Kırım Hanlığında Mirza Aristokrasisinin Servet Yapısı ve Sosyal Profili: Tereke Kayıtlarına Dayalı Nicel Bir Analiz

This study examines the wealth structure and social profile of the Mirza aristocracy in the Crimean Khanate during the 17th and 18th centuries through a quantitative analysis based on estate (tereke/muhallefat) records. The title Mirza, derived from the Persian Amīrzāde, referred in Crimea to noble Tatar families outside the ruling dynasty, who formed the core of the Khanate’s military-administrative elite. The research evaluates 200 estate records dated between 1648 and 1753, analyzing the demographic features, economic composition, mechanisms of wealth transfer, and the impact of inflation on the Mirza class. The findings reveal that the Mirza aristocracy possessed a patriarchal and endogamous family structure, typically comprising monogamous nuclear families with 2-4 children. Geographically, most Mirzas established local centers of power in their own villages, indicating a decentralized feudal organization within the Crimean landholding system. In terms of wealth composition, Mirza prosperity was based not only on land revenues but also on slave labour, commercial properties, and luxury consumption goods. According to the Crimean price index for the period 1640-1760, the Khanate’s economy experienced severe inflation, which eroded the real purchasing power of the Mirzas despite nominal increases in wealth. During this period, the Mirzas sought to preserve their economic standing by investing in assets resilient to inflation such as land, slaves, and trade goods. In conclusion, while maintaining classical feudal characteristics, the Mirza aristocracy gradually developed a hybrid economic identity integrated with commercial and market dynamics by the 18th century. This evolution reflects the early signs of a transition from feudalism to a proto-capitalist economic structure within the Crimean Khanate.