Die Großbotschaften Wolfgang IV. zu Oettingen-Wallersteins und Elçi İbrahim Paşas (1699–1701)

- 1 - 29

.Nişān-ı hümāyūn oldur ki:

.Ḳıdvetü ümerāʾi’l-milleti’l-mesīḥiyye Romā imperātorınuñ āsitāne-i saʿādetümde olan büyük ilçisi Vūlfānḳūs Ġrūf Eyūtingen ḫutimet ʿavāḳıbuhū bi’l-ḫayr
.südde-i saʿādetüme ʿarż-ı ḥāl gönderüb

āsitāne-i saʿādetümde ve ol cānibde tüccār ṭāʾifesi iki ṭarafa bāzergānluḳ içün varub gelüb nihāyet serḥadd
.ḥākimlerinden ve ümenādan ellerinde teẕkireleri olub ḳanġı semtden geçerlerse teẕkireleri götürüb ol serḥaddun begi veyāḫūd emīni ol
5 teẕkireye mühür veyāḫūd nişān idüb lākin bu bahāne ile rencberden aḳca alınmaya

ve bir yire gitdükde maḫūf yerlerden geçürmek içün yanlarına
.kifāyet miḳdārı ādemler ḳoşub ṣaġ ü sālim geçürüb ve iki cānibe resm ve gümrük virdükden ṣoñra kimesne rencīde itmeyüb istedükleri yire
.varmaḳ içün kimesne māniʿ olmaya

ve Romā imperātorınuñ vilāyetlerinde ve Āvuşturye ocaġında olanların ḥükūmetlerinde ve ḳrāllıḳ yerlerinden
.tüccār ṭāʾifesi ki metāʿ ve naḳd ile memālik-i maḥrūseme gelmek istedükde Romā imperātorınuñ bayraġı altında ve ellerinde temessükātı olmayınca bu cānibe gelmege
.icāzet virilmeye eger bayraḳ ve temessükātsız gelürler ise gemilerin metāʿ ve naḳdiyyelerini Romā imperātorınuñ ḳapu ketḫüdāsı ve ḳonsolosları girift
10 idüb o cānibe bildüreler

ve Romā imperātorına ve Avuşturye ocaġına ve İspānya ḳrālına ve Filāndere vilāyetine ve sāʾir vilāyetlerine
.tābiʿ tüccār ṭāʾifesi Romā imperātorınuñ bayraġı altında memālik-i maḥrūseme gemi ve naḳd ve metāʿ ile ṣaġ ve sālim gelüb gideler ve beyʿ eyledükleri
.metāʿlarından yüzde üç gümrük virüb ve ṣatun alduḳları metāʿlarından yine yüzde üc aḳca gümrük vireler ve Romā imperāṭorınuñ
.ḳapu ketḫüdāları ve ḳonsolos ḥaḳḳı yüzde iki aḳca vireler

ve meẕkūr bāzargānlaruñ maṣlaḥatların Romā imperātorınuñ ḳapu ketḫüdāları ve ḳonsolosları
.göreler ve ẕikr olunan tüccārdan biri mürd olursa Romā imperāṭorınuñ ḳapu ketḫüdāları ve ḳonsolosları mālları yazub girift idüb
15 bu ṭarafdan beytü’l-mālcılar daḫl eylemeye

ve memālik-i maḥrūsemüzde bāzārgānlar bir iskelede gümrüklerin edā eyledükden ṣoñra virdükleri metāʿda
.bir daḫı gümrük ṭaleb olunmaya ve bāzergānlar mābeyninde ve sāʾir kimüñle bir daʿvā ve nizāʿları olursa ol yirin ḳāżīları dörd biñ
.aḳcadan ziyāde daʿvāları diñlemeyüb āsitāne-i saʿādetümüzden ḳāżī-ʿaskerlerimüz ḥużūrında istimāʿ oluna

diyü biñ yigirmi dört senesinde ʿahdnāme-i hümāyūn
.mażmūnı üzere nişān-ı ʿālī-şān virilüb ve ḥālā ʿaḳd ve tecdīd olunan muṣālaḥa muḳteżāsınca virilen ʿahdnāme-i hümāyūnumda daḫı tüccār
.ṭāʾifesi ṭarafeynüñ memālikinde selefde virilen ʿahdnāmeler mūcibince ke’l-evvel emnen ve sālimen ve gendü ḥāllerinde ticāret ideler

