Letter of Grand Vizier Ibrahim Pasha to Prince Eugene, confirming the letter of recall for the imperial grand ambassador Graf von Virmont, Istanbul, April 21, 1720

468 İftiḫārü’l-ümerāʾi’l-ʿiẓāmi’l-ʿĪseviyye, mümtāzü’l-küberāʾi’l-fiḫāmi’l-mesīḥiyye, ḥürmetlü, haşmetlü Romā İmparāṭorınuñ başvekīli riʿāyetlü, raġbetlü, meveddetlü dostumuz Prenc Evgīnūs dö Ṣāvūye ṣavb-ı raġbet-medār-ı bāhirü’l-iʿtibārlarına müʾekked-esās-ı meveddet ve müsālemet ve müşeyyed-bünyān-ı muṣāfāt ve müʾāneset olan ḫülāṣā-ı kelām ḫātır-nevāz meveddet-üslūb ve nakāve-i peyām-ı dostāne-i müṣādaḳat-maṣḥūb iblāġıyla ḥāl ve ḫāṭırları suʾāl olunub dāʾīmā iyilik ve ṣaġlıḳları mesʾūlümüz idügi ifāde olunduḳdan ṣoñra muḥibbāne inhā olunan budur ki: Benüm mezīd-i raġbetlü ve ḥürmetlü dostum iftiḫāru mülūk-ı naṣārā ve efḫamu ḥükümdārān-ı mülk-ārā olan ulu dostumuz ḥaşmetlü ḥürmetlü çāsār-ı bā-vaḳār ḥażretleri ṭarafından nāme-i ṣadāḳat-ʿalāmeleriyle āsitāne-i saʿādet-āşiyāne-i şehinşāhīye teşyīd-i ḳavāʿid-i muṣālaḥat ve teʾkīd-i muʿāḳıd-ı muʾāneset içün resm-i ḳadīm üzere baʿs̱ ve irsāl olunan piyādegānbaşı mümtāz ve münteḫab ve müsteşār ve muʿteber büyükilçileri ḳıdvetü ümerāʾ-i’l-milleti’l-mesīḥiyye Cenerāl Ġrūf dö Virmond ḫayr-ḫᵛāhıñuz yediyle ṭarafıñuzdan cānib-i ṣadīḳuñuza irsāl olunan mektūb-ı merġūbıñuz gelüb vāṣıl olub mażmūn-ı müṣādaḳat-nümūnında bu iki devlet arasında müceddeden münʿaḳid olub ṭarafeynden ʿahdnāmeler ile taṣdīk ve ʿuhūd ve mevās̱īḳ ile teʾkīd ḳılınan ṣulḥ ve ṣalāḥuñ şerāyiṭine ḳoñşuluḳ ve hemcivārlıḳ ḥuḳūḳına riʿāyet ve ḥürmet aḳṣā-yı maḳāṣıdıñuz olmaġla gerek dostluḳ ve müsāleme şerāyiṭine müteʿallıḳ ve gerek berren ve baḥren ve nehren ticāret umūrına müterettib şürūṭ ve ḳuyūda bilā-taġyīr mürāʿāt ve ḫilāf ve şiḳāḳdan ictināb olunmaḳ içün memālik-i çāṣāriyye ve serḥaddlar żābıṭānına muḥkem tenbīh ve teʾkīd olunduġın derc ve işʿār ve ilçi-yi mūmā ileyh daḫı biʾl-cümle taḥrīrātıñuzı taṣdīk ve ḥüsn-i sülūk ve bu mübārek muṣāfaḥanuñ şerāyiṭine riʿāyet ile reʿāyā-yı ṭarafeynüñ emn ve rāḥatına ihtimāmıñuzı taḳrīr itmekle fevḳe’l-ḥadd maḥẓūẓ olunub ṭaraf-ı iḫlāṣ-kārıñuzdan daḫı dostluḳ ve ḫayır-ḫᵛāhlıġıñuza muvāfıḳ ve muṣāfāt ve müsāleme merāsimine şürūṭ ve ḳuyūdı ile icrāda diḳḳat olunub ve ilçi-yi mūmā ileyh teblīġine meʾmūr olduġı nāme-i muṣādaḳat-ʿalāme ve pīşkeş ve hedāyāyı ḳāʿide-i ḳadīme-i ʿos̱mānī ve dīrīne-i müstedīme-i cihānbānī üzere rikāb-ı müsteṭāb-ı şehinşāhīye teblīġ ve teslīm ve