Letter from Grand Vizier Sokollu Mehmed Pasha to Emperor Rudolf II, Constantinople, 28 February- 9 March 1579

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 Ḳrālı İkinci Rudolfo Ḳrāl ḫutimet ʿavāḳibühū-bi’l-ḫayr dostluġa lāyıḳ olan vüfūr duʿālar ve s̱enālar taḳdīm olınduḳdan ṣoñra inhā olınan budur ki sābıḳā vārid olan mektūb-ı ṣadāḳat-maṣḥūbuñuzda ʿatebe-i ʿulyā-yı felek-mis̱āle vaḳtı ile virgüñüz irsāl olunmaduġına bāʿis̱ ve bādī ne olduġı serḥadlerde olan umerā-ı kirām ve sāʾīr ʿasākir-i manṣūre żabṭ olınmayub memleket ve vilāyetüñüze aḳınlar idüb żarar ve ziyāndan ḫālī olmaduḳları ʿarż ve iʿlām olınub ve ḥālen daḫı vārid olan mektūb-ı merġūbuñuzda Ernst Arçidüḳa nām ḳarındaşıñuzuñ çāşnīgīrbaşısı olan ḳıdvetü ʿayāni’l-milleti’l-mesīḥiyye Odālar Yāḳod Mirberberḳ nām mustaḳīm ve muʿteber ilçiñüz ile āsitāne-i saʿadet-āşiyāneye virgüñüz irsāl olınduġı ve sizüñ cānibüñüzden ṣulḥ u ṣalāḥa muġāyir memālīk-i maḥrūseye daḫl ve taʿarruż olınmayub dāʾimā şerāʾiṭ-i ṣuḷh u ṣalāḥa riʿāyet olınurken bu cānibden ʿasākir-i manṣūre muttaṣıl memleket ve vilāyetüñüze aḳınlar idüb ve baʿżı ḳaryeler ḳadīmū’l eyyāmdan ilā haẕe’l-ān ʿasākir-i İslāma ḫarāc viregelmemişler iken ḥāliyā cebren ḫarāclarını alduḳları ve ḫarāç virmek istemeyen köyleri yaḳub yıḳub ve reʿāyāsın ḳatl eyledüḳleri ve ḥiṣārlaruñuzı cebr ve ḥīle ile aldıḳları ʿarż ve iʿlām olınmış ve bunlardan ġayri dergāh-ı nuṣret-destgāhumda ilçiñüz daḫı mufaṣṣal ʿarż-ı ḥāl ṣunub vech-i meşrūḥ üzere iʿlām itdüginden māʿadā şimdiye degin vāḳiʿ olan żarar u ziyānı müfredātı ile yazub iʿlām eylemegin eger sizüñ ṭarafuñuzdan vārid olan mektūblarda ve eger muşārün ileyh ilçiñüzüñ ʿarż-ı ḥālında her ne iʿlām ve işʿār olınmış ise cümlesi terceme ve telḫīṣ olınub naḳīr ü ḳıṭmīr devletlü ve saʿādetlü pādişāhumuz ʿeazzallāhu teʿālā enṣārahu ve żāʿafa iḳtidārahu ḥażretlerinüñ pāye-i-serīr-i saʿādet-maṣīrlerine ḥüsn-i taʿbīr ile ʿarż ve taḳrīr olınduḳda cümlesi maʿlūm-ı şerīfleri olub ol bābda ṣādır olan fermān-ı ʿālīleri üzere nāme-i hümāyūnları yazılub size irsāl olınub ḥażreti seyyidü’l-enām ʿaleyhi efżālü’l-ḫalḳı ve’l-ekmel kelām-ı şerīf-i muʿciz-niẓāmlarında el-ṣulḥu seyyidü’l-aḥkām vāḳiʿ olmaġın ol kelime-i ṭayyibe etbāʿen ve reʿāyānuñ daḫı emn ü emān ve refāhiyyet ve iṭmīnān üzere olmaları murād-ı şerīfleri olmaġın ṣulḥ u ṣalāḥ emrinde geregi gibi diḳḳat ve ihtimāmları ṣudūr idüb Budūn beglerbegine ve sāʿir serḥadlerde olan ümerāya ḫuṣūṣan Bosna ve Klīs ve Hersek sancaḳları beglerine min-baʿd ṣulḥ u ṣalāḥa muḫālif memlekete ve vilāyetüñüze daḫl ve taʿarruż ve ġāret ve ḫasāret ve aḳınlar itmeyüb her biri gendü ḥālinde olmalarıy-çün envāʿ-ı tenbīh ü teʿkīd ve eṣnāf-ı taḫvīf ü tehdīd ile aḥkām-ı şerīfe yazılub yarar çavūşlar ile irsāl olınmışdur inşāʾa-llāhu teʿālā her biri geregi gibi emr-i celīlū’l-ḳadrlarına imtis̱āl itmek mukarrerdür şöyle ki fermān-ı hümāyūnlarına muġāyir memleketünüze aḳın idüb ġāret ve ḫasāret eyleyeler her kim olursa olsun aṣlā ḥimāyet olınmayub ve dirligi alınmaġla ḳonılmayub mesʾūl ve muʿāteb ve eşedd-i muḳābeleye muʿāḳib olmaları muḳarrerdür geregdür ki mektūb-ı muḫāleṣet- üslūb vuṣūl bulduḳda cānib-i ṣadāḳat niṣābuñuzdan daḫı serḥadlerde olan żābıṭlaruñuza geregi gibi tenbīh ü teʿkīd olınub her biri