Resm-i donum
Encyclopedia
The resm-i dönüm was a land tax in the Ottoman Empire
; it was a divan
i tax paid each year to the landowner or timar
holder, typically on the 1st of March
The resm-i dönüm was based on the dönüm
, a measure of farm
size; this is parallel to the resm-i çift
, a tax based on the çift (the area that could be ploughed by one team of oxen). Generally, both taxes had to be paid, and the terms may at times have been interchangeable - taxation in the Ottoman empire
was a complex patchwork of overlapping taxes which evolved over time.
The amount of resm-i dönüm was proportional to the size of the farm. In some cases, the resm-i dönüm was specific to a kind of lease
agreement that an otherwise landless peasant would make with a sipahi (feudal lord) and it may actually have resembled a rent more than a tax.
Since the rate of resm-i dönüm was recorded in tax codes such as kanunname, and the area of a dönüm is known, tax documents which detail the amount of resm-i dönüm paid by each community allow historians to understand the varying areas of land under cultivation at different times and in different provinces. One preserved kanunname, for the Morea in 1716, set resm-i dönüm at 60 akçe
s per çift, although the area of a çift would vary between provinces, and it was stated that the area of a çift was smaller for high-quality farmland than for low-quality farmland.
One variation was resm-i dönüm-i haşhâş, a tax applied to opium growers in place of Ashar, at a rate of 1 krş per dönüm - although the detailed accounts of opium production recorded in defters suggest that in this case resm-i dönüm may actually have been levied by weight of produce, rather than by area.
In some Albanian-speaking areas, resm-i dönüm may have been a tax specific to vineyard
s.
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...
; it was a divan
Divan
A divan was a high governmental body in a number of Islamic states, or its chief official .-Etymology:...
i tax paid each year to the landowner or timar
Timar
Timar is a land granted by the Ottoman sultans between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries, with a tax revenue annual value of less than 20 000 akçes. The revenues produced from land acted as compensation for military service. A Timar holder was known as a Timariot...
holder, typically on the 1st of March
The resm-i dönüm was based on the dönüm
Donum
Donum may refer to:* Dunam or Donum, a unit of area* Regium Donum, funds for clergy...
, a measure of farm
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
size; this is parallel to the resm-i çift
Resm-i çift
The Resm-i Çift was a tax in the Ottoman Empire. It was a tax on farmland, assessed at a fixed annual rate per çift, and paid by land-owning Muslims. Some Imams and some civil servants were exempted from the resm-i çift.The tax was collected annually, on the 1st of March, by the holder of the...
, a tax based on the çift (the area that could be ploughed by one team of oxen). Generally, both taxes had to be paid, and the terms may at times have been interchangeable - taxation in the Ottoman empire
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 a complex patchwork of overlapping taxes which evolved over time.
The amount of resm-i dönüm was proportional to the size of the farm. In some cases, the resm-i dönüm was specific to a kind of lease
Lease
A lease is a contractual arrangement calling for the lessee to pay the lessor for use of an asset. A rental agreement is a lease in which the asset is tangible property...
agreement that an otherwise landless peasant would make with a sipahi (feudal lord) and it may actually have resembled a rent more than a tax.
Since the rate of resm-i dönüm was recorded in tax codes such as kanunname, and the area of a dönüm is known, tax documents which detail the amount of resm-i dönüm paid by each community allow historians to understand the varying areas of land under cultivation at different times and in different provinces. One preserved kanunname, for the Morea in 1716, set resm-i dönüm at 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 per çift, although the area of a çift would vary between provinces, and it was stated that the area of a çift was smaller for high-quality farmland than for low-quality farmland.
One variation was resm-i dönüm-i haşhâş, a tax applied to opium growers in place of Ashar, at a rate of 1 krş per dönüm - although the detailed accounts of opium production recorded in defters suggest that in this case resm-i dönüm may actually have been levied by weight of produce, rather than by area.
In some Albanian-speaking areas, resm-i dönüm may have been a tax specific to vineyard
Vineyard
A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...
s.