Ahdname
Encyclopedia
An Ahdname or ahidnâme is a type of Ottoman
charter
commonly referred to as a capitulation
. During the early modern period, the Ottoman Empire called it an Ahidname-i-Humayun or an imperial pledge and the Ahdname functioned as an official
agreement
between the Empire and various European states.
it was. What is known however is that the Ahdname was an important part of Ottoman diplomacy
in that it set forth a contractual agreement between two states, usually between the Ottoman Empire and European nations, like Venice
. It was influential in the way it helped to structure society and maintained the agreements made between nation states.
In Venice, Adhnames were also used to maintain political and commercial
links with the Ottoman Empire. This agreement between Venice and the Ottoman Empire ensured that Italian merchants were protected during their commerce trips into the Empire. These Ahdnames also provided a certain level of physical protection as they helped provide Italian merchants with hospice
. After all, Venice was very aware that in order to protect the strength of their commerce, it was imperative to remain to in good standing with the Ottoman Empire.
By the 16th Century, Venice aimed its policy towards the preservation of peaceful relations with the Ottomans. After the 1453 Conquest of Constantinople
, the Ottoman Empire had become Europe
's most powerful force. As a result, Venice had to tread carefully in order not to instigate any conflicts. Ahdnames became a useful tool in communication between the two competing forces.
The majority of the Ahdnames that the Ottoman Empire and Venice drafted always occurred after a war
between the two, such as the two wars they were embroiled in in 1503 and 1540. The remaining treaties were simply edited for better quality and protection willingly by both the Empire and Venice.
calls the introductory protocol and the final protocol or eschatocol.
The introductory protocol, main text, and eschatocol consisted of the several erkan:
Then, the Ahdname would continue on with the main text of the document and would include the following erkan:
Often, the authenticator was the Sultan
or the Grand Vizier
or simply a seal. This is the final part of the Ahdname to be written, so it is part of the eschatocol. It is important to note, that while this was the general makeup of the Ahdnames, it was not always stringently followed as such.
Historian, Daniel Goffman, writes that those that composed Ahdnames seemed to have, "drawn upon Islamic, sultanic, and even local legal codes as the situations warranted."
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
charter
Charter
A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified...
commonly referred to as a capitulation
Capitulation (surrender)
Capitulation , an agreement in time of war for the surrender to a hostile armed force of a particular body of troops, a town or a territory....
. During the early modern period, the Ottoman Empire called it an Ahidname-i-Humayun or an imperial pledge and the Ahdname functioned as an official
Official
An official is someone who holds an office in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority .A government official or functionary is an official who is involved in public...
agreement
Treaty
A treaty is an express agreement under international law entered into by actors in international law, namely sovereign states and international organizations. A treaty may also be known as an agreement, protocol, covenant, convention or exchange of letters, among other terms...
between the Empire and various European states.
Historical background
The Ahdname still requires much detailed study regarding its historical background and about what type of documentDocument
The term document has multiple meanings in ordinary language and in scholarship. WordNet 3.1. lists four meanings :* document, written document, papers...
it was. What is known however is that the Ahdname was an important part of Ottoman diplomacy
Diplomacy
Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or states...
in that it set forth a contractual agreement between two states, usually between the Ottoman Empire and European nations, like Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
. It was influential in the way it helped to structure society and maintained the agreements made between nation states.
In Venice, Adhnames were also used to maintain political and commercial
Commerce
While business refers to the value-creating activities of an organization for profit, commerce means the whole system of an economy that constitutes an environment for business. The system includes legal, economic, political, social, cultural, and technological systems that are in operation in any...
links with the Ottoman Empire. This agreement between Venice and the Ottoman Empire ensured that Italian merchants were protected during their commerce trips into the Empire. These Ahdnames also provided a certain level of physical protection as they helped provide Italian merchants with hospice
Hospice
Hospice is a type of care and a philosophy of care which focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's symptoms.In the United States and Canada:*Gentiva Health Services, national provider of hospice and home health services...
. After all, Venice was very aware that in order to protect the strength of their commerce, it was imperative to remain to in good standing with the Ottoman Empire.
