Ottoman Turkey was a formal, hierarchical society in love with titles–imperial titles, noble titles, military titles, religious titles, civil service titles. Alongside this love of titles was a steady downward drift of titles, as people from lower ranks tried to co-opt the status of the ranks above them by adopting their titles.<\/p>\n
The result was that unlike in contemporary Europe, where titles remained roughly the same for centuries, many traditional Turkish titles lost rank rapidly and were redefined. For example, in the 14th and 15th centuries, the sultans’ daughters were titled sultan, and the sultans’ wives and concubines were titled hatun, an ancient title that was the feminine form of khan (han in Turkish). However, the court of S\u00fcleyman the Magnificent (r. 1520-1566) introduced new ranks for concubines, titling the highest rank sultan, the next rank kad\u0131n, and the lowest rank hatun. His successors did away with hatun and added even more new titles. Why was hatun dropped? Probably because in the streets of every city, hatun had lost so much status that even common-born women dragging each other into court to squabble over stolen laundry styled themselves hatun.<\/p>\n
Most titles didn’t drop as precipitously as hatun. However, any old, traditional title was prone to lose rank and definition over the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries. Combine this with the tendency to use certain titles to cover a wide array of ranks, and pinning down exactly what a given title means can be headache-inducing.<\/p>\n
Please note that the current list of alternate Turkish titles<\/a> draws from a different period than my sources, so my description of a term may not match that of the official SCA usage.<\/em><\/p>\n I’ve designed these lists to be a general guide to the titles encountered in 16th-century sources, especially the (mostly) late 16th century court records from the Istanbul area that I studied. Because most of the people in the records were ordinary citizens and low-ranking members of the military, the list is short on court, civil service, noble, and upper military titles. I also omitted most titles of members of religious orders, which deserve their own study.<\/p>\n Updated November 12, 2024.<\/em><\/p>\n Using Titles<\/a> | Female Titles<\/a> | Male Titles<\/a><\/p>\n Most titles follow the personal name, but a few precede it.<\/strong> The lists note where a title should be placed.<\/p>\n A person can have one title before his or her personal name and one title after.<\/strong> For example, a learned gentleman named Mehmed who completed the pilgrimage to Mecca could style himself Hac\u0131 Mehmed \u00c7elebi. However, if Mehmed was also a naval captain, or Reis, he would drop the lower-ranked title \u00c7elebi and style himself Hac\u0131 Mehmed Reis, not<\/em> Hac\u0131 Mehmed Reis \u00c7elebi.<\/p>\n The exception is Sufi titles like Mevlana, which can stack with both Sufi and non-Sufi titles. For example, Mevl\u00e2n\u00e2 \u015eah Mehmed \u00c7elebi bin Ey\u00fcb (the personal name is Mehmed) and Mevl\u00e2na el-H\u00e2c Veli bin Mehmed (the personal name is Veli; el-H\u00e2c is a variant of Hac\u0131).<\/p>\n A father’s titles can be included when a person gives their full name.<\/strong> For example, Saliha, daughter of Hac\u0131 Mehmed Reis, could call herself:<\/p>\n This plethora of options is typical. People didn’t have one correct set of name and titles.<\/strong> They mixed and matched their own and their father’s titles, often being referred to several different ways within a summary of a single court case.<\/p>\n Outside of the court, there are few titles for women.<\/p>\n Hatun:<\/strong> A term of respect that could be applied to any free Muslim woman. It was probably reserved for adult women–that is, women who had been married or had been a concubine. Apart from that detail, hatun is roughly equivalent to the Tudor title “Mistress.”<\/p>\n Note that until the middle of the 16th century, hatun was a court title given to specific ranks of the sultan’s concubines. However, by the late 16th century, any respectable Muslim woman could be addressed as hatun.<\/p>\n Hatun goes immediately after the personal name. For example, Emine, daughter of Mehmed, would be addressed as Emine Hatun or Emine Hatun bint Mehmed.<\/p>\n Hatun is the official Turkish equivalent of the SCA titles for duchesses, countesses, viscountesses, baronesses, and women who have an award or grant of arms.