Resm-i bennâk
Encyclopedia
The resm-i bennâk was a tax on peasants who had little or no land - those who did not pay the resm-i çift
- in the Ottoman Empire
.
The name is probably a loanword of Armenian
origin; in the Ottoman empire, "bennâk" came to mean a landless peasant, or a man who had married but not yet established his own household. "Bennâk" was also a term for a small area of farmland, less than half a çift.
The resm-i bennâk was usually paid annually, on the 1st of March, by the head of a family who is either landless or has very little land - not enough to be assessed for resm-i çift. The tax was payable to the timar
-holder or to a tax-farmer in their stead.
The rate of resm-i bennâk was generally lower than the resm-i çift. For instance, in the provincial tax code of Hüdavendigar in 1487, a married man with his own farm might pay the full resm-i çift rate of 40 akçes; a bennâk would pay 12 akçes, and a mucerred (bachelor) would pay 6 akçes.
In some cases, bennâk was only paid by peasants in the Ottoman empire who had a small but nonzero area of land to farm; the truly landless peasants would pay a caba tax in which case the remaining bennak might be called "ekinlü-bennâk".
Academics might be exempted. Miner
s were also exempted from many taxes, and the resm-i bennâk was no exemption - for example, sipahi
s who worked in saltpetre mines would be exempt from resm-i bennâk, resm-i çift, and caba; they would also be exempted from avariz
and other taxes. Some of the sadat - those claiming descent from Muhammed - were initially exempted from paying resm-i bennâk, but this exemption was eroded over time. There were even cases of people forging certificates of ancestry in order to claim tax exemptions.
Resm-i çift
The Resm-i Çift was a tax in the Ottoman Empire. It was a tax on farmland, assessed at a fixed annual rate per çift, and paid by land-owning Muslims. Some Imams and some civil servants were exempted from the resm-i çift.The tax was collected annually, on the 1st of March, by the holder of the...
- in the Ottoman Empire
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...
.
The name is probably a loanword of Armenian
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
origin; in the Ottoman empire, "bennâk" came to mean a landless peasant, or a man who had married but not yet established his own household. "Bennâk" was also a term for a small area of farmland, less than half a çift.
The resm-i bennâk was usually paid annually, on the 1st of March, by the head of a family who is either landless or has very little land - not enough to be assessed for resm-i çift. The tax was payable to the timar
Timar
Timar is a land granted by the Ottoman sultans between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries, with a tax revenue annual value of less than 20 000 akçes. The revenues produced from land acted as compensation for military service. A Timar holder was known as a Timariot...
-holder or to a tax-farmer in their stead.
The rate of resm-i bennâk was generally lower than the resm-i çift. For instance, in the provincial tax code of Hüdavendigar in 1487, a married man with his own farm might pay the full resm-i çift rate of 40 akçes; a bennâk would pay 12 akçes, and a mucerred (bachelor) would pay 6 akçes.
In some cases, bennâk was only paid by peasants in the Ottoman empire who had a small but nonzero area of land to farm; the truly landless peasants would pay a caba tax in which case the remaining bennak might be called "ekinlü-bennâk".
Academics might be exempted. Miner
Miner
A miner is a person whose work or business is to extract ore or minerals from the earth. Mining is one of the most dangerous trades in the world. In some countries miners lack social guarantees and in case of injury may be left to cope without assistance....
s were also exempted from many taxes, and the resm-i bennâk was no exemption - for example, sipahi
Sipahi
Sipahi was the name of several Ottoman cavalry corps...
s who worked in saltpetre mines would be exempt from resm-i bennâk, resm-i çift, and caba; they would also be exempted from avariz
Avariz
Avariz was a tax in the Ottoman Empire, an annual cash tax paid by households registered in a defter.-History:In early Ottoman history, the state depended on the timar system of feudal dues; but over time - especially due to the need to hire professional soldiers rather than peasants serving a...
and other taxes. Some of the sadat - those claiming descent from Muhammed - were initially exempted from paying resm-i bennâk, but this exemption was eroded over time. There were even cases of people forging certificates of ancestry in order to claim tax exemptions.