Privilege and Practice in the Ottoman Chancery c. 1600: Kırklı Gedikliler

As a measure of rationalization in the Ottoman central chancery after the Eğri campaign of 1596, forty imperial council secretaries (divan-ı hümayun katipleri) were granted permanent exemption from the campaign service required by their status as zeamet-holders. An archive register, KK 7530, lists these holders of ‘a position as one of the 40’ (kırklı gedikliler) and names 29 others who succeeded to vacancies in this group between 1598 and 1610. It is thus possible to examine over a twelve-year period such aspects as the length of tenure and the rate of turnover, the background and status of original holders and their successors, and, in some cases, the manner of appointment to this particular group of secretaries. The first part of the article is a commentary on such elements in the register, focussing mainly on the original kırklı gedikliler, but with some comment on their successors. The second part gives a full transcription of the register. KK 7530 provides insight into a little- known group of Ottoman state servants c. 1600.