Rumelia Province, Ottoman Empire
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The Eyalet of Rumeli, or Eyalet of Rumelia ( ota, ایالت روم ایلی, ), known as the Beylerbeylik of Rumeli until 1591, was a first-level province ('' beylerbeylik'' or ''
eyalet Eyalets ( Ottoman Turkish: ایالت, , English: State), also known as beylerbeyliks or pashaliks, were a primary administrative division of the Ottoman Empire. From 1453 to the beginning of the nineteenth century the Ottoman local government ...
'') of the
Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
encompassing most of the
Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...
("
Rumelia Rumelia ( ota, روم ايلى, Rum İli; tr, Rumeli; el, Ρωμυλία), etymologically "Land of the Names of the Greeks#Romans (Ῥωμαῖοι), Romans", at the time meaning Eastern Orthodox Christians and more specifically Christians f ...
"). For most of its history, it was the largest and most important province of the Empire, containing key cities such as Edirne, Yanina (
Ioannina Ioannina ( el, Ιωάννινα ' ), often called Yannena ( ' ) within Greece, is the capital and largest city of the Ioannina regional unit and of Epirus, an administrative region in north-western Greece. According to the 2011 census, the c ...
),
Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...
, Filibe (
Plovdiv Plovdiv ( bg, Пловдив, ), is the second-largest city in Bulgaria, standing on the banks of the Maritsa river in the historical region of Thrace. It has a population of 346,893 and 675,000 in the greater metropolitan area. Plovdiv is the c ...
), Manastır/Monastir (
Bitola Bitola (; mk, Битола ) is a city in the southwestern part of North Macedonia. It is located in the southern part of the Pelagonia valley, surrounded by the Baba, Nidže, and Kajmakčalan mountain ranges, north of the Medžitlija-Níki ...
), Üsküp (
Skopje Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre. The territory of Skopje has been inhabited since at least 4000 BC; r ...
), and the major seaport of Selanik/Salonica (
Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area, and the capi ...
). It was also among the oldest Ottoman eyalets, lasting more than 500 years with several territorial restructurings over the long course of its existence. The capital was in Adrianople ( Edirne),
Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...
, and finally Monastir (
Bitola Bitola (; mk, Битола ) is a city in the southwestern part of North Macedonia. It is located in the southern part of the Pelagonia valley, surrounded by the Baba, Nidže, and Kajmakčalan mountain ranges, north of the Medžitlija-Níki ...
). Its reported area in an 1862 almanac was .


