Letter from Grand Vizier Sokollu Mehmed Pasha to Emperor Maximilian II, Constantinople,16

İftiḫārü’l ümerāi’l-ʿiẓāmi’l-ʿīseviyye muḫtārü’l-küberāi’l-fiḫāmi fīʾl-milleti’l-mesīḥiyye muṣliḥü meṣāliḥi cemāhīri’ṭ-ṭāifeti’n-naṣrāniyye ṣāḥibü eẕyāli’l-ḥaşmeti ve’l-veḳār ṣāḥibü delāyili’l-mecdi ve’l-iftiḫār vilāyet-i Beç ve Alāmān ve Romānya İmparāṭorı Maksimilyānūş ḫutimet’llāhü ʿāḳıbetühü-bi’l-ḫayr ḫayrlu duʿādan ṣoñra vażʿ olmaya ki mektūb-i şerīfiñüz vārid olub ilçiñüz ve virgüñüz gönderilmek tedārik olınduġı nāme ile irsāl olınan tercemān Maḥmūd bi-iẕni’llāhi teʿālā fevt olduġını ve andan māʿadā her ne beyān olmuş ise maʿlūm olub vaḳt-i mübārekde pāye-i serīr-i aʿlāyaʿarż olınub fermān-i hümāyūn- ne vechle ṣādır olmuş ise bundan aḳdem ʿināyet olınan nāme-i hümāyūnda derc olınub irsāl olmaġın tekrār nāme fermān olınmayub anuñla iktifāʾ olındı ol nāmeden ġālibā Ḳalu palanḳasınuñ hedmi ḫuṣūṣı anda beyān olmaduġına bāʿis̱-i taḥrīr olınduġı ẓann olınub sehv olduġı ol zamānda cānib-i ʿālīlerine yazılan mektūb-ı muḫliṣde muḳayyed olduġından maʿlūm oldı zīrā palanḳa-i mezbūre bināʾolduġı maḥallde olan köyler ḫalḳı Ṭımışvār fetḥine varılduḳda bu muḫlīṣiñüz beglerbegi iken cümle gelüb devletlü pādişāh-ı İslāma iṭāʿat üzere olub ḫarāc virelüm diyü müteʿahhid olduḳları ḫāk-ı pāy-ı saʿādete ʿarż olınduḳda çünki babam merḥūm ile ve ceddim maġfūrunleh ile muḥabbet ü meveddet üzere olub yüce āsitānemüz ile daḫı ṣulḥ u ṣalāḥ u dostluḳ murād ider memālіk-i maḥrūsemiz dāḫilinde olub ḫarāca müteʿahhid olan ḳurā-mā-beyninde palanḳa bināʾ itmek ile niçe ṣulḥ olur ḫuṣūṣan bundan aḳdem palanḳa-ı mezbūreden niçe ḥarāmī vü ḥaydūd cemʿ olub gelüb memālіk-i maḥrūsamuza segirdüb memleket ü vilāyetimizden bi-ʿināyeti’llāhi teʿālā ana girüb begler ḳullarımuz südde-i saʿādetimize irsāl idügin ol ḳalʿadan olub beglerinüñ dūr ḳullarınuñ maʿrifeti ve icāzetleri ile geldüklerin iḳrār ideler ol ḳalʿa hedm ü ḳalʿ olmayunca niçe dostluḳ şarṭı riʿāyet olunur diyü buyurmuşlar idi yazan kātib sehv idüb ġālibā nāmede yazmayub mektūb-ı muḥabbet-nümūnda taḥrīr olmuş idi-imdi vāḳıʿā suʾāllerine aṣlā cevābıñuz yoḳdur bundan esbaḳ memleketimüz ḳorımaġa bāyeddür diyü cevāb virilmüş idi ol cevāb olmaduġı muḳaddemā iʿlām olmuşdur murād ol vechle olsa içinde olan eşḳıyā memleketimüze segirdüb dāʾimā ġāret itmezler idi ve memleketimüz ḳalʿa ile ḥıfẓ olına Sigetvār ve Kūla fetḥ olınmayub eṭrāfında olan vilāyet memālіk-i maḥrūseye dāḫil olmaz idi ol maḳūle ḳalʿa memleketi ḥıfẓ itmez belki ḫarāb ider zirā içinde olan eşkıyā dik ṭurmayub uyur ejderhānuñ ḳuyruġuna baṣub ḥamr ḫamr keyfiyyeti ile maġrūr olub ol maḳūle bī-fāʾide ḳalʿalar da yanub ʿāḳibete fikr itmeyüb belā çengālına giriftār olduḳdan ṣoñra nedāmet fāʾide itmez ġālibā baʿżı cüzvī ḫuṣūṣda ʿahd ü emān naḳżına ve bil’külliye muḥabbet ʿadāvete mübeddel olmaġa sebeb olmaz ẓann olınub baʿżına cevāb virilmeyüb sükūt olınub ve baʿżına daḫı ednā münāḳaşa ile revā olınacaḳ żaʿіf cevāblar virilür ḳaṭreden deryā ve ġubārdan cibāl peydā olduġı maʿlūmuñuz degil midir dāʾimā muḫālefet üzere olub ʿahd ü emān içün nāmeler ṭaleb idüb ve gendiñüz nāmeler ve mektūblar gönderüb mażmūnı ile ʿamel murād itmezsiz naḳż-ı ʿahd idenlerüñ ḥāli ne olduġı tevārīḫ-i selāṭīnden mesṭūrdur bundan aḳdem Sere keferesi memālіk-i maḥrūsemiz reʿāyāsına ve deryāda yürüyen zencīr gemilerine żarar itdügi iʿlām olınub menʿ olınmaları içün nāme-i hümāyūn derc olmış idi ḥālā fesādların daḫı ziyāde idüb tācirlerimüzden müslimān ve yehūdādan