Relevance of the Ottoman Census Books as the Historical Sources ñ Example of the Census Books of the Sandjak of Smederevo Cover Image

О значају Oсманских пописних књига као историјских извора - на примеру дефтера Cмедеревског санџака
Relevance of the Ottoman Census Books as the Historical Sources ñ Example of the Census Books of the Sandjak of Smederevo

Author(s): Ema Miljković
Subject(s): Economic history, Ethnohistory, Social history, Demography and human biology, 15th Century, 16th Century
Published by: Istorijski institut, Beograd

Summary/Abstract: Between hardly available documents of the Ottoman provenience, defters ñ the Ottoman census books present one of basic and the most important historical documents, relevant for research of history of nations and countries which were under the Ottoman dominance. Although very specific, regarding both their purpose and content, those documents made possible to reveal some important aspects of history of certain south-Slav nations and countries and to make one step forward in their research. Thus, analyzing the census books for the sandjak of Smederevo made in the period between 1476 and 1560, it is possible to offer answers to the questions related to the social history of this region, such as: determination of boundaries of the sandjak of Smederevo in the researched period, administrative organization, typology of the settlements, demographic, ethnic and migration movements of the population, land relations, the social groups and its status, fiscal obligations of populations, basic indicators of the economic activity, and at the end, even if not in detail most important characteristics of the confessional relations. Although they do not offer, at least not by themselves the complete picture of society in one particular region, either it is sandjak of Smederevo or some other province of the wide Empire, the defters present the outstanding basis for determination of the basic facts and for raising the questions which should be explained in the further research process.

  • Issue Year: 2002
  • Issue No: 49
  • Page Range: 99-114
  • Page Count: 16
  • Language: Serbian