Demographic Family Structure in Ayıntab (Aintap) according to Court Records: Number of Spouses and Children (1839-1876)

Even though Tanzimat was considered as a great the turning point for Ottoman society, it was initially embodied in a more central frame in administrative circles. Thus, these practices initially started in the center could hardly had any remarkable effect on family structure kneaded by centuries of traditions and religious beliefs in Ottoman rural areas. Especially, except religious verdicts, marital traditions such as bride token and the gifts given to bride’s family were carried on despite all prohibitions. This study primarily aims to investigate the number of spouses and children in Ayıntab which was a perfect sample of traditional Ottoman family structure in Tanzimat period (1839-1876). Secondarily, this study also targets to compare the results with previous related studies in Ayıntab and general structure of Ottoman family in the period. The topic was limited by 282 estate records found in 5 court records numbered as 144 and 148 covering the period in the city center populated by Muslims and non-Muslims. The results revealed polygamy rates in Ayıntab and its reasons were discussed. Regarding number of children, any significant difference between Muslim and non-Muslim were also investigated by scrutinizing average number of children families had.