niçe kimesne Alḳonaya varub metāʿ alub gelüb Sīsekden mā-beyninde balıḳlanmaġa demür bıraġub yaturken Sere keferesi vāfīr ṣandallar donadub Venedik köyleründen daḫı ādem alub gelüb bunları baṣub ṭoḳsan biñ florilik esbābların ġāret idüb yigirmi beş nefer ādemlerin esīr itdüklerin meẕkūrlardan ḫalāṣ olan Ḥasan nām tācir gelüb ṣıḥḥatı üzere ḫaber virmegin her birinüñ ne ḳadar esbābı olub Alḳona gümrük-ḫānesinde muḳayyed idügin defter itmegin ṣūreti size irsāl olındı gerekdür ki mektūb-ı muḥabbet-üslūb varub vuṣūl bulduḳda teʾḫīr revā buyurulmayub ẕikr olunan ḳalʿaya yarar ādemleri irsāl olınub varub müslimān ve yehūdā tācirlerinüñ ġāret olunan mālların ve esīrlerin her kimde ise bī-ḳuṣūr ẓuhūra getürdüb esīr olanları ıṭlāḳ idüb māl ü esbābların gendüye teslīm idüb emīn ü sālim memālіk-i maḥrūsemize īṣāl idüb bu vechle ṣulḥ u ṣalāḥa muġāyir ve naḳż-ı ʿahde sebeb olur vażʿ iden neferlerüñ bir vechle ḥaḳḳlarından gelüb siyāset ü ḥaḳāret olına ki sāʾirlerine mūcib-iʿibret olub min baʿd ḫilāf-ı ʿahd ü emān kimesne iş itmeyeler zirā maʿlūmuñuzdur ki serḥaddüñ cānibinde eşḳıyāsı muḳarrerdür ol cānibde olanlar “ʿahde muġāyir iş idüb yanlarına ḳaldı biz daḫı idelüm” diyü şāyed ġuzāt-ı İslāmdan niçe kimesneler fırṣat bulub bu cānibe gelen bāzergānlarıñuza ḥaḳāret idüb bu ṭāriḳla mā-beynde emn ü emān ber-ṭaraf olub reʿāyā vü berāyā pāy-māl ü ḫāk-sār olanlar ṭarafeynden niçe biñ nufūs pāy-māl olmaḳdan ol maḳūle bir kaç eşḳıyāñun ḥaḳḳından gelinüb fuḳarāʾ āsūde-ḥāl olmaḳ evlādur bu ḫuṣūṣda muḳaddemā irsāl olınan nāmeñüz ve ʿaẓametlü pādişāh-ı veliyyü’l-iḳtidār ḥażretlerinüñ ecdād-ıʿiẓām ve ābāʾ-yı kirāmları iḥsān itdükleri ʿahd-nāme-i hümāyūn mūcibi ile ʿamel olınub teʾhīr ü terāḫī revā görilmeye ve Ḳalu palanḳasınuñ hedmi ol cānibe daḫı enfaʿ olduġı muḥaḳḳaḳdur zirā bir cüzvi palanḳa sebebi ile ʿahd ü emāna tezelzül gelmek münāsib olmaduġından mā-ʿadā belki ʿadāvete sebeb olub bir ḥādiѕe ẓuhūruna müʾeddī olur ol maḳūle bir ednā ḥiṣāruñ hedminden veyā ʿimāretinden bu cānibe żarar u nefʿ olmaduġı maʿlūm-ı ḥażretdür ancaḳ emr-i hümāyūnlarına imtis̱āl olınub bu muḫliṣlerinüñ murādı ṭarafeynüñ reʿāyāsı āsūde-ḥāl olub biz daḫı ѕevābda bulunmaḳdur ümīddür ki siz daḫı maʿḳūle ḳāʾil olub fitne baṣdurmaġa ʿināyet oluna ve pīş-keşüñ gelmesi Muṣṭafā Paşadan emān kāġıdına mevḳūfdur diyü buyurılmuşdur ʿahd ü emān mā-beynde ḫod muʿazzezdür ol vechle emān kāġıdı olmayub ilçileriñüz ve ādemleriñüz mā-dām ki mektūb-i şerīfüñüz ile geleler merʿī ve muʿazzez görilüb aḳṣā merāmlarına vāṣıl olurlar ol maḳūle tedārik olındı ise eglendirilmeyüb irsāl olına ki vaḳtı ile gelüb irişüb ṭar vaḳte ḳalmayalar dostluḳ bināʾsı istiḥkāmına sebeb olına ziyāde ne denile ki imparadorlıġıñuza rūşen u huveydā olmaya ed-duʿāʾ ve’s̱-s̱enāʾ eżʿāf mā fī’l- lehū ḥurrire fī evāsıṭ-ı şehr-i Receb sene s̱elās̱e ve s̱emānīn ve tisʿa-miʾe. Be-medīne-i Ḳosṭanṭinīye el-maḥrūse

Laudable pride of the great commanders of Christendom, the elite of the illustrious magnates in the community of the Messiah, arbiter of the universal affairs of the community of the Nazarene, possessor of the trains of majesty and glory, possessor of manifestation of splendor and laudable pride, the emperor of the province of Vienna, and German and Roman Empire,Maximilian – may he end his days propitiously. Following auspicious prayers, the following is communicated: Your noble letter had arrived and we had learned that the preparations for the sending of your envoy and tax is underway, that