Befehlsschreiben des Sultans; Konstantinopel, 25. September

27 Cülūs-ı hümāyūn vāḳiʿ olmaġla tecdīd olunmışdur. Fī evāʾili BReceb sene [1]176 Mesfūr hālik olub Sinyor veled-i Vīlem diyü nevī tercümān vażʿ ve berāt virilmişdür. Fī 21 ṢṢāfer sene [1]162 Nişān-ı hümāyūnum oldur ki: Ḳıdvetü ümerāʾi’l-milleti’l-mesīḥiyye Nemçe çāsārınuñ āsitāne-i saʿādetümde olan büyük ilçisi Vūlfānḳūs Ġrūf Eyūtingen ḫutimet ʿavāḳıbuhū bi’l-ḫayr südde-i saʿādetüme ʿarż-ı ḥāl gönderüb rāfiʿ-i tevḳīʿi refīʿi’l-şān-ı ḫāḳānī Yoḥān Francesḳo Oteḳa nām Nemçe tercümān naṣb ü taʿyīn olunmaġla ʿahdnāme-i hümāyūnum mūcibince olı geldügi üzere berāt-ı şerīfüm virilmek bābında ʿināyet ricā itmegin bu nişān-ı hümāyūnı virdüm ve buyurdum ki mesfūr Yoḥān Francesḳo Oteḳa ḳapu ketḫüdāları yanında tercümān olub tercümānluḳ ḫidmetinde olanlar ve oġulları ve ḫidmetkārları ve cāriyeleri ḫarāc ve ʿavārıż ve ḳaṣṣāb aḳcası“Zarâr-ı kassâbiye was an empire-wide tax introduced at the end of the sixteenth century...It was a mukâtaʿa of 1% taken generally from trade commodities like silk in order to provide for the meat of the Janissaries...In order to supply meat for the army and the palace, the butchers of Istanbul had to sell meat at low prices. To compensate for the butchers’ loss, this empire-wide tax was collected.” Elif Bayraktar Tellan, “The Patriarch and the Sultan: The Struggle for Authority and the Quest for Order in the Eighteenth-Century Ottoman Empire,” PhD dissertation, (Bilkent University, 2011), p. 38. ve resm-i userā ve sāʾir tekālīf-i ʿörfiyye ṭalebiyle rencīde vü remīde olunmayub ve ḳul ve cāriye istiḫdām idermişsün diyü kimesne ḫarāc ve rüsūm ve bāc ṭalebiyle daḫl ü rencīde eylemeye ve gendünüñ maṣraf ve hedāyāsına ḳadīmden giydügi melbūsāt ve mefrūşāt ve meʾkūlāt ve meşrūbātına kimesne daḫl ve rencīde eylemeyüb ḳadīmden olı geldügi üzere ʿafv olunub ve rüsūm-ı gümrük ve bāc ṭaleb olunmaya ve evlerine ʿasākirden ḳonak ḳonulmaġla rencīde olunmaya ve gendü bāġında ḥāṣıl olan şīreden ḫamr emīni ve Ġalaṭa voyvodaları sāʾirlerden olı geldügi üzere fuçı aḳcası ṭaleb eylemeyüb gendüsi ve evlādı taṣarrufında olan cāriyeleri ḫarāc ve ʿavārıżdan ve ḳaṣṣāb aḳcası ve resm-i maṣdariyyeden ve tekālīf-i ʿörfiyyenin cümlesinden muʿāf ve müsellem olub ve mezbūr ile her kimiñ daʿvāsı olur ise ellerinde olan ʿahdnāme-i hümāyūnum mūcibince āsitāne-i saʿādetüme ḥavāle olunub ġayrı yerde istimaʿ olunmaya ve baʿżı zemānda bir yere gitmek istedükde gidişde ve gelişde ḳaradan ve deryādan menāzil ve merāḥilde gendüye ve es̱vāb ve ṭavarlarına ve emvāl ü erzāḳına ve yanında olan ādemlerine ulaḳdan ve ulaḳ aḳcasından ve ġayrı cānibden kimesne daḫl ü taʿarruż eylemeyüb ve her ḳanda dāḥıl olur ise zād ü zevāde ve sāʾir ẕaḫīresi narḫ-ı rūzī üzere aḳcasıyle virilüb bir ferd taʿallül ve nizāʿ eylemeye ve maḫūf ve muḫāṭara olan yerlerde başına aḳ ṣarınub ve ḳılıç ve oḳ ve yay ve sāʾir ālāt-ı ḥarb götürdükde ḳāḍīlar ve beglerbegiler ve ġayrıdan bir ferd rencīde eylemeyüb olı geldügi üzere ḥimāyet ü ṣiyānet ve anuñ gibi teʿaddī ve tecāvüz üzere olanlar menʿ ü defʿ olunub dāʾimā işbu nişān-ı hümāyūnum mażmūn-ı münīfi ile ʿamel olunub ḫilāfına rıżā ve cevāz gösterilmeye şöyle bileler ʿalāmet-i şerīfe iʿtimād ḳılalar. Fī evāsıṭı Rebīʿ iʾl-āḫir sene [1]112

