Florin Marinescu - The Trade of Wallachia With the Ottoman Empire Between 1791 and 1821

7/26/2019 Florin Marinescu - The Trade of Wallachia With the Ottoman Empire Between 1791 and 1821

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FLOR NMARINESCO

THETRADEOFWALLACHIAWITHTHEOTTOMANEMPIRE

BETWEEN1791and1821

The

purpose

ofthisstudyistoanalysethecommercialrelationships

asawholebetweenWallachiaandtheOttomanEmpireduringthethirty

yearperiodfrom1791.TheRomaniandocumentsattheStateArchivesin

Bucharest,someofwhicharestillunpublished,andtheTurkishdocuments

discoveredbyspecialistsin

Ottomanstudies1,inadditiontoanumberof

generalandspecialistworks,allrevealextensivetradebetweenthetwoareas.Asit iswellknown,theOttomanmonopolyinhibitedthegeneraldevelop-

mentoftheRomanianPrincipalities,limitingtheirabilitytotradetheirpro-

ducts

atmarketprices.Itisalsowellknownthatthepeaceconcludedin

Adrinoplein1829resultedinchangesinthejuridicalsystemandstructure,

andinthePrincipalitiesforeigncommercialrelations.

But

thedocuments

discovered

showthatevenbetween1791(theyear

oftheShishtovpeace)and1821(whentherevolutionarymovementunder

the

leadership

ofTudorVladimirescuemerged)therewerenormaltrading

relationsboth

asregards

Wallachian

products

notunderthe

Ottoman

mon-opolyandTurkishproductsindemandbybothordinaryandprivilegedcon-

sumers.Therewasalsoanactivetransittrade,throughWallachia,between

AustriaandtheOttomanEmpireontheonehand,andRussiaandtheOt-

tomanEmpireontheother.

Beforedealingwithcommercialrelationsindetailweshalldwellupon

certainjuridicalsettlementswhichprecededtheperiodweareconcerned

withandwhich,tosomeextent,graduallyestablishedthequantitiesofmer-

chandisetheOttomanPorteaskedfor,theconditionsoftheirforwarding,

andthegraduallimitationoftheabusestheyimplied.

I.INTERNATIONALTREATIESAND REGULATIONSBETWEENTHEOTTOMAN

EMPIREANDTHEROMANIANPRINCIPALITIES

TheOttomanEmpiresexploitationofthetwoRomanianPrincipalities

1.Mihail

Guboglu,Cataloguldocumentelorturce ti(TheCatalogueoftheTurkish

Documents),Bucharest,Vol.I-H,1960-1965;MustafaA.Mehmet,Ocondicdomneasc

dinadouajumtatea veaculuialXVHI-leascrisinlimbaturc,privindTaraRomneasc


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290 FlorinMarinescu

inthe18thCenturyhadanoppressiveeffectuponRomaniantaxpayers.

ThestipulationsoftheOttomanfirmanssuchastheimportofcereals

fromBanat,claimedbythePortein1794causedgreatsufferingtoRoma-

nians,whichwasaggravatedbytheabusescommittedbypeoplecomingfrom

Constantinopletotakeoverthemerchandise,andbytheproblemsinvolved

incarryingthecerealsuptotheDanubewithoutremuneration2a.o.

Afterthelastquarterofthe18thcentury,thePortesclaimsbeganto

bereplacedbyjuridicalregulationscontainedeitherinthetreatiesconcluded

withRussiaorAustria,orinthehatt-isheriffsandconventionsconcerning

thePrincipalitiesonly.

The first regulation,whichwasasimportantastheonefromAndrinople,

cameintoeffectatKutchuk-Kainardji,in1774,attheendoftheRussian-

Turkishwar(July10).

So

far

as

the

stipulations

regarding

the

Principalities

were

concerned,the

Porte

wasconfirmingtheprivilegestheyenjoyed,whileensuringthe

RomanianrepresentativesinConstantinopletheprivilegeoftherightof

nations.Ontheotherhand,theTurkspledgedthemselvestotakeaccount

ofRussiasobservationsonbehalfofthePrincipalities.

