reʿâyâ

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reʿâyâ

Ottoman social class

Also known as: raya, rayah

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Serbia
Life in the Ottoman period
The situation of the Christian reaya (literally “flock”) was not one of unmitigated oppression. Christians were exempted from military service, and in some regions the tax burden was lighter than it had been previously, although they were taxed more heavily than the Muslim population. It was even possible for subject…
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The situation of the Christian reaya (literally “flock”) was not one of unmitigated oppression. Christians were exempted from military service, and in some regions the tax burden was lighter than it had been previously, although they were taxed more heavily than the Muslim population. It was even possible for subject…
Read More

Ottoman Empire
Classical Ottoman society and administration
…of subjects called rayas (reʿâyâ). Three attributes were essential for membership in the Ottoman ruling class: profession of loyalty to the sultan and his state; acceptance and practice of Islam and its underlying system of thought and action; and knowledge and practice of the complicated system of customs, behavior,…
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…of subjects called rayas (reʿâyâ). Three attributes were essential for membership in the Ottoman ruling class: profession of loyalty to the sultan and his state; acceptance and practice of Islam and its underlying system of thought and action; and knowledge and practice of the complicated system of customs, behavior,…
Read More