The Istanbul letters of Antun Vrančić: Croatian and English translation of selected Latin letters (1553–1568)

Augusti

1
22. Venimus Constantinopolim. 1567. aug. 22.

2
27. Imperator ivit aucupatum. 1568. mart. 17.

3
28. Habuimus primam audientiam apud Mehmeth pas-
sam, Pertavum et Ferhattum.

4
29. Reliquos tres passas visitavimus.

Septembris

5
4. Iterum secundam audientiam apud summum pas-
sam habuimus, ubi etiam primam partem instru-
ctionis nostrae satis, ut putamus, tractavimus, et
tunc rogati, edocuimus passam, quid caesari attu-
limus.

6
10. Orator Galli habuit apud Mehmeth passam au-
dientiam;

7
11 Visitavit nos Don Joseph dux Naxi.

8
13 Fuit apud nos secretarius domini oratoris Galli,
per eundem missus.

9
15 Princeps ex suo aucupio rediit in urbem cum omni-
bus suis praetorianis quinque circiter millium ho-
minum; cui janizeri ad duo millia accedebant.

10
19 Audientiam apud summum passam habuimus.

11
21 Audientiam primam apud principem cum exhibi-
tione muneris honorarii habuimus admodum hono-
rificam, excepti ab omnibus praetorianis, et convi-
vio apud vesirios in divano.

12
24 Audientiam apud supremum passam habuimus,
scituri ad postremum, quid exspectandum sit no-
bis de statu subditorum deditorum et de conserva-
tione Tattae ac Vesprimii. Tum demum facta est
mentio de Philippo rege.

13
25 Audientiam habuimus apud 4. passas: Ferhattum,
Ahmattum, Pyaly et Mahmut. Et

14
26 Apud Pertaw passam causa divisionis colonorum
et distractionis Tatthae ac Vesprimii.

15
Ultima Septembris fuimus apud supremum pas-
sam, ad postremum cognituri, quid decrevissent,
de divisione colonorum et de distractione arcium
Tattae et Vesprimii.

Octobris

16
1 Per interpretem Mahmuttum significavi nobis, ob-
tinuisse se, ut Babolcha et Berzencze demoliantur.

17
11 Orator Galli a principe auditus, eique data ejus,
regis munera.

18
17 Expeditus est a nobis ad caesaream majestatem
Eduardus cum litteris.

19
19 Fuimus apud passam supremum cum querimo-
niis contra finitimos.

20
23 Princeps Turcarum profectus est Hadrianopolim

21
30 Perlustravimus fretum Bospori Thracii usque ad
Pontum; triduo foris fuimus.

Novembris

22
13 Dominus bailus Venetus Jacobus Solantius mo-
vit Galata Hadrianopolim.

23
16 Nos fuimus apud passam Pyaly, locumteneutem
principis sui, in negotio Fabricii pro magnifico
domino Alberto collega nostro.

Decembris

24
16 Eduardus appulit Hadrianopolim a caesarea ma-
jestate.

Januarii

25
5 Movimus Constantinopoli.

26
13 Venimus Hadrianopolim.

27
15 Habuimus ibidem apud summum passam Mehmet
audientiam.

28
20 Circiter diem hujus mensis 20. proclamatus est
apparatus bellicus Hadrianopoli.

29
25 Exhibuimus passae scriptum de communibus villis.

30
27 Habuimus aliam apud supremum passam audien-
tiam, qui pro voto facto responso ex parte com-
munium colonorum, arees reduxit in controversiam
jam promissas.

31
Ultima hujus Abdabeg Mesopotanus Kurth cum
suis aliquot, Hadrianopoli in templo imperatoris
Murath occidit ciaus passim, praefectum ciauso-
rum, cum duobus ciausis, aliquot vulneratis. Se-
quenti die parvo spatio temporis in divano cae-
sareo judicatus, decollatus est cum 24. ex suis.

Februarii

32
16 Appulit Adrianopolim orator Persae Sah Kuly no-
mine, cum numero hominum circiter 400.

33
17 Habuimus audientiam ad supremum passam vo-
cati, in qua et legationi nostrae gratum finem
imposuit.

34
19 Orator Persae apud supremum passam habuit
audientiam.

35
Eodem quidam ex populo, temerario zelo suae fi-
dei, sclopo eum in vico petivit et fefellit, unum
tamen ex comitibus vulneravit. Hominem passa
subito fecit comprehendi, et equi cauda in mortem
per urbem rapi. Exhorruerat orator et fere ab
domo passae ad hospitium suum redire voluit,
sed a passa revocatus et delinitus est.

