Bir Osmanlı İç Güvenlik Teşkilatı Kır Serdarlığı

An Ottoman Internal Security Organization Rural Serdarship Book Description: We think that the emergence of the Rural Serdarship was created, as the name suggests, to eliminate the bandits that emerged in rural areas and to ensure security, especially after long-lasting wars, rebellions and social turmoil started to become permanent starting from the period of stagnation. When we look at the content of the documents related to the rural serdarship, it can be seen that the contents of the early periods mostly focus on the capture of Janissary deserters and the prevention of the incidents they caused in the regions where they were located. As a matter of fact, we could not find any record on this subject in the classical period mühimme notebooks published before this period. It can be said that the concept of rural serdarship emerged after the increase in military desertions that reached great proportions in the 18th century and the Celali uprisings that ravaged Anatolia as a result of these, and it became the name of a system towards the end of the last century. In addition, this organization is a security unit created with the permission of the government and the desire of local administrations, which filled the gap of the regular army in the Ottoman Empire until it was systematized and its units took root under the name of gendarmerie or zaptiye. In the early records regarding the rural serdarship, it is seen that this system was operated through senior experienced soldiers such as Turnacıbaşı among the existing janissaries, and from the end of the 18th century, lower-level janissaries were also selected for this duty. In the 19th century, after the janissary corps was abolished, this duty was given to military officers from the region or the people, who were temporarily selected by the governors in the regions in need, to prominent people from the local people, and even to pardoned former bandits. (From the Promotional Bulletin)