Term

millets

Autonomous religious communities responsible for their own laws, taxes, and internal security under a leader accountable to the central government.

Filed underChurch History

Definition

An autonomous self-governing religious community, each organized under its own laws and headed by a religious leader, who was responsible to the central government for the fulfillment of millet responsibilities and duties, particularly those of paying taxes and maintaining internal security.

Sources

  1. 1.“Millet.” Encyclopaedia BritannicaLinkOriginal citation: "Millet." Encyclopaedia Britannica. January 10, 2022. https://www.britannica.com/topic/millet-religious-group.

Last revised August 14, 2026