By the 16th Century, Venice aimed its policy towards the preservation of peaceful relations with the Ottomans. After the 1453 Conquest of Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
, the Ottoman Empire had become Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
's most powerful force. As a result, Venice had to tread carefully in order not to instigate any conflicts. Ahdnames became a useful tool in communication between the two competing forces.
The majority of the Ahdnames that the Ottoman Empire and Venice drafted always occurred after a war
War
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
between the two, such as the two wars they were embroiled in in 1503 and 1540. The remaining treaties were simply edited for better quality and protection willingly by both the Empire and Venice.
Structure of the Ahdname
The Ottoman Ahdname was typically broken down into several sections. Every Ahdname usually had several parts called the erkan (sing. rukn), which were deemed to be the internal structuring of the document. Not every Ahdname had similar erkan however. Instead the text was found between two protocolsProtocol (diplomacy)
In international politics, protocol is the etiquette of diplomacy and affairs of state.A protocol is a rule which guides how an activity should be performed, especially in the field of diplomacy. In diplomatic services and governmental fields of endeavor protocols are often unwritten guidelines...
calls the introductory protocol and the final protocol or eschatocol.
The introductory protocol, main text, and eschatocol consisted of the several erkan:
- The invocationInvocationAn invocation may take the form of:*Supplication or prayer.*A form of possession.*Command or conjuration.*Self-identification with certain spirits....
, where the name of God appeared - The intitulatio, where the name and rank of the person to whom the document was meant for appeared. His official titleTitleA title is a prefix or suffix added to someone's name to signify either veneration, an official position or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may even be inserted between a first and last name...
and rank also appeared. - The inscriptio, where addresses of the person to whom the document was issued for appeared.
- The salutatio, where the formal greeting appeared.
Then, the Ahdname would continue on with the main text of the document and would include the following erkan:
- The expositio-narratio, where an explanation for the document is issued and any other events are described in detail.
- The dispositio, where a decision that has been made is detailed.
- The sanctio, which is both a confirming of the dispositio as well as a warning. At times it also functioned as an oath.
- The corroboratio, which was an authentication of the document in question. It was an examination of the validity of the Ahdname.
- The datatio, which was the date of which the document was issued to its receiver.
- The locatio, which was the place in which the document was issued.
- The legitimatio, which was again another form of authenticationAuthenticationAuthentication is the act of confirming the truth of an attribute of a datum or entity...
of the document.
Often, the authenticator was the Sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
or the Grand Vizier
Grand Vizier
Grand Vizier, in Turkish Vezir-i Azam or Sadr-ı Azam , deriving from the Arabic word vizier , was the greatest minister of the Sultan, with absolute power of attorney and, in principle, dismissable only by the Sultan himself...
or simply a seal. This is the final part of the Ahdname to be written, so it is part of the eschatocol. It is important to note, that while this was the general makeup of the Ahdnames, it was not always stringently followed as such.
Historian, Daniel Goffman, writes that those that composed Ahdnames seemed to have, "drawn upon Islamic, sultanic, and even local legal codes as the situations warranted."
List of Venetian Ahdnames
- (1403), Suleyman Celebi
- (1403), Suleyman Celebi
- (1411), Musa Celebi
- (1419), Mehmed IMehmed IMehmed I Çelebi was a Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1413 to 1421. He was one of the sons of Bayezid I and Valide Sultan Devlet Hatun Mehmed I Çelebi (Ottoman: چلبی محمد, Mehmed I or Mehmed Çelebi) (1382, Bursa – May 26, 1421, Edirne, Ottoman Empire) was a Sultan of the Ottoman Empire...
- (1430), Murad IIMurad IIMurad II Kodja was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1421 to 1451 ....
- (1446), Mehmed IIMehmed IIMehmed II , was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire for a short time from 1444 to September 1446, and later from...
- (1451), Mehmed II
- (1454), Mehmed II
- (1479), Mehmed II
- (1482), Bayezid IIBayezid IIBayezid II or Sultân Bayezid-î Velî was the oldest son and successor of Mehmed II, ruling as Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1481 to 1512...
