Minkārīzāde Yahyā and the Ottoman scholarly bureaucracy in the seventeenth century

Abstract

This dissertation examines the life and career of Minkārīzāde Yahyā (1609–1678) in the context of wider religious, administrative, political, and intellectual developments of the seventeenth century. It contends that Minkārīzāde actively involved in redefining critical aspects of Ottoman religio-legal dynamics on both institutional and intellectual levels as a scholar-bureaucrat. This study is composed of an introductory and four main chapters dealing with distinct aspects of Minkārīzāde’s bureaucratic career and scholarly works. While the introductory chapter lays out the dissertation’s main arguments and analyzes the relevant literature, Chapter 2 explores the hitherto neglected early stages of Minkārīzāde’s life, the scholars who taught him during his youth, and his scholarly and bureaucratic career to trace the trajectory that advanced him to the highest level of the Ottoman learned hierarchy. Chapter 3, on the other hand, concentrates on Minkārīzāde’s scholarly works and scrutinizes his active involvement in the religio-legal debates of the seventeenth century. Looking closely at Minkārīzāde’s tenure in the office of chief jurist and examining a number of administrative developments he promoted, Chapter 4 discusses the new land regime applied in Crete after its final conquest in 1669 in light of his fatwas. Lastly, Chapter 5 demonstrates that a wide range of scholars from different corners of the empire established a close relationship with Minkārīzāde and benefitted from his scholarly and intellectual patronage, resulting in the recognition of his seat as the “Threshold of Minkārīzāde” (Minkārīzāde Āsitānesi).