UNIVERSITY OF THESSALY
2nd International Conference on Economic and Social History
"Markets" and Politics
Private interests and public authority (18th-20th centuries)
Volos, 10-12 February 2012
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
Abstracts
- Dimitris Dimitropoulos Market, taxes and coercions: the tzelepiko in Ali Pasha’s territories
An essential component of the economy in the Ottoman territories was the attempt of the central government to closely and rigorously control the market. At the same time, the powerful regional officials were able to acquire big economic benefits from the functioning conditions of the tax system. A good example of this peculiar mode of economy is the tzelepiko. The tzelepiko, originally an obligation of stock raising populations to provide the army with meat, was during the 16th century a service analogous to keeping dervenia. From the late 17th century tzelepiko becomes an obligation of sheep owners, and includes the compulsory sale of a specified number of animals at prices defined by the butchers’ guilds of Istanbul, which were lower than these of the market.. This practice was known to the Sublime Porte, as buying at fixed prices, lower than the current ones, was applied in other goods too, especially in serials, known as istira or boubayia. A clarification: The tzelepiko probably is not identical to adet-i agnam or resm-i agnam, which was collected independently (in Greek sources the term provatonomi is also used). The adet-i agnam was the state tax on sheep and referred to kanouname with different valuations, usually one aktse for every one or two sheep.
The implementation of tzelepiko, as is the case with other general legislation in the Ottoman Empire, generally varies and is adapted to local customs. Here we shall focus on Ali Pasha territories, or rather, on territories where he and his sons were able to extend their actions and influence. Ali Pasha, aware of the profit resulting from the management of the tzelepiko, intervened when the tax was rented in Istanbul, managing to get his own people appointed as renters of the revenue. Also, he was able to successfully manage the collection of sheep locally, through his own powerful network. A series of fragmentary documents from the archives of Ali Pasha throws some light on his involvement in the collection of this revenue.
1. The tzelepiko involved large numbers of sheep and it was a result of thriving stock-rasing.
2. The kaza, according to official Ottoman documents, are required to give for the tzelepiko one in ten sheep. This general arrangement was far from what was actually implemented, because the number of animals to which tzelepiko applied was not stable.
3. The tzelepiko seems to be paid in kind, as a percentage of a region’s sheep. The sheep were selected in the local sheepfolds by persons authorized by the tzelepiko renter. It seems that instead of sheep, a sum of money could often be paid, called bedel.
4. Moving large numbers of animals through distances of hundreds of kilometers was in many ways difficult, and often resulted in a lot of animals dying on the way.
5. The high profit margins afforded by tzelepiko impelled Ali Pasha to incorporate this tax revenue in his strategy of increasing his incomes, considering it to be an important source of revenue. It is remarkable that Veli Pasha in a letter to his father describes it as “the greatest income of our house”.
6. There were conflicts between the village elders and the renters of tzelepiko for the right to collect the sheep, as this right could be arbitrarily used to maximize profits. Ali Pasha’s people intervened and used their power to balance the conflicting interests.
7. Ali Pasha used as renters of the tzelepiko members of the Christian community or Albanians, pushing aside the powerful local Turkish elders.
The nature of this revenue necessitated the physical presence of the revenue renters for its collection, and the cooperation of the local notables. The consent, sometimes coerced, of the unruly farming populations was also essential. These factors created a convenient environment for Ali Pasha because he was the right person to overcome local resistance, with his network and his strong mechanism. The collection and management of the tzelepiko was for Ali Pasha a way to extend his network, offering him the opportunity for a direct involvement in the local affairs. Furthermore, he was able to strengthen his relationships with the mountainous farming communities and the nomadic stockbreeders, populations difficult to control and familiar with the use of weapons.
