From Confidential Secretary to the Judge of Jerusalem: Süleyman Fehim Efendi the Calligrapher (d. 1784)

Abstract

The property left behind by members of the civil or military services who died or were dismissed in the Ottoman Empire would set in motion a process called muhallefât (things left behind at death/estate), in which the state had a part. The accounting work involved heirs, creditors, those who wanted to auction the goods, and the state. Since this accounting assumed the form of written documents, the information such documents offer about objects, numbers, and individuals render them a valuable source for social history. This study seeks to garner impressions about the personality and identity of Süleyman Fehim Efendi, a member of the scribal service (kalemiye), on the basis of the information that is provided by the documents listing what he left behind. An attempt is also made to examine social mobility in the Ottoman Empire from the perspective of confidential secretaries (sır katipleri), by studying Süleyman Fehim Efendi’s career which moved from the kalemiye to the ilmiye. In the same context, the various elements that made Süleyman Fehim Efendi a part of the society he lived in, and the institutions and people that affected his life, are taken into consideration as well. By asking various relevant questions, the study reflects on his dreams as well as on the opportunities and chances for their realization.