Die Großbotschaften Damian Hugo von Virmonts und Ibrahim Paschas (1719/20)

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. Eflāḳ voyvodası Niḳolay voyvodaya ḥüküm ki:

. Romā imperāṭorı ṭarafından āsitāne-i saʿādet-medāruma gelen büyükelçisi Cenerāl Ġrūf de Virmond ḫutimet ʿavāḳibühū bi-l-ḫayr südde-i saʿādetüme ʿarż-ı ḥāl gönderüb

. Memleket-i Eflāḳda potāz taʿbīr olunur bir nevʿi mīşe aġacı iḫrāḳından ḥāṣıl olan küli imperāṭor-ı müşārün ileyhüñ memleketinde çuḳa işleyenler
.istiʿmāl idegelmelerinden nāşı ḳadīmden tüccār vesāṭetiyle iştirā ve lüzūmı olan maḥallere naḳl ve īṣāl ve beyʿ ü şerā iderler iken biraz müddetden berü
5 baʿżı ʿavārıż ve ʿillet ḥasebiyle ʿameli terk olunmaġın ṭarafeynüñ intifāsıyçün ke-mā fī’l-evvel ʿamel ve mābeynde temhīd ve teşyīd olunan dostluḳ ve muṣāfāta
.bināʾen ticāreti imperāṭor-ı müşārün ileyhüñ reʿāyāsına taḫṣīṣ olunmaḳ bābında istidʿā-yı ʿināyet itmegin

ḫuṣūṣ-ı mezbūr müsāʿade-i hümāyūnum erzānī
.ḳılınmışdur

imdi sen ki voyvoda-i mūmā ileyhsin vilāyet-i Eflaḳda her ne gūne mīşeden ne maḥallde iḥrāḳ ile kül ḥāṣıl olur ise
.rıżāsıyla işleyen Eflāḳ reʿāyāsı bu bahāne ile cizye ve tekālīfden muʿāf olmayub senüñ maʿrifetüñ ve neẓāretüñ ile işletdirilüb ve kül
.kārḫānesi taʿyīn eyledügüñ maḥall olub ve devlet-i ʿaliyyemüñ umūr-ı mühimmesiyçün lāzım olan eşcār vechen mine’l-vücūh ḳaṭʿ olunmayub
10 ḥāṣıl olacaḳ kül içün lāzım gelen gümrük daḫī ʿahdnāme-i hümāyūn mūcebince alınmaḳ üzere münāsib olan maḥallde müceddeden kārḫāne vażʿ ve taʿyīn ve ḥāṣıl
.olan küli der-maḥzen ve iştirā ve ticāretin imperāṭor-ı müşārün ileyhüñ reʿāyāsına taḫṣīṣ eyleyüb āḫar vilāyete naḳl idecek kimesneye imperāṭor-ı müşārün ileyhüñ
.reʿāyāsından ġayrı bir ferde beyʿ itdürmeyüb ẕikr olunan şürūṭ üzere niẓām virüb

ve bu niẓāmuñ ʿale d-devām ṣiyānetinde işbu emr-i şerīf-i
.celīlü’l-ʿunvānuma düstūru’l-ʿamel ve dāʾimā mażmūn-ı münīfī ile ḥareket ve ʿamel olunmaḳ bābında fermān-ı ʿālī-şānum ṣādır olmışdur buyurdum ki. [1]

fī evāil-i Cā[[Cemāẕiyye’l-evvel ]] sene 1132

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Decree to the Voivode of Wallachia Nicolai

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]:

Ashes called potash [Turkish: potāz; German: pottasche], which is produced by burning a sort of oak tree in the lands of Wallachia, is used in the lands of the aforementioned emperor by broadcloth producers. Accordingly, since the old days, they have been purchasing it through merchants, transporting and delivering to the required locations, and buying and selling it. However, recently, due to extraordinary levies and misfortunes (ʿillet), they gave up the practice. The ambassador requested my favors for the practice to continue as before for the benefit of both sides and to assign the trade [of potash] to the subjects of the aforesaid emperor based on the friendship and sincerity that has been arranged and reinforced between the two sides.

On this issue, my imperial consent has been granted.

Now, you are the aforementioned voivode! From whichever sort of oak and in whichever quarters of Wallachia ashes are produced by burning, the subjects of Wallachia who voluntarily carry out that work shall not be exempt under that pretext from jizya or taxes; it shall be carried out through you and under your supervision. There shall be locations that you designated as ash workshops. The trees that are required for the important affairs of my sublime state shall not be cut under any circumstances. On the condition that the required custom duty for the produced ash will be collected in accordance with the imperial letter of agreement (ʿahdnāme-i ḥumāyūn), you shall establish and designate workshops at suitable locations, store the produced ash, and assign the purchase and trade of the produced ash to the subjects of the aforesaid emperor. You shall not allow the person who will transport the ash to other lands to sell it to any individual other than the subjects of the aforesaid emperor. You shall put [this matter] in order in accordance with the specified conditions.

And, in the unceasing protection of that order, you shall act as per the pillars of my noble order of exalted rank and you shall always operate and act as per its exalted purview. My illustrious edict has been issued in this regard. So have I commanded!

March 11 to 20, 1720