Settlement of tribes in Bozok Sancak: The example of Pehlivanlı Tribe (18th-19th centuries)

Having a large nomadic population, the Ottoman Empire managed to keep them under strict control until the middle of the 17th century. However, the signs of change and dete-rioration in the state system since the beginning of the 17th century also affected the no-mads. They have now gone beyond the control of the state and become a big problem for the local people. In addition, since they cannot be controlled, it has become very difficult for them to collect taxes and use them in the military field. On the other hand, due to the unrest in Anatolia, the settled people had to leave their villages. Faced with such a situa-tion, Ottoman bureaucrats aimed to benefit from the nomads sufficiently by settling them and to enliven the empty lands. Bozok Sancak is one of the most affected regions in this process. The population of the region decreased by 80% compared to the last quarter of the 16th century. For this reason, one of the places chosen within the framework of com-pulsory settlement was the Bozok Sancak. As a result of the measures taken by the state, the region has returned to its old crowded days. One of the tribes settled in the Bozok San-cak is the Pehlivanlı tribe. They lived in small groups among the Turkmens of Aleppo, Dulkadir and Yeni-il. On the other hand, the tribal chiefs of both Aleppo and Dulkadirli Turkmens were from this tribe from time to time. As different communities began to fol-low the Wrestlers, who increased their influence over time, they became the Serdars of the Turkmens. Especially when they came to Central Anatolia, they also took over the voivodeship of Yeni-il Turkmens. Together with the tribes that joined them, they reached a population of approximately 50,000 people in 15,000 tents. They established villages by spreading over a wide region in Central Anatolia such as Bozok, Kırşehir, Kırıkkale, Aksa-ray and Keskin. While some of the tribal lords who ruled such a large population rebelled against the state with the support they received from them, some plundered the property of the inhabitants. They not only settled in the region and settled the region, but also carried out tasks such as transporting the minerals from the imperial mines and meeting the mili-tary needs of the Ottoman army. Key Words: Tribe, Settlement, Sancak, Pehlivanlı, Ottoman.