Mütesellim

This article is about the Ottoman title. For the villages in Turkey, see Müsellim (disambiguation).

Mütesellim or müsellim (Ottoman Turkish: متسلم, Greek: μουτεσελίμης, romanized: mouteselimis, Serbo-Croatian: muselim) was an Ottoman title used for the deputies employed by the sanjak-bey as civil governors in the nahiye administrative unit, who managed tax and tithe collection.^[1][2] The judicial counterpart in the nahiya was the kadi (judges).

In order to reduce conflicts between mütesellims in Anatolia, in some cases one mütesellim was appointed by the sanjak-bey as lieutenant governor in charge for the whole sanjak.^[3] The Ottoman Empire abolished the position of mütesellim in 1842. This position was often connected with conflicts between various parties who saw it as possibility to increase their personal wealth.^[3] In the period between 1842 and 1864 local military governors assisted by local administration were in charge for tax collection and control of the population instead of mütesellims.^[3] After 1864 and the creation of the vilayet system, the office of mütesellim was replaced with new position of mutasarrıf.^[3]

See also

• Ayan