Statesmen From Sinop in the Era Of Abdülhamid II (According To The Registrations Of Sicill-i Ahval books:1879-1909)

Biographical Writings in Ottoman State were first prepared as in the forms of works called "tezkire"(collective biography) and "tabakat" (collection), and as from the rising period significant biographical works were produced in various fields for certain occupational groups. A considerable part of these biographical works was on sultans, members of the dynasty, important statesmen and life stories of scholars. The reign of Sultan Abdülhamid II had been a turning point for the establishment of biographical wtiting tradition in Ottoman State. Registry Books for Civil Servants (Sicill-i Ahval Defteri), which were kept in this period turned out to be an important step in overcoming the issue of biographical materials. An expanding civil servant staff came into existence during the reign of Sultan Abdülhamid II as a result of growing bureaucracy in Ottoman State. The Committee of Registry Books for Civil Servants was founded in 1879 in order to regulate appointments, promotion, displacement of these civil servants hence, backgrounds of civil servants were recorded. These records consisted of approximately over ninety-two thousand registry records of Ottoman civil servants which were gathered in 201 books. In our study, civil servants from Sinop are examined on the basis of Registry Books for Civil Servants. According to these record books 119 civil servants are detected in the central population registry of Sinop, 115 of whom were Muslims and 4 were non-Muslims. In this study, the names and nicknames, father names, dates and places of birth, educational status, foreign language knowledge, and the available works, awards and punishments of the civil servants are detected on the basis of the record books. Within this context, socio-cultural situation of Sinop in the late 19th and early 20th century is identified. Our study consists of introductory and three other sections. In the introductory section an overview of Ottoman bureaucracy and the significance of biographical works are handled in order to make our issue more comprehensible. In the First Section; the changes in the bureacratic structure of the state during the reign of Sultan Abdulhamid II, the foundation and function of The Committee of Registry Books for Civil Servants, in the Second Section the administrative, economic, demographical and educational vii situation of Sinop are mentioned briefly. In the Third Section the names, nick-names, titles, professions, educational status, ranks, badges and medals, offense being charged and punishments given to civil servants from Sinop are handled. After examining social, economic and cultural situations of the 119 civil servants, their identities, structures of families and employment areas are revealed along with socio-cultural situation of Sinop in the late 19th and early 20th century. In this study, which is going to make contributions to socio-cultural history of Sinop, significant data are presented on various issues such as administrative organizations in Sinop, educational environment, schools, the most common names, families and professions performed in the region.