scholarly journals From a market economy to a government monopoly precious metals of Serbia and Bosnia between Venice and the Ottoman empire (15th-16th century)

2013 ◽  
pp. 1-31
Author(s):  
Bosko Bojovic
Keyword(s):  
Ottoman Empire ◽  
Economic History ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Precious Metals ◽  
16Th Century ◽  
Central Administration ◽  
European Monetary ◽  
The Balkans ◽  
15Th Century ◽  
Monetary Economy

The production of precious metals in the Balkans reached its climax in the 15th century. It was exported mostly by Ragusa, basically for the Venice Mint. According to the available documents it can be estimated that the traffic of such metals carried out via Ragusa was between 11060 kg in 1425, and an optimum estimation of 25 tons annually for the first half of the century. The Ottoman occupation of Serbia and Bosnia in the middle of the century marks the end of the exportation of raw materials indispensable to the European monetary economy, which lacked precious metals for mints. The production as well as the coining of the Balkan precious metals took place within the closed circuit of the Ottoman economic autarchy. Notwithstanding all the efforts of the central administration, including a highly developed legislation, and in spite of the development of a big mining centre of Siderokapsia (Eastern Macedonia), the production of precious metals continued to decline in the 15th century. This economic phenomenon led to the financial crash that marked the beginning of the recurring financial and economic crises in the Ottoman Empire at the end of the 16th century. The contribution of the precious metals from the Balkans to the European monetary economy at the end of the Middle Ages has not been sufficiently studied by the specialists in economic history, and it has not been taken into account regarding the spectacular decline of the Ottoman economy and power.

French Direct Investments in the Ottoman Empire Before World War I

2011 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 525-561 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Necla Geyikdagi
Keyword(s):  
World War I ◽  
Ottoman Empire ◽  
Direct Investment ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
World War ◽  
Foreign Service ◽  
The Balkans ◽  
Service Companies ◽  
Manufactured Products

Foreign direct investment entered into the Ottoman Empire to support and develop foreign trade. Europeans who wanted to sell their manufactured products and acquire raw materials were instrumental in the construction of trade-related infrastructure in this country. Therefore, the first French investments, like those of other countries, were made for constructing railways and ports. The growth of raw material production in primary commodities, finally led to an increase in the number of foreign service companies such as banks and insurance providers that served these transport and production facilities. The initial motivations of French investors were mainly economic as they tried to find new markets and secure a viable share in these markets before their international competitors. Motives gradually became political as the opinion about the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire got stronger by the end of the nineteenth century. The French government assisted its investors in obtaining important concessions for investments in Anatolia, the Balkans, and the Arab provinces of the Empire.

scholarly journals Τὰ οἰκονομικὰ τῶν ἐπισκόπων στίς πρῶτες δεκαετίες τοῦ 16ου αἰώνα καὶ ἡ περίπτωση τοῦ Γενναδίου Σερρῶν

1998 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 271
Author(s):  
Κρίτων ΧΡΥΣΟΧΟΪΔΗΣ
Keyword(s):  
Ottoman Empire ◽  
Stable State ◽  
Political Stability ◽  
16Th Century ◽  
Wall Paintings ◽  
Financial Difficulty ◽  
Financial Situation ◽  
Marriage Rates ◽  
15Th Century ◽  
Christian Population

