The agrarian background to the “Dağlı” rebellion in the Rhodope mountains (1780-1810)

Abstract

This thesis examines the “dağlı” rebellion that emerged in the Rhodope Mountains between 1780-1810 through agricultural, environmental, and economic factors. At the end of the eighteenth century, the dağlıs formed large and small bandit groups in the east of the Balkans and served as mercenaries under the command of the local notables. The study looks at the activities of the dağlıs from a regional perspective. It investigates how the region's mountain system shaped local people's economic activities. It focuses on agricultural and animal products that were grown by the local populace as subsistence and commercial products. Specifically, it asserts that the deterioration of the balance in the production of agricultural products led to the dağlı rebellion. While explaining the rebellion, it refers to the characteristics of the rural rebellions in the Ottoman Empire during the 19th century, the property system, and landlord and peasant relations. It reveals the macro-economic structure of the settlements in the Rhodope Mountains through salnames. It examines the micro economic structure on the basis of villages and households by using temettuat registers. In the light of these data, it emphasizes that environmental, agricultural, and economic factors were effective in the emergence of the dağlı rebellion.