Podcasts · The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History
The Ottoman Tax Farmer Who Bankrupted an Empire
· 6:20 · S6 E251
Episode The Ottoman Tax Farmer Who Bankrupted an Empire
In this episode, we explore the lives of the tax farmers who kept the Ottoman economy afloat while quietly undermining its stability. We meet men like Yahya Efendi and the complex system of mütesellim and timar that defined revenue collection for centuries. Lucas and Luna trace how the shift from land grants to cash farming in the late sixteenth century created a class of wealthy intermediaries who enriched themselves at the state's expense. We look at specific cases from Bursa and Istanbul, examining how corruption became systemic rather than exceptional. The conversation also touches on the role of the Grand Vizier in trying to rein in these powerful figures, and the eventual collapse of the traditional fiscal order. Listeners will discover how economic policy shaped political decay and why some reforms failed to address root causes.
#OttomanEmpire #TaxFarming #Mütesellim #TimarSystem #YahyaEfendi #Bursa #Istanbul #GrandVizier #EconomicHistory #FiscalPolicy #16thCentury #17thCentury #Corruption #RevenueCollection #MiddleEastHistory #Byzantium #FexingoHistory #History
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Transcript
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