OnDecember15/24,1774,SultanAbdul-HamidI promulgatedahatt-i

sheriff,informingAlexanderIpsilantis(theprinceofWallachia)about

certainprevilegesgrantedtoWallachiaandintendedtomoderatesomeof

itsobligations.Thus,thefirmanprovidingtheannualprocuring,byakasap-

bashi

(the

bailiffofbutchers

in

Constantinople)

ofa

certain

number

of

sheep,

was

annulled,

as

it

had

caused

the

oppression

and

persecution

of

theTaia*3.

Furtheronhowever,itwasmentioned;Butitisimportantandnecess-

arytotakesheepfrommycountriestoo...fortherationsofthemiriye**,

(APrincelyRegisterfromtheSecondHalfofthe18thCentury,writteninTurkish andCon-

cerningWallachia),inRevistaArhivelor,1(2),1958,pp.248-250.

2. EudoxiuHurmuzaki,Documenteprivitoarelaistoriaromnilor(Documentscon-

cerningtheHistoryofRomanians),Vol.XIX,p.1,Bucharest,1922,p.711.

3.Arhivele

Statului

Bucureti(hereafterreferred

toasA.S.B.),

DLXX/66a,

the

iden-

tificationmarkoftheLibraryoftheAcademy(hereafterreferredtoasB.A.)apudMustafa

A.Mehmet,Documenteturce tiprivind

istoriaRomniei(TurkishDocumentsconcerning

theHistory ofRomania),Vol.I,Bucharest,1976,p.324.(Thehistoricaldocumentsfromthe

LibraryoftheAcademyweretransferedtoA.S.B.Theyretaintheidentificationmarkal-

ocatedbytheLibraryoftheAcademy).

*

raia=AfortressoccupiedbytheTurks.

**Miriye=taxesandallincomeoftheOttomantreasury.


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ThetradeofWallachiawiththeOttomanEmpirebetween1791and1821 291

andforfeedingtheinhabitantsoftheHighPorte...Thatiswhytheraias

ofWallachiashouldnothidethesheeptheyintendtosell,butshouldsell

thematthecurrentpricetothemerchants andtothegeleps*.Thesewere

importantstipulations,butlaterontheywerenolongertakenintoaccount45.

ThePrincewasresponsibleforthatoperation.

Asecondstipulation,intendedtodiminishtheobligationsandviciss-

itudesoftheraia,wasthebreakingupofthemukayesel6(thequantity

offoodintendedforthePorte),whichhadbeenappliedaccordingtoan

agreementbetweenthetwoparties.

Butitwasalsospecifiedthat...theraiasshoulduninterruptedlycarry,

uptothegangways,allcropsandeverythingobtainedfromsowingandalso

theircattle,andtosellthemtotheshipcaptains,calledreis,whoalsotook

careofthekapans(warehouses).Itwasforbiddentosellcerealsorany

otherfoodtootherpeople;itwasalsoforbiddentohidethemandtoneglectploughingandsowing.

Asregardstimber,bothcuttingandtransportwerepaidfromthe tribute.

Inadditiontothetwodocumentssignedin1774,anotherconvention

wasconcluded,whichaimedatsomeexplanationregardingAinal-Cava

(March10,1779),andinwhichthestipulationsconcerningthePrincipalities

wereemphasized.ThePortepledgeditselfagain(article7,paragraph4)to

imposethetributetobepaidbythePrincipalitieswithmoderationand hu-

manity...;thetributewastobebroughttoConstantinoplebythenational

deputiessentbyeach

Principalityevery

secondyear.

Nobodywas

allowed

toaskthePrincipalitiesforanyotherpaymentortaxes,irrespectiveofany

reasonorpretext...,sincetheywouldregularlycontinuepayingthetribute

havingbeenmentioned,settledandfixed7.

