Socio-economic structure of the Karamanids

Following the opening of the gates of Anatolia to the Turks in 1071, together with the Great Seljuk State, the Turks started to communicate with various societies, cultures, and civilizations. This interaction created some social, political, and religious shifts in Anatolian Principalities. Karamanoğulları, having an essential place among the principalities of Anatolia, emerged in the period we call Tevâif-i Mülûk with its service to the Turkishness in Anatolia, the contribution to the Turkish language and the efforts in the reconstruction of Anatolia. The foremost reason behind the superior success of Karamanids arose from the association of Turkish identity with Islam. Taking into consideration that the cultures and institutions were established on the cultures and institutions before them, Karamanids culture and institutions can be regarded as the continuation of the Turkish-Islamic culture and institutions. Karamanids, among the Anatolian principalities, progressed with varying historical process from the other principalities. The Karamanids, who viewed themselves as the heir of the Anatolian Seljuk State, adopted this situation against other Anatolian principalities and did their best to expand the territories they infiltrated by efficiently using this thesis in their struggle for dominance. The government organization, military structure, land system, architecture, and socio-economic structure of Karamanoğulları, which were the continuation of the Anatolian Seljuk State, led the principality to strengthen and become a center of attraction. Even though the social, economic, and political organization of the Karamanids was practiced upon the traditions, the definite improvement necessary for the progression was manifested in every area of the Karamanoğulları, and they were not in any situation where they made no progress. Key words: Anatolia, Karamanids, Socio-economic Structure, Principalities, Tevâif-i Mülûk.