36
20 Nos ad passam vocati. Proposuit nobis Gallorum,
Venetorum, Polonorumquo confoederationem, pro-
pter quod novae contentiones nonnihil nos exce-
perunt.

37
21 Exhibuimus passae articulos pacis.

38
22 Habuit audientiam orator Persae apud principem
Turcarum Zelymum.

39
24 Habuimus ultimam audientiam et expediti sumus
a principe Turcarum Hadrianopoli.

40
29 Iterum habuimus audientiam apud passam pro
responso privatarum petitionum nostrorum capti-
vorum et Turcarum, qui nobis servierunt.

41
Eodem invisit nos bailus Venetus, gratulatusque
est nobis de confecta pace.

Martii

42
3 Nocte inseguenti carnisprivium ignis erupit in-
tra civitatem muratam Hadrianopoli et consumpsit
ad 50. domos.

43
8 Supervenerunt ab oratore Galli secretarius et in-
terpres.

44
9 Habuimus audientiam apud supremum passam, et
quae restabant ad omnium conclusionem, de addi-
tione ad articulos, de communibus colonis, de tem-
pore cursus muneris honorarii, de dictione communi
excludenda ex ratificatoriis, et de libertate aedifi-
candi et muniendi utriusque partis in suo, partim
obtentis, partim ad caesaream majestatem delatis,
finem fecimus omnibus.

45
10 Venerunt Adrianopolim nuncii Transsylvani cum
tributo, Nicolaus Orbay et Franciscus Balogh.

46
17 Nos cum Dei nomine, visitatis omnibus dominis
passis, valediximus illis et currus nostros ad iter
praeparavimus.

47
Eodem visitavimus etiam clarissimum dominum
bailum Venetum Jacobum Sorancium.

Kolovoz

4822. Stigli smo u Carigrad.

4927. Sultan je otišao u lov na ptice.[1]

5028. Bili smo u prvoj audijenciji kod Mehmed-paše i paša Perteva i Ferhada.

5128. Posjetili smo preostalu trojicu paša.

Rujan

524. Drugi smo put bili u audijenciji kod velikog vezira,[2] gdje smo, vjerujemo, primjereno iznijeli sadržaj prvog dijela naših naputaka. Tada smo, na njegov upit, izvijestili velikog vezira o tome što smo donijeli caru.

5310. Francuski je poslanik[3] bio u audijenciji kod Mehmed-paše.

5411. Posjetio nas je dom Joseph Nasi, vojvoda od Naxosa.[4]

55
[150] 13. Kod nas je bio tajnik gospodina francuskog poslanika kojega je on osobno poslao.

5615. Vladar se iz lova vratio u grad zajedno s čitavom svojom gardom od otprilike pet tisuća vojnika, od kojih su dvije tisuće bili janjičari.

5719. Bili smo u audijenciji kod velikog vezira.

5821. Bili smo u prvoj audijenciji kod sultana, kojemu smo vrlo svečano predali počasni danak. Primili su nas svi članovi garde, a gozba je održana kod vezira u Divanu.

5924. Bili smo u audijenciji kod velikog vezira kako bismo konačno doznali što možemo očekivati u vezi s predajom podanika i očuvanjem Tate[5] i Veszpréma.[6] Tek tada je spomenut i kralj Filip.[7]

6025. Bili smo u audijenciji kod četvorice paša: Ferhada, Ahmeda, Pijalea i Mahmuda te

6126. kod Pertev-paše u vezi s podjelom kmetova i uništenjem Tate i Veszpréma.

62Posljednji dan mjeseca rujna bili smo kod velikog vezira i konačno doznali što su odlučili u vezi s podjelom kmetova i uništenjem utvrda u Tati i Veszprému.

Listopad

631. Mahmud nas je po tumaču izvijestio kako se založio za to da se sruše Berencse i Babócsa.

6411. Francuskog poslanika saslušao je sultan kojemu je predan dar njegova kralja.

6517. Carskom Veličanstvu poslali smo Eduarda[8] s pismima.

6619. Bili smo kod velikog vezira s pritužbama protiv susjeda.

67
[151] 23. Turski je vladar otišao u Edirne.

