Sultan’s charter granting freedom of trade to the subjects of the Holy Roman Emperor in the territories of the Ottoman Empire, Constantinople, 5-14 October 1700

Hüve Tuğra Nişān-ı şerīf-i ʿālī-şān-ı sāmī-mekān-ı sulṭānī ve ṭuġrā-yı ġarrā-yı cihān-sitān-ı ḫāḳānī hükmi oldur ki Ḳıdvetü ümerāʾ-i’l-milleti’l-mesīḥiyye Romā īmperātorınuñ āsitāne-i saʿādetümde olan büyük ilçisi Vulfānḳūs Ġrūf Ebūtingen ḫutimet ʿavāḳibühū bi’l-ḫayr südde-i saʿādetüme ʿarẓ-ı ḥāl gönderüb āsitāne-i saʿādetümden ve ol cānibden tüccār ṭāʾifesi iki ṭarafa bāzargānlıḳ içün varub gelüb nihāyet serḥadd ḥākimlerinden ve ümenādan ellerinde teżkireleri olub ḳanġı semtden geçerlerse teżkirelerin gösterüb ol serḥaddıñ begi veyāḫūd emīni ol teżkireye mühür veyāḫūd nişān idüb lākin bu bahāne ile rencberden aḳça 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 soñra kimesne rencīde itmeyüb istedükleri yire varmaḳ içün kimesne māniʿ olmaya ve Romā īmperātorınuñ vilāyetlerinde ve Āvuşturya ocaġında olanlarıñ ḥükūmetlerinde ve ḳrallıḳ yerlerinden tüccār ṭāʾifesi ki gemi ve metāʿ ve naḳd ile memālik-i maḥrūseme gelmek istedükde Romā īmperātorınuñ bayraġı altında ve ellerinde temessükātı olmayınca bu cānibe gelmege icāzet virilmeye eger bayraḳ ve temessükātsız gelürler ise Romā īmperātorınuñ ḳapu kethüdāsı ve ḳonsolosları girift idüb o cānibe bildüreler ve Romā īmperātorına ve Āvuşturye ocaġına ve İspānya ḳrālına ve Filāndere vilāyetine ve sāʾir vilāyetlerine tābiʿ tüccār ṭāʾifesine Romā īmperātorınuñ bayraġı altında memālik-i maḥrūseme gemi ve naḳd ve metāʿıyla ṣaġ ü sālim gelüb gideler ve beyʿ eyledükleri metāʿlarından yüzde üc gümrük virüb ve satun alduḳları metāʿlarından yine yüzde üc aḳca gümrük vireler ve Romā īmperātorınuñ ḳapu kethüdāları ve ḳonsolos ḥaḳḳı yüzde iki aḳca vireler ve meẕkūr bāzargānlarıñ maṣlaḥatların Romā īmperātorınuñ ḳapu kethüdāları ve ḳonsolosları göreler ve ẕikr olunan tüccārdan biri mürd olursa Romā īmperātorınuñ ḳapu kethüdāları ve ḳonsolosları mālları yazub girift idüb bu ṭarafdan beytü’l-mālcılar daḫl eylemeye ve memālik-i maḥrūsemüzde bāzargānlar bir iskelede gümrüklerin edā itdüklerinden soñra virdükleri metāʿdan bir daḫı gümrük ṭaleb olunmaya ve bāzargānlar mābeyninde ve sāʾir gümrükle bir daʿvā ve nizāʿları olursa ol diyāruñ ḳaḍıları dört biñ aḳcadan ziyāde daʿvāları diñlemeyüb āsitāne-i saʿādetümden ḳāżī-ʿaskerlerimüz ḥużūrında istimāʿ oluna diyü biñ yigirmi dört senesinde ʿahdnāme-i hümāyūn mażmūnında nişān-ı ʿalī-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 gendü ḥāllerinde ticāret idüb ve alış virişleri mekr ü ḥīle ve iḫtilālden 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 mem̄alik-i maḥrūsemde menfaʿat ve emniyyet ile müreffehü’l-ḥāl olalar diyü muḳayyed olmaġla ol nişān-ı hümāyūn 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 müceddeden işbu nişān-ı hümāyūnı virdüm bālāda taṣrīḥ ve tafṣīl olunduġı üzere ʿamel olunub min-baʿd ḫilāfına rıżā ve cevāz gösterilmeye şöyle bileler ʿalāmet-i şerīfe iʿtimād ḳılalar taḥrīren fī evāḫiri şehr-i rebīʿü’l-āḫir sene is̱netā ʿaşera ve mīʾe ve elf Bi-maḥrūse-i Ḳosṭanṭiniyye 51

This is the command of the noble, illustrious, lofty sultanic sign and the illustrious, world conquering, imperial tughra: 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 kingdoms, 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 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 resident ambassador and the consul of the Roman emperor shall 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! At the protected [city of] Constantinople Written on 5–10 October 1700