teşrīfāt-ı pādişāhāne ile ikrām ve talṭīf olundıġından māʿadā der-i devlet-medārda meks̱ ve iḳāmeti eyyāmında izdiyād-ı dostluġıñuza raġbeten bu ḫayr-endīşiñüz ṭarafından daḫı merāsim-i müḥimm-sāzī ve ḫāṭır-nevāzīlerine ihtimām olunub ilçi-yi mūmā ileyḥiñ daḫı eṭvār-ı pesendīde ve her vech ile ʿāḳılāne ve muʾeddebāne ḥarekāt ve revişi ve ṭarafeynüñ ḥüsn-i rıżāsı celbine saʿy ve kūşişi nümāyān ve izdiyād-ı müvālāt cānibine ihtimām ve ḫayır-ḫᵛāhlıġı ẓāhir ve ʿayān olmaḳdan nāşī eslāfından ziyāde merʿī ve mükerrem ve ʿahdnāme-i hümāyūnda olan mevāddan fażla nice mültemesine müsāʿade ile muṭayyeb ve muhterem ḳılınub ve umūr-i risāleti daḫı ke-mā yenbaġī edā ve tetmīm ve ʿuhde-i ihtimāmına iḥāle ḳılınan dostluḳ ve müṣāfāt merāsimini iki devletüñ şānına lāyıḳ ve ʿahdnāmelere muvāfıḳ vech üzere mürāʿāt ve tekmīl idüb ʿavd ve inṣirāfına iẕn ve ruḫṣat ṭaleb itmegin tekrār dīvān-ı bülend-eyvān-ı şehriyārī ve ḥużūr-i lāmiʿu’nūr-ı tācdārīde teşrīfāt-ı fāḫire-i muʿtāde ile iktisāb-ı müfāḫeret ve cānib-i cenāb-ı meʿālīmdār-ı cihāndāriden ḥaşmetlü çāsār-ı bā-vaḳār ḥażretleri ṭarafına şeref-i ṣüdūr bulan name-i hümāyūn-ı meveddet-meşhūn ve musālemet-maḳrūn ile ʿavdet ve ricʿate iẕn ve ruḫṣat-ı cihānbānī erzānī ve ʿināyet ḳılınmaġla mektūb-ı meveddet taḥrīr ve ilçi-yi mūmā ileyh ile ṭarafıñuza firistāde ḳılınmışdur. Lede’l-vuṣūl bi-ḥamdi’llāhi teʿālā sizüñ ve bizüm saʿy ve ihtimāmımuz ile bu iki devlet miyānında tecdīd ve kemāl-i istiḥkām ile teʾkīd ve teşyīd olunan ṣulḥ ve ṣalāḥ ile ṭarafeynüñ reʿāyāsına emniyet ḥāṣıl ve ʿasākir-i devleteyne daḫı istirāḥat şāmil olmaġla bu ḫayırlu muṣālāḥanuñ şürūṭına ve dostluḳ ve hemcivārlıḳ ḥuḳūḳınuñ riʿāyet ve ḥürmetine ve ʿale’l-ḫuṣūṣ s̱emere-i ṣulḥ ve ṣalāḥ olan berren ve baḥren ve nehren ticāret umūrınuñ şerāyiṭine bi-lā-taġyīr ʿahdnāmeler mūcebince mürāʿāt olunmaġa ṭarafıñuzdan taḳayyud ve ihtimām olundıġı gibi bu ṭarafdan daḫı ke-mā yenbaġī mürāʿāt ve ḫilāfı üzere ḥareketden ictināb olunmaḳ içün memālik-i maḥrūse ve serhad-i islāmiyyede olan żābıṭāna evāmīr-i ̣aliyye-i ciḥān-muṭāʿla tenbīh ve teʾkīd olundıġı maʿlūmıñuz olub ve ḫuṣūṣan sizüñ ḥüsn-i sülūkıñuza meveddeten mükātebe ve mürāsele ile muʾāneset ve izdiyād-ı müʾālefetiñüze meyl ve raġbetimüz olduġında iştibāh olunmayub bu ṭarafa ādemleriñüz gelür olduḳda bāʿis̱ -i tezāyüd-i meveddet olur mektūb-ı cālibu’l-ḳulūbıñuz ile ḫaber-i ṣıḥḥat ve ʿāfiyetiñüzi iʿlām ve işʿārdan ẖālī olmamaları meʾmūldür.