6830. Obišli smo tjesnac Bospor u Trakiji sve do Crnog mora. Bili smo vani tri dana.

Studeni

6913. Gospodin bailo Giacomo Soranzo[9] otišao je iz Galate[10] u Edirne.

7016. Bili smo kod Pijale-paše, sultanova namjesnika, radi Fabricijeva[11] posla za našeg kolegu, velmožnog gospodina Alberta.[12]

Prosinac

7116. Eduard je krenuo od Carskog Veličanstva prema Edirneu.

725. Otišli smo iz Carigrada.

7313. Došli smo u Edirne.

7415. Ondje smo bili u audijenciji kod velikog vezira Mehmeda.

7520. Oko 20. dana ovog mjeseca objavljene su u Edirneu ratne pripreme.

7625. Primili smo pašin dopis o zajedničkim selima.

7727. Bili smo u audijenciji kod velikog vezira, koji nam je odgovorio na naš zahtjev u vezi sa zajedničkim kmetovima te iznova započeo raspravu o već obećanim utvrdama.

78Posljednjeg dana ovog mjeseca mezopotamski Abdi-beg Kurd[13] s nekoliko je svojih ljudi u
[152] hramu cara Murata u Edirneu[14] ubio čauš-pašu, zapovjednika čauša, te još dvojicu čauša, a nekoliko ih je ranio. Idućeg dana žurno je osuđen u carskom Divanu i odrubljena mu je glava, zajedno s dvadesetčetvoricom njegovih ljudi.

Veljača

7916. U Edirne je stigao perzijski poslanik po imenu Šah Kuli s četiristotinjak ljudi.

8017. Bili smo u audijenciji kod velikog vezira, koji nas je pozvao k sebi. Tijekom audijencije objavio je da je naša misija uspješno okončana.

8119. Perzijski je poslanik bio u audijenciji kod velikog vezira.

82Neki ga je čovjek iz naroda u nerazumnom vjerskom zanosu napao puškom u jednoj uličici i promašio, ranivši jednog od njegovih pratitelja. Paša je smjesta zapovjedio da tog čovjeka uhvate i da ga zavezanog za rep konja vuku gradom. Poslanik se uplašio te se iz pašina doma odmah htio vratiti u svoj gostinjac, ali ga je paša pozvao natrag i smekšao.

8320. Pozvani smo k paši. Predložio nam je sklapanje saveza s Francuzima, Mlečanima i Poljacima, zbog čega smo se upustili u nove prepirke.[15]

8421. Od paše smo primili članke mirovnog sporazuma.

8522. Perzijski je poslanik bio u audijenciji kod turskog sultana Selima.

8624. Bili smo u posljednjoj audijenciji i otišli smo iz Edirnea od turskog sultana.

8729. Iznova smo bili u audijenciji kod paše u vezi s njegovim odgovorom na našu osobnu molbu u vezi sa zarobljenicima i Turcima koji kod nas služe.[16]

88
[153] Ondje nas je posjetio mletački bailo i zahvalio nam na sklopljenom miru.[17]

Ožujak

893. U noći nakon poklada izbio je požar unutar edirnskih zidina i uništio pedeset kuća.

908. Jedan za drugim stigli su tajnik i tumač francuskog poslanika.

919. Bili smo u audijenciji kod velikog vezira i donijeli zaključke o svim preostalim pitanjima: o dopunama mirovnih članaka, zajedničkim kmetovima, vremenskom roku za plaćanje počasnog danka, zajedničkoj izjavi koju treba izuzeti iz ratifikacije, slobodi građenja i utvrđivanja koju obje strane imaju na svome teritoriju te o onome što će Carsko Veličanstvo djelomično zadržati, a djelomično srušiti.

9210. U Edirne su stigli Miklós Orbay i Ferenc Balogh, glasnici iz Transilvanije, s dankom.

9317. Mi smo, u ime Božje, posjetivši i pozdravivši svu gospodu paše, pripravili svoja kola za put. Tada smo posjetili i prejasnog gospodina mletačkog baila Giacoma Soranza.

August

9422nd. We arrived in Istanbul^×.

9527th. The Sultan^× departed for a bird hunt.[1]

9628th. We were received in the first audience by Mehmed Pasha^× and the Pashas Pertev and Ferhad.

9728th. We visited the other three Pashas.

September

984th. We were received in audience for the second time by the Grand Vizier,[2] where we have, we believe, appropriately presented the content of the first part of our instructions. Afterwards we have, on the Grand Vizier^×’s request, informed him of what we had brought for the Emperor^×.[3]

9910th. The French ambassador[4] was received in audience by Mehmed Pasha^×.

10011th. We were visited by Dom Joseph Nasi^×, the Duke of Naxos^×.[5]

101
[150] 13th. We were visited by the secretary of His Lordship the French Ambassador, who had been personally sent by the Ambassador.

10215th. The ruler returned from the hunt with his entire guard consisting of approximately five thousand soldiers, of which two thousands were janissaries.

10319th. We were received in audience by the Grand Vizier^×.

