Abstract:

The Ottomans established their administration on a dynamic and powerful system under the influence of the governing structure of medieval civilizations. Loyalty to the Great State, justice, and merit were the load-bearing columns of the system. Osman Bey, by assigning qadis and beys, and Orhan Bey, by establishing Divân-ı hümâyûn, which was the highest bureaucratic institution, realized the first bureaucratic structuring and the network of administration. Murat the second identified the functions of the council and the organizational structure of the state. Dismissals, appointments, and promotions would be debated in Divân-ı hümâyûn and presented to the sultan or to his absolute deputy for final decision. The period of Mehmet The Conqueror witnessed the developmental era of the institutions, and the madrasa of Sahn-ı seman, an institution of higher education, to educate bureaucratic staff. Appointments to and dismissals from the central and provincial administrative units were regulated for the first time with legal code. Selim the Resolute and Suleiman the Magnificent sustained the same understanding. However, deteriorations in the administrative structure occurred towards the end of the Suleiman the Magnificent period. Arbitrariness in appointments and dismissals rose to prominence in the second half of the 16th century. Those who were assigned to the positions left by those who were dismissed could often receive a letter of dismissal even before taking office. The lack of foresight and the inconsistency of the administration, in a tangle of discrepancies, brought about some problems. The citizens harassed by the lawlessness of the incompetent provincial administrators would apply to Divân-ı hümâyûn to present their situations. Although a multitude of studies have been done on the central and provincial administrations, the absence of distinct studies on the appointments and dismissals has required this subject to be researched. Use has been made of mühimme records – records of the decisions taken by the sultan, or his deputy, on important issues – travel books, and the chronicles of the period.

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