The Onomastics Research on the Ottoman Tax Register Book Dated Hicri 835 (Miladi1431/1432) “Suret-i Defter-i Sancak-i Arvanid”: Regarding “Balaban” Onomastics asan Example

Abstract

Onomastic research sheds light on the lives and precise identities of historical figures in the Ottoman chronicles. Still, researchers of Ottoman history regard this field from a distance. However, onomastics can offer an opportunity to enlarge the scope of historical research by providing new findings or clues. The records in early period tax register books can give us substantial information. This study examines the Albania tax register, dated 1431/1432 with this approach. The Albania tax register is dated as the oldest tax register available from Ottoman times. This study focuses on an onomastic examination of the name “Balaban” and also proposes a new method for incorporating onomastic research into Ottoman historiography.