History

The first ''beylerbey'' of
Rumelia Rumelia ( ota, روم ايلى, Rum İli; tr, Rumeli; el, Ρωμυλία), etymologically "Land of the Names of the Greeks#Romans (Ῥωμαῖοι), Romans", at the time meaning Eastern Orthodox Christians and more specifically Christians f ...
was Lala Shahin Pasha, who was awarded the title by Sultan Murad I as a reward for his capture of Adrianople ( Edirne) in the 1360s, and given military authority over the Ottoman territories in Europe, which he governed effectively as the Sultan's deputy while the Sultan returned to
Anatolia Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...
. Also, Silistra Eyalet was formed in 1593. From its foundation, the province of Rumelia—initially termed ''beylerbeylik'' or generically ''vilayet'' ("province"), only after 1591 was the term ''
eyalet Eyalets ( Ottoman Turkish: ایالت, , English: State), also known as beylerbeyliks or pashaliks, were a primary administrative division of the Ottoman Empire. From 1453 to the beginning of the nineteenth century the Ottoman local government ...
'' used—encompassed the entirety of the Ottoman Empire's European possessions, including the trans-
Danubian The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...
conquests like Akkerman, until the creation of further ''eyalets'' in the 16th century, beginning with the
Archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands. Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Archi ...
(1533), Budin (1541) and
Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and He ...
(1580). The first capital of Rumelia was probably Edirne (Adrianople), which was also, until the
Fall of Constantinople The Fall of Constantinople, also known as the Conquest of Constantinople, was the capture of the capital of the Byzantine Empire by the Ottoman Empire. The city fell on 29 May 1453 as part of the culmination of a 53-day siege which had begun o ...
in 1453, the Ottomans' capital city. It was followed by
Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...
for a while and again by Edirne until 1520, when Sofia once more became the seat of the ''beylerbey''. At the time, the ''beylerbey'' of Rumelia was the commander of the most important military force in the state in the form of the
timar A timar was a land grant by the sultans of the Ottoman Empire between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries, with an annual tax revenue of less than 20,000 akçes. The revenues produced from the land acted as compensation for military service. A ...
iot '' sipahi'' cavalry, and his presence in the capital during this period made him a regular member of the Imperial Council (''
divan A divan or diwan ( fa, دیوان, ''dīvān''; from Sumerian ''dub'', clay tablet) was a high government ministry in various Islamic states, or its chief official (see ''dewan''). Etymology The word, recorded in English since 1586, meanin ...
''). For the same reason, powerful
Grand Vizier Grand vizier ( fa, وزيرِ اعظم, vazîr-i aʾzam; ota, صدر اعظم, sadr-ı aʾzam; tr, sadrazam) was the title of the effective head of government of many sovereign states in the Islamic world. The office of Grand Vizier was first ...
s like
Mahmud Pasha Angelovic Mahmud is a transliteration of the male Arabic given name (), common in most parts of the Islamic world. It comes from the Arabic triconsonantal root Ḥ-M-D, meaning ''praise'', along with ''Muhammad''. Siam Mahmud *Mahmood (singer) (born 199 ...
or Pargalı Ibrahim Pasha held the ''beylerbeylik'' in tandem with the grand vizierate. In the 18th century, Monastir emerged as an alternate residence of the governor, and in 1836, it officially became the capital of the ''eyalet''. At about the same time, the ''
Tanzimat The Tanzimat (; ota, تنظيمات, translit=Tanzimāt, lit=Reorganization, ''see'' nizām) was a period of reform in the Ottoman Empire that began with the Gülhane Hatt-ı Şerif in 1839 and ended with the First Constitutional Era in 1876. ...
'' reforms, aimed at modernizing the Empire, split off the new ''eyalets'' of
Üsküb Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre. The territory of Skopje has been inhabited since at least 4000 BC; r ...
, Yanya and Selanik and reduced the Rumelia Eyalet to a few provinces around Monastir. The rump ''eyalet'' survived until 1867, when, as part of the transition to the more uniform ''
vilayet A vilayet ( ota, , "province"), also known by #Names, various other names, was a first-order administrative division of the later Ottoman Empire. It was introduced in the Vilayet Law of 21 January 1867, part of the Tanzimat reform movement init ...
'' system, it became part of the
Salonica Vilayet The Vilayet of Salonica ( ota, ولايت سلانيك, Vilâyet-i Selânik) was a first-level administrative division (vilayet) of the Ottoman Empire from 1867 to 1912. In the late 19th century it reportedly had an area of .


Governors

The governor of the Rumelia Eyalet was titled "Beylerbey of Rumelia" (Rumeli ''beylerbeyi'') or "Vali of Rumelia" (Rumeli ''vali'').


Administrative divisions


1475

A list dated to 1475 lists seventeen subordinate ''
sanjakbey ''Sanjak-bey'', ''sanjaq-bey'' or ''-beg'' ( ota, سنجاق بك) () was the title given in the Ottoman Empire to a bey (a high-ranking officer, but usually not a pasha) appointed to the military and administrative command of a district (''sanjak' ...
s'', who controlled sub-provinces or ''
sanjak Sanjaks (liwāʾ) (plural form: alwiyāʾ) * Armenian language, Armenian: նահանգ (''nahang''; meaning "province") * Bulgarian language, Bulgarian: окръг (''okrǔg''; meaning "county", "province", or "region") * el, Διοίκησι ...
s'', which also functioned as military commands: #
Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...
#
Gallipoli The Gallipoli peninsula (; tr, Gelibolu Yarımadası; grc, Χερσόνησος της Καλλίπολης, ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles ...
# Edirne # Nikebolu/Nigbolu # Vidin #
Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...
# Serbia (Laz-ili) # Serbia (Despot-ili) # Vardar (under the
Evrenosoğullari Evrenos or Evrenuz (died 17 November 1417 in Giannitsa, Yenice-i Vardar) was an Ottoman Empire, Ottoman military commander. Byzantine sources mention him as Ἐβρενός, Ἀβρανέζης, Βρανέζης, Βρανεύς (?), Βρενέζ, ...
) #
Üsküb Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre. The territory of Skopje has been inhabited since at least 4000 BC; r ...
# Arnavut-ili (under Iskender Bey, i.e.
Skanderbeg , reign = 28 November 1443 – 17 January 1468 , predecessor = Gjon Kastrioti , successor = Gjon Kastrioti II , spouse = Donika Arianiti , issue = Gjon Kastrioti II , royal house = Kastrioti , father ...
) # Arnavut-ili (under the Arianiti family) #
Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and He ...
#
Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and He ...
(under Stephen) #
Arta Arta, ARTA, or Artà may refer to: Places Djibouti * Arta, Djibouti, a regional capital city in southeastern Djibouti * Arta Mountains, a mountain range in Djibouti * Arta Region, Djibouti Greece * Arta, Greece, a regional capital city in northwes ...
, Zituni and
Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
# Morea # Monastir