taḥt-ı ḥükūmetinde olan ʿaskeri muḥkem żabṭ eyleyüb memālīk-i maḥrūse-i pādişāhīye çete çıḳarub ġāret ve ḫasāret ve ehl-i islāmı esīr ve ḳatl eylemeyeler ṣulḥ u ṣalāḥuñ beḳāsı ṭarafeynden şerāʾiṭ-i ʿahd ü emān riʿāyet olınmaġladur ol cānibüñ ʿaskeri kendü ḥāllarında olmayub mutaṣṣıl fesād ve şenāʿat üzere olıcaḳ ʿasākir-i islām daḫı ġayret ve ḥamiyyet muḳteżāsınca baḳub ṭuracak degillerdür mehmā emkene defʿ-i mażarratlarına saʿy ve iḳdām iderler münāsib olan budur ki meżā mā meżā ̣fehvasınca şimdiye degin ṭarafeyne müterettib olan żarar ve ziyān min baʿd ẕikr olınmayub mezīd vāḳiʿ olursa cānibeynden iʿlām ve işʿār olına aña göre vech-i münāsib olduġı üzere ṭarafeynden ʿamel olına ve memālīk-i maḥrūseye serḥadı dāḫilinde olan ḳaryeler reʿāyāsı bu cānibe ḫarācların bi’t-temām edā iderler iken bir ḫarāc daḫı ʿahd ü emāna muġāyir sizüñ ṭarafıñuzdan alınmaġla bu mertebe tekālife reʿāyānuñ taḥammüli olmayub perākende olmalarına sebeb olur bu daḫı münāsib vażʿ degildür bu vechle reʿāyānuñ tefriḳasına bāʿis̱ olan eşḳiyānuñ menʿ ü defʿi bābında mesāʿī-i cemīleñüz vücūda getürile inşāʾa-llāhu teʿālā bu cānibden ʿahd-ı sābıḳ üzere ʿamel olınub min baʿd ḫilāfına cevāz gösterilmeye taḥrīren fī evāʿil-i Muḥarremü’l-ḥarām sene sebʿa ve s̱emān tisʿa-miʾe. Be-medine-i dārü’s-salṭanat-ı ʿalīyye Ḳosṭanṭiniyye el-maḥrūse el-mahmiyye

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 king of Vienna Province, King Rudolph II – may he end his days propitiously. Following the presentation of abundance of prayers and praises worthy of friendship, here is the communication: In your previously received letter of loyalty, you stated the reason for the delay in paying your taxes to the sultan’s celestial court. Accordingly, you reported that our commanders and victorious soldiers stationed at the border regions had not been controlled, resulting in incursions into your country and province, causing damage and harm. However, in the favorable letter you have now sent, you reported the following matters: • That your upright and esteemed envoy, the chamberlain of your brother Archduke Ernst, a paragon of the nobles of the community of the Messiah, is bringing your taxes to the felicitous court; • that on your side no incursions and attacks occurred into the well-protected domains contrary to the conditions of peace and reform, and that the conditions of peace and amity have been consistently adhered to by your side; • that it is our victorious soldiers who have continuously conducted raids into your country and provinces who forcibly collected taxes from some villages that have not paid taxes to the Islamic forces from ancient times up to the present; • that the troops of Islam troops also burned and destroyed those villages which have not paid the tax, killed their inhabitants, and seized your fortresses by force and deception. Aside from these matters already mentioned, your envoy has submitted a detailed petition at our court, the seat of victory, outlining each instance of harm and loss that has occurred to date. In both the letter received from your side and the petition submitted by your envoy, every piece of information and report – down to the most minor and insignificant details – has