Inadifferentconnection,itshouldbenotedthatRussiasrightofspeak-

ingintheirfavour(thePrincipalitiesF.M.)wasbecomingarightof

intercession8(asitwasinfactanoppositionwhenOttomanactswerepro-

4. Ibidem,pp.324-325.

5. Ibidem,p.325.

6. Ibidem,p.326.

7. D.A.Sturdza,C.Colescu-Vartic,Acte idocumenterelativela istoriarena teriiRo-

mnic i(ActsandDocumentsConcerningtheHistoryofRomaniasRenaissance),Vol.I,

Bucharest,1888,p.154.

8. IonIonacu,PetreBrbulescu,GheorgheGheorghe,Relafiileinternationaleale

Romniei indocumente(RomaniasInternationalRelationsinDocuments),Bucharest,1971,

p.228,noteno.1.

*gelepmerchantofcattleandespeciallyofsheep,whousedtobuythemfromthe

Principalities.

is


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292 FlorinMarinescu

mulgatedwhichwereagainsttheinterestsofthePrincipalitiesF.M.).

InadocumentcalledinTurkishasened,publishedin1783,theSultan

directedthatanycerealsshouldbeboughtbytheso-calledmirionly(who

wereoffice-workersatthepublictreasury)andpaidforincash9.

There

was

a

difference

between

such

official

buying

which

observed

theConstantinoplepriceandthebuyingdonebymerchants,atthecurrent

price.Thisclearlydemonstratedthatafreetradeexistedbetweenthetwo

countries10.

Theproblemoftimberisextensivelyanalysed.Timber,aswellassalt-

petre,constitutespartofthatcategoryofmaterialswhichhadtobegiven

tothePorte.Somefacilitationishoweverensuredonthispointtoo,bythe

decisionthatthecuttingandcarryingoftimbershouldbepaidforinkeep

ingwiththesenedssealedbybinaemens(bailiffsofconstructions),from

theimposttheprincewasclubbingfromthepopulation,andcalledcapita-tion11.So,thesystemofstatesupplieswasstillmaintained,oncondition

thatprivatepeopleshouldbecompensatedfromtheimpostthathadbeen

clubbedforpayingthehara.Withtheintentionof ensuringgoodmanage

ment,thesenedprovidedforprincestobenotifiedintimeaboutthequan-

tityofwoodandbuildingmaterialstobecarriedtotheboundaries,andwhere

thecommissarychargedtotakethemoverhadtopayincashforthecutting

andtransport12.

Saltpetretoowastobepaidforfromthesametaxobtainedfromtax

payersandnot byanysubtractionfromthetribute.Work

caterings

were

also

mentioned.

From

the

Austrian

consular

re-

ports,whichwereconfirmedbythepetitionaddressedtotheSultanin1783

(inTurkish,suchapetitionwascalledarzmahzar)it transpiresthatthePorte

wasaskingforthousandsofpeopletoworkwithorwithout toolscarry-

ingfoodandcerealsincarts,erectingbridges,andrepairingthefortresses.

AccordingtoV.A.Urechia,intheabovementionedpetitionofthe

Divan,itisalsomentionedthatduringtwomonthsthePrinceorderedthe

allocationof1.000day-labourers,600cartswithoxen,andmanyotherthings

9.D.A.Sturdza,C.Colescu-Vartic,op.cit..Vol.I,pp.193-194.

10.Aplusforteraison,danslecoursducommerce,quandlesachatsserontfaitspar

desngociants,lespayementsaurontlieuenargentcomptantetauprixcourantdelapro-

vince.D.A.Sturdza,C.Colescu-Vartic,op .cit..Vol.I,p.194.

11.M.M.Alexandrescu-Dersca,Rolulhatierifurilordeprivilegiinlimitareaobli-

gapilorctrePoart1774-1802(TheRoleoftheHatt-iSheriffsofPrivileges,inLimiting

theObligationstothePorte,1774-1802),inStudiino.6/1958,p.116.

