SOCIO-ECONOMIC STRUCTURE OF THE FAMILY IN ANTAKYA: ACCORDING TO COURT RECORDS (FROM THE END OF THE 19TH CENTURY TO BEGINNING OF THE 20TH CENTURY)

Year 2022, Volume: 4 Issue: 1, 76 - 91, 30.06.2022

Ömer Önal Işıl Işık Bostancı

https://doi.org/10.52735/bellek.1131317

Abstract

History refers to the past of humanity as whole, not just political and military events. Accessing real information, establishing connections between events and making correct evaluations is only possible with this holistic perspective. Achieving the whole can be achieved by bringing together larger parts that have smaller parts in themselves. From this point of view, local history studies gain importance in Ottoman history studies with their economic and social dimensions.
Antakya, which came under Ottoman rule in 1516, attracted the attention of researchers because it has a deep-rooted history and is on the trade route, and has been the subject of many researches in this respect. The main source of these researches was generally the Antakya court records. Court records are important sources for local history studies, as they are court records that reflect the official correspondence of the kadis or the appointed regents with the state headquarters, the edicts and provisions concerning the local governments, the complaints and wishes of the people in the place they belong. They also reflect the economic and social life of the place where it is located. The heritage records (tereke) included in them contain information about many subjects to understand the Ottoman family structure. It is possible to access information from these records such as identity of the deceased, his origin, profession and duties, the amount and distribution of his wealth, movable and immovable properties, cash and jewelry items, family status, number of spouses and children, slaves and concubines, mahr and alimony, residence, the goods in it and their prices, clothing.
Existing studies based on Antakya court records cover the period from the 18th century to the last quarter of the 19th century. There is no original study written on the socio-economic structure of the family in Antakya after this date. With this article, it is aimed to eliminate the existing deficiency. The main source of the research consists of a total of 14 Antakya court records, between the years 1876-1911, between numbers 40 and 53. However, there are many heritage records in these court records. For this reason, 96 heritage records in court records numbered 40, 45, 50 and 53 with certain period intervals were used for statistical data.
The socio-economic structures of families in Antakya during the late 19th century and early 20th century were determined from the examples of cases such as marriage, mahr, divorce, determination of guardian and alimony for children, which are reflected in the court records; The number of children, spouses, income levels, inheritance, the houses they live in and the goods they use are from the heritage records.
As in other regions of the Ottoman Empire, the family structure in Antakya was shaped within the framework of Islamic law. The court conducted a fair operation in all matters concerning the family. According to the examined heritage records, the average population of families in Antakya between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century is around 5-6 people. The maximum number of children in Muslim families is 13, and in non-Muslim families it is 5. There is not much difference in the ratio of boys and girls. Although there are people who are married to more than one woman, it is seen that marriages are generally monogamous.
Measures such as alimony, which usually protect children and women in the event that marriages end in divorce, were sometimes used for men as well. Children are protected financially and socially. Usually a parent guardian is appointed. In the case of a guardian other than the mother and father, a close relative was preferred, and in the absence of a relative, a qualified and reliable person is preferred. As understood from the records, this practice is similar in Muslim and non-Muslim families.
According to the examined heritage records, the highest inheritance value is 108,209 kurus 10 para, and the lowest inheritance value is 117 kurus 10 para. The average inheritance value of families living in Antakya is between 7-8 thousand kurus. The economic situation of the families living in the rural part of the Antakya district is lower than the ones living in the district center. The source of livelihood of the families living in the center is craft and trade, while those living in the villages are agriculture and animal husbandry.
The places where the family lives in the center are more valuable than those in the rural areas. While this value is 15,000 kurus in the center, it is 900 kurus in the rural areas. The items used in the dwellings are often in a simpler appearance in the villages in terms of both quality and quantity. Both Muslim and non-Muslim families lived similarly in the same living spaces.

Keywords

Antakya, Court Records (Sharia Registry), Family, Social Structure, Economic Structure

ŞERʿİYYE SİCİLLERİNE GÖRE ANTAKYA’DA AİLENİN SOSYO-EKONOMİK YAPISI (19. YÜZYILIN SONLARINDAN 20. YÜZYILIN BAŞLARINA KADAR)

Abstract

Bulunduğu zamana ve coğrafyaya göre değişiklikler gösteren aile kurumu, bir taraftan toplumun kültür yapısına göre şekillenirken diğer taraftan da toplumun sosyal ve ekonomik yapısını şekillendirir. Bu nedenle bir devletin tarihini anlayabilmek için o devletin toplum yapısını, toplum yapısını anlayabilmek için ise aile yapısını anlamak gerekir. Farklı millet ve inanç sistemlerini, geniş bir coğrafyada yüzyıllarca bünyesinde barındıran Osmanlı Devleti’nin toplumsal yapısının incelenmesi de bu yönüyle önem kazanmaktadır.
Yaklaşık 400 yıl Osmanlı Devleti’nin hâkimiyeti altında kalan, Müslüman nüfus yanında gayrimüslim nüfusu da barındıran Antakya’da ailenin sosyo-ekonomik yapısına ilişkin bazı çalışmalar yapılmıştır. Ancak bu çalışmalar, 18 yüzyıl ile 19. yüzyılın son çeyreği arasındaki dönemi kapsamaktadır. Bu tarihten sonrasına ait özgün bir çalışma bulunmamaktadır. Yapılan bu çalışmayla mevcut eksikliğin giderilmesi amaçlanmıştır. Araştırmanın temel kaynağını, 1876-1911 yılları arasını içeren 40 ile 53 numaralar arasındaki toplam 14 adet Antakya Şerʿiyye Sicili oluşturmaktadır. 19. yüzyılın sonu ile 20. yüzyılın başlarını kapsayan dönem içerisinde Antakya’da bulunan ailelerin sosyo-ekonomik yapıları; mahkeme kayıtlarına yansıyan nikâh, mehir, boşanma, çocuklar için vasi ve nafaka tayini gibi dava örneklerinden; ailelerin çocuk sayıları, eş durumları, gelir düzeyleri, bırakılan miras, yaşadıkları evler ve kullandıkları eşyalar ise tereke kayıtlarından örneklerle tespit edilmeye çalışılmıştır.
Bu dönem içerisinde Antakya’da; birden fazla kadın ile evli olan kişiler olmakla birlikte evliliklerin genelde tek eşle yapıldığı, ailelerin ortalama 3-4 çocuk sahibi olup hane nüfusunun 5-6 kişiden oluştuğu, evliliklerin boşanma ile sonuçlanması durumunda genellikle çocukları ve kadınları koruyan nafaka gibi tedbirlerin bazen erkekler için de kullanıldığı, ailelerin daha çok orta düzeyde bir ekonomik yapıya sahip olup ortalama miras değerlerinin 7-8 bin kuruş arasında olduğu, gerek Müslüman gerekse gayrimüslim ailelerin, aynı yaşam alanlarında benzer yaşayış şekilleri sergiledikleri sonucuna varılmıştır.

Keywords

Antakya, Şerʿiyye Sicili, Aile, Sosyal Yapı, Ekonomik Yapı

References

• Antakya Şerʿiyye Sicilli No: 40, H. 1293-1295