Inspection of a Sanjak in Corruption, Poverty and Migration: Ali Riza Efendi and Gumushane

Abstract

Change, due to its nature, is a challenging process, as it dislodges the stones. Even those who complain about the situation may have to face with the fact that they need to change themselves after a while. In other words, the situation complained of may become sought after because change brings along transformation. Tanzimat reforms largely set an example for this change and transformation. Many decisions had to be abandoned in a short time, as in the example of assigning muhassıl in tax collection. The people, who hoped with the promises such as rule of law, tax justice and human rights, could not escape from being crushed in the local political environment brought about by provincial councils and district directorates. While our study looks at the Tanzimat Ottoman countryside through the Gümüşhane Sanjak, it also examines the control of reforms within the framework of the inspections that started in 1863. This study, which is based on the documents of the Presidential Ottoman Archive, reveals that the people of Gümüşhane, who fell into economic difficulties with the closure of the mines, found the solution to emigrate. It also shows that local political actors shaped the civil structure of the sanjak according to their power and their influence on legal decisions had become commonplace. It is claimed that corruption, poverty and conflicts between non-Muslim people played a role in the migration of non-Muslim Ottoman subjects. © 2021, Abidin Temizer. All rights reserved.