TheReis ül-Küttab (Ottoman Turkish:رئيس الكتاب), orReis Efendi (رئیس آفندی), was a senior post in the administration of theOttoman Empire. Translated as "chief of thescribes" or "head clerk", the holder of the post was originally the head of the chancery of theImperial Council, evolving into an analogue to aForeign Minister. In 1836, the title ofreis ül-küttab was formally changed to Foreign Minister (Hariciye Nazırı) with the establishment of theOttoman Ministry of Foreign Affairs during theTanzimat reforms.
The office is first attested in the early 1520s, and was in all likelihood a creation of SultanSuleyman the Magnificent (r. 1520–66),[1] although it may have existed for far longer than that as a junior post attached to the government.[2] As its name attests—reis ül-küttab means as much as "head scribe" or "head clerk"—the post was in charge of the clerks of theImperial Council (divan-ı hümayun), which formed the government of theOttoman Empire.[1][3]
Prior to Suleyman's reign, the functions of the office were shared by theemin-i ahkam ("depository of the decisions") and thenişancı ("chancellor"). Analogues existed however in other eastern Islamic states, as well as in Ottoman provinces, where adivan efendi presided over the council of the local governors (valis). According to J. Deny, the establishment of thereis ül-küttab was the transfer of this practice to the capital.[3] Its establishment coincided with the gradual increase of the number of clerks attached to the various senior offices and departments of state, which began under Suleyman and continued well into the 17th century; thus for instance the seven and eleven clerks attached respectively to thedefterdar ("treasurer") and thenişancı, ca. 1530, had increased to nine and 25 respectively by 1561.[1] The first occupant of the office was probably a certain Haydar Efendi, who died in 1523/4, but the first well-known incumbent was the historianCelâlzâde Mustafa Çelebi, who held the post from 1524/5 until his promotion tonişancı in 1534.[1][3]
In the 16th and 17th centuries, thereis ül-küttab was drawn from the senior secretarial staff of the viziers or, more often, and from the early 17th century almost exclusively, the Grand Vizier. A regular line of promotion (tarik) was established, whereby one advanced from ordinary secretary (Persian:khalife, Turkish:kalfa) in one of the bureaux of the Grand Vizier's secretariat to senior clerk (ser-khalife orbaş-kalfa) and eventually to bureau chief (mektubcı). The latter post entailed close proximity to the Grand Vizier and was a springboard for the highest offices. On rare occasions, the person chosen asreis ül-küttab was not one of the Grand Vizier'smektubcıs, but the secretary of theKahya Bey, the Grand Vizier's lieutenant.[4]
Thereis ül-küttab served in close contact with theGrand Vizier, accompanying the latter to his audiences with the Sultan, as well as to the Grand Vizier's own audiences with foreign ambassadors.[3] However, although thereis ül-küttab attended the meetings of the Council, arriving before and leaving after the viziers, he had no right to speak himself in it or directly to the Sultan, and was obliged to do so via the Grand Vizier.[2]
His main role was as the head of the Department of the Imperial Council (divan-i hümayun kalemi), which in turn was divided into three bureaux: thebeylik, under thebeylikçi from the mid-17th century on, which was responsible for drafting and publishing all imperial decrees (firman) or ordinances (evamir), and for keeping an archive of the originals of all laws and regulations (kanun) and treaties with other states; thetahvil, which was responsible for issuing every year the diplomas (berat) of provincial governors, judges, andtimariots; theru'us ("provisions") office, charged with provisioning various officials, as well as paying pensions from the treasury or from charitable establishments (vakıf). All state correspondence, except for military or financial matters, was in his hands.[2][4]
Another subordinate official, theamedcı divan-i hümayun ("referendar of the Imperial Council"), was responsible for diplomatic correspondence and for keeping records of the memoranda (telhis) and reports (takrir) presented to the Sultan by the Grand Vizier, acting on behalf of the Imperial Council. Thereis ül-küttab brought these in a special bag (kise) to meetings of the Imperial Council. There they were read by the Grand Vizier to the assembled ministers, and then taken by another special official, thetelhisçi ("memorandum writer"), who presented them to the Sultan.[2][5]
Until the early 17th century, thereis ül-küttab was junior in rank and subordinate to thenişancı, but a succession of capablereis, coupled with the inability of some of thenişancı appointees resulted in the decline of the latter and the rise of thereis to prominence.[4] Becoming attached as a clerk to the Grand Vizier allowed thereis to break loose from the control of thenişancı, and coincided with the increasing transfer of state affairs from the Imperial Council exclusively to the purview of the Grand Vizier.[2]
The increasing importance offoreign relations for the Ottoman Empire from this period on also played a role, as thereis was responsible for checking on the treaties archived in thebeylik and certifying the answers to the requests, notes and petitions of foreign ambassadors to the Ottoman government.[4] This process led to thereis ül-küttab gradually evolving into ade factoForeign Minister, a role that became established after the successful conduct of negotiations for theTreaty of Karlowitz in 1699 by the thenreis ül-küttab,Rami Mehmed Efendi.[2] Nevertheless, in protocol and ceremonial, thereis ül-küttab still retained his rather junior position until the late 18th century; for instance, he was not allowed to sit in the Imperial Council chamber, but had a seat outside, thereis tahtası, and his role in court ceremonies remained limited.[6]
It was not untilSelim III's reform of the Imperial Council in 1792 that thereis ül-küttab's new role was formalized, as he became one of the tenex officio members of the council.[7] From then on thereis ül-küttab was formally responsible for foreign relations, a role kept until the post's abolition on 11 March 1836, along with his analogue for interior affairs, the Kahya Bey, and their replacement by two new, Western-style ministries.[7]
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