ve alış
20 virişleri mekr ü ḥīle ve iḥtilālden maṣūn ve maḥfūẓ olmaḳ üzere büyük ilçilükleri es̱nāsında tüccār aḥvāline vāḳıf ādemleri taʿyīn ve
.umūrlarına niẓām virilüb sāʾir müsteʾmen ṭāʾifelerine olan müsāʿade müşārüñ ileyh çāsāra tābiʿ milletlerüñ ̣ḥaḳḳında daḫı
.ʿināyet olunub memālik-i maḥrūsemde menfaʿat ve emniyyet ile müreffehü’l-ḥāl olalar diyü muḳayyed olmaġla ol nişān-ı hümāyūnum tecdīd olunmaḳ
.bābında istidʿā-yı ʿināyet itmegin

muḳaddemā ve ḥālā virilen ʿahdnāmelere mürācaʿat olunduḳda vech-i meşrūḥ üzere olduġı mesṭūr ve muḳayyed
.bulunmaġın ʿatīḳ ve cedīd ʿahdnāmeler mūcibince tecdīd olunub işbu nişān-ı ʿālī-şānı virdüm ve buyurdum ki bālāda taṣrīḥ ü tafṣīl olunduġı
25 üzere ʿamel olunub min baʿd ḫilāfına rıżā ve cevāz gösterilmeye şöyle bileler ʿalāmet-i şerīfe iʿtimād ḳılalar

. Fī evāḫiri R[ebīʿiʾl-āḫir] sene 1112

Translation starts here

- 1 -

So is the imperial charter (nīşān-ı hümāyūn):

Paragon of the nobles of the community of the Messiah, the grand ambassador of the Roman emperor at my capital, Graf Wolfgang (IV) zu Oettingen(-Wallerstein)—may he end his days propitiously—submitted a petition to my court, requesting a renewal of this imperial charter/seal from me.

The merchants residing in my territories and those of the Roman emperor shall be allowed to travel back and forth for trade between both realms. When they pass through the districts of border governors or superintendents, they must present the title-deed they received from those officials and have it stamped or signed by the district governor or superintendent where they pass through. However, no money shall be collected from merchants under this pretext.

When merchants travel to a place, they shall be provided with enough men to ensure their safe passage through dangerous areas. After safely arriving at their destination, paying the customs duties in both realms, no one shall cause them harm. No one shall hinder the merchants from reaching their intended destinations.

If merchants wish to travel from the Roman emperor’s lands, the province of Austria, or other territories under his dominion, including the Kingdom of Spain, with their merchandise and cash to the well-protected domains, they must not be allowed to enter my territories unless they come under the Roman emperor’s flag and possess a title-deed. If they arrive without a flag or title-deed, their ships, merchandise, and cash shall be confiscated by the Roman emperor's resident ambassador and consuls, who will then notify their homeland.

Merchants from the Roman emperor’s territories, the province of Austria, the Kingdom of Spain, the province of Flanders, and other provinces shall be allowed to travel safely to and from the well-protected domains under the Roman emperor’s flag with their ships, cash, and merchandise. They shall pay a three percent customs duty on the goods they sell and another three percent on the goods they purchase. The Roman emperor’s resident ambassador and consul pay only two percent.

The Roman emperor's resident ambassador shall oversee the affairs of the aforementioned merchants. If one of these merchants dies, the Roman emperor’s resident ambassador shall seize and record their goods, without interference from our treasurer.

Once merchants have paid customs duties at a port within the well-protected domains, no further customs duties shall be demanded for the same goods. If there is a dispute or disagreement between merchants or between a merchant and customs officials, local judges shall not handle cases involving sums exceeding 4,000 akçe. Instead, such cases shall be heard in the presence of our chief justice in the capital.

These matters were documented in the imperial letter of agreement issued in the year 1024 under my imperial seal. According to the peace clauses of the newly signed and renewed imperial letter of agreement, the merchants from both realms shall continue to conduct their trade as before, in safety and security, as stipulated in the previous letters of agreement.

Their transactions shall be conducted in a manner free from deceit, fraud, or disorder. When grand ambassadors arrive, they shall appoint individuals to oversee the merchants’ affairs and make necessary arrangements for trade. Just as the privileges granted to other protected (müste’min) communities , similar consideration shall be extended to those nations subject to the emperor. This has been recorded so that they may prosper with benefit and security in my well-protected domains. The ambassador requested my favor to renew these provisions written in my previously sealed imperial letter.

Upon reviewing both the former and current imperial letters of agreement, it was confirmed that the matters were recorded and written as described above. Therefore, the old and new agreements have been duly renewed, and this imperial seal has been granted. I command that the above-stated procedures be followed and that no deviation from these stipulations shall be tolerated. Thus shall they know and have confidence in the noble mark!

5–10 October 1700