Efendi
Efendi , outside of Turkish based on modern Greek spelling also Effendi , is a Turkish form of address and means something like " Lord ". The plural is Efendiler . The origin of this term is unclear, a connection with the modern Greek aph (ph) entēs (αφφέντης / αφέντης, original, non-phonetic and ancient Greek spelling: ἀυθέντης, authentēs "absolute master", modern Greek pronunciation affendis in both cases ) is assumed.
Ottoman title
Originally used for non-military officials such as the kadıs , up to the rank of Șeyhülislam , Efendi /افندیmost recently in the Ottoman Empire also middle civil servants and military personnel (about the rank of lieutenant ); but was also used for Ottoman princes and in the female form Kadın Efendi for the sultan's wives. The title was added after the name; it was abolished in Turkey in 1934 and in Egypt in 1953 .
Military rank in the East African colonial armies
German East Africa
Effendi was also used as an officer rank in the Schutztruppe for German East Africa , where it was used for former Ottoman and later also for African officers. The protection force emerged from the mostly Sudanese mercenaries of the so-called Wissmann group (→ Hermann von Wissmann ). These were 1889 in Egypt to the insurgency in East Africa have been recruited and had maintained that remained even after transfer of the units in the protection force until the end of German colonial rule in 1918 in use and also used for the recruited from South Africa Zulus and for the native Askari Ottoman rank designations were. Together with the Egyptian-Sudanese soldiers, Wissmann also took on some Ottoman officers who, regardless of their origin from the European or Asian parts of the empire, were also classified as "colored" and were not supposed to have any command over Germans. Effendi was the highest rank an African could achieve. Due to the unclear position towards the white staff (who should not be subordinate to blacks), the rank was set on the extinction budget around 1900, i.e. H. no further promotions took place. When the First World War broke out, only 2 Effendi were still active. During the war itself, Africans were once again promoted to this rank for bravery.
Badges were initially, following the example of the Anglo-Egyptian army, up to three five-pointed gold stars on the team shoulder boards (depending on the rank for the lieutenant, first lieutenant and captain). With the discontinuation of the German officer designations for locals in the mid-1890s, Effendis wore three stars.
British East Africa
The fact that the first British colonial army units there consisted of Sudanese mercenaries also played a role in British East Africa . At the King's African Rifles (KAR) Effendi was the salutation for officers from lieutenant to major , regardless of their national origin. The local officers were armed and uniformed like their British counterparts. As the former so-called local ranks ( local ranks ) had only within the KAR validity, it ranked behind the British officers. The local officers only held Ottoman ranks ( Mulazim Tani / Mulazim Awal for lieutenant / first lieutenant, Yuzbashi for captain, Bi n bashi or Bi m bashi for major). The British officers had both European and Ottoman ranks (the British lieutenant colonels ( Kaimakam ) and colonels ( Miralai ), without exception, were dubbed Bey ).
In everyday military life, however, local officers enjoyed hardly any more reputation than the British sergeants. For example, they were not entitled to the officers 'and warrant officers' orders of valor . Instead, African Effendis only received medals for bravery , analogous to British NCOs and men. Africans have not been promoted to officers since the 1930s; the Effendis who were still serving were used for years, many until the end of their service life. The official reason for the stop was the generally low level of education of the locals, which was due to the inadequate colonial school system.
As compensation, the introduction of the Governor's Commissioned Officer ( GCO ) was planned from 1956 , who was generally referred to simply as Effendi after his address. The rank was conferred by the governor (not the British monarch), similar to the Indian Viceroy's Commissioned Officers ( VCOs ) of the British Indian Army. British personnel were not promoted to Effendis. In British East Africa this was now the highest rank achievable for African soldiers. It was not until 1961 that the British officer career was opened to them (in British West Africa this had already happened with the Royal West African Frontier Force (RWAFF) in the 1940s). The Effendi was not a regular officer (with King's or Queen's Commission ), but “only” the highest-ranking warrant officer (comparable to the German sergeant-major ). He ranked ahead of the Warrant Officer Platoon Commander (platoon leader and Warrant Officer Class 3 , mostly of African origin, analogous to the short-lived British platoon sergeant major ). In contrast to the former, the effendi was solely responsible for the training and administration of his platoon; H. there was no British sergeant in charge of him. His authority, however, was limited to black troops. In the spelling afande , Effendi is used to this day in the sense of the English "Sir" as a form of address to superiors in the armed forces and the police authorities of the East African countries.
The special position underlined the way the badges of rank were worn: These were not attached to the forearms (as is common with British warrant officers to this day), but rather on the epaulets. The badge was a gilded four-pointed star, presumably highlighted in color (similar to the British lieutenant star). After objections from the War Office Dress Committee , which wanted the Effendi rank insignia to be placed on the lower sleeves, the management level of the KAR regiment had reached a compromise: since 1957/58 the rank star was underlaid with a strip of fabric running across the shoulder flap (probably in the regimental colors yellow-blue-yellow). The model was probably the similar practice among the VCOs of the British Indian Army.
Social use
In today's Turkish usage, the word is still used as a polite form of address ( Beyefendi = "my lord"; Hanımefendi = "my lady"). Efendim (literally: “Sir”) is used as a reaction in the sense of “Yes, please?” Or as a question “ Excuse me?” When someone speaks to you or answers the phone. The expression Buyrun efendim is also common! (“There you go!”) For an offer made (e.g. from food).
Efendi can also appear as a male given name in today's Turkish .
religion
In Sufism , Efendi is used by the dervishes of certain Tariqas (Sufi orders) to address the Sheikh .
Shoghi Effendi , the leader of the Baha'i from 1921–1957, used the salutation as a religious honorary title.
See also
- Emir and Amir
- Moulana and Mevlana
- List of Ottoman titles
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ By law No. 2590 of November 26, 1934 on the cancellation of the salutations and titles Efendi , Bey , Pascha and the like, RG No. 2867 of November 29, 1934 ( online ).
- ^ Effendi, Askari Officers of the German East African Schutztruppe and Polizruppe, website "germancolonialuniforms", with reference to the Greek Effendi
- ↑ Stefanie Michels, Total Mobilization in Africa in: Elise Julien, Arnd Bauerkämper Perseverance !: War and Society in Comparison 1914–1918, Göttingen 2010, ISBN 978-3-525-36389-8 , page 244, view via google books; Mention of a Greek and an Armenian Effendi
- ^ Art. Rank in: Heinrich Schnee (Ed.): Deutsches Kolonial-Lexikon , Quelle & Meyer, Leipzig 1920; on-line
- ↑ [Werner Haupt, Die deutsche Schutztruppe 1889/1918, p. 43], Utting: Ed. Villagers in Nebel-Verl. 1988, ISBN 3-89555-032-9
- ↑ German East African Schutztruppe, Uniformphotos , website "germancolonialuniforms"
- ↑ Malcom Page: King's African Rifles: A History , Pen & Sword, Barnsley 2011 (1998), p. XIX. ISBN 978-1-84884-438-4
- ↑ Efendi (male first name) in the name dictionary of the Turkish language (Turkish)