Tanzimat Dönemi’nde Malatya’da Yapılan İdarî Düzenlemeler (1845-1883)
Authors: Ulukaya Gülşen 
Published: September 2023

In this research, administrative reforms implemented after the Tanzimat across the Ottoman Empire is studied by taking as a sample the reform practices made through the city of Malatya.  With the declaration of the Tanzimat Edict on November 3, 1839, the Ottoman Empire made some reforms in many state institutions and organizations in accordance with the exigencies of the modern era. The starting of implementing the articles in the Tanzimat Edict throughout the country was accepted as the initial basis for modernization in state administration. However; by taking into account the conditions of the Empire, the financial, administrative, and military reforms envisaged by the Tanzimat were not implemented all at once. These reforms were first initiated in nearby states in which the government has absolute control and on where in case of any problem, can be intervened in a short time. After the success in those states, reforms are started to implement in other states. This study is important in terms of analyzing the administrative reforms of the provincial organizations adopted by the Ottoman Empire after the Tanzimat Edict. In the period between the years 1845-1883, when the reform program was carried out, official instructions were published as a requirement of the new regulations, and new governors were appointed to the cities. In the states where the aimed success was not achieved, other new regulations have been adopted. It has been determined that Malatya was subject to various administrative applications from when it was included in the Tanzimat implementation program until 1883, when the work was terminated. It is known that the Tanzimat was not applied all at once throughout the country and was applied in a certain order in the states. By establishing the Sancak Meclisi, Malatya, one of the Sancaks of the Diyarbakır State, was also included in the Tanzimat on April 15, 1845. In the following process, as a result of the continuation of the innovations brought by the Tanzimat, Harput was included in the Tanzimat and Malatya, due to its border between Diyarbakır and Harput, was connected in 1846 to the Harput State as a “county”. After the Provincial Regulations put into effect in 1867, new administrative arrangements made throughout the country, and Malatya was once again elevated to the status of “sancak” in 1869, being connected to the Diyarbakır Province. This new organizational structure continued until 1883. In this article, the reforms that were aimed to be achieved in the administrative field with the Tanzimat were implemented in Malatya, and acquired results will be observed for the period of study and will be evaluated if the Ottoman Empire achieved the success it aimed in the reform practices in the administrative field after the Tanzimat. Our research was carried out on the methods followed by Ottoman historians. Archival documents related to the subject were examined, and the information in the “Salnames” of the period was analyzed. In the light of new information belonging to this period, the administrative structure of Malatya was tried to be illuminated. In this study, it has been seen that the Ottoman Empire managed to reach the people, and the people participated in the government with the newly adopted administrative structure after the Tanzimat Edict. The fact that different new regulations had to be put into action one after another showed that the desired success in reform efforts could not be achieved. In addition, new boundaries were drawn as a requirement of reform practices during the period, and the list of managers working in Malatya were determined.
* This paper is derived from Inonu University, Institute of Social Sciences, Department of History, a Ph.D. dissertation entitled "Malatya in the Second Half of the 19th Century (1839-1900)", prepared under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Mehmet Karagöz.