IV. Murat Dönemi Osmanlı Seferlerinde KonarGöçerlerin Et Temini ve Taşımacılık Hususundaki Rolleri

As it is known, one of the main factors, which facilitated the establishment of the Ottoman Empire, was the contribution of nomadic Turkmens. These nomadic Turkmens were influential in the formation of the Ottoman State with their support in military conflicts as well as their dynamism in the foundation phase of the new state. However, the role of nomadic groups in the military field changed with the completion of the foundation process and development of central, provincial and military organisation. Although the nomads lost their central role in war, contrary to the earlier periods of the Ottoman State, their role in the Ottoman wars in later periods transformed and continued. This study discusses the changing role of nomads in wars as part of the military activities of the Ottomans depending on the formation of a centralist structure and development of state organisation, with examples from the 17th century. It indicates the real obligations of nomads in wars as part of their new status in the military organisation, with their transformation from a people who provided support to principality forces to subjects who engaged in production and paid tax over time. In the campaign examples examined within this scope, this study also discusses the in-kind taxes levied on nomads and their contribution to the subsistence of the army in terms of purchasing sheep from these communities. In addition, this study examines the methods by means of which animals were obtained from nomadic communities to be used in military transportation duties. The extent to which nomads fulfilled their obligations in this whole process constitutes another focus of the study.