The Politics of the Local Notables at the end of the 18th Century and the Germiyan-zades

Abstract

Studies on the local notables in the 18th century have become one of the best studied subjects in Ottoman history. Both empirical studies and theoretical approaches have considerably expanded the scope of research. However, as most of the studies focus on the powerful local notables, our knowledge on the local notables who were relatively less powerful is still limited. This essay is on one of the lesser ayans: the Germiyanzades in Kutahya. Germiyanzades in Kutahya. Even though the main purpose of the essay is to provide concrete evidence on the social and economic power of the Germiyanzades at the end of the 18th and the beginning on the 19th century, it also provides a comparative perspective taking into account the other local notables in and around the same region, and and makes certain suggestions on the dynamics of the politics of the local notables as well as on the effects of financial and administrative centralization initiated by the central authority.