Letter from Grand Vizier Sokollu Mehmed Pasha to Emperor Maximilian II, Constantinople, 13 May 1572

Beç ḳrālına yazılacak ḥükm Beç ḳrālına nāme-i şerīf yazıla ki ḥālīyā ʿatebe-i ʿalīyye-i saʿādet-medār ve südde-i seniyye-i gerdūn-iḳtidārımuz ki mulāḳī-i selāṭīn-i kām-kār ve melceʾ-i ḫavāḳīn-i ʿālī-miḳdārdur nāme-i muḥabbet-meşḥūnıñuzla ilçiñüz irsāl eyleyüb mā-beynde vāḳiʿ olan dostlıġuñuz muḳteżāsınca gönderilen virgüñüz gelüb vāṣıl olub nāme-i muṣādaḳat- numūnıñuzda her ne ki işʿār olunmuş ise ʿalā-vechi’l-tafṣīl pāye-i serīr-i saʿādet-muṣirr-i ḫusrevānemüze ʿarż u taḳrīr olunub ʿilm-i şerīf-i ʿālem-şumūl-i şāhānem muḥīṭ u şāmil olmışdur ḥālīyā gelen ve ḳadīmden yüce āsitānemüzde olan ilçiñüz daḫı ʿarż-ı ḥāll gönderüb taʿyīn-i ḥudūd içün daḫīl olınan iki cānibüñ vekīlleri baʿżı mevāniʿ sebebi ile yerine gelmek müyesser olmayub ʿavḳ u teʿḫīr olunmaġla maṣlaḥat ber-ṭaraf olmayub ḳaldı deyü bildürdiler imdi bu bābda Budūn beglerbegisi Muṣṭafā dāme-i iḳbālehuya mufaṣṣal ḥükm gönderilüb defter-i cedīd-i ḫāḳānīde muḳayyed u mesṭūr olan ḳurrāya ol cānibden daḫl olunmayub ol ṭarafa maḫṣūṣ ve muteʿalliḳ olan ḳaryelere bu cānibden taʿarruż ḳılınmayub anuñ gibi nizāʿ vāḳiʿ olduḳda ol cānibden naṣb u taʿyīn olunan vekīller yarar ehl-i vuḳūf ādemler ile maḥall-i nizāʿuñ üzerine varub vech-i munāsib vech ü munāsib olduġı üzere ʿamel olunmaḳ içün südde-i saʿādetümde maḥfūẓ olan defter-i ḫāḳānīde mesṭūr olan ḳurā ü mezāriʿ esāmīyle yazılub mühürlenüb mūmā-ileyh beglerbegi ḳuluma irsāl olınub ḳatʿ-ı nizāʿ ḳılınmaḳ emrüm olmuşdı ol emr-i şerīfüm kemā-kān muḳarrer olub eger ol ṭarafuñ ve eger bu cānibüñ reʿāyā vü berāyāsuna daḫl ü teʿaddī olınub rencīde ḳılmalarına aṣlā riżā-yı şerīfüm yoḳdur mādām ki ol ṭarafdan dāḫil-i defter olan ḳurā vü mezāriʿ ʿahd ü emāna muġāyir daḫl ü taʿarruż olınmayub dostluḳ şerāʾiṭi riʿāyet olına ol cānibe maḫṣūṣ ve müteʿalliḳ olan ḳaryelere daḫı bu cānibden ʿahde muġāyir daḫl ü tecāvüz olunmaḳ yoḳdur memālīk-i maḥrūsem serḥaddında vāḳiʿ olan sancāḳbegleri ḳullarıma ve zuʿamā ve erbāb-ı tīmāra ve ̣̣ġayriye geregi gibi tenbīh ü teʾkīd idüb muḳaddemā irsāl olınan ḥükm-ı hümāyūn ve ṣūret-i defter mūcebince vech-i munāsib vech ü munāsib olduġı üzere ʿahd ü emāna muġāyir iş itdürmemek içün mūmā-ileyh Budūn beglerbegisine tekrār ḥükm irsāl olınmuşdur şöyle ki berü cānibden bir ferd emr-i celīlü’l-ḳadrime muḫālif ol ṭarafuñ ḳurā ve mezāriʿne ve reʿāyā ve berāyāsuna daḫl ü tecāvüz itdügi istimāʿ olına aṣlā beyān idecek ʿözrı maḳbūl olmayub geregi gibi ḥaḳḳından gelinmek muḳarrerdür siz daḫı serḥad-ı memālīkde vāḳiʿ olan ḥākimleriñüze tenbīh ü yasaḳ eyleyesiz ki bu cānibe maḫṣūṣ olan ḳurā ve mezāriʿ ʿahde muġāyir bir ferdi daḫl ü tecāvüz itdürmeyüb iki ṭarafdan naṣb ü taʿyīn olunan vekīller yarar ehl-i vuḳūf ādemler ile maḥall-ı nizāʿuñ üzerine varub vech-i munāsib vech ü munāsib münāsib görüldügi üzere mā-beynde vāḳiʿ olan dostluġa lāyıḳ olan ile ʿamel idüb ʿahde muḫālif vażʿ ṣudūrundan iḥtirāz eyleyeler tā ki iki ṭarafuñ reʿāyā ve berāyāsı eyyām-ı ʿadāletümde kemāl-i refāhiyyet ve istirāḥatda olalar ve dāʾimā nāme-i meserret-maṣḥūbıñuz ile ol cevānibüñ aḥvālin yüce āsitāneme iʿlāmdan ḫālī olmayasız

