan | ? years (1578–?) | also called Demirkapı – assigned a serdar [chief] rather than a beylerbeyi |
| Dmanisi | Tumanis | ? years (1584–?) | |
| Ganja | Gence | 16 years (1588–1604) | |
| Gori | Gori | ? years (1588–?) | probably replaced Tiflis after 1586 |
| Győr | Yanık | 04 years (1594–1598) | |
| Kakheti | Kaheti | ? years (1578–?) | Kakhetian king was appointed hereditary bey |
| Lazistan | ? years (1574–?) | ||
| Lorri | Lori | ? years (1584–?) | |
| Moldavia | Boğdan | 01 year (1595 only) | the rest of the time Moldavia was a separate autonomous province |
| Nakhichevan | Nahçivan | 01 year (1603 only) | possibly never separate from Yerevan |
| Poti | Faş | ? years (1579–?) | may have also been another name for Trabzon |
| Sanaa | San'a | 02 years (1567–1569) | temporary division of Yemen |
| Shemakha | Şamahı | 01 year (1583 only) | may have also been another name for Shervan |
| Szigetvár | Zigetvar | 04 years (1596–1600) | later transferred to Kanizsa |
| Shervan | Şirvan | 26 years (1578–1604) | overseen by a serdar [chief] rather than a beylerbeyi |
| Tabriz | Tebriz | 18 years (1585–1603) | |
| Tiflis | Tiflis | 08 years (1578–1586) | probably replaced by Gori after 1586 |
| Wallachia | Eflak | 01 year (1595 only) | the rest of the time Wallachia was a separate autonomous province |
| Yerevan | Erivan | 21 years (1583–1604) | sometimes also included Van |
| Zabid | Zebit | 02 years (1567–1569) | temporary division of Yemen |
Eyalets in 1609
Conquests of Selim I and Suleyman I in the 16th century required an increase in administrative units. By the end of the latter half of the century there were as many as 42 eyalets, as the beylerbeyliks came to be known. The chart below shows the administrative situation as of 1609.
| Province Name | Ottoman Turkish Name and Transliteration (Modern Turkish) | Existed for | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abyssinia | Habeş | 313 years (1554–1867) | Included areas on both sides of the Red Sea. Also called "Mecca and Medina" |
| Adana Eyalet | آضنه Ażana (Adana) | 257 years (1608–1865) | |
| Archipelago | جزایر بحر سفید Cezayir-i Bahr-i Sefid | 329 years (1535–1864) | Domain of the Kapudan Pasha (Lord Admiral); Also called Denizi or Denizli, later Vilayet of the Archipelago |
| Aleppo Eyalet | حلب Ḥaleb (Halep) | 330 years (1534–1864) | |
| Algiers Eyalet | جزایر غرب Cezâyîr-i Ġarb (Cezayir Garp, Cezayir) | 313 years (1517–1830) | |
| Anatolia Eyalet | Anadolu | 434 years (1393–1827) | With Rumelia, one of the original two eyalets |
| Baghdad Eyalet | بغداد Baġdâd (Bağdat) | 326 years (1535–1861) | |
| Basra Eyalet | بصره Baṣra (Basra) | 326 years (1538-1864) | |
| Bosnia Eyalet | Bosna | 344 years (1520–1864) | |
| Buda | Budin | 145 years (1541–1686) | |
| Cyprus | قبرص Ḳıbrıṣ (Kıbrıs) | 092 years (1571-1660; 1745-1748) | |
| Diyâr-ı Bekr Eyalet | دیار بكر Diyârbekir (Diyarbakır) | 145 years (1541–1686) | |
| Eger Eyalet | اكر Egir (Eğri) | 065 years (1596–1661) | |
| Egypt Eyalet | مصر Mıṣır (Mısır) | 350 years (1517–1867) | |
| Erzurum Eyalet | Erzurum | 350 years (1514–1864) | |
| Al-Hasa Eyalet | Lahsa | 112 years (1551–1663) | Seldom directly ruled |
| Kefe (Theodosia) | كفه Kefe | 206 years (1568–1774) | |
| Kanizsa Eyalet | Kanije | 086 years (1600–1686) | |
| Karaman Eyalet | Karaman | 381 years (1483–1864) | |
| Kars Eyalet | Kars | 024 years (1580–1604) | Merged with Samtskhe in 1604. Finally bounded to *Erzurum Eyalet in 1845. |
| Maraş | Maraş, Dulkadır | 343 years (1521–1864) | |
| Mosul Eyalet | Musul | 347 years (1517–1864) | |
| Ar-Raqqah | Rakka | 270 years (1594–1864) | |
| Rumelia | Rumeli | 464 years (1362–1826) | With Anatolia, one of the original two eyalets |
| Samtskhe | Çıldır | 267 years (1578–1845) | Also called Meskheti, later possibly coextensive with Akhaltsikhe (Ahıska) Province. Most of eyalet passed to Russia in 1829. Remained parts of eyalet bounded to Erzurum in 1845. |