- (1503), Bayezid II
- (1513), Selim ISelim ISelim I, Yavuz Sultân Selim Khan, Hâdim-ül Haramain-ish Sharifain , nicknamed Yavuz "the Stern" or "the Steadfast", but often rendered in English as "the Grim" , was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1512 to...
- (1517), Selim I
- (1521), Suleyman I
- (1540), Suleyman I
- (1567), Selim IISelim IISelim II Sarkhosh Hashoink , also known as "Selim the Sot " or "Selim the Drunkard"; and as "Sarı Selim" or "Selim the Blond", was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1566 until his death in 1574.-Early years:He was born in Constantinople a son of Suleiman the...
- (1573), Selim II
- (1575), Murad IIIMurad IIIMurad III was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1574 until his death.-Biography:...
- (1576), Murad III
- (1595), Mehmed IIIMehmed IIIMehmed III Adli was sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1595 until his death.-Biography:...
- (1604), Ahmed IAhmed IAhmed I or Ahmed Bakhti was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1603 until his death in 1617.-Biography:...
- (1619), Osman IIOsman IISultan Osman II or Othman II was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1618 until his death on 20 May 1622...
- (1625), Murad IVMurad IVMurad IV Ghazi was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1623 to 1640, known both for restoring the authority of the state and for the brutality of his methods...
- (1641), Ibrahim IIbrahim IIbrahim I was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1640 until 1648. He was born in Istanbul the son of Ahmed I by Valide Sultan Kadinefendi Kösem Sultan, an ethnic Greek originally named Anastasia...
Examples of Ottoman Ahdnames
- In 1454, Mehmed II gave the new ruler of the Greek Orthodox church a new charter, or Ahdname.
- In 1458, the Ottoman Empire imposed an Ahdname on DubrovnikDubrovnikDubrovnik is a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea coast, positioned at the terminal end of the Isthmus of Dubrovnik. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations on the Adriatic, a seaport and the centre of Dubrovnik-Neretva county. Its total population is 42,641...
, DalmatiaDalmatiaDalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
that closely resembled the one they have given to Venice earlier. The city of Dubrovnik was required to give up their sovereigntySovereigntySovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
to the Ottoman Empire because they has become a tributary state of the Empire. - In 1470, MehMed II also gave rulers from GenoaGenoaGenoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
a document that guaranteed freedom if they performed a tributeTributeA tribute is wealth, often in kind, that one party gives to another as a sign of respect or, as was often the case in historical contexts, of submission or allegiance. Various ancient states, which could be called suzerains, exacted tribute from areas they had conquered or threatened to conquer...
for the Ottomans. - In the 1620s, the Ottoman government presented an Ahdname to Ottoman CatholicCatholicThe word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
monks to visit the BalkansBalkansThe Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
in order to collect revenue from other Catholic followers.
See also
- Capitulations of the Ottoman EmpireCapitulations of the Ottoman EmpireCapitulations of the Ottoman Empire were contracts between the Ottoman Empire and European powers, particularly France. Turkish capitulations, or ahdnames, were generally bilateral acts whereby definite arrangements were entered into by each contracting party towards the other, not mere...
- Capitulation (treaty)Capitulation (treaty)A capitulation , or ahidnâme, is a treaty or unilateral contract by which a sovereign state relinquishes jurisdiction within its borders over the subjects of a foreign state...
- Economic history of the Ottoman EmpireEconomic history of the Ottoman EmpireEconomic history of the Ottoman Empire covers the period 1299-1923. The economic history falls into two distinctive sub periods. The first is the classic era , which comprised a closed agricultural economy, showing regional distinctions within the empire...
- Foreign relations of the Ottoman EmpireForeign relations of the Ottoman EmpireThe foreign relations of the Ottoman Empire were characterized by competition with the Persian Empire to the east and Europe to the west. The foreign relations of the Ottomans collapsed after the Young Turks took over the empire in 1908 and this led to the loss of many important territories...
- Conclave capitulationConclave capitulationA conclave capitulation is a capitulation drawn up by the College of Cardinals during a papal conclave, attempting to constrain the actions of the Pope elected by the conclave. Generally, all cardinals would swear to uphold it if elected Pope, and the capitulation would be finished before the first...
- Achtiname of Muhammad