The Mihaloğulları Family’s Role in the Ottoman Conquest and Rule of the Balkans (14^th-19^th Centuries): Real Estates, Pious Foundations and Administrative Services

The renowened Mihaloğulları family played a significant part in the Ottoman conquest and rule of the Balkans. The members of this family facilitated the Ottoman conquests as the Ottomans vanguards and also strengthened the Ottoman rule by founding numerous pious foundations. The founding family members were given the title of “frontier lord” by the Ottoman rulers and they were assigned with real estates from the lands they conquered. Later on, these estates were turned to pious foundations on the provision that the protection responsibility is upon the family members. With the incomes of these donated estates, charity institutions like mosques, madrasahs and schools are built and their expenditures are covered. Although, these frontier principalities are disappeared in the second half of the XV. Century, the statute of these families in the Ottoman administration and society is preserved. The present article examined the real estates, pious foundations and the services of the members of the two branches of the Mihaloğulları family, one is located in Pleven and the other in Ihtiman.