askeri

Under the Ottoman Empire, an askeri (Ottoman Turkish: عسكري) was a member of a class of military administrators.

This elite class consisted of three main groups: the military, the court officials, and clergy. Though the term askeri itself literally means "of the military", it more broadly encompassed all higher levels of imperial administration. To become a member of this ruling elite, one thus had to hold a political office in the service of the Ottoman Empire, meaning that both Muslims and non-Muslims in those positions could rank as askeri.