Sursat
Encyclopedia
Sursat was a form of food requisitioning with price controls, used by the Ottoman Empire
to provide consumables for its armed forces. It was related to nüzül
; sursat was initially an obligation for the public to provide food and other supplies at a pre-fixed price which was unlikely to be favourable, or might even be merely symbolic. Istira was basically the same obligation, but supposedly at market price. Over time, nüzül, sursat, and istira were all transformed into extraordinary cash taxes on people living near the route travelled by the army.
During the late 17th and early 18th century - a period of continuous warfare for the Ottoman empire - these extraordinary taxes soon became routine.
This cash payment would be higher than the market value of the goods that were nominally required; for instance, during the campaigns on the eastern frontier in 1637-1638, the market price of barley was 23 akçe
s per kile; but under the sursat system, villagers were obliged to sell barley to the army for 12 akçe
s - and those who did not sell barley directly paid cash instead, varying from 20 to 60 akçe
s. The easy convertibility of food supply obligations to cash payments makes it clear that sursat was effectively a tax.
When goods were provided rather than cash, they might also include firewood and food for horses, as well as food for the army itself. The raya would be obliged to deliver supplies to where they were needed - in other words, they bore the transportation costs, which would otherwise be a large part of the cost of maintaining an army in the field.
Ottoman taxation
was subject to a complex family of overlapping fees and exemptions; some favoured groups were exempt from sursat, and in the Balkans
a large number of Christian settlements were exempted from sursat, apparently to discourage rebellion during warfare with neighbouring Christian kingdoms.
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...
to provide consumables for its armed forces. It was related to nüzül
Nüzül
-Mechanism:Nüzül was designed as a form of requisitioning from farms, to feed Ottoman armed forces; large quantities of food were needed to support Ottoman armies in the field. Flour was a major constituent in the 16th-17th century. Producers were expected to deliver nüzül to the required...
; sursat was initially an obligation for the public to provide food and other supplies at a pre-fixed price which was unlikely to be favourable, or might even be merely symbolic. Istira was basically the same obligation, but supposedly at market price. Over time, nüzül, sursat, and istira were all transformed into extraordinary cash taxes on people living near the route travelled by the army.
During the late 17th and early 18th century - a period of continuous warfare for the Ottoman empire - these extraordinary taxes soon became routine.
This cash payment would be higher than the market value of the goods that were nominally required; for instance, during the campaigns on the eastern frontier in 1637-1638, the market price of barley was 23 akçe
Akçe
thumb|250px|AkçeA silver coin, the akçe was the chief monetary unit of the Ottoman Empire. The word "akçe" is derived from the Greek "" , the name of a Byzantine silver or billon coin, current in the region that eventually became the Ottoman Empire. The akçe is hence often called asper in English...
s per kile; but under the sursat system, villagers were obliged to sell barley to the army for 12 akçe
Akçe
thumb|250px|AkçeA silver coin, the akçe was the chief monetary unit of the Ottoman Empire. The word "akçe" is derived from the Greek "" , the name of a Byzantine silver or billon coin, current in the region that eventually became the Ottoman Empire. The akçe is hence often called asper in English...
s - and those who did not sell barley directly paid cash instead, varying from 20 to 60 akçe
Akçe
thumb|250px|AkçeA silver coin, the akçe was the chief monetary unit of the Ottoman Empire. The word "akçe" is derived from the Greek "" , the name of a Byzantine silver or billon coin, current in the region that eventually became the Ottoman Empire. The akçe is hence often called asper in English...
s. The easy convertibility of food supply obligations to cash payments makes it clear that sursat was effectively a tax.
When goods were provided rather than cash, they might also include firewood and food for horses, as well as food for the army itself. The raya would be obliged to deliver supplies to where they were needed - in other words, they bore the transportation costs, which would otherwise be a large part of the cost of maintaining an army in the field.
Ottoman taxation
Taxation in the Ottoman Empire
Taxation in the Ottoman Empire changed drastically over time, and was a complex feudal patchwork of different taxes, exemptions, and local customs.-Inheritance:...
was subject to a complex family of overlapping fees and exemptions; some favoured groups were exempt from sursat, and in the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
a large number of Christian settlements were exempted from sursat, apparently to discourage rebellion during warfare with neighbouring Christian kingdoms.