  <p>Criton Chryssochoidis</p><p>The Financial Situation of Bishops in the First Decades of the 16th Century and the Case of Gennadius of Serres </p><p>In the first part of this study evidence about the personality and the activities of Gennadius, metropolitan of Serres, is examined. An important feature of his long rule (1509-1540) is the donations he granted to monasteries, namely the Great Lavra in Mount Athos, as well as to the metropolis of Serres. As far as the Great Lavra is concerned, Gennadius financed the restoration and the wall paintings of the <em>trapeza</em>. He also offered precious objects, manuscripts and bought <em>adelphata</em>. Gennadius made also generous donations to the metropolis of Serres, to the adjacent monastery of Prodromos and the monastery of Kossinitza. </p><p>The 16th century is generally considered as a period of financial difficulty for the Christian population of the Ottoman Empire. The presence of a wealthy bishop is examined in the second part of the present study within this framework. In particular, we focus on the development of the financial situation of a metropolitan as it emerges through the synodic acts of election and ordination of the prelates and of berats, with which the election was acknowledged by the Ottoman authorities and the actual appointment took place. </p><p>In the Greek documents of the second half of the 15th century references to the financial state of hierarchs are vague and general. On the contrary, in the 16th century, and especially after the synodic act of 1497, which among other things regulated issues regarding the income of bishops and the way of its collection, we encounter more detailed information that enable us to acquire a clearer picture. Ottoman berats present a similar picture. </p><p>Combining this evidence with that deriving from other sources we may draw conclusions about the institutionalised income of metropolitans in the first decades of the 16th century: <em>kanonikon</em>, marriage rates, income from ecclesiastical fairs (<em>panegyris</em>), sources of holy water (<em>hagiasma</em>), <em>zeteia</em>, heritage of priests and monks, other usual sources (<em>ta synethe</em>) of income (<em>emvatikion</em>, <em>exagoreutikion</em>), income from properties owned by the metropolis as well as income from subordinate bishops. Finally, we conclude that this income together with the stable state of the currency, especially during the first half of the 16th century, and the political stability of the Ottoman state contributed to the development of bishops' finances, to the accumulation of wealth and of a surplus, that could thus be used for donations, an activity widespread among the bishops at the 16th century.</p><p> </p>

scholarly journals Firuz Agha and his hammam in Smederevo

Starinar ◽  
2018 ◽  
pp. 191-210
Author(s):  
Srdjan Katic ◽  
Aleksandar Krstic
Keyword(s):  
Ottoman Empire ◽  
16Th Century ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Balkans ◽  
Public Bath

This paper deals with the hammam in the Smederevo fortress, erected by Firuz Agha, the head of the Sultan?s treasury, between 1485 and 1490. Using Ottoman sources, the authors are able to determine the time of construction, the method of work and the role that this public bath played for Smederevo?s inhabitants. The hammam was very important for the functioning of the great Firuz?s waqf, which included numerous buildings in the Balkans and Anatolia. Based on data on the waqf?s revenue, it may be concluded that until the mid-16th century the hammam in the Smederevo fortress was one of the most profitable facilities of its kind in the Ottoman Empire. Over a quarter of a century, Firuz, as the court agha and later as the sanjak-bey, constructed another three hammams in Tokat, Sivas and Sarajevo, which help us discern patterns and changes in the manner of construction. Based on this knowledge and information about the appearance and manner of functioning of the numerous hammams built in the second half of the 15th and the first half of the 16th century, the authors present the presumed disposition of the rooms of the public bath in the Smederevo fortress. In the female section, the rooms can be determined with great certainty, while three possible types, based on the shape and dimensions, are offered for the hot part of the male section of the hammam.

scholarly journals Conversion of the population of Gora and Opolje to Islam, according to the ottoman cadastral registers

2021 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-82
Author(s):  
Tatjana Katic
Keyword(s):  
Ottoman Empire ◽  
The Other ◽  
16Th Century ◽  
The Balkans ◽  
High Ranking ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
Conversion To Islam ◽  
The One ◽  
The Military

The Islamisation of the population of two neighbouring regions south of Prizren, Gora and Opolje, occurred in varying degrees during the centuries-long rule of the Ottoman Empire in the Balkans. In Gora, inhabited by the Slavic population, it was extremely slow, while in Opolje, inhabited by the Albanians, it was incomparably more intensive. This paper aims to elucidate, based on the analysis of the Ottoman 15th and 16th century cadastral registers, the factors that affected the rate of conversion to Islam among the inhabitants of these two former Serbian medieval counties (zupas), later Ottoman nahiyes. Among the most important are the highly developed church organisation in the region of Gora on the one hand, and on the other hand, the proximity of Prizren, the military and administrative centre of the Prizren Sanjak in which high ranking officials of Opolje origin operated.

scholarly journals Items of Tributary Gifts (Pangmul 方物) Sent to the Ming Dynasty by Chosŏn and their Changing Trends

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-180
Author(s):  
Doyoung Koo
Keyword(s):  
Ming Dynasty ◽  
Precious Metals ◽  
17Th Century ◽  
16Th Century ◽  
Choson Dynasty ◽  
15Th Century ◽  
Changing Trends ◽  
The Ming Dynasty