<\/em><\/p>\n Hac\u0131:<\/strong> Literally “pilgrim,” this could be borne by any Muslim who had made the pilgrimage to Mecca. Christians and Jews who had made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem could also call themselves hac\u0131, though it was spelled slightly differently in the Ottoman Turkish alphabet. Unlike most other titles, hac\u0131 precedes the personal name.<\/p>\n While hac\u0131s of both sexes and all classes could be found, the pilgrimage was costly. Former pilgrims were likely to be well-off or older (to give them more time to save up), and were overwhelmingly male. However, slaves and servants who made the pilgrimage with their masters could also take the title, and the small number of female hac\u0131s were probably women who accompanied their husbands.<\/p>\n Sultan:<\/strong> Princess. Note than men put the title before their name, and women after their name. “Sultan” was also an ordinary female personal name borne by women of all ethnicities.<\/p>\n Sultan is the official Turkish equivalent of the SCA titles for queens and princesses.<\/em><\/p>\n A\u011fa:<\/strong> A\u00a0title borne by a confusing array of military, court, and administrative\u00a0officials.<\/p>\n Baba:<\/strong> An informal term meaning “grandfather,” possibly used as a title for a rank in a Sufi order. Sometimes used as a male personal name.<\/p>\n Be\u011f, Bey:<\/strong> A military title borne by certain high-ranking army and navy officers. Also a common element in ordinary men’s names.<\/p>\n Bey is the official Turkish equivalent of the SCA title for barons.<\/em><\/p>\n Be\u015fe<\/strong><\/p>\n Bostanc\u0131:<\/strong> Literally “gardener,” this title was borne by members of the palace guard.<\/p>\n \u00c7avu\u015f:<\/strong>\u00a0A high-ranking military messenger.<\/p>\n \u00c7elebi:<\/strong> Gentleman. A generic term of respect that could be borne by well-to-do males of any age; even underaged orphans are sometimes titled “\u00c7elebi” in court records.<\/p>\n Dani\u015fmend:<\/strong> A master of arts.<\/p>\n Efendi:<\/strong> An informal title given to learned men.<\/p>\n Bey is the official Turkish equivalent of the SCA title for men who have an award or grant of arms.<\/em><\/p>\n Emir:<\/strong> Commander or governor. Also a personal name and a common element in ordinary men’s names.<\/p>\n Fakih:<\/strong>\u00a0Islamic jurist.<\/p>\n Hal\u00eefe:<\/strong>\u00a0A Sufi title. Literally “successor,” a hal\u00eefe is\u00a0the successor to a\u00a0p\u00eer, or Sufi spiritual master. Although this is the same word as the more familiar “caliph,” the Sufi rank and the generic Islamic rank are not related.<\/p>\n Keth\u00fcda:<\/strong> A deputy, often to an a\u011fa or reis. Used in both the military and the civil administration.<\/p>\n Pa\u015fa:<\/strong> Pasha. Also a common element in ordinary men’s names.<\/p>\n Pa\u015fa is the official Turkish equivalent of the SCA titles for dukes, counts, and viscounts.<\/em><\/p>\n Reis, Re’is:<\/strong>\u00a0Naval captain. Istanbul, a major military and shipping center, was full of captains.<\/p>\n Suba\u015f\u0131<\/strong><\/p>\n el-Hac:<\/strong> A variant of Hac\u0131<\/em>.<\/p>\n Hac\u0131:<\/strong> Identical to the female title. Confusingly, it was occasionally used as a male given name.<\/p>\n Mevl\u00e2na:<\/strong> Literally “my master.” A high rank within the Sufi orders.<\/p>\n Molla:<\/strong> Mullah<\/p>\n P\u00eer:<\/strong> Literally “elder.” A Sufi master or spiritual guide.<\/p>\n Seyyid:<\/strong> A descendant of Muhammad.<\/p>\n \u015eeyh:<\/strong> A preacher, or the head of a religious community.<\/p>\n Sultan:<\/strong> Prince. Note than men put the title before their name, and women after their name.<\/p>\n Sultan is the official Turkish equivalent of the SCA title for princes.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Ottoman Turkey was a formal, hierarchical society in love with titles–imperial titles, noble titles, military titles, religious titles, civil service titles. Alongside this love of titles was a steady downward drift of titles, as people from lower ranks tried to co-opt the status of the ranks above them by adopting\u2026<\/p>\nUsing Titles<\/h2>\n
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Female Titles<\/h2>\n
Male Titles<\/h2>\n
Titles That Follow the Given Name<\/h3>\n
Titles That Precede the Given Name<\/h3>\n