Militarization of Ottoman Rumelia: The mountain bandits (1785-1808)

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Tezin Türü: Yüksek Lisans

Tezin Yürütüldüğü Kurum: Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi, Fen Edebiyat Fakültesi, Tarih Bölümü, Türkiye

Tezin Onay Tarihi: 2016

Öğrenci: EROL OZAN YILMAZ

Danışman: ÖMER TURAN

Özet:

This thesis analyzes the process of the widespread and ever-lasting banditry in Rumelia between 1785 and 1808 and the state’s response against it within a context in which the Ottoman government attempted to reassert central authority over the provinces. The historical conditions of the period, structure of the mountain bandits, emergence and development of the banditry will be discussed alongside the reasons of the end of the banditry and the effects of the state measures. The research aims to shed light on the historical conditions of Rumelian province under the rule of the Ottoman Empire at the end of the 18th century which corresponds to a period when the legitimacy of the central authority was declining in the eyes of the local population before and during the national awakenings in the Balkans.