Mütesellim

This article is about the Ottoman title. For the villages in Turkey, see Müsellim (disambiguation).

Mütesellim or müsellim (Ottoman Turkish: متسلم, Greek: μουτεσελίμης, romanized: mouteselimis, Serbo-Croatian: muselim) was an Ottoman title used for the deputies employed by the sanjak-bey as civil governors in the nahiye administrative unit, who managed tax and tithe collection.^[1][2] The judicial counterpart in the nahiya was the kadi (judges).

In order to reduce conflicts between mütesellims in Anatolia, in some cases one mütesellim was appointed by the sanjak-bey as lieutenant governor in charge for the whole sanjak.^[3] The Ottoman Empire abolished the position of mütesellim in 1842. This position was often connected with conflicts between various parties who saw it as possibility to increase their personal wealth.^[3] In the period between 1842 and 1864 local military governors assisted by local administration were in charge for tax collection and control of the population instead of mütesellims.^[3] After 1864 and the creation of the vilayet system, the office of mütesellim was replaced with new position of mutasarrıf.^[3]

See also

• Ayan

References

1. Akgunduz, Ahmed; Ozturk, Said (2011-01-01). Ottoman History - Misperceptions and Truths. IUR Press. p. 216. ISBN 978-90-90-26108-9. mutesellim ( deputy lieutenant- governor and local collector of taxes and tithes )
2. Çelebi̇, Evli̇ya (1988). Evliya Çelebi's Book of Travels: Evliya Çelebi in Diyarbekir. Brill Archive. p. 229. ISBN 978-90-04-08165-9. The müsellim or mütesellim was a deputy or lieutenant-governor, appointed by the provincial governor himself
3. Benedict, Peter (1974). Ula: An Anatolian Town. p. 85.