LIFE IN THE COUNTRYSIDE DURING THE OTTOMAN DOMINION
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ECONOMY DURING THE PERIOD OF THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE In the Ottoman Empire, the majority of the land belonged to the State. Only the houses, the trees and the vines (but not the ground on which they were planted), the gardens and the community fields were privately owned or collectively owned by the people of the village.
• According to the law, public land could be converted to private, • only if it had been donated by the Sultan himself. • The stagnation of the population due to 3 main factors: increased infant mortality (the result of lack basic hygiene precautions), epidemics and wars. Consequence was a creation of conditions of insecurity in the population: life expectancy did not exceed 30-35 years, and people this horizon were trying to think about their future and make decisions, and obviously financial.
THE SOCIAL CLASSES noble men
peasant s Craftsmen and merchants
The two major distinctions between the population were between: • Military / government officials and farmers, artisans, merchants. • Muslims and non-Muslims (Jimmy) • Residents of towns / villages and nomads.
THE RURAL LIFE The typical rural family usually consisted of three to four members and had the necessary agricultural land, the right tools and a pair of oxen, necessary for cultivating the land.
Scene of the rural life, Paris, National Library
• The bulk of production were cereals, which was the main food source of the family. • Usually cereals, collected from the landowner and • channeled to individual persons or groups of villagers. • The production of families should be Greek merchant, lithography, Athens, Gennadius Library sufficient to enable it to meet the nutritional needs as well as scheduled and unscheduled needs, and the payment of taxes.
It was not required all farmers to pay the same amount of tax corresponding to extent of ​agricultural land. Some few farmers paid lesser amount than they corresponded, others half, while the poorest an insignificant amount.
Coins of the Ottoman period
THE TAX SYSTEM • The amount of taxes and services owed by farmers of each province was determined by the Turkish government as the economic and marital status of the residents. In some areas that were more privileged the allocation and the tax collection was done by Kotsampasis or nobles of Christians. • The upper class (which was the Ottomans) was completely exempted from taxes. • The taxes were collected by the state in various ways and were either in kind or in cash.
Bazaar at the city of Larissa
Taxes divided into These of the Islamic law: 1. The Tenth, which was paid by all farmers irrespective of their religion, for public works and military costs. 3.
The Jimmy considered protected and had to pay in exchange for a sum of money, which differed from area to area, the poll tax.
3. Tenth almsgiving. Firstly it was voluntary but later became obligatory for all Muslims producers.
Taxes at the initiative of the Sultan: 1. The zefgario that was a land tax and based on the pair of oxen that pulled the plow. It was paid by the farmers to have the right to cultivate their fields. 2. The melachika money that was paid to cover the needs of the Turkish fleet. The geography created some difficulties in the rural life. Many times, when for some reason (usually due to weather conditions eg reduced or increased rainfall in some area) there was no possibility of crop production in an area the problem was solved with the redistribution of the product among various locations. The islands, except of the large ones, filled out their short lacks acting as intermediary traders.
Anything that had been produced was taxed, no matter of the legal status of the land where the production had been done. The biggest problem in the whole Mediterranean agriculture, was to control of the water. When the confrontation was not successful the plain turned into a swamp, malaria broke out and the area was abandoned. That is why the plains were sparsely populated
SOURCES The books: “Story of the Greeks” Volume 10 Version “Domi”
KATIA KRETSI ANNA MANIATOPOULOU