1520s

Another list, dating to the early reign of Suleiman the Magnificent (r. 1520–1566), lists the ''sanjakbeys'' of that period, in approximate order of importance.: # Bey of the ''Pasha-sanjak'' # Bosnia # Morea # Semendire # Vidin #
Hersek Herzegovina ( or ; sh-Latn-Cyrl, Hercegovina, separator=" / ", Херцеговина, ) is the southern and smaller of two main geographical region of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being Bosnia. It has never had strictly defined geograp ...
# Silistre #
Ohri The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI), formerly Ottawa Health Research Institute, is a non-profit academic health research institute located in the city of Ottawa. It was formed in 2001 following the merger of three Ottawa hospitals. The O ...
# Avlonya # Iskenderiyye # Yanya # Gelibolu # Köstendil # Nikebolu # Sofia # Inebahti # Tirhala # Alaca Hișar # Vulcetrin #
Kefe uk, Феодосія, Теодосія crh, Kefe , official_name = () , settlement_type= , image_skyline = THEODOSIA 01.jpg , imagesize = 250px , image_caption = Genoese fortress of Caffa , image_shield = Fe ...
#
Prizren ) , settlement_type = Municipality and city , image_skyline = Prizren Collage.jpg , imagesize = 290px , image_caption = View of Prizren , image_alt = View of Prizren , image_flag ...
#
Karli-eli Karli-Eli ( gr, Κάρλελι, ''Karleli''; tr, Karlıeli), also Karli-Ili or Karlo-Ili, was the Ottoman name for the region of Aetolia-Acarnania in western Greece, which formed a distinct administrative unit (''sanjak'' or '' liva'') from the ...
# Ağriboz # Çirmen #
Vize Vize ( el, Βιζύη, bg, Виза) is a town and district of Kırklareli Province in the Marmara region of Turkey. The district governor is Elif Canan Tuncer, and the mayor is Ercan Özalp ( CHP). According to the Turkish Statistical Institu ...
# Izvornik # Florina # Elbasan # ''Sanjakbey'' of the ''Çingene'' (" Gypsies") #
Midilli Lesbos or Lesvos ( el, Λέσβος, Lésvos ) is a Greek island located in the northeastern Aegean Sea. It has an area of with approximately of coastline, making it the third largest island in Greece. It is separated from Asia Minor by the nar ...
# Karadağ (
Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...
) # ''Sanjakbey'' of the ''Müselleman-i Kirk Kilise'' ("Muslims of
Kirk Kilise Kirk is a Scottish and former Northern English word meaning "church". It is often used specifically of the Church of Scotland. Many place names and personal names are also derived from it. Basic meaning and etymology As a common noun, ''kirk'' ...
") # ''Sanjakbey'' of the
Voynuk Voynuks (sometimes called ''voynugans'' or ''voynegans'') were members of the privileged Ottoman military social class established in the 1370s or the 1380s. Voynuks were tax-exempt non-Muslim, usually Slavic, and also non-Slavic Vlach Ottoman ...
s The ''Çingene'', ''Müselleman-i Kirk Kilise'' and Voynuks were not territorial circumscriptions, but rather represented merely a ''sanjakbey'' appointed to control these scattered and often nomadic groups, and who acted as the commander of the military forces recruited among them. The ''Pasha-sanjak'' in this period comprised a wide area in western
Macedonia Macedonia most commonly refers to: * North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia * Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity * Macedonia (Greece), a traditional geographic reg ...
, including the towns of Üskub (
Skopje Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre. The territory of Skopje has been inhabited since at least 4000 BC; r ...
), Pirlipe (
Prilep Prilep ( mk, Прилеп ) is the fourth-largest city in North Macedonia. It has a population of 66,246 and is known as "the city under Marko's Towers" because of its proximity to the towers of Prince Marko. Name The name of Prilep appear ...
), Manastir (
Bitola Bitola (; mk, Битола ) is a city in the southwestern part of North Macedonia. It is located in the southern part of the Pelagonia valley, surrounded by the Baba, Nidže, and Kajmakčalan mountain ranges, north of the Medžitlija-Níki ...
) and Kesriye ( Kastoria). A similar list compiled c. 1534 gives the same ''sanjaks'', except for the absence of Sofia, Florina and Inebahti (among the provinces transferred to the new Archipelago Eyalet in 1533), and the addition of Selanik ( Salonica).


