Izmir district in the light of ayniyat and ahkam books (1808-1839)

Western Anatolia in the Ottoman Empire was one of the first regions to integrate with the capitalist world economy from the late 18th century onwards. From this period onwards, İzmir became one of the most important export ports of Western Anatolia. The prominence of Western Anatolia and İzmir in commercial activities caused İzmir to become a centre of attraction for foreign merchants. However, the fact that İzmir was also one of the most important centres for the provision of food for Dersaadet brought the central authority and local officials into conflict in some cases. The fact that local officials or some intermediaries gave higher prices to foreign merchants for the products demanded by the state caused Dersaadet to face difficulties in supplying the needs of Istanbul. This thesis analyses the records in the books of ayniyat and ahkam to examine the demands made by the central authority from Izmir for the needs of Istanbul and other places when necessary. Dersaadet also made some demands from İzmir for the needs of the army and navy. In this thesis, the degree to which these demands were met in Izmir, as well as the commercial activities carried out in Izmir and the situation of the artisans are also tried to be revealed. The period covered in this thesis corresponds to the Mahmud II period. Therefore, in this study, important political developments during the reign of Mahmud II have been tried to be revealed to the extent that they are reflected in the books of ayniyat and ahkam centred on İzmir. The period of Mahmud II was also a period in which important reforms were attempted to be realised. In this thesis, the reflections of Mahmud II's reforms on the provinces have been tried to be revealed from an Izmir-centred perspective. In the introduction part of the thesis, a review of the literature on Izmir and general information about the ayniyat and ahkam books, which constitute the main sources of the thesis, are given. Apart from the introduction, the thesis consists of six chapters. The first chapter provides information on population and administrative division of Izmir, as well as important events affecting Izmir. In the second chapter, the economic structure of Izmir is analysed. In the third chapter, under the heading of military structure, the reflections of the abolition of the Janissary Corps and the establishment of the Asakir-i Mansure-i Muhammediye army on Izmir are discussed. In the fourth chapter, the developments regarding public order and security in Izmir are analysed and information is given about the crimes committed in the province and the punishments given to criminals. The fifth chapter analyses the demands of the central administration on local administrators. The sixth chapter provides information on natural disasters and epidemics in İzmir between 1808-1839. The study is concluded with a conclusion and bibliography. Key Words: Ottoman, Izmir, Mahmud II, Reform, Merchant, Trade, Food.