Decree intended for the King of Vienna So is the letter addressed to the King of Vienna: Your envoy has come with your affectionate letter to our imperial threshold that is the center of prosperity and as omnipotent as the heavens, the gathering place of the fortunate sultans and the refuge of exalted rulers. Your tax, that has been sent as a requirement of the friendship between us, has come and arrived. Whatever has been communicated in your letter displaying sincere friendship has been presented and reported to its finest details to the foot of our imperial throne full of felicity and has been grasped and comprehended by my universal and noble royal knowledge. Your envoy who has just arrived and your [other] envoy residing in our exalted threshold since old days have submitted a petition. They reported that the agents of both sides that had been selected for the demarcation of borders could not get to their meeting point due to some obstacles. Therefore, the affair has been hindered and delayed and could not be resolved. Now, on this matter, we dispatched a detailed decree to the Governor of Buda, Mustafa – may his felicity endure – and I ordered as follows: There shall be no interference by Austria with the villages recorded and written in the new imperial register. Likewise, there shall be no aggressions by our side to the villages controlled by and belonging to Austria. Should such disputes takes place – for the resolution of the matter in a suitable way – we copied and sealed the names of villages and fields that are registered in the imperial registry which is located in my threshold of felicity and we dispatched that copy to the aforesaid servant Governor. [We ordered] him to go to the place of dispute together with agents selected and appointed by the Austrian side and capable and knowledgeable men and to end the dispute. That noble decree of mine is still valid. My noble consent does not allow the interference with and oppression of the flock on both sides, thereby causing their injury. If the villages and fields recorded in the registry are not interefered with and attacked by your side in violation of the peace and treaty and the conditions of friendship are observed, there shall be no intereference with and attack by our side, in violation of the peace, to the villages controlled by and belonging to you. As per the imperial decree and the copy of registry that was previously dispatched, we dispatched again a decree to the aforesaid Governor of Buda for him to prevent – in a suitable way – deeds in violation of the peace and treaty, and to warn and reiterate [those conditions] to my servants who are district governors along the frontiers of my well-protected dominions, the fief(timar) holders, and others. Now, if it is heard that a person from our side – contrary to my dignified, glorious order – interfered with and attacked the villages, fields, and flock of your side, no excuses will be accepted and he will be certainly punished as required. You, too, shall warn and prohibit your governors situated along the frontier lands so that no soul shall, in violation of the treaty, interfere with and attack villages and fields controlled by our side. Agents selected and appointed by both sides, along with capable and knowledgeable men, shall go to the place of dispute and they shall act in a suitable manner as per what is worthwhile of friendship between the two sides; they shall avoid the arise of situation contary to the peace so that the flock of both sides shall live in great comfort and ease under my reign. You shall never refrain from reporting to my exalted threshold the circumstances of your side with a joyful letter.