This paper examines changes and trends in tributary gifts (pangmul 方物) sent by Chosŏn regular envoys to the Ming Emperor during the 15th and 17th centuries. First, pangmul items sent by the Chosŏn to the Ming were partially inherited from the Koryŏ era. Second, it examines how King Sejong’s 1429 request that the Chosŏn court pay its tribute by means other than gold and silver led the court to offer specialty goods as tribute instead of precious metals. It then moves on to explore how economic scarcity resulting from the Imjin Wars of 1592 led Chosŏn pangmul to be composed mostly of folding fans and stationery items such as paper (kyŏngmyŏnji, paekmyŏnji, and oil paper), inkstones (hwayŏn), ink (chinmuk and yumaemuk) and writing brushes (hwangmopil)–the dynasty’s common, major export goods. After the war, the Chosŏn dynasty regained stability and returned to its pre-war pangmul practices. However, the pangmul were not completely fixed and showed tentative patterns, going back and forth between the practices of the 15th century and the new circumstances of the 17th century. In short, this paper explores how pangmul practices were not completely fixed, and how contingencies such as the war and the changing landscape of manufacturing in 16th-century Korea influenced the composition of Chosŏn pangmul.

scholarly journals Waqfs in the kazâs of Leskovac, Prokuplje, Kursumlija and Pirot in 18th and 19th century

2021 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-107
Author(s):  
Dragana Amedoski
Keyword(s):  
19Th Century ◽  
The State ◽  
16Th Century ◽  
Real Property ◽  
The Balkans ◽  
15Th Century ◽  
The Republic ◽  
State Archives ◽  
Republic Of Turkey

The topic of this work are muslim pious endowments, waqfs, introduced by Ottomans on the Balkans. The most intensive Muslim endowment activity on the territory of nowadays Southeast Serbia was noticed after final Ottoman conquest in the middle of the 15th century to the end of the 16th century. The aforementioned period is also the time when the reshaping of the existing Christian settlements into predominantly Muslim, Ottoman ones mainly took place. The Ottoman sources on the basis of which this institute in Serbia is presented, is new, unresearched so far and kept in the Ottoman archives of the Directorate of the State Archives of the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey in Istanbul. The source presents the 1839 census of endowments whose translation and comments are given in the attachment hereby. In the paper, I compared the sources on waqfs from the earlier period with the census from 1839. In this way, I was able to determine the changes that have occurred in the meantime, i.e. which endowments survived on the territory of the kaz?s of Leskovac, Prokuplje, Kursumlija and Pirot until the time of compiling this document. According to 1839 census I determined that at the time of the census there were a total of 70 waqfs in the area of today's Southeast Serbia, 36 of which waqfs were active in the Pirot kaz?, 10 in the Prokuplje kaz?, 21 in the Leskovac kaz? and three in the Kursumlija kaz?. These consist mainly of real property, including various facilities of religious, educational, public, communal structure.

The Influence of Islam on Albanian Culture

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 389-408
Author(s):  
Fatmir Shehu
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Differences ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Historical Background ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
Islamic Culture ◽  
Cultural System ◽  
The Balkans ◽  
15Th Century ◽  
Of Greece

This paper examines the influence of Islam on Albanian culture. The Islamization process of the Albanian culture was very crucial for the Albanians themselves as it gave them a new identity, which they lacked since their settlement on the Adriatic shores. According to history, Albanians, the biggest Muslim nation dwelling in the Balkans, South-East of Europe, are believed to be the descendents of the ancient Illyrians, who settled in Europe around 2500 years ago. They lived a social life based on tribalism, where every tribe had established its own cultural system and way of life. Thus, their cultural differences disallowed them to unite. Such situation did not change, even when Christianity was introduced to them. Because, Christianity came to Albania through two great dominations: Christian Catholics of Vatican (the Northern part of Albanian) and Christian Orthodox of Greece (the Southern part of Albania). The continuous religious and political suppression faced by the Albanians from their Byzantine and Latin masters enabled them to be the first people of the Balkans, who welcomed openheartedly the Ottoman Muslims and embraced Islam as their new way of life in the 15th century. The study focuses on the following issues: (1) Historical background of Albania and Albanians; (2) The genesis of Albanian culture; and (3) The process of integration between Islamic culture and Albanian culture. This research attempts to provide important findings, which will be very helpful to the Muslims and others.

