ABSTRACT
We continue the story of Selim III’s reign by examining theforces within and without the empire which challenged the dynasty. They include, of course, the arrival of the armies and navies of the western colonial powers, France and Britain, on the shores of the eastern Mediterranean. Before returning to the broader international setting, however, there is one aspect of Ottoman culture of the period just as important in the discussion of Selim III’s fall as Napoleon: the changing nature of Istanbul-provincial relations. Responding to the opponents to his military reforms in Istanbul, Selim III had to acquire provincial allies: hence, he unintentionally recast centre-periphery politics to suit his vision of reform. He wished to extend his Nizâm-ı Cedid beyond the confines of Istanbul, as we have seen. In this he ran straight up against the new local Ottoman elite class, the ayan, who in the eighteenth century represented a burgeoning social stratum. Although the emergence of the great rural households, sometimes modelled on the imperial court structure in Istanbul and built on loyalty and clientage, was not a new phenomenon, the period from 1760 to 1830 has often been dubbed the ‘age of ayan’, because of their number and influence on central politics. The argument here is that they emerged precisely because of the military needs of the empire for defence as well as reform. The internal challenge was more immediately pressing to the survival of the dynasty than even the international invasions that began in 1798. On most frontiers of the empire, Selim III faced significant challenges not just to his right to rule, as head of the Ottoman dynasty, but equally importantly as the Caliph of Islam.
