Social life in the Balkans according to Tarih-i Nâima

The fact that the Balkans is between Asia, where Mesopotamia and the Far East civilization is located, and the European continent, where Greek culture is dominant, has caused it to act as a bridge. For this reason, the Balkans has become a geography where various beliefs and nations live together. This has led to constant wars and struggles in this geography. After the Ottomans conquered these lands, they adopted a management approach such as settlement and expropriation that set an example even today. With the Ottoman conquest of the Balkans, the Ottoman peace called "Pax Ottomana" dominated the region. The administration implemented by the Ottomans caused the Christian nation to look at the Ottoman Empire with envy. Nâima, who was born in Aleppo, is a member of the janissary family. When Nâima came to Istanbul after his first education in Aleppo, he managed to rise to the higher levels of the state with his intelligence and diligence. Even though he was sometimes in a difficult situation and punished due to his sharp tongue, he managed to come to important duties in a short time. He became the first official historiographer of the Ottoman Empire with his last duty as a honorary writer and wrote his history named "Ravzat'ül-Hüseyin fi Hulâsati Ahbâri'l Hafikeyn", where there is a lot of information about the Balkans. As Nâima reported, between the years 1591-1659, banditry incidents were common in the Balkans. The struggles with the Principalities of Wallachia, Boğdan and Erdel, Hungarian Kallığı and Nemçe continued and these struggles deeply affected social life. However, the fact that the statesmen assigned to the region did not do their jobs properly caused the citizens to be in a difficult situation in many places. Also during this period, the Ottoman financial situation deteriorated and solutions were sought. Key Words: Balkans, Rumelia, Ottoman and Balkans, Mustafa Nâima, Social life, Banditry in the Balkans