Сирия (аш-Шам) в системе османских владений (XVI – начало XX в.)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.R. Zhantiev
Keyword(s):  
Ottoman Empire ◽  
19Th Century ◽  
Social Mechanisms ◽  
Checks And Balances ◽  
Local Elites ◽  
The Balkans ◽  
The Face ◽  
High Level ◽  
The 19Th Century

Аннотация В статье рассматривается роль и место Сирии (включая Ливан и Палестину) в системе османских владений на протяжении нескольких веков от османского завоевания до периода правления султана Абдул-Хамида II. В течение четырех столетий османского владычества территория исторической Сирии (Билад аш-Шам) была одним из важнейших компонентов османской системы и играла роль связующего звена между Анатолией, Египтом, Ираком и Хиджазом. Необходимость ежегодной организации хаджа с символами султанской власти и покровительства над святынями Мекки и Медины определяла особую стратегическую важность сирийских провинций Османской империи. Несмотря на ряд серьезных угроз во время общего кризиса османской государственности (конец XVI начало XIX вв.), имперскому центру удалось сохранить контроль над Сирией путем создания сдержек и противовесов между местными элитами. В XIX в. и особенно в период правления Абдул- Хамида II (18761909 гг.), сохранение Сирии под османским контролем стало вопросом существования Османской империи, которая перед лицом растущего европейского давления и интервенции потеряла большую часть своих владений на Балканах и в Северной Африке. Задача укрепления связей между имперским центром и периферией в сирийских вилайетах в последней четверти XIX в. была в целом успешно решена. К началу XX в. Сирия была одним из наиболее политически спокойных и прочно связанных со Стамбулом регионов Османской империи. Этому в значительной степени способствовали довольно высокий уровень общественной безопасности, развитие внешней торговли, рост образования и постепенная интеграция местных элит (как мусульман, так и христиан) в османские государственные и социальные механизмы. Положение Сирии в системе османских владений показало, что процесс ослабления и территориальной дезинтеграции Османской империи в эпоху реформ не был линейным и наряду с потерей владений и влияния на Балканах, в азиатской части империи в течение XIX и начала XX вв. происходил параллельный процесс имперской консолидации.Abstract The article examines the role and place of Greater Syria (including Lebanon and Palestine) in the system of Ottoman possessions over several centuries from the Ottoman conquest to the period of the reign of Abdul Hamid II. For four centuries of Ottoman domination, the territory of historical Syria (Bilad al-Sham) was one of the most important components in the Ottoman system and played the role of a link between Anatolia, Egypt, Iraq and Hijaz. The need to ensure the Hajj with symbols of Sultan power and patronage over the shrines of Mecca and Medina each year determined the special strategic importance of the Syrian provinces of the Ottoman Empire. Despite a number of serious threats during the general crisis of the Ottoman state system (late 16th early 19th centuries), the imperial center managed to maintain control over Syria by creating checks and balances between local elites. In the 19th century. And especially during the reign of Abdul Hamid II (18761909), keeping Syria under Ottoman control became a matter of existence for the Ottoman Empire, which, in the face of increasing European pressure and intervention, lost most of its possessions in the Balkans and North Africa. The task of strengthening ties between the imperial center and the periphery in Syrian vilayets in the last quarter of the 19th century was generally successfully resolved. By the beginning of the 20th century, Syria was one of the most politically calm and firmly connected with Istanbul regions of the Ottoman Empire. This was greatly facilitated by a fairly high level of public safety, the development of foreign trade, the growth of education and the gradual integration of local elites (both Muslims and Christians) into Ottoman state and social mechanisms. Syrias position in the system of Ottoman possessions clearly showed that the process of weakening and territorial disintegration of the Ottoman Empire during the era of reform was not linear, and along with the loss of possessions and influence in the Balkans, in the Asian part of the empire during the 19th and early 20th centuries there was a parallel process of imperial consolidation.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document