10421st. We were received for the first time by the Sultan^×, to whom we ceremoniously presented the honorary tribute. We were received by all members of the guard, and the feast was held at the viziers’ in the Divan.

10524th. We were received in audience by the Grand Vizier^×, who finally informed us what we could expect concerning the surrender of the subjects and the preservation of Tata^×[6] and Veszprém^×.[7] Only then had King Philip^× been mentioned.[8]

10625th. We were received in audience by four pashas: Ferhad, Ahmed, Piyale and Mahmud, and

10726th. At Pertev Pasha’s we were received in audience in connection to the division of serfs and the demolition of Tata^× and Veszprém^×.

108On the last day of the month of September we visited the Grand Vizier^× and were finally informed on the decision concerning the division of serfs and the demolition of the fortresses in Tata^× and Veszprém^×.

October

1091st.Mahmud informed us through an interpreter that he interceded for the demolition of Berencse and Babócsa^×.

11011th. The Sultan^× received the French Ambassador and was given a gift by his King.

11117th. We have dispatched Eduard[9] bearing letters to Your Imperial Majesty.

11219th. We were received by the Grand Vizier^× and have presented our complaints against our neighbors.

11323rd. The Turkish ruler departed for Edirne^×.

11430th. We perambulated the Bosphorus in Thrace all the way up to the Black Sea. We were outside for three days.

November

11513th. His Lordship Bailo Giacomo Soranzo^×[10] departed from Galata^× to Edirne^×.[11]

11616th. We visited Piyale Pasha, Sultan’s deputy, regarding Fabrizio’s[12] work for our colleague, noble Lord Albert^×.[13]

December

11716th.Eduard departed from Your Imperial Majesty toward Edirne^×.

1185th. We departed from Istanbul^×.

11913th. We arrived in Edirne^×.

12015th. There we were received in audience by the Grand Vizier^×Mehmed^×.

121
[152] 20th. Around the 20th of this month, war preparations were announced in Edirne^×.

12225th. We received the Pasha’s letter on the common villages.

12327th. We were received in audience by the Grand Vizier^×, who responded to our request regarding the common serfs and reopened the discussion concerning the already promised fortresses.

124On the last day of this month, Mesopotamian Abdi Bey Kurd[14] with a number of his own men in the temple of Emperor Murat^× in Edirne^×[15] killed a çavuşbaşı, the commander of chiauses, together with two chiauses, and wounded a couple of them. The next day, he was expeditiously sentenced at the Imperial Divan and his head was cut off, together with the heads of twenty four of his men.

February

12516th. The Persian ambassador named Shah Kuli arrived in Edirne^× with approximately four hundred men.

12617th. We were received in audience by the Grand Vizier^×, who invited us to visit him. During the audience, he declared that our mission had been successfully completed.

12719th. The Persian envoy was received in audience by the Grand Vizier^×.

128Some man from the mob attacked him[16] with a gun in a senseless religious fervor in some alley and missed him, wounding one of his companions. The Pasha immediately ordered for the man to be arrested and dragged through the city while being tied to a horse’s tail. The envoy was frightened and wanted to return from the Pasha’s home to his lodging immediately, but the Pasha called him back and softened him.

129
[153] 20th. We were summoned to the Pasha’s. He proposed to us the conclusion of an alliance with the French, the Venetians and the Poles, hence we engaged in new arguments.[17]

13021st. We received the articles of the peace treaty from the Pasha.

13122nd. The Persian envoy was received in audience by the Turkish Sultan Selim^×.

13224th. We were received in audience for the last time and departed from Edirne^× from the Turkish Sultan^×.

13329th. We were again received in audience by the Pasha concerning his answer to our personal plea regarding the prisoners and the Turks who were servants in our country.[18] There the Venetian Bailo visited us and thanked us for signing the peace agreement.[19]

March

1343rd. During the night after Lent, there was a fire inside the Edirne^× walls, which destroyed fifty houses.

1358th. The secretary and the interpreter of the French envoy arrived one after the other.

1369th. We were received in audience by the Grand Vizier^× and we drew a final draft outlining all other outstanding issues: the supplements of the treaty articles, the common serfs, the deadline for the payment of the honorary tribute, the mutual declaration which was to be excluded from the ratification, the freedom of building and reinforcing which both sides have on their own territory, and the sites which the Imperial Majesty will partially keep and partially demolish.

13710th.Miklós Orbay and Ferenc Balogh, messengers from Transylvania^×, arrived in Edirne^× bringing a tribute.

13817th. In the name of the Lord, by visiting and greeting all of the Lord’s pashas, we prepared our wagons for the travel. Afterwards we visited His Serene Lordship Venetian Bailo Giacomo Soranzo^×.