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Acta et diplomata (Acts and documents)
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Acta Turcarum (Ottoman Turkish documents)

The series contains many letters and official documents. Letters to the Republic were written by various Ottoman dignitaries, from the grand vizier to local authorities of the towns and places near the Dubrovnik border. Official documents are orders and charters of sultans, orders of the governors of the Ottoman provinces and various documents of kadis. The documents in the series Acta Turcarum provide an excellent insight into all aspects of relations between the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Dubrovnik, from interstate to personal. The series contains a small number of documents in other languages: Armenian, Arabic and Judeo-Spanish.


The series also contains a small number of documents in Judeo-Spanish, written in Latin alphabet and Hebrew (vol. E17b, E18a, E18b, D, XXIII). It also contains inventories of main figures of Jewish families and of the houses in which they lived (1756, 1808), as well as an inventory of Jews who immigrated to Dubrovnik in the period from 1730 to 1756. In addition, there are two letters in Italian: a letter written by Abram Bussara, the consul of the Dubrovnik Republic in Algeria (1790), and a letter written by Sabato Valenzin to the Austrian authorities of Dubrovnik district (1873) (vol. D, XXIII).

Turkish Chancellery of the Dubrovnik Republic

Diplomata et acta (Documents and acts)

The series consists of subseries Diplomata et acta, until 12th century (HR-DADU-7.3.1), Diplomata et acta, 12th century (HR-DADU-7.3.2), Diplomata et acta, 13th century (HR-DADU-7.3.3), Diplomata et acta, 14th century (HR-DADU-7.3.4), Diplomata et acta, 15th century (HR-DADU-7.3.5), Diplomata et acta, 16th century (HR-DADU-7.3.6), Diplomata et acta, 17th century (HR-DADU-7.3.7), Diplomata et acta, 18th century (HR-DADU-7.3.8) and Diplomata et acta, 19th century (HR-DADU-7.3.9)

Office of the Secretary of the Dubrovnik Republic

Diplomata et acta (Documents and acts), 12th century

  • HR-DADU-07-HR-DADU-07.3-HR-DADU-07.3.2
  • Subseries
  • 1102, 1108, 1120, 1142, 1151, 1152, 1153, 1158, 1159, 1160, 1167-1170, 1177, 1181, 1186-1190, 1195, 1200
  • Part of Acta et diplomata (Acts and documents)

There are no references to Jewish people in the subseries.

The subseries mostly contains documents issued by popes or by other church dignitaries such as the Archbishop of Dubrovnik, as well as documents issued by rulers from the Dubrovnik hinterland. It also contains several agreements between cities, such as the Treaty of Friendship between the cities of Kotor and Dubrovnik. The documents cover a variety of topics: from the appointment of the archbishops and abbots of Dubrovnik to agreements between cities on promotion of friendly relations and economic collaboration.

Diplomata et acta (Documents and acts), 13th century

There is no reference to Jews in this subseries.

The subseries contains agreements on topics of peace, friendship, and trade cooperation between the Republic and various cities of the Apennine Peninsula (e.g., Monopoli, Bari, Recanati, Molfetta, Ravenna), some Dalmatian cities (Šibenik, Split, Zadar, Omiš, Trogir) and rulers of the Dubrovnik hinterland. The series also contains various papal documents, and documents on the affairs of the Archdiocese of Dubrovnik. Some documents give an insight on relations of the Republic with Venice, such as agreements on the subordination of the Republic to Venice, or pledges of Venetians appointed as Dubrovnik Rectors and confirmations of salaries that they received from the Ragusans, or various business contracts.

Diplomata et acta (Documents and acts), 14th century

There are no references to Jewish people in this subseries.

The subseries contains approximately 180 documents issued by popes, Hungarian and other rulers, the Rector and the nobility of the Republic, the Chancellery of the Dubrovnik Republic, as well as the Chancellery of the City of Lastovo. The content of the documents is very diverse: from wills, documents on land sales and land leases, to receipts of payment for the tribute that the Republic paid to Hungarian rulers.

