Reisülküttap
Encyclopedia
Reisülküttap (Reis'ül Küttab) was a bureaucratic post in the Ottoman Empire
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Katip (singular of Küttap) means clerk and reis means chief. So Reisülküttap was the chief of clerks in the Ottoman divan
(government). There were three (later four) offices under his supervision. During the Growth of the Ottoman Empire
, in the 15th and 16th centuries, the reisülküttap was the subordinate of nisanci
a post which was a member of the divan. Although reisülküttap was also present in divan meetings, he took no part in the discussions. His superior nişancı was also responsible in foreign relations. So reisülküttap was, in modern terminology, an assistant foreign minister. However, during the stagnation of the empire
in the 17th century increasing foreign relations necessitated an independent post for foreign services and the reisülküttap became de facto foreign minister. In 1836, the title of reisülküttap was changed to foreign minister
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Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
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Katip (singular of Küttap) means clerk and reis means chief. So Reisülküttap was the chief of clerks in the Ottoman divan
Divan
A divan was a high governmental body in a number of Islamic states, or its chief official .-Etymology:...
(government). There were three (later four) offices under his supervision. During the Growth of the Ottoman Empire
Growth of the Ottoman Empire
The Growth of the Ottoman Empire is the period followed after the Rise of the Ottoman Empire in which the Ottoman state reached the Pax Ottomana. In this period, the Ottoman Empire expanded southwestwards into North Africa and battled with the re-emergent Persian Shi'ia Safavid Empire to the east...
, in the 15th and 16th centuries, the reisülküttap was the subordinate of nisanci
Nisanci
Nisanci was a high post in Ottoman bureaucracy . The word nisancı literally means court calligrapher or sealer and the original duty of the nisancı was to seal royal precepts.-History:...
a post which was a member of the divan. Although reisülküttap was also present in divan meetings, he took no part in the discussions. His superior nişancı was also responsible in foreign relations. So reisülküttap was, in modern terminology, an assistant foreign minister. However, during the stagnation of the empire
Stagnation of the Ottoman Empire
The Stagnation of the Ottoman Empire is the period following the Growth of the Ottoman Empire . During this period the empire continued to have military might. The next period would be shaped by the decline of their military power which followed the loss of huge territories...
in the 17th century increasing foreign relations necessitated an independent post for foreign services and the reisülküttap became de facto foreign minister. In 1836, the title of reisülküttap was changed to foreign minister
Foreign minister
A Minister of Foreign Affairs, or foreign minister, is a cabinet minister who helps form the foreign policy of a sovereign state. The foreign minister is often regarded as the most senior ministerial position below that of the head of government . It is often granted to the deputy prime minister in...
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Some grand viziers of reisülküttap origin
In parallel with the increasing importance of reisülküttap some reisülküttaps were later promoted to be grand vizierGrand Vizier
Grand Vizier, in Turkish Vezir-i Azam or Sadr-ı Azam , deriving from the Arabic word vizier , was the greatest minister of the Sultan, with absolute power of attorney and, in principle, dismissable only by the Sultan himself...
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- Rami Mehmet PashaRami Mehmet PashaRami Mehmed Pasha was an Ottoman Grand Vizier who was also known as a talented poet of divan literature .- Early years :...
(1703-1703) - Naili Abdullah PashaNaili Abdullah PashaNail Abdullah Pasha was an 18th century Ottoman grand vizier.He was a Turk from İstanbul and he took a job in Ottoman bureaucracy. After several minor posts, he was appointed as the reisülküttap in 1747, during the reign of Mahmut I...
(1755-1755) - Koca Ragıp PashaKoca Ragıp PashaKoca Ragıp Pasha, or more formally Koca Mehmet Ragıp Pasha was an Ottoman grand vizier. He is also known as a good poet.-Early years:...
(1757-1763) - Halil Hamid PashaHalil Hamid PashaHalil Hamid Pasha, also Halil Hamit Paşa was a Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire from 31 December 1782 to 30 April 1785. He was especially instrumental in inviting foreign experts, especially French ones, to the Ottoman Empire from 1784....
(1782-1785) - Mehmet Sait Galip Pasha (1823-1824)