An arbitrary tax or illegal exaction imposed on subject peoples, especially in Ottoman territories.
Turkish 'avanya' meaning an arbitrary charge or forced contribution. Entered European languages in the 16th-17th centuries when diplomats and traders encountered Ottoman taxation practices during the empire's expansion.
Avania was essentially 'whatever tax we feel like charging today'—Ottoman governors would suddenly demand money from villages without warning, making it literally the opposite of fair taxation and a sign of oppression!
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