The change and transformation of the timar system in the sub-province of Sivas (1573-1651)

The timar system, which is one of the basic institutions of the military, administrative and economic organization of the Ottoman Empire, has been exposed to important developments called change and transformation from the end of the 16th century. Both Ottoman intellectuals of the period and contemporary Turkish and western historians accept that there was a period of comprehensive structural change in the institutions of the Ottoman State in this period. In this context, the aim of our study is to reveal the functioning of the timar system in the sub-province of Sivas, which is one of the regions where the timar system is applied, in what direction and what kind of a change and transformation process has been experienced, and to evaluate the changes that have occurred. In our study, our main sources are the Timar and Zeamet Ruznâmçe Registers, which are the most important sources of the Defterhâne and the timar system, and the Attendance Register dated 1066, which are included in the Ottoman Archive's register collections. Based on the data presented by the archive documents, the change and transformation phases of the timar system were tried to be determined by considering the timar and zeamet holders of the sub-province of Sivas, the dirliks allocated to them, from whom and how these dirliks were transferred and the reasons for their consolidation, within the framework of the developments in the state. In this direction, in the first part, the timar system was emphasized in general, and in the second part, the timar order in the sub-province of Sivas and the owners of hass, zeamet and timar in the sub-province were discussed. In the third chapter, how the diplomatic process followed in the appointment of a timar is explained, and the processes of appointment and transfer, which constitute the functioning/organization of the timar system, are emphasized. Finally, the reasons affecting the change and transformation in the timar system were evaluated around the views of the Ottoman intellectuals of the period, contemporary Turkish and western historians. Keywords: Timar System, the sub-province of Sivas, Rûznamçe, Transformation. 17th century.