Diplomata et acta (Documents and acts), 15th century

There are no references to Jewish people in this subseries.

The subseries contains documents and letters issued by popes and other church dignitaries, rulers of states in the Dubrovnik hinterland and rulers of other Christian countries, merchants and other businessmen and private individuals who resided mostly in Dubrovnik.

Diplomata et acta (Documents and acts), 16th century

The subseries contains letters to state and church authorities of the Republic sent in the 16th century by popes and cardinals of the Papal States, Hungarian and other kings, or other authorities of that period, such as the authorities of the Republic of Venice, the Venetian Captain of the Gulf and the Grand Master of Malta. The most numerous letters are the letters written by cardinals and other church dignitaries, state dignitaries, mainly from Italian cities, and letters written by diplomatic and consular representatives of the Republic sent to the authorities of the Republic. The subseries also contains letters from local authorities from the territory of the Dubrovnik Republic, various correspondence between merchants and other private persons and some documents related to judicial investigations.


In the correspondence of Bartolomeo Borgiani, a prominent Florentine merchant who lived in Dubrovnik, several letters of Jewish people living in the Ottoman territory and Venice can also be found. The names indicated in this correspondence are, for example, Leon de Medina and Joseph Lindo from Skopje and Jacob Tobi from Venice (e.g., vol. 467.1, no. 3). Among documents that are related to judicial investigations, there is one reference to Jews: in 1561, David Mazaod arbitrated in a conflict between Samuel Coen of Istanbul and a Dubrovnik ambassador Šimun Benessa (vol. 466, no. 18).

Diplomata et acta (Documents and acts), 17th century

The subseries contains correspondence between the authorities of the Republic and the authorities of Spain, Austria, the Ottoman Empire, and the states of the Apennine Peninsula during the 17th century. It also contains correspondence between the authorities of the Republic and Dubrovnik consuls, confidants and diplomatic representatives in Italian, Spanish, Austrian and Ottoman cities, mostly in Rome (The Holy See), Ancona, Naples, Vienna, Madrid, Istanbul, Edirne, and Sofia. In addition, the subseries includes correspondence between the authorities of the Republic and local authorities in the territory of the Republic. Most letters sent by the Dubrovnik authorities to the fore mentioned addressees are also in the series Litterae et Commissiones Levantis (HR-DADU-8.1) and Litterae et Commissiones Ponentis (HR-DADU-8.2).


The subseries also contains a collection of judicial investigations and a small number of documents with references to Jewish people. Nevertheless, it is considered to be important for further research offering data about Jewish trade networks in the Mediterranean and the Balkans, the relationship of the civil and judicial authorities of the Republic towards the Jewish people, and the data on the types of cooperation of the Jewish people with the Dubrovnik Republic in general. The subseries contains a small number of letters written by Daniel Coduto and Angiolo Coduto, who were Dubrovnik consuls in an Albanian city of Vlora (e.g., vol. 1936, no. 1). Several Jewish merchants wrote to the authorities of the Republic from Venice, such as David and Samuel Abeatar, Michael Penso, Gabriel Habibi, Daniel Valenzin, and some letters from Jewish merchants from Sofia have also been preserved. There are also some references to Jewish people in approximately ten judicial investigations, three of which concern the families of Venetian converts Banchieri (Sulhani), who, on their way to Sarajevo, spent a short period of time in Dubrovnik. While in Dubrovnik, they declared themselves as Jewish, and were given hospitality by a Dubrovnik Jewish family Cavaliero (e.g., vol. 2051, no. 189). One judicial investigation was conducted against a well-known Jew, Nehemiah Hia Hayon, a former Sarajevo rabbi and Kabbalistic scholar, accused of forcibly extorting money from his debtors (vol. 2053, no. 55). Some court investigations also reference to other Jews such as Raphael Cohen, Samuel Pappo, Jacob Saralvo, Samuel and Muscia Maestro, and the Penso family. Other references to Jewish people are expected to be found also in the correspondence of the authorities of the Republic and the Holy See, as well as in the correspondence of the authorities with the emissaries of the Republic in the Ottoman cities.

