The Rise of the Köprülü Household: The Transformation of Patronage in the Ottoman Empire in the Seventeenth Century

Abstract

This article documents the formation of a powerful political network stretching from the central bureaucracy to the provinces under the aegis of the Köprülü household, the most influential vizierial household in the seventeenth-century Ottoman Empire. Starting with the appointment of Köprülü Mehmed Pasha as a grand vizier in 1656, the members of the Köprülü household occupied in the years that followed the most important positions in the Ottoman administrative and military system. Thanks to their long-lasting incumbency, the Köprülü grand viziers managed to establish the most efficient political network in the Ottoman state during the seventeenth century. By exploring the roles of the kethüdas, ağas and scribes in the Köprülü household and by examining those of its clients and family members in the military and administrative system, this article sheds light on the transformation of the recruitment system and patronage patterns in the Ottoman Empire during the seventeenth century.