Bozulus, also spelledBoz-ulus orBoz Ulus (lit. 'grey nation' in Turkish), is the name given by theOttomans to a tribalnomadicconfederation of predominantlyTurcoman tribes that were located in the vicinity ofDiyarbakır. These tribes were brought into theOttoman Empire following the victory of SultanSelim I over theSafavids at theBattle of Chaldiran, as well as subsequent Ottoman campaigns in easternAnatolia. By the 1520s, if not earlier, the Ottomans had established the Bozulus confederacy. Most of the tribes in the Bozulus stemmed from theAq Qoyunlu confederacy.[1]
In the first half of 17th century, the confederacy gradually dissolved, as a result of the political unrest and the insecurity caused by Iranian military incursions, which resulted with some groups breaking away from the main body and going to western Anatolia.[2]
The wordboz is found in almost all of theTurkic languages, and appears inMiddle Mongol asboro.Boz has two meanings, first "to break" and second "gray", specifically a color "between white and roan", light gray, ash-colored, light-ashen, whitish, off-whie, skewbald, blue tending towards white, blue-gray, whitish red, etc. Its symbolic significance is not clear.Boz is used as color symbolism, in connection with a laterOghuz nomadic subdivisions such asBoz Oq orBoz Ulus.[3]
Inc. 1474, the confederacy had 6,000 households (tents) with 29,000 persons, including 3,000 men, 15,000 women and 11,000 children. According to the Ottoman census dating 1540, the confederacy consisted of 4,994 households, which 4,568 were families, while 462 weremücerred (bachelors). Turkologist Mustafaev believes that the confederation was large as 23,000 people. Population of Bozulus in the 17th century is estimated to 60,000 people with more than 2 million sheep. Its seasonal migrations covered an area extending fromMardin toPersia andGeorgia.[4]
In early 17th century some groups broke off from this confederacy went to western Anatolia and theBalkans, signaling the end of the confederacy in eastern Anatolia.[5] The confederacy started to come to theKaraman andAnkara regions and reached to theKütahya andAydın regions by the middle of the 17th century.[6] A community of Bozulus had been settled inKuşadası whereas some groups had been settled within theAegean islands likeRhodes andKos (İstanköy).[7]