CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2025
| Author | Kiprovska, Mariya |
|---|---|
| Title | The Role of the Frontier Elites in the Ottoman State-Building Processes: A Case Study on the Mihaloglu Family |
| Summary | This dissertation challenges the widely accepted patrimonial model of Ottoman governance and reconceptualizes empire-building processes from the perspective of “peripheral” elites during the period of Ottoman imperial consolidation. Departing from the conventional center-periphery dichotomy often applied in the study of pre-modern state and empire-building in Eurasian history, it argues for a strong interdependence and close entanglement between the supposedly opposed “center” and “periphery” in the context of Ottoman state-building. Through a detailed examination of the Mihaloğlu dynasty, a family of frontier lords commonly marginalized in contemporary interpretations of state-building, this study sheds new light on the power dynamics and governance structures within the empire. It contends that the Ottoman frontiers and their socio-political elites were not peripheral to Ottoman politics but were, in fact, key agents in molding domestic governance, central imperial policies, and transregional dynamics. Adopting a micro-historical approach, the dissertation scrutinizes the “infrastructural capacity” of the Mihaloğlu dynasty and demonstrates that they were not simply subsumed into the centralizing mechanisms of the Ottoman state/dynasty, as is commonly argued. On the contrary, this study reveals that they formed a significant “power node,” capable of steering domestic governance and managing regional politics. These frontier elites presided over extensive networks of dependencies, forming vast military-administrative households that were the backbone of elite provincial society. Moreover, entangled in intra-elite alliances both within and beyond the bounds of Ottoman suzerainty, the frontier lords actively participated in shaping domestic and international politics, influencing broader Ottoman policies and governmental capacities. This involvement positioned them among the highest ranks of Ottoman elite society, deeply invested in the formation of the imperial socio-political landscape. Ultimately, the dissertation moves beyond the conventional sultan-centric narrative of centralization, advocating for a reevaluation of Ottoman state-building that recognizes previously “marginalized” frontier elites as active participants in the imperial project. By examining the role of regional social actors in Ottoman governance, this study offers new insights into how provincial elites shaped imperial rule. These findings broaden the analytical scope of state- and empire-building processes in early modern empires, with implications that extend beyond the Ottoman context. |
| Supervisor | Krstić, Tijana |
| Department | Medieval Studies PhD |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2025/kiprovska_mariya.pdf |
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