MARRIAGE AS STATUS: PRESERVING THE EXISTING SOCIAL HIERARCHY IN THE OTTOMAN CONTEXT This paper examines the Islamic principle of equality in marriage (kaf?'a) and its reflections in the Ottoman context from the 16th to the 18th centuries. According to the principle of equality in marriage, men have to measure up to their partners in wealth, occupation, lineage, knowledge and piety. As evidence I cite the compilations of ?eyhülislam fatwas - El-Muhtarat Minel Fetava (originally dated 1525), Fetava-y? Ebussuud Efendi (o. dated 1574), Fetava-y? Ali Efendi (o. dated 1692), Fetava-y? Feyziye me'an-nukul (o. dated 1703), Fetava-y? Abdurrahim (o. dated 1715), Behçetü'l-fetava (o. dated 1743), and Neticetü'l-fetava me'an-nukul (o. dated 1800)- as well as several works of Ottoman moral literature and court records. Through an examination of the various criteria that the muftis proposed with respect to the equality between partners, I argue that the kaf?’a principle contributed and reinforced the safety of the existing social hierarchy. Considering the criteria proposed, I show that marriages between the members of similar socioeconomic status groups were much more common compared to those between people of different socioeconomic statuses, thereby little room was allowed for social mobility. Parallel to this, I draw attention to the point that the marriage patterns prescribed in the rulings of the muftis were on the same wavelength with the exhortation by Ottoman literati towards preserving the existing social hierarchy by keeping people in their proper place. Being aware of the theoretical feature of fatwas, i.e. the possible gaps between mufti’s responses and the practice of the applicants, I also consult court records to see the degree to which muftis’ legal responses were carried out by the applicants and I show that court records also present similar marriage patterns and confirm the socioeconomic concerns attached to marriage. As one of the least studied sources of Ottoman history, fatwa compilations have not been analyzed in a way to reveal the signs of social status and social hierarchy reflected in them. The present study can be considered as an attempt to make a contribution in this regard.