ELITE EDUCATION AT THE OTTOMAN COURT FOR HIGHER BUREAUCRACY

• Main Author: Bülent ARI
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Osmanlı Mirası Araştırmaları Dergisi 2019-11-01
• Series: Journal of Ottoman Legacy Studies
• Subjects: enderun; devşirme; saray; i̇çoğlanı; ottoman court
• Online Access: http://www.osmanlimirasi.net/dergi//elite-education-at-the-ottoman-court-for-higher-bureaucracy-pp-497-50420191201de2a2.pdf

It can be concluded that despite some of its weakneses and side effects, Ottoman administrative mechanism owe all its successes to unique appointment and promotion system within the concept of reward and punishment. This was only possible not through nobility and blood descendancy, but through a system which was based on competence, merit, and loyalty. The young boys of non-Muslim families at the age of 15-20 were collected from the villages and recruited at the Ottoman court. There were certain rules to be promoted within the court educational mechanism. If they reached to Hasoda, after strict education, they could be appointed to higher positions. There are precious registers of contemporary foreign writers about Enderun (inner court). When they were appointed higher positions in the countryside, they since they would follow similar behaviour with the court, there would be an administrative harmony. The article focuses on the sensitivity of this mechanism throughout the Ottoman Classical period. The most important point, which was emphasized in the article is that in case of any failure, they were heavily punished. This process opened new positions to the bottom lines. Ottoman system basicly owe its success to this special application. The possibility of renewal of the administrative personnel, created an enthusiasm among the young generation. The article also touch upon the conversion of the unique Ottoman elite educational model to modern European systems towards the XIX th century.