chieftain

It was second rank in the hierarchy of the Osman Empire, he was the "main servant of the Sultan", his all-power deputy, the head of the state apparatus. He was responsible for keeping the Osman social and political order (according the Osman expression: world order). Within this there were five main fields under his authority: 1. foreign and domestic policy, 2. high level jurisdiction, 3. organising the order and supply of the capital city, 4. controlling the state apparatus, the army 5. and church honours. In the absence of the Sultan the chieftain presided over the sultan's council, and if the ruler did not join the army in a campaign, he himself became the commander-in-chief. From the second half of the 15th century prisoners brought up in serays were appointed as chieftains.

FP