12.D.A.Sturdza,C.Colescu-Vartic,op.cit..Vol. I,p.194,point9.


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Thetradeof

WallachiawiththeOttomanEmpirebetween1791and1821 293

necessarytorepairthefortressesofIsmail,GiurgiuandAda-Kaleh.

Inordertocopewithallthiswork,thousandsof poorstarvingpeople

andtheircattlewillbeemployed.Thenwehavetocarrybarleyfortwopro-

vinces(inConstantinople,memlechet)fromanother1.000poorraiasand

day

labourers

and

workers

and

carts

with

their

wretched

cattle,

asfaras

thefortress,whichis140hoursdistantfromtheircountry13.

Inouropinion,

thisdocument,aswellastheotheronecalledsened,

issuggestive,asitcomprisesalltheworkthePorteorderedtobedone.

Itisalsointhesenedwereadthatthetransportneserapaslacharge

deshabitants14;butitwasneveraccomplished,because,afterPasvanOglus

revolt,thepeasantsofOlteniafledtothemountains,toavoiddrawingby

ropetheshipscarryingmerchandisefortheSultansarmyofCalafatand

Vidin.

Oneyearlater,onJ anuary9,

1784,inasenedaddressedtotheRussianagentStakievinConstantinople(HalilHamidPashabeingtheintermediary)

theformerengagementswithregardtothePrincipalitieswereagainmentioned,

inconnectionwiththeregulationoftrade:whenprocuringsheepclaimed

bythechiefofthebutchersinConstantinople(namedkasapbashi),bymeans

ofthesaidji*,thatoperationwillbedonereasonably.Anytimberwillbe

obtainedbypayingasatisfactorypricetotheraias.Thepopulationwillnot

beobligedtosendtheirproductsbeyondtheboundaries.Noactofvexation

willbecommittedagainsttheraias.Anyinfringementwillbepunished15.

Thenext

document

weshall

mention

isthe

onesigned

inJ assy

onDe-

cember29,

1791-January9,

1792,aftertheRussian-Constantinoplewar.

In

theNewLaw(Kanunname)therewerespecified28commonconditions

regardingboth

Wallachiaand

Moldavia,

andcomprisingtheirobligations

tothePorte;thenature,thequantum,and thepayingdateswerealso defined.

Inpoint16itisshown that,fortimber,foodandanyotheritemsorwork,

suchasrepairingthefortressesandotherbuildings,reasonablepriceswould

beestablished,whichweredifferentfromthefiyat-imiriyethatisthe

Ottomantreasuryfisk.Categoricaladviceswouldbegivenastheyshould

betosuchpeoplewhowerechargedbytheSupremeEmpiretoobtainall

theabovementionedthingsfromthetwoPrincipalities;

thedrasticthreats

13. V.A.

Urechia,IstoriaRomnilor(TheHistoryofRomanians),Vol.I,Bucharest,

1891,p.275.

14.D.A.Sturdza,C.Colescu-Vartic,op .cit..Vol. I,pp.193-194.

15.A.S.B.-DLXXXI/92-92a(markofB.A.)apudM.Guboglu,op .cit..Vol.I,p.94.

*saidji=shepherdswhousedtocountsheep;theywere alsosheepmerchants,helping

thegelepswiththeirwork.


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294 FlorinMarinescu

wouldbeclearlyexposedinthehighorderstobeaccomplished16.

Point17speciallystipulatedthatinordertoobtainsheepthroughthe

agencyofthekasapbash(bailiffsofthebutchersinConstantinople),the

currentpricewillbepaid...andnocontributionmoreandnomiteless

willbeoffered17.

