From factionalism to regional order: merchants,artisan guilds and the Bushatli family ineighteenth century shkodra

This dissertation examines the formation of local power structures, with a particularemphasis on the case of Shkodra during the eighteenth century. This erawitnessed significant transformations due to the implementation of new fiscal andadministrative reforms by the Ottoman central government, which profoundly influencedthe sociopolitical landscape in the provinces. Consequently, a structuralshift emerged within the Ottoman state, transitioning from a vertical to a horizontalmodel, wherein local elites and communities collaborated with central authorities.Through a comprehensive micro-study of this province, this research investigatesthe local, regional, and imperial forces affecting the province and analyzes howthe province, in turn, impacts these layers. The primary objective of this study isto illuminate these layers and their interrelationships, thereby clarifying their collectivecontribution to the establishment of a provincial order. This dissertationcontributes to the understanding of provincial order construction through a detailedcase study that explores the dynamics of power within a specific area situated at theintersection of local, regional, and imperial networks. It seeks to identify the keyactors involved in this process and to analyze the interplay of power among them,thereby elucidating the formation of the provincial network. The research traces theemergence of the ayan (local notables) and contextualizes this phenomenon withinspecific historical circumstances, articulating the mechanisms that facilitated thisdevelopment. To support this analysis, the thesis makes a comparative examinationof primary sources from Ottoman, Italian, and Albanian historical archives.