246 | The Province Goes to the Center
no other Cypriot non-Muslim had walked before—that is, claiming authority
over the island’s Muslims.
At the same time, one should not discount the possibility that the riots tar-
geting the dragoman were not simply aimed at the confessional denomination
of Hadjiyorgakis. His exploitative means to collect taxes and his blatant abuse of
power were the main objects of protest. Thus, the ostensible reason for his execu-
tion, as described at the chapter’s beginning, is now explicable: he had caused
“sedition and discord... by performing a great deal of villainy... to the Muslim
worshippers.”
The problem described here was not so much that Hadjiyorgakis was a non-
Muslim as the way he behaved toward the Muslims (and Cypriots at large). It is at
this point that religion becomes part of the equation. The Ottoman state had no
inhibitions against endowing a non-Muslim with authority, if that arrangement
was beneficial for administrative or fiscal purposes. However, if a non-Muslim
transgressed his authority to the extent that his power became detrimental to
local communities, then the conspicuous attribute of religion acquires negative
connotations, and in fact value-laden adjectives like “infidel,” as opposed to the
more neutral “non-Muslim,” come into use in the relevant documentation.
Thus, confessional denomination was not a problem when he was appointed, but
it became one when he was indicted.
An oral testimony may shed light on the way Hadjiyorgakis envisioned and
understood his own power and authority. According to this source, an Ottoman
official visited the dragoman and requested a loan. When Hadjiyorgakis refused
to grant the full loan requested, insults were exchanged, and the dragoman ex-
claimed in fury, “Man! I have seen many yellow-shoed ones like yourself!” This
comment refers to Ottoman high-ranking officials, the men of state for whom
this color of footwear was a distinguishing privilege. Despite the sense of legend
that this anecdote may convey, it reveals a deep sense of the mentality of the
period and, if accurate, gives us a glimpse of how confident, and even defiant,
Hadjiyorgakis felt. A similar attitude is displayed in a folk song narrating the
riots against the dragoman: “The lord appeared from high above, in the enclosed
balcony of his mansion” and addressed the angry mob that gathered on the street
by declaring, “My lads, mind your own business; my houses are royal, you will
get in trouble.” (See figure 17.2.)
In the aftermath of the riots, Hadjiyorgakis fled to Istanbul, where he main-
tained his position and status for five more years. Nonetheless, the political in-
stability in Istanbul at the time, which saw the rapid succession of three sultans
in just two years (1807–1808), undercut the dragoman’s patronage network and
cost him dearly. As his patrons and protectors were no longer in a position of
strength, an official inquiry was initiated against him that eventually led to his
execution in 1809.