Diplomata et Acta (Documents and acts), 18th century

The subseries contain correspondence between the Dubrovnik authorities and the authorities of Spain, Portugal, Austria, Russia, the Ottoman Empire, and the states of the Apennine Peninsula during the 18th century. It also contains correspondence between the Dubrovnik authorities and Dubrovnik consuls, confidants, business, and diplomatic representatives in the cities of the afore mentioned areas, as well as the correspondence between Dubrovnik authorities and local authorities in the territory of the Dubrovnik Republic, and the correspondence between the authorities and the French consuls and Austrian residents in Dubrovnik. Most letters sent by the Dubrovnik authorities to the mentioned addressees are also in the series Litterae et Commissiones Levantis (HR-DADU-8.1) and Litterae et Commissiones Ponentis (HR-DADU-8.2). The subseries also contains a collection of court investigations, as well as some very interesting testimonies and denunciations made to the Minor Council.


The subseries is considered to be very important for researching the attitude of Dubrovnik state, church, and judiciary authorities towards Jewish people. It also provides information on various forms of cooperation between Dubrovnik and foreign Jews with the Dubrovnik Republic. The subseries contains some letters from Abram Bussara, the administrator of the Dubrovnik consulate in Algeria (vol. 3191, vol. 3194 / I, vol. 3194 / II). References to Bussara could also be found in other letters from Algeria (which are mainly to be found in volume 3194 / II). There are several documents in which Jews are referenced to by church authorities, for example in the letters written by the Archbishop of Dubrovnik to the Dubrovnik Jewish Community, in his discussions on Jewish converts, as well as in an extensive study written by Dubrovnik theologians on the Talmud and other religious Jewish books (vol. 1, vol. 2909 / I, vol. 3060 / III). The subseries also contains some letters that Jews living mainly in Bosnia, Serbia and Albania wrote to their relatives, friends, and business partners in Dubrovnik. In these letters there are references to the military and political situation in the areas where they lived. This information was considered as very valuable and was forwarded by the Jews of Dubrovnik to the Minor Council. In this way, private Jewish letters ended up being stored in the Rector's Palace and, consequently, in the Dubrovnik archives (e.g., vol. 3176, no. 148). These denunciations also include reports of some Dubrovnik Christians against Jewish people, as well as a small number of various reports filed by some Dubrovnik Jews. In the volume Proofs and Testimonies before the Minor Council, there are references primarily about problems concerning trade, as well as the payment of rent for the ghetto (vol. 3177). The subseries also includes letters submitted by Dubrovnik Jews to the Minor Council. The topics of these letters are diverse: from the constructions in the ghetto to the advice on coinage (e.g., vol. 3187 / II, no. 57). The requests the Jews made to the Minor Council also concern other various topics: from requests for release from prison to requests made by the Jewish community to reduce the taxations imposed at the time of the plague epidemic (e.g., vol. 3358-3360). The subseries also contains several name-lists of Dubrovnik Jews and ghetto inhabitants (vol. 3190 / I, vol. 3192), as well as a list of items found in an apartment of a certain Vito Vitali in 1786. Some correspondence between Jews and the inhabitants of Dubrovnik has also been preserved, and, among those documents, there is a letter in Hebrew (vol. 3278, no. 162). References to Jewish people can also be found in documents on political and criminal investigations, such as: charges of stealing chalices from the church on Lastovo, insults of the archbishop, inappropriate relations with a Christian woman on the island of Lopud, offensive remarks made about the Christian faith, smuggling of playing cards, and espionage (vol. 3397- 3401). Most Jewish people referenced to in this subseries are members of Dubrovnik Jewish families such as Ambonetti, Coen, Forte, Janni, Levi Mandolfo, Luzzena, Maestro, Pardo, Terni, Tolentino, Vitali. Other references to Jews are expected to be found in the correspondence of the authorities of the Republic with the Holy See and consular and diplomatic representatives in Rome and Istanbul.

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