Abstract:

In the Ottoman Empire, all political and legal power, except for religious law, was concentrated in the sultan. Imperial Council, an institution where state affairs were discussed and decided and various disputes were resolved, was the highest decision-making authority of the state. The vizier presided over the council on behalf of the sultan. However, the real president was the sultan. For this reason, the Imperial Council was an institution trusted by those who were oppressed and those who sought justice. In the study, the complaints made to the council from the Sivas province between November 1752 and June 1755 were examined. The main source of the study is the Sivas Ahkâm-ı Şikâyet Register No. 5. In the register, 1041 judgments regarding the complaints submitted to the council by the people living in Sivas province are recorded. In the study, first of all, the methods by which complaints were submitted to the council were investigated and three methods were identified. These are the options of going to the council in person and expressing your complaint verbally, submitting a petition to the council, and sending a letter to the council through the kadi or the regent. Among the three options, the most preferred option is to go to the council in person and present your complaint orally. Another issue investigated in the study is the months in which the complaints were made. As a result of this inquiry, which aims to reveal the effect of weather and seasonal conditions on applications to the court, it has been concluded that the complaint rates are not affected by seasonal conditions.

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