Abstract
The fact that akçe (mite) had a high value when people were buying low priced goods during their daily shopping caused the introduction of copper coins to the market which were known as ufaklık (little value money) by the Ottomans. These coins which were known as mankur were also called “pul”, “mangur”, “mangır”, “fels”, and “fülus”.
Mankur which was minted in 1688 and demonetized in 1691 has a different characteristic from the first Ottoman copper coins. The mankur minted in this era was not minted for buying little valued goods but for normal needs for money. At first, two mankurs were equal to one akçe (mite), but when it became popular later on one mankur became equal to one akçe. That is to say, the less value copper had gained value and became equal to a more valued silver coin. This situation caused everybody to do their shopping with silver coins and this caused the copper coin to lose value. When Mankur caused big problems, it was demonetized by reason of forgery.
In this study, the minting of mankur (copper coin) and its usage in Konya has been examined when the Ottomans had to fight against the “Holly Alliance” states which were made up of Austria, Poland, Venice, and Russia after the defeat of Vienna in 1683. During this time, the Ottomans had minted mankur in order to find a solution for the problem of money scarcity in 1688; and the reasons for minting mankur, its circulation and demonetization, and its usage in Konya are dwelled on together with the outcomes that it had caused.