Defterdar

Defterdar ( Ottoman دفتردار ) was the title of the top financial officials in the Ottoman Empire. He is of Persian origin and is derived from the term Defter ( control register ). The Office of the Revenue Commissioners was called Defterdârlık / دفتردارلق that they were directing central financial authority of the empire Defterhâne / دفترخانه.

Since the 15th century there were two Defterdâre. One was for Rumelia, that is the European part of the empire, in charge, the other was responsible for the financial oversight of Anatolia and the other Asian parts of the empire. Had the Defterdar of Rumelia as Hauptdefterdâr (BAS Defterdar ) the function of the Minister of Finance for the entire empire. In the second half of the 16th century a third Defterdar was appointed, based in Aleppo. This was henceforth responsible for the Arab provinces and Egypt.

The central financial authority of the Ottoman Empire ( Defterhâne ) was in the sultan's palace in Constantinople Opel. Already in the 16th century that authority to have had 800 employees working in 25 different departments. The remit of the Defterhâne included the management of the revenue of the Treasury, consisting of tributes, taxes, levies and duties, as well as the expenses, especially wages and salaries, maintenance of the Sultan court and expenses for the army. Moreover, this authority controlled the administration of state land, the state of the so-called domains ( has- ı Humayun ) and state lands was awarded as Timare. The Defterdâre and her staff helped themselves to the keeping of registers of a kind of secret writing, the siyakat. In this way, misuse and falsification should be prevented.

The centralization of the Ottoman financial administration reached already in the second half of the 15th century under the reign of Mehmed II culminating when the Defterdare were directly subordinate to the Grand Vizier. During the heyday of the empire in the 15th and 16th centuries its financial management was the most modern and efficient in Europe.

As part of the Tanzimat reforms, the now fallen into decay financial management of the Ottoman state was reorganized in 1839. The central financial authority was henceforth Maliye. Defterdar now the title of the finance directors was in the individual provinces.