the interpreter named Mahmud – who was sent [to you] – is dead by the command of God Almighty, and whatever else was reported in it had been presented to the foot of the throne of excellence. As per the sultan’s command in response, an imperial decree was penned and dispatched to you. The writing of that decree was deemed sufficient and the penning of another imperial decree was not commanded by the sultan. Because, when the Ottoman troops carried out a campaign for the conquest of Timișoara, all the villagers who live around the area where the fortress was built came to us as this sincere friend of yours was the Governer-General(beylerbey)[of Rumelia] and declared that they were willing to obey the most excellent Ruler of Islamand pay tribute to him. Upon presenting the matter to the foot of the throne of felicity, the sultan [verbally] commanded as follows: “My deceased father and ancestors, who may be forgiven, and you have carried yourselves with mutual affection and generosity and you wish amity, peace, and friendship with our exalted threshold. How can there be peace if villages located within our well-protected dominions and who are our tribute-paying subjects build a fortification in between our borders? Especially, many robbers and bandits from the aforesaid fortification have previously gathered and raided our well-protected dominions. By the grace of Almighty God, [our troops] have captured that fortification and our commanders have sent the men they captured to our threshold of felicity. Those men have admitted that they entered our dominions with the permission and knowledge of their [Habsburg] commanders. How can the terms of friendship be upheld if that fortification is not demolished?” However, the scribe who wrote the letter made an error and did not include the sultan’s response in the letter. Instead, the issue was written in [another] letter expressing our affection. Now, you have no answer to the question that has arisen. Previously, you stated that [the fortification] was required to protect your country. We informed you previously that such answer was not acceptable. If that were your wish, the bandits from that castle would not always raid and plunder our land. Besides, if your country could have been protected with castles, Szigetvár and Nagykálló would not have been conquered and nor would its surroundings have become a part of the well-protected domains. Such castle does not protect a country and instead destroys it. The bandits in it do not stay calm. They step on the tail of the sleeping dragon, they get haughty in a state of inebriation and, thus, castles burn down in vain. Once caught by the paw of the evil beast, without considering one’s fate, regret is of no use. You assume that such small matters will not cause violation of peace and treaty and not replace affection by enmity. You did not answer some of these matters and remained silent and provided only weak arguments for some others. Don’t you know that a drop can form a sea and a speck of dust can rise to a mountain? You constantly oppose us, you request letters for peace and treaty, you sent letters yourselves, but do not adhere to their contents. What befalls on those who violate peace is written in the chronicles of sultans. Previously, we informed you that the infidels of Sere caused harm to the subjects of our well-protected dominions and to commercial ship sailing on the sea. We sent you an imperial