Rise of Indigenous Ottoman Viziers in the Sixteenth Century

Abstract

This study explores the transformation of the Ottoman vizierate in the sixteenth century, highlighting the emergence of “indigenous viziers” who rose from humble origins through the devşirme levy and palace education. Unlike earlier viziers—ulema scholars of madrasa training or Balkan and Byzantine aristocrats who maintained ties to their homelands—these new figures were entirely products of the Ottoman system. Educated in the palace school (Enderûn) and promoted through provincial and central offices, indigenous viziers embodied a unique model of state service rooted solely in loyalty to the sultan. Their careers illustrate both the centralizing ambitions of Suleyman the Magnificent and the broader Ottoman process of state-building, which replaced cosmopolitan or aristocratic bureaucrats with a cadre of palace-trained administrators whose authority could not be transferred to other dynastic contexts. By situating this development within comparative European frameworks, the article argues that the rise of indigenous viziers represents a distinctive form of meritocratic integration in the early modern world.