OSMANLI TOPLUMUNDA AHÂLİ HUZURSUZLUKLARI: KIZ VE ÇOCUK KAÇIRMA OLAYLARI (original) (raw)

The late 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century were the periods when the Ottoman Empire dealt with many problems both internally and externally. The Treaty of Berlin, signed after the 1877-78 Ottoman-Russian War, virtually marked the culmination of separatist movements for the Ottoman Empire, which constituted a multinational empire.The Balkan lands, which have been given great importance since the first periods of domination due to their strategic location, have become the center of these separatist ambitions with nationalist rebellions and the interventions of foreign states. The fact that it is far from the center and that non-Muslims mostly reside here has caused external groups to operate effectively in the region and enabled the bandits who climbed the mountains to spread their committee activities. It is understood that the bandits who continue their activities in Rumelia especially aim to cause public chaos by kidnapping the children and girls of the people, regardless of whether they are Muslims or non-Muslims. In addition to paying ransom, it should not be ignored that they aim to harm villages or provide more human support and prove their power. Particularly Bulgarian gangs were reflected in archive documents with banditry incidents at the end of the 19th century. In order to prevent the people from fighting against them themselves, reinforcements were constantly sent to the region and patrols were increased in areas where public order problems were intense. However, it is understood that the gangs want to attract the attention of Europe and complicate the events with their intervention. It has been observed that the state took the best precautions possible, especially since the intervention of European states was avoided, in cases of kidnapping of girls between Muslims, who are the essential elements of the state, and non-Muslim communities. For this reason, advisory committees or tax farmers, consisting of prominent people with strong oratory power among the people, were appointed to calm the people or the parties. Some of the solutions used are finding the girls, handing them over to their families, or concluding them with marriage, in order to remove the incidents from being a personal matter as soon as possible. It is understood that the authorities here prioritize the security and peace and tranquility of the region. It is even noteworthy that some girls, after escaping, were living in Muslim homes that they found safe. Apart from this, it has been observed that the kidnappings of children and girls in Anatolia took place among the Armenians who were in rebellion during this period or the Circassians with poor economic conditions who migrated here. It was understood that the Armenians were aiming to cause public chaos or social unrest, as was the case with the kidnapping cases in Rumelia. It has been determined that in cases of girl abduction, which can be considered individual, people make arrests or, if possible, a marriage contract is made in order to impose the penalties mentioned in the penal codes. However, undesirable incidents such as assault, injury and death have occurred here, too. It is also thought that the state tries to prevent public demonstration problems due to such events and prioritizes ensuring the peace and prosperity of the region. Considering the situation the state is in, its efforts to eliminate security weaknesses in preventing kidnappings, amid ongoing wars and economic crises abroad, are admirable. When we look at all these kidnapping cases, it can be seen that they tend to create public chaos and internal conflict at a time when relations are hanging by a thread