bey

Bey is a historical title used by Turkic and some Central Asian peoples to designate a chieftain, tribal leader, or provincial governor. The term derives from the Turkic beg/bey, meaning “leader” or “lord,” with cognates found across Turkic languages and related terms in neighboring regions. In some contexts it also signified authority within a tribe or autonomous principality.

In medieval Turkic states and the later Ottoman Empire, beys governed towns, districts, or frontier regions and could command military forces. Within the Ottoman administrative hierarchy, the title was common but generally subordinate to higher ranks such as pasha. Higher provincial governors might hold the title beylerbeyi, meaning “lord of lords.” The system included numerous beyliks, semi-autonomous Turkish principalities that emerged in Anatolia and the surrounding areas before being incorporated into the empire.

Today, the use of bey is primarily historical and ceremonial in many contexts. In modern Turkish, the standard honorific for men is bay (Mr.), while bey can appear in ceremonial usage, in formal historical writing, or as part of personal names. In other Turkic languages such as Azerbaijani, Kazakh, and Turkmen, bey persists as a title or as a component of names, reflecting its historical origins as a designation of leadership and status.