Rumelia Eyalet

Rumelia Eyalet
The Eyalet of Rumeli, or Eyalet of Rumelia, known as the Beylerbeylik of Rumeli until 1591, was a first-level province (beylerbeylik or eyalet) of the Ottoman Empire encompassing most of the Balkans ("Rumelia"). For most of its history, it was the largest and most important province of the Empire, containing key cities such as Edirne, Yanina (Ioannina), Sofia, Filibe (Plovdiv), Manastır/Monastir (Bitola), Üsküp (Skopje), and the major seaport of Selanik/Salonica (Thessaloniki). It was also among the oldest Ottoman eyalets, lasting more than 500 years with several territorial restructurings over the long course of its existence.
The capital was in Adrianople (Edirne), Sofia, and finally Monastir (Bitola). Its reported area in an 1862 almanac was .
History
The first beylerbey of Rumelia was Lala Shahin Pasha, who was awarded the title by Sultan Murad I as a reward for his capture of Adrianople (Edirne) in the 1360s, and given military authority over the Ottoman territories in Europe, which he governed effectively as the Sultan's deputy while the Sultan returned to Anatolia. Also, Silistra Eyalet was formed in 1593.
From its foundation, the province of Rumelia—initially termed beylerbeylik or generically vilayet ("province"), only after 1591 was the term eyalet used—encompassed the entirety of the Ottoman Empire's European possessions, including the trans-Danubian conquests like Akkerman, until the creation of further eyalets in the 16th century, beginning with the Archipelago (1533), Budin (1541) and Bosnia (1580).
The first capital of Rumelia was probably Edirne (Adrianople), which was also, until the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, the Ottomans' capital city. It was followed by Sofia for a while and again by Edirne until 1520, when Sofia once more became the seat of the beylerbey. At the time, the beylerbey of Rumelia was the commander of the most important military force in the state in the form of the timariot sipahi cavalry, and his presence in the capital during this period made him a regular member of the Imperial Council (divan). For the same reason, powerful Grand Viziers like Mahmud Pasha Angelovic or Pargalı Ibrahim Pasha held the beylerbeylik in tandem with the grand vizierate.
In the 18th century, Monastir emerged as an alternate residence of the governor, and in 1836, it officially became the capital of the eyalet. At about the same time, the Tanzimat reforms, aimed at modernizing the Empire, split off the new eyalets of Üsküb, Yanya and Selanik and reduced the Rumelia Eyalet to a few provinces around Monastir. The rump eyalet survived until 1867, when, as part of the transition to the more uniform vilayet system, it became part of the Salonica Vilayet.
Governors
The governor of the Rumelia Eyalet was titled "Beylerbey of Rumelia" (Rumeli beylerbeyi) or "Vali of Rumelia" (Rumeli vali).
Administrative divisions
1475
A list dated to 1475 lists seventeen subordinate sanjakbeys, who controlled sub-provinces or sanjaks, which also functioned as military commands:
Constantinople
Gallipoli
Edirne
Nikebolu/Nigbolu
Vidin
Sofia
Serbia (Laz-ili)
Serbia (Despot-ili)
Vardar (under the Evrenosoğullari)
Üsküb
Arnavut-ili (under Iskender Bey, i.e. Skanderbeg)
Arnavut-ili (under the Arianiti family)
Bosnia
Bosnia (under Stephen)
Arta, Zituni and Athens
Morea
Monastir
1520s
Another list, dating to the early reign of Suleiman the Magnificent (r. 1520–1566), lists the sanjakbeys of that period, in approximate order of importance.:
Bey of the Pasha-sanjak
Bosnia
Morea
Semendire
Vidin
Hersek
Silistre
Ohri
Avlonya
Iskenderiyye
Yanya
Gelibolu
Köstendil
Nikebolu
Sofia
Inebahti
Tirhala
Alaca Hișar
Vulcetrin
Kefe
Prizren
Karli-eli
Ağriboz
Çirmen
Vize
Izvornik
Florina
Elbasan
Sanjakbey of the Çingene ("Gypsies")
Midilli
Karadağ (Montenegro)
Sanjakbey of the Müselleman-i Kirk Kilise ("Muslims of Kirk Kilise")
Sanjakbey of the Voynuks
The Çingene, Müselleman-i Kirk Kilise and Voynuks were not territorial circumscriptions, but rather represented merely a sanjakbey appointed to control these scattered and often nomadic groups, and who acted as the commander of the military forces recruited among them. The Pasha-sanjak in this period comprised a wide area in western Macedonia, including the towns of Üskub (Skopje), Pirlipe (Prilep), Manastir (Bitola) and Kesriye (Kastoria).
A similar list compiled c. 1534 gives the same sanjaks, except for the absence of Sofia, Florina and Inebahti (among the provinces transferred to the new Archipelago Eyalet in 1533), and the addition of Selanik (Salonica).
1538
In 1538 there are listed 29 liva (sanjaks) during the reign of Sultan Suleiman I.
Sofya (Pasha Sanjak of Rumelia)
Ağrıboz
Alacahisar
Avlonya
Bosna
Çirmen
Gelibolu
Hersek
İlbasan
İskenderiye
İzvornik
Karlıili
Kefe
Köstendil
Mora
Niğbolu
Ohri
Prizrin
Rodos
Semendire
Silistre
Tırhala
Vidin
Vize
Vulçıtrın
Yanya
Müselleman-ı Kızılca
Müselleman-ı Çingane
Voynugan-ı Istabl-ı Amire
1644
Further sanjaks were removed with the progressive creation of new eyalets, and an official register c. 1644 records only fifteen sanjaks for the Rumelia Eyalet:
Köstendil
Tirhala
Prizren
Yanya
Delvine
Vulcetrin
Üskub
Elbasan
Avlonya
Dukagin
Iskenderiyye
Ohri
Alaca Hișar
Selanik
Voynuks
1700/1730
The administrative division of the beylerbeylik of Rumelia between 1700-1730 was as follows:
Pasha-sanjak, around Manastir
Köstendil
Tirhala
Yanya
Delvina
Elbasan
Iskenderiyye
Avlonya
Ohri
Alaca Hisar
Selanik
Dukagin
Prizren
Üsküb
Vulçıtrin
Voynuks
Çingene
Yoruks
Early 19th century
Sanjaks in the early 19th century:
Manastir
Selanik
Tirhala
Iskenderiyye
Ohri
Avlonya
Köstendil
Elbasan
Prizren
Dukagin
Üsküb
Delvina
Vulcetrin
Kavala
Alaca Hișar
Yanya
Smederevo
Mid-19th century
According to the state yearbook (salname) of the year 1847, the reduced Rumelia Eyalet, centred at Manastir, encompassed also the sanjaks of Iskenderiyye (Scutari), Ohri (Ohrid) and Kesrye (Kastoria). In 1855, according to the French traveller A. Viquesnel, it comprised the sanjaks of Iskenderiyye, with 7 kazas or sub-provinces, Ohri with 8 kazas, Kesrye with 8 kazas and the pasha-sanjak of Manastir with 11 kazas.
References
Bibliography
Eyalets of the Ottoman Empire in Europe
History of the Balkans
States and territories established in the 1360s
States and territories disestablished in 1867
1360s establishments in the Ottoman Empire
1867 disestablishments in the Ottoman Empire