Befehlsschreiben des Sultans; Istanbul, 21. März – 30. März 1720
.
Nīş×
muḥāfıẓı×na ve āsitāne-i
saʿādet×ümden Nīş×e varınca yol
üzerinde
.vāḳiʿ olan ḳāḍīlara ve voyvoda ve mütesellimlere ve ketḫüdā yiri
ve yeñiçeri
.serdārları ḫavāṣṣ ve evḳāf żābiṭi ve aʿyān-ı vilāyet ve iş
erlerine
.ḥüküm ki:
5 Ḳıdvetü ümerāʾi’l-milleti’l-mesīḥiyye Romā
imperāṭorı× ṭarafından der-i devlet-medāruma büyükilçilik ile
.
[der-i devlet-medāruma] gelen Cenerāl Ġrūf de Virmond× ḫutimet ʿavāḳibühū bi-l-ḫayr ʿarż-ı ḥāl
gönderüb
Nemçe× diyārından
.esīr istiḫlāṣı içün
gelen Nemçe× ruhbānı ve fermān-ı ʿālī ile
beglik zindānından seksen alṭı nefer ve aḳçalarıyla
.istiḫlāṣ eyledükleri
gerek ẕükūr ve gerek inās kebīr ve ṣaġır yüz ṭoḳsan reʾs ki min ḥaysi l-mecmūʿ
.
ikiyüz yetmiş sekiz ʿaded esīrler ile mesfūrdan rāhibler vilāyetlerine ʿavdet
itmeleriyle
siz ki
10 mūmā ileyhimsiz mesfūrūn rāhibler üserā-yı merḳūma ile her
ḳanġıñuzuñ taḥt-ı ḳażāsına varub
.dāḫıl olurlar ise emīn ve maḥfūẓ
maḥaller[de] ḳondurulub ve gider olduḳlarında yanlarına
ḳulaġuzlar
.ḳoşılub esnā-yı ṭarīḳde vāḳiʿ menāzil ve merāḥilde gendülere
libās ve ṭavarlarına
.daḫl ü taʿarruż ve geçid aḳçası ve ḫilāf-ı ʿahdnāme-i
hümāyūn cizye ve sāʾir bahāne ile aḳça
.muṭālebesiyle rencīde ve remīde
olunmayub ve iḳtiżā iden zād u ze[v]ādelerin narḫ-ı
15 rūzī
üzere ṣatanlardan aḳçalarıyla aldurılub bir vechle żarūret ve mużāyaḳa
.çekdürilmeyüb emīn ve sālim birbiriñüze irsāl ve vilāyetlerine īṣāle
.taḳayyüd ve ihtimām olunmaḳ bābında emr-i şerīfüm ricā etmegin
.vech-i
meşrūḥ üzere ʿamel oluna diyü yazılmışdur. [1]
fī evāsıt-ı Cā[[Cemāẕiyye’l-evvel]] sene 1132
Decree to the commander vizier of Nissa (Niš)× × and to all judges, voivodes, deputy governors, aides-de-camp of janissary commanders, janissary commanders, notables, officers of pious foundations, provincial notables, and functionaries that are located on the road from my threshold of felicity× to Nissa (Niš)×:
General [Damian Hugo] Count of Virmont×—may God end his days propitiously—who came to my threshold of felicity as grand ambassador from the Roman emperor× sent a petition to my threshold of felicity [about the following matter]:
The Austrian× clergy who came from the Austrian× lands for the liberation of captives, eighty-six captives they freed from the prison of the naval arsenal (beglik zindānı), and one hundred and ninety-two male, female, old, and young captives they freed with money — in total two hundred seventy-eight captives — and priests from among the aforesaid clergy are returning to their lands.
You are the aforesaid [administrators]! When the aforesaid priests and captives arrive and enter to the administrative territory of whomever among you, you shall lodge them in safe and protected quarters. When they continue their journey, you shall assign guides to accompany them. When they are on the road, at the stations and during the stages of the journey, [no one] shall interfere with or attack them, their garments, and their animals. They shall not be injured or disturbed with claims of passage fee or, in violation of the imperial letter of agreement (ʿahdnāme-i ḥumāyūn), with claims of jizya and or money under any pretext. The required provisions and supplies shall be purchased with [his own] money from those who sell for the daily fixed prices. You shall not let them suffer need of anything or be in distress by any means. You shall send them safe and sound from one of you to the other and pay attention and take care to deliver them to their lands. The ambassador requested my noble order on this matter. It has been written that you shall act in the way described.
March 21 to March 30, 1720