Laudable pride of the great commanders of Christendom, distinguished among the illustrious greats of the community of the Messiah, the chief deputy of the venerable, majestic Roman emperor, our honorable, esteemed, affectionate friend Prince Eugene of Savoy: We inquire after your health and general situation while sending to your profoundly dignified quarter which is a center of esteeem—to shortly summarize—[our] affable, friendly wishes and the news of pure, amicable, mutual sincere friendship that are fortified foundations of affection and reconciliation and steadfast edifice of cultivating intimacy and true sincerity. Having expressed that we wish your perpetual goodness and health we notify you affectionately of the following: My esteemed and revered friend; your desirable letter that was dispatched to the direction of your faithful through the assistance of the infantry chief, distinguished, chosen, councillor, and esteemed grand ambassador, your well-wisher, General Graf von Virmont—laudable pride of the commanders of the community of the Messiah who was sent and dispatched, as per the old ceremony, by our friend the laudable pride of Christian kings, the illustrious among the dominion-adorning sovereigns, his excellencies the majestic, revered, dignified caesar-along with a letter of faithfulness, to the capital of the king of the kings that is a nest of felicity in order to strengthen the rules of the reconciliation and reinforce the cultivation of intimacy between the two parties who mutually made a contract—came and was delivered. In its content that displays sincere friendship you wrote that it is your ultimate goal to abide by and respect the conditions of the peace and reconciliation—that was once again agreed on between these two states and confirmed through written pacts and reinforced with agreements and pledges- and to observe and respect the law of neighborliness and sharing an adjacent border. It is [also] written and reported that firm monitions and reiterations are dispatched to the officers across the lands of the empire and frontiers to avoid violations of and divergence from, without modification, the terms and recorded matters concerning friendship and the conditions of reconciliation and [matters] regarding commerce over sea, land, and rivers. The aforesaid ambassador validated and confirmed all of your written communication and he expressed your upright conduct and your diligence for the security and comfort of the subjects of both sides through observance of the conditions of this blessed covenant (muṣāfaḥa) which made [us] extraordinarily satisfied. Also, on the side of your sincere friend, in congruence with your friendship and benevolence, attention is paid to the execution of true friendship and the ceremonies of the state of being mutually at peace. As per the old Ottoman principles and time-honored, continuous [practices] of the protector of the world, the aforesaid ambassador delivered and presented to the admirable stirrup of the king of the kings the letter of mutual sincere friendship, gifts, and presents that he was commissioned to deliver and [thus] he is honored with sultanic protocols and treated with kindness. Besides, during the days of his stay and residence in the capital, in recognition of your growing friendship, this well-wisher of yours paid attention to the important ceremonies and his good treatment. The aforesaid ambassador’s admired conduct and his unquestionably admirable manner, reasonable and courteous behavior and manners, and his struggle and effort to call forth the appreciation of both sides became visible, while his attention in the direction of increasing the mutual confidence and his benevolence were obvious and evident. Consequently, he was respected and revered more than his predecessors and he was treated pleasantly and shown respect with permission to more favors than he requested and [previously] agreed. He performed and completed his ambassadorial affairs as before. He observed and accomplished the rituals of friendship and sincerity that were commissioned to his care in a way worthy of the reputation of both states and in accordance with the treaty. Thus, as he requested permission and license to return and go back, one more time, he earned honor with customary laudable protocol at the lofty imperial council and the brilliant royal presence. And, he was granted and found worthy of permission and license from the side of his exalted and great majesties who rules the world to return and go back along with an affectionate and reconciliatory sultanic letter that is [dispatched] by his sublime excellency the ruler of the world to his excellency the majestic, dignified caesar. [Thus], the affectionate letter was penned and sent to you with the aforementioned ambassador. With the arrival [of the letter], with thanks to Almighty God and through our and your effort and diligence, security accrued to the subjects of both sides with utmost firmness via the peace and reconciliation that was reinforced and fortified between these two states, including a relaxation of the troops of both sides. Just as you pay attention and care on your side, as per the treaty and without any changes to it, the observation and respect of the conditions of this auspicious reconciliation, friendship, and the law of having adjacent borders and, in particular, the conditions of the matters of commerce over land, sea, and rivers which is a fruit of the peace and reconciliation, on this side too, as before, we sent monitions and firm orders of the sublime ruler - who is obeyed by the whole world - to the officers in the well-protected dominions and the frontiers of Islam to obey [the conditions of the treaty] and avoid contradicting actions; you already know that. And in particular, there shall be no doubt in our interest in and appreciation for friendly correspondence, mutual sending of messengers, cultivating intimacy, and growth of friendship out of love for your upright conduct. In case your men come to this direction, we wish that they shall not be devoid of your heartfelt letter, which is a means of increasing friendship, and news and reports about your good state of health and welfare.