Master Thesis Defense: Handan Balkan-Tec
Non-Muslims and Military Service in the late Ottoman Empire
Handan Balkan-Tec
Turkish Studies, MA Thesis, 2015
Thesis Jury
Hakan Erdem(Thesis Supervisor), Akşin Somel, Kahraman Şakul, Selim Karakışla(Substitute Jury)
Date &Time: August,4th 2015 – 11:00
Place: FASS 2054
Abstract
This thesis, which handles the period between 1839 and 1912, aims to show how
non-Muslim subjects of the Ottoman Empire could not be taken to military service
successfuly. Non-Muslims created many problems that did not allow equality between
Muslims and themselves. Even though all the military reforms that the Empire did to
provide equality among all the subjects, these reforms could not be practiced very
effectively in the society. There were two important reasons that created the unfair
situation in military service among the Ottoman citizens. First one was common escapes
of non-Muslims from their military service duties. Second reason was that the Empire
was giving a tax-payment option to non Muslims to get rid of military service becuase of
its money need. Name of the tax, that was replaced with cizye in 1856, was bedel-i
askeri. The modern military reforms in the Ottoman Empire could be dated to reign of
Selim III and Mahmud II. Ottoman army became more organized and modern in
Tanzimat period at the nineteenth century. Imperial Edict of Gulhane in 1839 and Royal
Edict of Reform in 1856 brought military reforms to provide equality in the society.
Changes of duration of military service and asking for the bedel-i askeri for a while, then
abolishing it later were the most radical military reforms between 1839 and 1912.