letter for them to be banished. Since then, their mischief grew. Lately, many of our Muslim and Jewish merchants sailed to Ancona. On their return journey, they anchored at a fishing spot between Ancona Sisak. The infidels from Sere equipped boats, recruited men from Venetian villages, and attacked those ships. They robbed their goods worth of 90,000 florins and took twenty-five of their men as captives. Among them a merchant named Hasan, whom the attackers released, reported the incident and provided a register of how much goods each merchant owned as registered in the customs office of Ancona. A copy of it has been sent to you. It is required, when this affectionate letter arrives, [that] you shall avoid any delays, send capable men to the aforesaid castle, and find out who holds all the merchandise and captives of the Muslim and Jewish merchants that were plundered. The prisoners shall be released, and their merchandise and goods shall be returned to them. They shall be sent to our well-protected dominions safe and sound. Thereby, the people who breach peace and amity and, therefore, cause the violation of the treaty, shall be punished. They shall be chastised so that they serve as a lesson for others. From now on, they shall not act contrary to peace and treaty. You know that we both know who the bandits are across the frontier. If, those who dwell there say “they acted against the treaty and nothing happened to them; we shall do the same” and, if Muslim warriors (ghazis) make use of an excuse to disturb your merchants who come here and, in this way, security and safety were abolished, the flock would be trampled upon. It is better to punish those bandits and to sustain the tranquility of the poor than trampling upon of many thousands of people on both sides. About this matter, act in accordance with the letter you previously sent and the imperial letter of agreement which was granted to you by the great ancestors and noble forefathers of His Majesty, the great Ruler who is the protector of government. Delays and tardiness shall not be permitted. The demolition of Nagykálló Fortress will certainly be of great benefit to you. It is not appropriate to disrupt peace and treaty due to a piece of fortress; it could even lead to hostility. Your majesty is well aware that the demolishing or the building of such tiny fortress does no harm or benefit to this side. However, so is the decree of the emperor. This sincere friend of yours wishes that the subjects on both sides live in tranquility and so that we may commit good deeds. We hope that, in this way, you also give your consent to what is reasonable and favor the suppression of disorder. You declared that you are waiting for the letter of protection from Mustafa Pasha for the sending of gifts. The peace and treaty between us is cherished on its own. Therefore, if your envoys and agents travel with your noble letter without a letter of protection, they will be protected and honored and their ultimate wishes will be fulfilled. For that reason, if the gifts are procured, they shall not be delayed and dispatched so that they shall be delivered on time and not be left to the last minute to strengthen the structure of friendship. What else should be said that is not obvious and evident to your empire? Abundant of Prayers and praises upon him. Written in the second third of the month of Rajab in the year 983. The abobe of the well-protected Constantinople