Abstract
When the archival documents of the 18th century are analyzed, it is seen that the reâyâ were quite active in the Ottoman provinces. People were emigrating from their homes, particularly during the excursion periods, for various reasons, including rising taxes, unjust demands from the rulers and judiciary, banditry and usurpers (mutegallibe), military transitions, unemp loyment, famine, epidemics, and natural disasters. Chain migrations began to occur from the immigrant regions over time as the tax burden on the populace rose in these areas. As a result, agricultural lands in Anatolia and Rumelia remained empty, production declined, tax collec tion became difficult, and timar holders and the state treasury suffered losses. However, the complaints recorded in the Rumelia Ahkâm Books point to another significant reason for the migrations in this region. And that is the villagers’ inability to repay their debts after taking out high-interest loans from moneylenders. The peasants who owed the moneylenders money for things like getting tools and seeds, keeping up production, or paying taxes before harves ting eventually found themselves unable to pay their mounting debts with interest and were compelled to leave their lands. In this study, the issue of indebtedness to moneylenders, which has not been emphasized much before and which was one of the reasons for the reâyâ in Rumelia to leave their lands in the 18th century, was examined based on the complaints reflected in archival documents. The challenges that the indebted peasants faced in making interest payments, their attempts to escape from their creditors, their requests for state assistance, and the connection between the process and the large farms that were established in the region were more thoroughly examined. Information on the profiles of creditors was presented, and the most prominent persons and places in the existing records were assessed. Thus, it is aimed to provide a clearer picture of the socioeconomic situation of the peasants in rural Rumelia in the 18th century.
Keywords: Rumeli, muameleci, murabaha, tefeci, faiz
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