Outside the towns the greater part of the European dominions of the sultan, and a large part of Asia Minor, were granted in fief to Moslems who were for the most part not _kullar_ of the sultan.[338] They deserve to be considered in a discussion of the government, however, not only because they collected the revenues and exercised seigniorial jurisdiction in their estates,[339] but also because they were officered by the sultan’s _kullar_. The estates were of different sizes and were reckoned in three classes: _timars_, when the yearly revenue was under twenty thousand aspers; _ziamets_, when it was twenty thousand to one hundred thousand aspers; _khasses_, when it was over one hundred thousand aspers.[340] _Timars_ might be united into a _ziamet_, but _ziamets_ could not be divided.[341] Every fief-holder must appear in person when summoned to war. If the annual income of a _Timarji_, or Timariote, reached six thousand aspers, he must bring with him an armed horseman; and he must bring another for each additional three thousand aspers of his revenue. The holder of a larger fief must bring with him an armed horseman if his income amounted to ten thousand aspers, and another horseman for each additional five thousand aspers of income.[342] In the sixteenth century this service was strictly exacted, and the fief-holders were held to residence on their estates. The principle of heredity entered into the distribution of these estates, but under limitations. One son of the holder of a small fief had a right to the fief;[343] not more than three sons of the holder of a large fief were entitled to small fiefs.[344] The sons of _kullar_ in high position might receive fiefs large in proportion to the rank of their father;[345] by this means they were honorably conveyed from the ruling Institution into the Moslem population. The _Zaims_ and Timariotes, as the holders of the corresponding fiefs were named, were a class of country gentlemen, honest, sober, true to the Moslem faith and to the sultan, better in morals than the _kullar_ if not so able of intellect, the substantial middle class of the empire, ancestors of those who today give hope that Turkey may become a modern nation. It was these who gave the first training to the _Ajem-oghlans_, starting them well on the road from Christianity to Islam, and preparing them to become members of the Ottoman nation.