The Dragoman of the Fleet ( Ottoman Turkish: , '

Dragoman A dragoman or Interpretation was an interpreter, translator, and official guide between Turkish-, Arabic-, and Persian-speaking countries and polities of the Middle East and European embassies, consulates, vice-consulates and trading posts. A ...

of the Arsenal'; el, δραγουμάνος του στόλου) was a senior office in the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

, held by Phanariote Greeks during the 18th and early 19th centuries. As the chief deputy of the

Kapudan Pasha The Kapudan Pasha ( ota, قپودان پاشا, modern Turkish: ), was the Grand Admiral of the navy of the Ottoman Empire. He was also known as the ( ota, قپودان دریا, links=no, modern: , "Captain of the Sea"). Typically, he was bas ...

, the Dragoman of the Fleet played a leading role in the administration of the various autonomous communities of the islands and coasts of the

Aegean Sea The Aegean Sea ; tr, Ege Denizi (Greek: Αιγαίο Πέλαγος: "Egéo Pélagos", Turkish: "Ege Denizi" or "Adalar Denizi") is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans ...

that fell within the

Eyalet of the Archipelago The Eyalet of the Archipelago ( ota, ایالت جزایر بحر سفید, ''Eyālet-i Cezāyir-i Baḥr-i Sefīd'', "Eyalet of the Islands of the White Sea") was a first-level province (eyalet) of the Ottoman Empire. From its inception until the ...

History

The office was established in 1701, in emulation of the Grand Dragoman of the

Sublime Porte The Sublime Porte, also known as the Ottoman Porte or High Porte ( ota, باب عالی, Bāb-ı Ālī or ''Babıali'', from ar, باب, bāb, gate and , , ), was a synecdoche for the central government of the Ottoman Empire. History The name ...

, which was also reserved for

Phanariotes Phanariots, Phanariotes, or Fanariots ( el, Φαναριώτες, ro, Fanarioți, tr, Fenerliler) were members of prominent Greek families in Phanar (Φανάρι, modern ''Fener''), the chief Greek quarter of Constantinople where the Ecumeni ...

. Indeed, the post of Dragoman of the Fleet often served as a stepping-stone to that of Grand Dragoman. The

dragoman A dragoman or Interpretation was an interpreter, translator, and official guide between Turkish-, Arabic-, and Persian-speaking countries and polities of the Middle East and European embassies, consulates, vice-consulates and trading posts. A ...

(the term means 'interpreter') had to be proficient in the "three languages" () of

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

, and Turkish that were commonly used in the empire, as well as a number of foreign languages (usually French and Italian), but his role went far beyond a mere interpreter. He was the official intermediary between the

, the commander-in-chief of the Ottoman navy who was also governor of the

, and the mostly Greek and Christian islanders and inhabitants of the shores of the

during the annual expeditions of the Ottoman fleet for the collection of the taxes, as well as the resolution of administrative problems. The post also entailed responsibilities for shipbuilding and naval operations. The proceeds of the office were considerable, to the tune of 150,000 , and led to intense competition among the Phanariotes to fill it. This competition involved extensive bribery of Ottoman officials, which was then recuperated from the Christian population by a special levy known as 'contribution to the new dragoman' (). As the office often changed hands with great frequency, this became a great burden on the ordinary people. The dragoman also had a staff, which was also paid from impositions on the islands: a deputy (Turkish , Greek ), a correspondence secretary, and a messenger. Their role in the administration of the Aegean islands was considerable, as they had the right to apportion taxation, as well as supervise the autonomous local administrations by judging cases themselves or appointing appeal judges. They could impose various fines and penalties, up to the death penalty, which however required the consent of the Kapudan Pasha. Apart from their administrative duties, the dragomans actively promoted education, made donations to churches, codified the customary law of the islands, and intervened in disputes between Orthodox and Catholic islanders.

List of Dragomans of the Fleet

References

Sources

* * * *

History

List of Dragomans of the Fleet

References

Sources

Further reading