been translated and presented with the utmost care to the fortunate and felicitous presence of our sultan – may God glorify his supporters and multiply his power. All these matters have been made known to the sultan, and according to the orders he issued on the matter, a sultanic letter was written and sent to you. As stated in the noble and miraculous words of, the honored master of mankind and the best and most perfect of creation, “Peace is the best of all verdicts.” In line with these beautiful words, the sultan – whose noble desire is also for the safety, security, prosperity, and tranquility of the subjects – has taken great care and attention in matters of peace and reconciliation. Accordingly, noble decrees were written and sent via credible envoys to the governor of Buda, the commanders of the frontier regions, and especially to the district governors (sanjak-beys) of Bosnia, Klis, and Herzegovina, instructing them not to violate the peace or attack your territories in any way. They were admonished, warned, and threatened to remain in their own states and refrain from incursions or raids. God willing, it is certain that they will comply with the decree of great dignity. Should anyone, contrary to the imperial edict, raid your lands, they will not be protected but instead will be stripped of their livelihood, held accountable, reprimanded, and severely punished. When this letter of sincere friendship reaches you, it is necessary that you promptly instruct and firmly admonish the officers stationed along your borders to strictly control the soldiers under their command. They must ensure that no raiding parties are formed to carry out plunder or cause harm within the well-protected domains. They should not take Muslims captive or kill them. The continuation of peace and reconciliation depends on both sides adhering to the conditions of the agreement and truce. If your soldiers do not remain orderly and continue to commit acts of mischief and wrongdoing, the Islamic army – out of their zeal and sense of duty – will not simply stand by and watch. To the extent possible, they will also act to prevent further harm. It is appropriate that, following the principle of “what’s happened has happened,” the losses and damages suffered by both sides up to this point should no longer be mentioned. However, if further harm occurs, it should be communicated between both sides so that appropriate measures can be taken. The peasants within the well-protected domain, who pay their taxes to us in full, are also being subjected to an additional levy by your side-contrary to the terms of the agreement and truce. The peasants cannot bear this additional burden, which is leading to their ruin – a situation that is neither suitable nor sustainable. Therefore, you should do everything in your power to eliminate and prevent the banditry that is causing the peasants to turn against each other. God willing, we will continue to act as per the previous agreement, and no further violations of the treaty will be permitted from our side. Written in the first third of the sacred month of Muharram in the year 987. In the city of the exalted imperial capital, the well-protected Constantinople.