1538

In 1538 there are listed 29 liva (sanjaks) during the reign of Sultan Suleiman I. # Sofya (Pasha Sanjak of Rumelia) # Ağrıboz # Alacahisar # Avlonya # Bosna # Çirmen #
Gelibolu Gelibolu, also known as Gallipoli (from el, Καλλίπολις, ''Kallipolis'', "Beautiful City"), is the name of a town and a district in Çanakkale Province of the Marmara Region, located in Eastern Thrace in the European part of Turkey on th ...
#
Hersek Herzegovina ( or ; sh-Latn-Cyrl, Hercegovina, separator=" / ", Херцеговина, ) is the southern and smaller of two main geographical region of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being Bosnia. It has never had strictly defined geograp ...
# İlbasan # İskenderiye # İzvornik # Karlıili # Kefe # Köstendil #
Mora Mora may refer to: People * Mora (surname) Places Sweden * Mora, Säter, Sweden * Mora, Sweden, the seat of Mora Municipality * Mora Municipality, Sweden United States * Mora, Louisiana, an unincorporated community * Mora, Minnesota, a city * M ...
# Niğbolu #
Ohri The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI), formerly Ottawa Health Research Institute, is a non-profit academic health research institute located in the city of Ottawa. It was formed in 2001 following the merger of three Ottawa hospitals. The O ...
# Prizrin # Rodos # Semendire # Silistre # Tırhala # Vidin #
Vize Vize ( el, Βιζύη, bg, Виза) is a town and district of Kırklareli Province in the Marmara region of Turkey. The district governor is Elif Canan Tuncer, and the mayor is Ercan Özalp ( CHP). According to the Turkish Statistical Institu ...
# Vulçıtrın # Yanya # Müselleman-ı Kızılca # Müselleman-ı Çingane # Voynugan-ı Istabl-ı Amire


1644

Further ''sanjaks'' were removed with the progressive creation of new ''eyalets'', and an official register c. 1644 records only fifteen ''sanjaks'' for the Rumelia Eyalet: # Köstendil # Tirhala # Prizren # Yanya # Delvine # Vulcetrin # Üskub # Elbasan # Avlonya # Dukagin # Iskenderiyye # Ohri # Alaca Hișar # Selanik # Voynuks


1700/1730

The administrative division of the beylerbeylik of Rumelia between 1700-1730 was as follows:Orhan Kılıç, XVII. Yüzyılın İlk Yarısında Osmanlı Devleti'nin Eyalet ve Sancak Teşkilatlanması, ''Osmanlı'', Cilt 6: Teşkilât, Yeni Türkiye Yayınları, Ankara, 1999, , p. 91. # ''Pasha-sanjak'', around Manastir # Köstendil # Tirhala # Yanya # Delvina # Elbasan # Iskenderiyye # Avlonya # Ohri # Alaca Hisar # Selanik # Dukagin # Prizren # Üsküb # Vulçıtrin # Voynuks # ''Çingene'' # Yoruks


Early 19th century

Sanjaks in the early 19th century: — by George Long,
Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge The Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge (SDUK) was founded in London in 1826, mainly at the instigation of Whig MP Henry Brougham, with the object of publishing information to people who were unable to obtain formal teaching or who pr ...
# Manastir # Selanik # Tirhala # Iskenderiyye # Ohri # Avlonya # Köstendil # Elbasan # Prizren # Dukagin # Üsküb # Delvina # Vulcetrin #
Kavala Kavala ( el, Καβάλα, ''Kavála'' ) is a city in northern Greece, the principal seaport of eastern Macedonia and the capital of Kavala regional unit. It is situated on the Bay of Kavala, across from the island of Thasos and on the Egnat ...
# Alaca Hișar # Yanya #Smederevo


Mid-19th century

According to the state yearbook ('' salname'') of the year 1847, the reduced Rumelia Eyalet, centred at Manastir, encompassed also the ''sanjaks'' of Iskenderiyye (Scutari), Ohri (Ohrid) and Kesrye (Kastoria). In 1855, according to the French traveller A. Viquesnel, it comprised the ''sanjaks'' of Iskenderiyye, with 7 ''
kaza A kaza (, , , plural: , , ; ota, قضا, script=Arab, (; meaning 'borough') * bg, околия (; meaning 'district'); also Кааза * el, υποδιοίκησις () or (, which means 'borough' or 'municipality'); also () * lad, kaza , ...
s'' or sub-provinces, Ohri with 8 ''kazas'', Kesrye with 8 ''kazas'' and the ''pasha-sanjak'' of Manastir with 11 ''kazas''. *


References


Bibliography

* * * * * {{Albanians under the Ottoman Empire * Eyalets of the Ottoman Empire in Europe History of the Balkans * * * * * * * * States and territories established in the 1360s States and territories disestablished in 1867 1360s establishments in the Ottoman Empire 1867 disestablishments in the Ottoman Empire