Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ayşegül Kılıç, Head of the Balkan History Department at the Balkan Studies Institute of Trakya University (TU), said that during the Ottoman period, raider families played an important role in the conquest of Edirne and the construction and settlement of the city.
Kılıç made a presentation titled “The real owners of the place with their contributions to conquest and construction: Edirne and the raider lords” at the 4th Edirne Research Symposium organized at the Balkan Congress Center with the cooperation of Trakya University and Istanbul University.
Stating that the raider families provided many useful services to the state during the Ottoman period, Kılıç drew attention to the fact that Edirne was the only province to which each of these families made separate contributions.
Kılıç stated that Edirne is an important city in terms of Turkish history and that the city played a key role in the Ottoman Empire’s opening up to the Balkans.
Explaining that the paths of the Akıncı families crossed with Edirne during the conquest process, Kılıç said, “Although the Akıncıs are called light cavalry units, they played a major role in the development and settlement of those regions both during and after the conquest. They spent their economic power as well as their military power for these lands. They were among the first foundation founders in the conquered regions.”
Kılıç stated that the raider leaders showed great heroism in the conquest of Edirne.
Stating that they were rewarded for these achievements, Kılıç noted the following:
“Lala Şahin Pasha earned the title of ‘Rumelia Beylerbeyi’ and Gazi Evrenos Bey earned the title of ‘border bey’. This is an important rank for the raider organization. Gazi Mihal Bey also participated in the conquests of Rumelia and made important contributions to the construction and settlement of Edirne. He is among the first founders of the city of Edirne.
Evrenos Bey’s conquest of Keşan and then İpsala, his influence and contribution in the process of taking Edirne are very important. Gazi Mihal Bey’s soup kitchen in Edirne, Gazi Turhan Bey’s Uzunköprü Kırkkavak soup kitchen, Malkoçoğlu’s Malkoç Bey Neighborhood and mosque are the most valuable contributions to the development and settlement of Edirne.”
