The Civil Inspectorship in Rumelia Provinces (1896-1902)

Abstract

Modern inspection in the Ottoman Empire began with the Tanzimat period. The civil inspectorship, however, was established in 1896 within the framework of the Rumelian Reforms made to fulfil the provisions of the Treaty of Berlin. In the same year, a regulation was prepared in order to determine the duties and job definition of the civil inspectors. According to this instruction, civil inspectors would inspect, in the broadest sense, whether the civil servants acted in accordance with the code of laws. In this first practice of the Civil Inspectorship, Anatolia was excluded and only six Rumelian provinces were included. Thus, for six years, from 1896 to 1902, civil inspectors conducted their duties in Rumelian provinces as required. Although the Sublime Porte and especially Abdulhamid II gave great importance to the civil inspectors, from the beginning the problems and disagreements aroused between the civil inspectors and the governors caused this practice to be abandoned in 1902. In this study, it is aimed to discuss the civil inspectorship practice between the years 1896-1902, to evaluate the inspectorship’s instructions, to deal with the appointment processes of the inspectors and the problems they encounter in their place of duty, using the Presidency Ottoman Archival documents. The main purpose of the study is to analyze this first inspectorship experience in the Ottoman Empire.

The Author(s) declare(s) that there is no conflict of interest.