Transcription and text analysis of Rowing Prisoners' Registry No. 147/A (H.1248-1258/M.1832/1833-1842/1843)

In this thesis, an analysis has been made on the crimes committed by the person or persons who were mentioned as rowing prisoners in the crimes and penalties related to the political, military, social and personal rights of the time between the years H.1248-1258/M.1832/1833-1842/1843. The crime scenes in the ledger mainly include some districts of Istanbul (Ayvansaray, Tahtakale, Baruthane, Karamürsel, Beşiktaş, Galata, Edirne, Topkapı, Kasımpaşa, Beyoğlu...etc.) and various Ottoman cities such as İznik, Erzurum, Edirne. The crime incidents detected in the districts of Istanbul and other cities varied from theft, killing and wounding, disorderly conduct, banditry, desertion, overcharging, fraud, prostitution, abuse, rape, etc. Among these crimes, theft is the most common. Among the stolen goods, small items such as chintz, quilts, glitter, carpets, sheep, calves and copper stolen from boats, etc. were usually found, while the theft of jewelry was rare. Small items were usually placed in a sack and removed from the crime scene. It is observed that criminals were seized in two ways: denunciations and arrests. Arrests are described in the ledger with the terms ahz ü girift and derdest, which mean "to seize and capture". Before being sentenced to the galleys, prisoners were employed as scavengers, which is called hidemât-ı süfli. In addition to these punishments imposed through employment, criminals were also sentenced to be beaten with a rod, thrown into a dungeon, imprisonment, temür bendlik, shackle bendlik, and being put on a log. In addition to the aforementioned punishments, except for a few records, all the remaining prisoners were sent to the galleys either on trust or directly. House arrest was imposed on criminals or those who were seriously ill, as the term is used in the ledger. The aforementioned penalties applied to all those who had committed a crime. For some offenses that were deemed inappropriate, regardless of religion, sect or occupational status, the removal or expulsion of the offender from the place where they were found was also a form of punishment. The concepts of release are expressed by the terms "itlâk" and "evacuation-i sebil". Key Concepts: Ottoman, Crime, Punishment, Rowing Prisoner.