Thekodjabashis (Greek:κοτζαμπάσηδες,romanized: kotzabasides; singular κοτζάμπασης,kotzabasis;Serbo-Croatian:kodžobaša, kodžabaša; fromTurkish:kocabaṣı,lit. 'office holder' fromTurkish:koca,lit. 'big' andTurkish:baṣ,lit. 'head')[1] were local Christian notables in parts of theOttoman Balkans, most often referring toOttoman Greece[2][3] and especially thePeloponnese. They were also known in Greek asproestoi orprokritoi (προεστοί/πρόκριτοι, "primates") ordemogerontes (δημογέροντες, "elders of the people"). In some places they were elected (such in the islands for example), but, especially in the Peloponnese, they soon became a hereditaryoligarchy, who exercised considerable influence and held posts in theOttoman administration.[2]
The title was also present inOttoman Serbia andBosnia,[4][5] where it was known asstarešina ("elder, chief") instead of the official Turkish name.[6] The termschorbaji (from Turkishçorbacı) andknez (a Slavic title) were also used for this type of primates, in Bulgaria and Serbia respectively.[7]
The equivalent of the kodjabashis in Orthodox villages was themukhtar in Muslim villages, while mixed villages had both.[8]
In theMorea Eyalet, the title ofmora ayan (μοραγιάνης), is attested, though not in Turkish sources; it was applied to the most senior rank of the local notables of the Peloponnese (Morea), who were members of the provincial council (the 'Divan of the Morea') advising the pasha of the Morea atTripolitsa. Their number is variously given as 24 (François Pouqueville) or 30 (Athanasios Grigoriadis).[9]
During theGreek War of Independence, the antagonism between the Peloponnesian kodjabashis, who sought to retain their previous preponderance and power, and the military leaders drawn from theklephts, was one of the main driving forces behind the outbreak of theGreek civil wars of 1824–1825, in which the "aristocratic" faction comprising the kodjabashis, the wealthy shipowners ofHydra and thePhanariotes, prevailed.[10]