An Overlooked Jewish Community: The Jews of Rodoscuk in the 17th Century
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Rodoscuk and Its Jewish Community
3. Intercommunal Interaction: Jewish Relations with Muslims, Greeks, and Armenians
4. Jews in the Rodoscuk Court
5. The State and the Jews of Rodoscuk
6. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
Appendix A
1 | Two exceptions can be mentioned in this regard: firstly, Hacer Ateş’s doctoral thesis outlines where Jews came from, their settlements and their population, in a section devoted to the Jews of Rodoscuk (Ateş 2009, p. 157); secondly, in his subsequently published master’s thesis, Yakup Şahiner uses Sharia registers as a principle source in a short section about Jews living in Rodoscuk between 1640 and 1648. |
2 | The term “dhimma” is used to denote an indefinitely renewable type of contract, according to which members of other Abrahamic religions are granted hospitality and protection by the Muslim community, provided they accept the supremacy of Islam. Those who benefit from dhimma are called dhimmis, collectively known as “ahl al-dhimma” or simply dhimmis. |
3 | Hüccets, documents comprising a significant portion of court records, are a kind of document issued for the sale or transfer of property such as houses, shops, vineyards, fields and animals. Typically prepared by qadis, who also serve as notaries, these documents record the consent of the parties involved in the transaction. They serve as crucial evidence in potential disputes that may arise in the future. |
4 | Another important phenomenon for 17th century Ottoman Jews was Sebatay Sevi and the Sebatayist movement. However, there was no reflection of the Sebatayist movement in the court records examined (save one conversion example, which does not allow us to comment on the issue). |
5 | The existence of only 28 taxpayers should not be read to indicate that the Jewish population in Rodoscuk was small. Research on jizya highlights that the adult male population constituted approximately one-third of the total population in pre-industrial agricultural societies. Thus, in this case, it would be correct to multiply the number 28 by 3. Moreover, some people were exempted from this tax for various reasons. When those who were exempt are added to this figure, we can estimate that the total Jewish population of Rodoscuk is much higher (Özel 2000, p. 44; Karagedikli 2014, pp. 315–16). |
6 | On 16 April 1679, prominent figures from the district of Rodoscuk, comprising Muslims, Greeks, Armenians and Jews, applied to the court requesting additional time to pay their taxes as they were unable to meet the deadline (R.Ş.S. No: 1608, p. 27/a). Less than a month later, on 12 May 1679, a 105-day extension was granted to the people of Rodoscuk facing similar difficulties in paying their taxes (R.Ş.S. No: 1608, pp. 129/b–130/a). Both examples illustrate that it was not only Jews, but all ethnic and religious groups who struggled with tax payments. |
7 | The situation described stems largely from the military’s complete control over the farming sector, which began to consolidate around 1650. Prior to this period, there was a significant number of non-Muslims involved in this domain, but their near-total disappearance can be attributed to the outcomes of this process (Genç 2000, p. 156). |
References
Archival Sources
- Ottoman Archive
- Rodoscuk Qadi Registers (R. Ş. S)
- R.Ş.S. No: 1552; R.Ş.S. No: 1599; R.Ş.S. No: 1591; R.Ş.S. No: 1620; R.Ş.S. No: 1594; R.Ş.S. No: 1602; R.Ş.S. No: 1562; R.Ş.S. No: 1561; R.Ş.S. No: 1572; R.Ş.S. No: 1561; R.Ş.S. No: 1612; R.Ş.S. No: 1610; R.Ş.S. No: 1604; R.Ş.S. No:1619; R.Ş.S. No: 1612; R.Ş.S. No: 1608; R.Ş.S. No: 1610; R.Ş.S. No: 1616.
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Ekin, U.; Kerim, M. An Overlooked Jewish Community: The Jews of Rodoscuk in the 17th Century. Religions 2024, 15, 1093. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091093
Ekin U, Kerim M. An Overlooked Jewish Community: The Jews of Rodoscuk in the 17th Century. Religions. 2024; 15(9):1093. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091093
Chicago/Turabian StyleEkin, Umit, and Mehmet Kerim. 2024. "An Overlooked Jewish Community: The Jews of Rodoscuk in the 17th Century" Religions 15, no. 9: 1093. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091093