Subseries HR-DADU-07.2.3 - Letters of Governors of Bosnian Eyalet and of Herzegovinian Sancakbeys

Identity area

Reference code

HR-DADU-07-HR-DADU-07.2-HR-DADU-07.2.3

Title

Letters of Governors of Bosnian Eyalet and of Herzegovinian Sancakbeys

Date(s)

  • 16th century - 18th century (Creation)

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Extent and medium

14 boxes; textual records

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Scope and content

The Republic of Dubrovnik bordered the Herzegovinian Sancak along the entire border, and Sancak was a part of the Bosnian Eyalet. Since Herzegovinian sancakbeys and Bosnian beylerbeys were Dubrovnik's closest neighbours, Dubrovnik authorities sought to maintain as close relations as possible with them. Ragusan ambassadors often visited these dignitaries, and abundant correspondence between them has been preserved till today. The letters of Herzegovinian sancakbeys and the Bosnian beylerbeys reveal, among other things, which problems were to be resolved between the Republic and the Ottoman Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. In addition to problems in the field of trade, customs duties, and food procurement in the Bosnian area for the needs of the Republic, there were other issues that were often referenced to in these documents such as robberies, thefts, injuries and murders, which had been most often committed by Ottoman subjects against peasants living in border villages of the Dubrovnik Republic. Herzegovinian sancakbeys and the Bosnian beylerbeys often addressed the authorities of the Republic with various requests. The data thus show that they would be looking for a physician, construction workers, food for the needs of their courts, or just for help in organizing overseas trips for their people. Most of the documents of this subseries are not dated.


There are not many references to Jews in this subseries, and these can be found in approximately fifteen letters. In most cases, these references concern debts, and, in these letters, Jews appear both as debtors and as creditors. For example, Samuel Ambonetti and Hai Tolentino were debtors of many Ottoman subjects (Beylerbey Mehmed Pasha Kukavica, no. 36, 207, 211, 226; B 11, no. 9, 23. Beylerbey Mehmed Pasha Silahdar, no. 328; CT 2, no. 92 Beylerbey Süleyman Pasha Bostanci, No. 269. Sancakbey Ali Pasha Cengic, B 23, No. 9. Sancakbey Musli Pasha, B 23, No. 34). The remaining letters deal with several trade disputes, as well as the abduction of a servant of a Jew from Sarajevo (Beylerbey Ahmed Pasha Seydi, no. 997. Beylerbey Abu Bekir Pasha, no. 398. Beylerbey Mehmed Pasha Silahdar, no. 238).

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Finding aids

Analytical inventory of letters written to the Dubrovnik authorities by the governors of Bosnian Eyalet and Herzegovinian Sancakbeys, State Archive in Dubrovnik, Vesna Miović, 2010.

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Publication note

Vesna Miović, »Beylerbey of Bosnia and Sancakbey of Herzegovina in the Diplomacy of the Dubrovnik Republic.« Dubrovnik Annals 9 (2005): 37-69. Vesna Miović, Nikša Selmani, »Turska kancelarija i Acta Turcarum od vremena Dubrovačke Republike do danas.« (summary: Turkish Chancellery and Acta Turcarum from the period of the Dubrovnik Republic until the Present) Anali Zavoda za povijesne znanosti HAZU u Dubrovniku 45 (2007): 235-284.

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Dates of creation revision deletion

2021

Language(s)

  • English

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