Provincial elites were an important factor in the life of the Ottoman Empire in many respects: as local leadership, as political figures mediating between the central state and its provinces, as tax-farmers and entrepreneurs, as role models for their peers. There is a wide variety of people who may be regarded as belonging to the Ottoman provincial elites, because of both the extensive territory occupied by the Empire and its longevity. Eighteen contributions published in this volume discuss several aspects of Ottoman provincial elites, both Muslim and non-Muslim. Among the topics covered are the composition and characteristics of the elite, elite culture, patronage, and wealth and power bases, relations of elite figures with the state authorities and other members of the elite, and elite mobility over an extensive period of time ranging from the fifteenth to the early twentieth century.
