WEALTH AND INEQUALITY IN 18TH-CENTURY KASTAMONU: ESTIMATIONS FOR THE MUSLIM MAJORITY

Abstract

This paper introduces methods to estimate wealth levels and disparities among Muslim inhabitants of 18th-century Ottoman Kastamonu. Our sources in this pursuit are estate inventories of the deceased (sing. tereke ) as recorded in Kastamonu court records ( sicil s), mainly in the first half of the 18th century (1712-60). By analyzing information provided by these sources through a variety of quantitative techniques, we measure levels of inequality among Muslims of Kastamonu and describe the relationship between economic privilege and social, political, religious, and occupational status as well as gender identity. Our work outlines the contours of economic stratification in 18th-century Kastamonu and reveals the relative positions of various social groups within this hierarchy.