Provincial Chief Secretary in the Ottoman Administration

Abstract

The changes made in the administrative organization among the modernization activities of the Ottoman State takes an important place. Any amendment and regulation on the administrative order of the country by an ordinance dated September 22, 1858 is bound to the edict of the sultan. In this context, substantial changes were made in the administrative organization of the provinces after Tanzimat. All of these changes were made with the intention of placing a centralist administration. The status of Jebel-i Lebanon, which was established in 1861, constituted an example in the reorganization of the Ottoman provincial administration. When the Europeans wanted this system to be applied in all Ottoman Rumelia and Mesopotamia provinces, Ahmed Cevdet Pasha, Fuad Pasha and Midhat Pasha on behalf of the Ottoman Government prepared the status of the new provincial administration. The 1864 Provincial Regulation stated that the governor of the province was in charge of the execution of all government orders and that he was in charge carrying out the internal affairs of the province within the determined boundaries of duty. The ordinance which stated that there will be provincial treasurer, chief secretary, foreign service officer, public works officer, agricultural and commercial officer in province and explained an administrative parliament under the chairmanship of the governor and that the assembly will consist of the Inspector of the Shari'a Provisions, provincial treasurer, commissioner of the foreign affairs and four people, two of them selected from Muslims and two non-Muslims. In the light of the Ottoman archival documents and researches, we will focus onthe establishment of the Ottoman Provincial Chief Secretary, its duties and its place in the history of Ottoman administration.