Abduction of women and elopement in the nineteenth century Ottoman nizamiye courts

Abstract

This study examines the court cases involving the abduction of women and elopement in nineteenth century Ottoman Anatolia and Rumelia provinces. It examines the relation between the law and ordinary Ottoman subjects, their perception and usage of law. Nineteenth century of the Ottoman Empire with its projects focusing on population, security and honor was studied by means of the court cases of abduction and elopement since the abduction of women and elopement generally lead to turnoil, security problems, and damages to honor because these crimes generally involved the rape or seduction of women. Although the Ottomans criminalized the abduction of women in the Penal Code of 1851 with the article of 206, their effort didnot stop the abduction of women or elopement. It led to a battle against the customary tradition of wedding rituals and the standardization of some of the sharia rules. Within this thesis, the modernization of customs and standardization of sharia law, the general view of Ottomans about the abduction of woman and elopement indicates how and in what way a “proper” marriage should be arranged and defined.