Breads for the Followers, Silver Vessels for the Lord: The System of Distribution and Redistribution in the Ottoman Empire (16th-18th centuries)

Abstract

The enormous amounts of victuals distributed by the Ottoman Palace to high-ranking officials have puzzled many modern researchers. A closer look, how- ever, reveals that we are dealing here with an established and well-functioning system of distribution and redistribution. From the social point of view, allotments of food were shared out in a downward movement, enabling the donator to recruit direct followers and thereby to enhance his or her power. This scheme of food distribution was supplemented by a sophisticated system of gift giving, which, in the Ottoman case, was also a subset system of distribution and redistribution.  Although this latter system allowed, in social aspects, distribution in all directions, a certain emphasis lay, in general, on creating a network for the benefit of one’s career, which often meant an upward movement.  Both systems, therefore, were used to strengthen one’s position within society and to gain power.