| Shehrizor | Şehrizor | 145 years (1541–1686) | Also Shahrizor, Sheherizul, or Kirkuk. In 1830, this eyalet bounded to Mosul province as Kirkuk sanjak. |
| Silistria Eyalet | Silistre | 145 years (1541–1686) | Later sometimes called Ochakiv (Özi); First beylerbeyi was the Crimean khan |
| Eyalet of Sivas | Sivas | 466 years (1398–1864) | |
| Syria | شام Şam | 348 years (1516–1864) | |
| Temeşvar Eyalet | Tımışvar (Temeşvar) | 164 years (1552–1716) | |
| Trebizond Eyalet, Lazistan | Trabzon | 403 years (1461–1864) | |
| Tripoli Eyalet (Tripoli-in-the-East) | طرابلس شام Trablus-ı Şam (Trablusşam) | 294 years (1570–1864) | |
| Tripolitania Eyalet (Tripoli-in-the-West) | طرابلس غرب Trablus-ı Garb (Trablusgarp) | 313 years (1551-1864) | |
| Tunis Eyalet | Tunus | 340 years (1524–1864) | |
| Van Eyalet | وان Van | 316 years (1548–1864) | |
| Yemen Eyalet | یمن Yemen | 152 years (1517–1635; 1830–1864) |
Sources:
- Colin Imber. The Ottoman Empire, 1300-1650: The structure of Power. (Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire, UK: Palgrave Macmillan, 2002.)
- Halil Inalcik. The Ottoman Empire: The Classical Age 1300–1600. Trans. Norman Itzkowitz and Colin Imber. (London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1973.)
- Donald Edgar Pitcher. An Historical Geography of the Ottoman Empire (Leiden, Netherlands: E.J.Brill,1972.)
Established 1609–1683
| Province Name | Ottoman Turkish Name and Transliteration (Modern Turkish) | Existed for | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crete Eyalet | Girid | 198 years (1669–1867) | |
| Morea | Mora | 181 years (1620–1687) and (1715–1829) | originally part of Aegean Archipelago Province |
| Podolia | Podolya | 027 years (1672–1699) | overseen by several serdars (marshals) rather than by beylerbeyi (governors) |
| Sidon | Sayda | 181 years (1660–1841) | |
| Uyvar Eyalet | Uyvar | 022 years (1663–1685) | |
| Varad Eyalet | Varad | 031 years (1661–1692) |
Established 1683–1864
| Province Name | Ottoman Turkish Name and Transliteration (Modern Turkish) | Existed for | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eyalet of Adrianople | Edirne | 38 years (1826–1864) | |
| Monastir Eyalet | Monastir | 38 years (1826-1864) | |
| Salonica Eyalet | Selanik | 38 years (1826-1864) | |
| Eyalet of Aidin | Aydın | 38 years (1826-1864) | |
| Ankara Eyalet | Ankara | 37 years (1827-1864) | |
| Kastamonu Eyalet | Kastamonu | 37 years (1827-1864) | |
| Herzegovina Eyalet | Hersek | 18 years (1833–1851) | |
| Hüdavendigâr Eyalet | Hüdavendigâr | 26 years (1841-1867) | |
| Karasi Eyalet | Karesi | 02 years (1845-1847) | |
| Niš Eyalet | Niş | 18 years (1846–1864) | |
| Vidin Eyalet | Vidin | 18 years (1846–1864) |
Maps
-
Eyalets in the 17th century
-
1855 map of Turkey in Asia by Joseph Hutchins Colton
-
Map of European Turkey by Carl Ritter, published in 1864
See also
References
- ^ a b c d A handbook of Asia Minor Published 1919 by Naval staff, Intelligence dept. in London. Page 203
- ^ a b c The empires and cities of Asia (1873) by Forbes, A. Gruar. Page 188
- ^ Çelebi, Evliya. Trans. by von Hammer, Joseph. Narrative of travels in Europe, Asia, and Africa in the seventeenth century, Vol. 1, p. 90 ff. Parbury, Allen, & Co. (London), 1834.
Further reading
- Colin Imber. The Ottoman Empire, 1300-1650: The Structure of Power. (Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire, UK: Palgrave Macmillan, 2002.)
- Halil Inalcik. The Ottoman Empire: The Classical Age 1300-1600. Trans. Norman Itzkowitz and Colin Imber. (London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1973.)
- Paul Robert Magocsi. Historical Atlas of Central Europe. (2nd ed.) Seattle, WA, USA: Univ. of Washington Press, 2002)
- Nouveau Larousse illustré, undated (early 20th century), passim (in French)
- Donald Edgar Pitcher. An Historical Geography of the Ottoman Empire. (Leiden, Netherlands: E.J.Brill,1972.) (Includes 36 color maps)
- Westermann, Großer Atlas zur Weltgeschichte (in German) (includes maps)