[The charter] has been renewed due to the imperial ascesion. 16 –25 January 1763 The aforesaid [interpreter] passed away. Therefore, Wilhelm/William, son of Sinyor(?), was appointed as interpreter and a charter was issued for him. 10 February 1749 So is my imperial charter (nişān-ı hümāyūn): Paragon of the nobles of the community of the Messiah, the grand ambassador of the ceaser of Austria at my capital, Graf Wolfgang (IV) zu Oettingen(-Wallerstein)—may he end his days propitiously—submitted a petition to my court. An Austrian subject named Yohann (Giovanni) Francesko Oteka, whose status has been lifted by [this charter’s] imperial glorious seal, has been appointed as an interpreter (dragoman). The grand ambassador officially requested my favor to grant my noble charter ( berāt-ı şerīf ), as it has been taking place to this day according to my imperial letter of agreement ( ʿahdnāme-i ḥumāyūn ). I issue this imperial charter ( nīşān-ı hümayun ) and I command that: The aforesaid Yoḥān Francesḳo Oteḳa has become an interpreter in the way described. Those who work as interpreters, their sons, servants, and the women in their household shall not be injured and disturbed with claims of tribute, extraordinary tax, dues for goods in transit (ḳaṣṣāb aḳçası , lit. 'butcher’s fee'; ), captive tax, or other levies. No one shall interfere with him demanding tribute, tax, or toll under the pretext that he employs male and female slaves, and oppress him in this way. No one shall interfere with his own expenses, gifts, garments, furniture, food, and drinks and oppress him. He shall be exempted as per the time-honored practice and no customs duty or tolls shall be claimed. He shall not be oppressed through the deployment of a military officer at their house. The voivodes of Galata and the wine superintendent shall not claim barrel money for the must produced from his own vineyard as they have been claiming from others. Himself, his children, and the women under his authority shall be exempt and delivered from tribute, extraordinary tax, dues for goods in transit ( ḳaṣṣāb aḳçası , lit. 'butcher’s fee'), export fee ( maṣdariyye ), wine tax, and all of the extraordinary levies. Whoever has a court case with the aforesaid [interpreter], as required by the letter of agreement in their possession, the case shall be referred to my threshold of felicity and a hearing shall not take place at another location. At certain times, as he would like to go somewhere, as he comes and goes on land and sea, at stations on the road, and during stages of the journey, no one shall interfere and attack him, his clothes, flock of animals, properties, provisions, and his men accompanying him [claiming] messenger fees or on any other excuses. In whichever location he enters, his victual, provisions for the journey, and cereals shall be given in return for the fixed price. No one shall seek an excuse to avoid or dispute it. Judges, provincial governors, and not even a single person from among the rest shall disturb him when he, at dangerous and insecure places, wraps his head in white ( başına aḳ ṣarınub ) and takes with him a sword, an arrow, a bow, and other combat equipment; they shall guard and protect [him] as it has been the practice. Those who do wrong and attack shall be prevented and repelled. At all times, [all] should act as required by the exalted purview of my imperial charter ( nīşān-ı hümāyūn ); no consent or permission shall be shown to the contrary. Thus shall they know and have confidence in the noble mark! 9 September–4 October 1700