Ottoman eyalet division during Beyazid II Reign
Three days after his coronation as Sultan, on the 26th day of the month of Cinili, Bayazid II restructured the administrative and provincial divisions of the early classical Ottoman imperial system—one originally formed during the reign of his great-great-grandfather, Murad I. He institutionalized a three-tiered territorial hierarchy: the Eyalet, the Sanjakbey, and the Kazas ( jurisdiction ). The term eyalet had, in fact, appeared during the Stratocracy era but was not widely adopted. Most administrative regions during that time were governed under the title Vezir, in line with the parliamentary system then in use.
At the time of the empire’s transition, there were around thirteen Vezir Pashas in office. Bayezid II decided to drastically reduce their number to just five—though this number would later grow again in tandem with the empire’s expansion. Among those retained were Koca Davud Pasha (appointed as Grand Vizier, replacing Zaganos Pasha, and serving as head of the Divan council), Gedik Ahmed Pasha (who also took on the role of Kapudan Bahriye, replacing Hamza Pasha), Karaman Mehmed Pasha, Sinan Pasha, and Ahad Pasha. Although traditionally only vezirs were involved in the Divan meetings, during Bayazid II’s reign, participation expanded to include beylerbeys and even sanjakbeys.
Unlike the stratocracy era, where the Buyuk Pasha appeared openly in council, Bayazid’s reign followed the legal code instituted by Mehmed II, in which the sultan—and at times the valide sultan—observed the council meetings indirectly, hidden behind a latticed window. This practice endured until the reign of Süleyman I, who ultimately withdrew from council attendance entirely. Nevertheless, there are records of Bayezid II, on select occasions, presiding over the Divan in person and in full view.
The grille-covered window from which the Sultan or Valide Sultan could observe Council meetings and issue orders on some controversial or critical issues
In the reorganization of the provinces, Bayazid II divided the territories of Rumelia and Anatolia into three regions each, appointing new Pashas to govern the respective Eyalets.
In Rumelia:
The Western Rumelia Eyalet, with Gol as its provincial capital, was entrusted to Zaganos Pasha.
The Eastern Rumelia Eyalet, centered in Tarnovo, was assigned to Mahmud Pasha.
The Sud Eyalet, with Phoenicia as its administrative seat, was governed by Saruca Pasha.
Meanwhile, in Anatolia:
The Anatolia Eyalet, based in Bursa, was administered by Ahad Pasha.
The Rum Eyalet, with Amasya as its capital, was placed under Kassim Pasha.
As for Trebizond, Bayazid entrusted its command to his own son, Selim.
There existed an autonomous region within Eastern Rumelia known as the Mizrak Eyalet, governed by Mizraki Beyazid Pasha. He had already served during the Stratocracy era, originally appointed by Zaganos Pasha, and remained in power under the command of Sultan Bayazid II.
In the later years—specifically during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent (Suleiman I)—the entire territory of Rumelia would eventually be unified into a single, centralized Eyalet. By this era, the Ottoman Empire had begun to establish a number of vassal states—subordinate nations that pledged loyalty to the Sultan, sent regular tributes, participated in military campaigns, and provided logistical support. Many of them also sold food supplies to Istanbul at reduced prices to support the Empire’s wartime efforts.
The first state to fall under this category was the Balt Rhain Empire, following the Treaty of Edirne. Under the Stratocracy, they were required to deliver formal tributes (jizyah) and special gifts to the Pashas. This arrangement was later reaffirmed during the transition into the Ottoman imperial model.
On the 1st of Biber, King Goldebalt IX visited Istanbul to personally swear allegiance to Sultan Bayazid II, and to present the empire’s first formal tribute, valued at 50,000 akçes.
The second was the Kingdom of Bosnia, which submitted as a vassal state barely a month after the end of the Balt Rhain - Turkish War. Soon after came Li’solani and Cuore.
Other states, such as the Despotate of Karaman (Karamanoglu Beyliks), were not obligated to pay tribute but were still bound by military duties. Cuore, on the other hand, was only required to pay a substantial tribute in exchange for being exempted from military obligations.
At this point in time, Wallachia was not yet considered an Ottoman vassal, as it remained part of the Tripartite Alliance with Venice, actively opposing Balt Rhain. However, that changed after the coup of Vlad Dracul. With Radu del Crumos ascending the throne (80–82 CTR), Wallachia formally became a vassal state under the Porte.
Zehir Zaganos (left) and Tughril Mahmud (right) were appointed by Bayezid II as Beylerbey of Western and Eastern Rumelia, respectively. However, their ranks did not equate to that of a Vezir. Although they were granted the right to participate in council meetings on a level comparable to a Vezir, both Zaganos and Mahmud—according to the account of Ekrem İmamoğlu—were not involved in Divan assemblies during the early years of Bayezid’s reign, except when summoned for matters of war and military expeditions, which fell under the primary responsibilities of a Beylerbey.The Kayitname (personal journal of Mahmud Pasha) records the following statement: “Since assuming this post, I have known nothing of the discussions held within the palace, save for those pertaining to war,” —indicating their exclusion from the inner political affairs of the imperial palace, until the later years of Bayezid II’s reign and the transitional period leading to the rule of his son, Selim I.
