Notable of Edirne Dagdevirenzade Mehmed Aga (?-1817)

The reign of III. Selim is a period that the central authorityof Ottoman state is weakened in the Balkans. In this period, the economic problems of the Ottoman Empire led to the development of the malikâne system. The development of the malikâne system resulted in the formation and gaining power of the local ruling class called notable. This case continued until the first years of II. Mahmud's sultanate. Then II. Mahmud carried out strategies to strengthen the central authority in the Balkans. The notable of Edirne, Dağdevirenzade Mehmed Ağa, is one of the local administrators who gained fame and power in the Balkans. He played an active role in the uprising against the Nizam-ı Cedid (The New Order), who made a name for himself at the beginning of the 19th century. After this incident, he was appointed as Bostancıbaşı and continued this duty until his death. During the research, the basic principles and methods of the historical methodology were adhered to. In the first stage of the study, the studies on the development of the ayanlik institution in the Ottoman Empire were examined. In the second stage, various classifications in the Ottoman archives were scanned and the information obtained from there was supported by the chronicles of the period, and political, military and economic activities of notable of Edirne Dağdevirenzade Mehmed Ağa were tried to be expressed. The assets of Mehmed Ağa seized by the government were tried to be determined by using Edirne Şer'iyye registers.