XVI. Yüzyıl Osmanlı Ulema Defterleri

Information regarding the early periods of the ulema (an integral component of the Ottoman Empire’s bureaucratic structure) and the ilmiye class they formed is quite limited. One reason for this is that archival material on the subject has not been unearthed and made available for use in historical research. This study aims to publish and analyze the ledgers preserved in the Topkapı Palace Museum Archive, which date to the first half of the 16th century and constitute the earliest surviving archival material regarding the Ottoman ilmiye organization and the ulema. The significance of these ledgers lies in the fact that they predate the changes and improvements in the record-keeping system concerning the ulema that occurred around the mid-16th century, specifically before the practice of maintaining ruus and ruznamçe ledgers began. Consequently, the ledgers published here constitute a fundamental source for writing the history of the ulema in the first half of the 16th century.