Slave Artisans of Istanbul in the 18th Century: An Evaluation through the Surety System

Abstract

The literature provides a limited amount of information, however fragmented, about the slave artisans who played an important role among Ottoman artisan groups. This information, however, does not provide adequate knowledge about them. These artisans commonly appear as defendants in the Ottoman Shari'a Registers, but rarely as claimants. The relevance of the suretyship system for the slave artisans, the causes that made suretyship necessary, the officials in their guild, as well as the social rank and class of the members of this organization, are all addressed in this paper. Furthermore, the issues and objections raised by this group of artisans are examined in the light of archival documents and shari'a registers. In addition, the problems created by this group of artisans, as well as the complaints filed at the court involving these artisans, are also analyzed in the light of archival documents and shari'a registers.