ThePortehadinviewthefuturebenefitsresultingfromexploitation

ofthePrincipalities.Forinstance,atpoint24itwasprovidedtosetup

factoriescalledKerhane,whereallsortsofcloth(cuka)andotherfabrics

(akmis)wouldbeinthecourseoftimeproducedandbringgreatadvantages

totheEmpire.ThePortewasalsoconcernedwiththeimprovementofagri-

culturebyincreasingthenumberofanimals;thatiswhynegligenceand

indifferenceinthatrespectwillberegardedasseriousoffencesandpeople

willhavetoworkdiligently,sothateverythingmentionedabovecouldbe

accomplishedefficientlyandwithoutdelay18.

Weshalldwellparticularlyupononeofthemostimportantjuridical

documents,issuedon17/29August,1802whichwasineffectanotherstep

forwardinlimitingTurksabusesoftheirobligationstotheEmpire.

Thedocumentisexplicitinthatrespect,makingitclearthatnohigh

OttomanoffialmighttakefromWallachiaanythingnotmentionedinthe

hatt-isheriff.Worthmentioningistheregulation,forthefirsttimeinadocu-

mentissuedbythePorte,ofthequantityofproductsWallachiahadtofor-

ward.Thepricewastobepaidfromthepublicmoneyincash,withoutneglect-

ingthecurrent

one.

Andthe

crains

were

tobepaid

according

tothetariff

fixedeveryyearatthegangboardofBraila.Thetransportofthemerchandise

wastobepaidfor.

Afterestablishingthequantityofproductsthisstipulationwasmost

importantdiscussionswouldtakeplacewiththeboyarsinordertoclarify

whetherornottherequestforsuppliescouldbewhollyhonoured,ifnot,

thePortehadtobenotifiedintime.

Weshallnowquoteafewstipulationsofthehatt-isheriff...and

sinceitisforbiddentoenterWallachia,peoplegoingtotheirhighdignitaries,

myall-highvizires,iftheyleavetheirlegalroutewhengoingandreturning,

andiftheytake from theraiasalltheyneedsuchasposthorsesandanyother

16. IonIonacu,PetreBrbulescu,GheorgheGheorghe,op .cit.,p.255.

17. Ibidem.

18.RegardingCarteadelegi(TheBookofLaws)seeMustafaA.Mehmet,Onou

regleraentarearaporturilorMoldoveiiTriiRomnetifatadePoartla1792(ANew

RegulationGoverningtheRelationsofMoldaviaandWallachiawiththePorte,in1792),

inStudiino.4/1967,pp.691-709.


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thingsofthekindwithoutpayment,itmeanstheyhavelaidwastetothepoor

raia;

thatiswhy,fromnowon,itisbynomeansthewillofmyEmpirethat

theraiasofWallachiashouldbedamagedbytheviziresandthemirimirans*.

orbyotherpeopleaccompanyingthem19.Thesheep...withtheprice

they

want

toselltomerchants

and

geleps...

who

willbring

them

to

Tsari-

gradandtonootherplace20;andfood...tobecontinuallybroughtdown,

agooddeal,tothegangwaysoftheDanubeandtosellthemtothecaptains

ofshipspertainingtothekapans(Turkishwarehouses),atareasonable

priceandnobodyelse.

TheLawgiverswereconcernedwithgoodorganizationinordertovictual

the

cityofConstantinople,providingitwithallitneeded.TheOttomans

didnot,evenin1802,admitthat...theraiasofthecountrywereusedand

enjoyedbenefitsandadvantages(byturningtheirproduistobetteraccount-

F.M.);

andthatthecitizens

oftheircapital

cityweretosomeextentshort

of

food21.

Asfortimber,...forerectingthefortressesatRumele,timbershould

becutinthemountainsofWallachia...anditwillbecarriedtosuchplaces

thatlackedtimberand,bymeansofsomesenedsealedbythebinaemeni

(specialistsinhousebuilding)theexactpriceofcuttingandcarryingwillbe

paid...

from

themoneyofthehara...bynomeansless22,...butthese

raiasshouldnotbeaskedfortimberorotherproductsbeyondtheboundaries

oftheirowncountry23.

