Socio-economic status of Ottoman Empire in the war years according to the Atik Complaint Records (1788-1810)

In this study, it is aimed to examine the reflections of the chaotic situation of the state on social life as a result of the deterioration and wars in the social, political, economic, military and judicial structure of the Ottoman Empire towards the end of the 18th century on the basis of the Atik Complaint Registers. Atik Complaint Registers contain all kinds of complaints and requests from almost all sanjaks, towns, sub-districts and villages within the borders of the Ottoman Empire. In this series of registers, recorded problems were such as complaints about social, political, military and judicial corruption coming from all regions of the state, the socio-economic situation of the period, regions where the emerging problems were concentrated, the deterioration of the military structure and its reflection on the public, banditry activities, ayanlık, voivodeship, persecution of the public by people claiming to be feudal or city conquerors (kethüda) and the evil genty (mütegallibe) gathered with them civil servants who abused their duties, the pressure on the people of the state officials who helped to increase the banditry activities, the irregularities that occurred in the collection of taxes, which are the basis of the economy, the increase and forced collection of taxes, which are called Tekalif-i Shaqka, the persecution, torment and rape of women, the abduction and forced marriage of married women, oppression and forcibly collecting taxes from people like Sheikh, Sayyid, Imam and Hatip who have some exemptions in the society, the disruptions in the process of cultivating the land as special (has), zeamet and timar, the seizure of each other's lands, resorting to the judicial structure as a result of the problems, the oppression of the righteous, the comfortable life of the oppressors, being at the focal point of the bandit and thieves due to geographical and physical structures of some villages, conflicts caused by the raiding and looting of the houses of the people who went on the expedition in case of war, the people leaving their homeland and migrating to another place due to persecution and bullying, the increasing activities of the Albanian bandits, the problems of inheritance, the persecution of the guardians assigned to young children who lost their parents by seizing their assets. We aim to make an important contribution to the Social-Economic and Judicial history of the Ottoman Empire by determining the above-mentioned problems and revealing the effects and reflections of these problems on the social order, economic structure and justice. Our study covers the years 1788-1808, the period of Selim III, and has an important place in revealing the situation of the Ottoman Empire at the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century, the economic crises, the causes of wars, the turmoil of the social order and the reproach this situation caused in the center and in the rural. In our study, in line with the above explanations, the Atik Complaint Registers containing the years 1789-1808 in the State Archive were identified and the transcripts and evaluations of the majority of these registers were accomplished. In addition, the study, supported by archival sources and essential audit works, revealed the gaps in the social, economic and judicial structure that emerged during the period mentioned in the Ottoman Empire and the problems faced by the individuals living in that period.