FEUDAL LANDHOLDING IN THE NAHIJA OF TETOVA DURING THE 15ᵗʰ CENTURY
Elfat SULIMANI
Abstract
This study examines the organization of feudal landholding in the nahiya of Tetova during the 15th century, within the framework of the consolidation of Ottoman administration in the Balkans following the incorporation of the region into the Eyalet of Rumelia. The landed property on which the timar system functioned appeared in three forms: state-owned land, private land, and waqf land. According to the cadastral defters of the 15th century, all three categories of fiefs were present in the nahiya of Tetova. Initially, the has constituted the main source of feudal revenue, whereas in the second half of the 15th century, ziamets and timars became dominant. Fiefs were granted exclusively to the military class, on the condition that it fulfilled its obligations to the state. Meanwhile, the raya population engaged in productive activities and paid taxes and dues to the state and the sipahi. The data indicate that feudal property was distributed predominantly among Muslim sipahis, as opposed to the limited number of Christian ones. The data also show a gradual transformation of the feudal structure and the integration of local elites into the Ottoman military-administrative system.
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