Regarded

as

awhole

and

compared

withprevious

documents,

this

hatt-isheriffseems

toembodythemostsubstantialchangesinthePortespolicy.

AlastjuridicalregulationofthecommercialrelationsbetweenWallachia

andTurkeywastheoneconcludedonMarch21,1821,atOrtachioi.Inthe

protocol

ofthatconference,afteremphasizingtheprincipleofgoodunder-

standingbetweensellersandbuyersatthegangwaysofGalatiandBrila,

itisaddedthatintheeventofdisagreementbetweenthemthepartiesshould

beconvokedtothecapitalcitiesofbothcountrieswhere,withtheparticipa-

tionoftheprincesandmembersoftheDivan,thepricewouldbefixedto

theirmutualagreement24.

19. IonIonacu,PetreBrbulescu,GheorgHeGheorghe,op .cit.,p.264.

20. Ibidem,

p.265.

21. Ibidem,pp.265-266.

22. Ibidem,pp.266-267.

23. Ibidem,pp.268-269.

24. C.C.Giurescu,Istorialiora uluiBrila .Dincelemaivechitimpuripinaastzi(The

*mirimirans=akindofgeneralgovernors.


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296 FlorinMarinescu

Inregardtoclothing,wequoteafewwordsfromaworkbyEdgarPatin:

Le22marseutlieuPradanslamaisondecampagneduResEffendi,

uneconfrencedanslaquellefurenttablieslesconditionsdanslesquelles

lesprincipautsauronspresterdornafantlesfournituresobligatoiresen-

verslaSublimePorte.

Lesdlgusroumainsprtendirentquelaperteque

subirentlesprincipautsparlamoinsvaleurobtenuedelapartdescapanl

ainsiqueparlesrquisitions,forcesslevaitpourlpoque1812-181933

milionsdepiastres25.DuetothepressureexertedbytheRussianplenipoten-

tiaries,andyieldingtoNesselrodespretensions,thePorteconsentedto

limitthequantitiesofcerealsfromthePrincipalitiestoaquantityrepresent-

inglamoyennedcennaleandcomprisingeverythingtheyhadtosendto

Turkeybetween1812and182126.

II.WALLACHIAANDTHEPROVISIONINGOFTHEOTTOMANEMPIRE

Inthepreviouspartofthepapermentionwasmadeofsomeofthe stipula-

tionscontainedinthePorteshatt-isheriffs,showingtheirspecialcarethat

someofWallachiasproductsshouldbesentonlytotheOttomanEmpire,

withtheaimofprovisioningConstantinople,theTurkisharmy,andthein-

habitantsoftheirfortresses.Plentyofmerchantsandoffice-workerswere

concernedwithdeliveringWallachianmerchandiseattheDanube,taking

itoverarmandtransportingittoitsdestination.

Among

themwere

Romanians,

Turks,

Greeks,

Armeniansand

J ews27.ItwastheRomanianswhopreparedpastramiintheislandofPrunduand

intheso-calledzalhansthatis,placeswherecattlewerecut.Suchplaces

weretobefoundinPloiesti28andinotherareastoo.Peoplelivingoutside

theraiasalsogatheredcattle;therewerefishermentoo.Thecattlemerchants

weregiventhegenericTurkishnameofgeleps.Theyalsohadothernames,

accordingtotheirkindofwork29.Thekapardwerepeoplewhoprovisioned

HistoryoftheTownofBrila,sincetheRemotestTimesuntilToday),Bucharest,1968,p.103.

25. EdgarPatin,LecommercedescerealesdanslebassinduBas-Danube, Paris,1933,p.121,

note

3.

26. Ibidem.

27. C.C.Giurescu,op.cit.,p.108.

28.TheoneofPloiestiwasplacedonthelandbelongingtothebeizadea(sonof

aprince)CostacheCaragea,where3.000-4.000cattlewerecuteveryyearA.S.B.,

MCCCXLIV/100a(markofB.A.),unpublisheddocument.

