( ota, كدخدا), often corrupted to or in daily speech, was an
Ottoman Turkish title meaning "steward, deputy, lieutenant". It derives from the
Persian word ("master of a household", later "chieftain, headman").
The term originated in medieval
Persia
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkme ...
. Under the
Ilkhanids
The Ilkhanate, also spelled Il-khanate ( fa, ایل خانان, ''Ilxānān''), known to the Mongols as ''Hülegü Ulus'' (, ''Qulug-un Ulus''), was a khanate established from the southwestern sector of the Mongol Empire. The Ilkhanid realm, ...
, the term ( fa, کدخدا) referred to a village elder who acted as its representative towards the government, and later, under the
Safavids
Safavid Iran or Safavid Persia (), also referred to as the Safavid Empire, '. was one of the greatest Iranian empires after the 7th-century Muslim conquest of Persia, which was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often conside ...
, their duties included the collection of taxes and administration of their village or town. From Persian practice it spread to the
Seljuk Turks
The Seljuk dynasty, or Seljukids ( ; fa, سلجوقیان ''Saljuqian'', alternatively spelled as Seljuqs or Saljuqs), also known as Seljuk Turks, Seljuk Turkomans "The defeat in August 1071 of the Byzantine emperor Romanos Diogenes
by the Turk ...
of the
Sultanate of Rum
fa, سلجوقیان روم ()
, status =
, government_type = Hereditary monarchy Triarchy (1249–1254)Diarchy (1257–1262)
, year_start = 1077
, year_end = 1308
, p1 = B ...
, and is first attested in Ottoman usage in the 15th century in the sense of an "authorised deputy official". Accordingly, the term is found across a wide variety of official institutions and offices, both in the central and in the provincial administration, where the served as a deputy to the or in charge of a department or unit or a provincial governor ( or ). By far the most important among them was the deputy of the
grand vizier, the ; the supervised the
timariots in the provinces, and was also found as a title in the
Janissary
A Janissary ( ota, یڭیچری, yeŋiçeri, , ) was a member of the elite infantry units that formed the Ottoman Sultan's household troops and the first modern standing army in Europe. The corps was most likely established under sultan Orha ...
corps; and the was the permanent representative maintained in the Ottoman capital,
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth ( Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...
, by provincial governors, senior
vizier
A vizier (; ar, وزير, wazīr; fa, وزیر, vazīr), or wazir, is a high-ranking political advisor or minister in the near east. The Abbasid caliphs gave the title ''wazir'' to a minister formerly called '' katib'' (secretary), who was ...
s, or tributary and vassal rulers like the
hospodar
Hospodar or gospodar is a term of Slavonic origin, meaning " lord" or " master".
Etymology and Slavic usage
In the Slavonic language, ''hospodar'' is usually applied to the master/owner of a house or other properties and also the head of a family ...
s of the
Danubian principalities
The Danubian Principalities ( ro, Principatele Dunărene, sr, Дунавске кнежевине, translit=Dunavske kneževine) was a conventional name given to the Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia, which emerged in the early 14th ce ...
.
At the same time, the Persian institution of s as village or town chiefs, also continued under the Ottoman Empire, until it was abolished until 1790. The system was also extended to nomadic tribes; originally, while chieftainship was hereditary, the tribe chieftain appointed s over the subordinate clans, while later the clans chose one of their own number to act in this capacity.
References
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kethuda
Ottoman titles
Turkish words and phrases