29. C.C.Giurescu,op.cit.,p.108.


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The

trade

offVallachiawiththeOttomanEmpirebetween1791and1821 297

theKapan(i.e.theEmpireswarehousesandstores).Thesaegiesbought

mainlyflocksofsheep,rams,lambs,goatsandkids.Thesurecciesgathered

cattleforthepeopleofConstantinople.Inadditiontoallthese,werethe

peoplewhofattenedcattle,andpeoplewhopreparedpastrami.

Why

were

the

Ottoman

authorities

so

preoccupied

with

the

intense,

continuousprovisioningoftheircapitalcity,andofthewholepopulation

livingonTurkishterritory?

OneofthereasonsarosefromacharacteristicfeatureoftheEmpire

whichhasbeencommenteduponbyhistoriansandeconomists,asweshall

seebelow.

GheronNettawrotethattheOttomansmonopolizedcertainproducts

andexploitedboththeproducersandthemerchantsintheconsumersin-

terests.ThatiswhyinConstantinople,economic,industrialandcommercial

lifecouldnotdevelop.

TheOttomansaimwastoprotectconsumersandthishadanadverseeffectupontrade30.

Theseseemstohavebeentworeasonsforthisattitude.Onewasthefact

thattheTurkswerenomerchants;neitherweretheyintermediariesincom-

merce,whichwaspractisedforthembyforeigners.Theyhadthestatepower

onlyinordertomonopolize...theywerenotinterestedinthecommercial

incomesomeconqueredregionsenjoyed.ThesecondreasonforthisOt-

tomanmentalitywastheirprinciplethatpoorpeopleshouldbetakencare

ofbythecharityoftherich.InNettasopinion,thisattitudetoowasdisad-

vantageoustocommerce

and

production,

aspeople

prefered

being

beggars

toworkingandproducing31.NoteventheTurkishprovinceswereinterested

in

provisioningConstantinople,astherewasnothingtobedrawnupon.

Thusthestatesauthorityhadtointervene32.

Alongthesamelines,weshallquoteafewpassagesfromaspecialstudy

madebyM.M.Alexandrescu-DerscaoftheprovisioningofthecityofCon-

stantinoplewithwheatduringthe18thcentury.Whencharacterizingthe

Portespolicy,theauthorproperlynoted:Laraisondecettepolitiquedex-

ploitationintense,deprohibitionsetdemonopolesrsidedansunegrave

contradictionquiminelempireendclin.Cestdunepartlaccroissement

deschargeset,delautre,labandondelapolitiquedeconqute,sanspar-

venirtoutefoisremplacerlemodedeproductionfodalparunnouveau

30. GheronNetta,Cursdeistoriacomertului(ACourseoftheHistoryofTrade),1937,

p.469.

31. Ibidem.

32. Ibidem,


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298 FlorinMarinescu

modeadaptauxexigencesduntatmoderne33.Accordingtothisstudy, the onlyremedywouldhavebeentheintroduction

ofcapitalistmethodsinagriculture,whoseinventorywasrudimentary.Butthedeudalsocietyopposedit.Thesultanswereunabletoperceivethecause

ofthecrisisi.e.thedestructionoftheeconomicbasisoftheEmpire:thepettypeasantrysproperty.Theypreferred,duetotheorganizationalpowertheyhadinheritedfromtheBizantines,tosolveallproblemsbyarigorousregulationofthetradewith cereals,andbyapolicyofstocking, thusifnecess-arysatisfyingtherequirementsoftheConstantinoplepopulation.Thatpopulationwasanactualdangerforthesultans,andasthemeansoflivingwerelacking,theirmostprimitiveinstinctsemerged34.

Andthedangerconsistentlyincreased,owingtothepenetrationofnu-merouspeasantsfromAnatoliaandRumelia.Inanattempttostoptheir

emigration,thesultansimposednewtaxesforthetchiftbozan(i.e.farmerswhowereleavingtheirfields),andalsoorganizedacertaincensus35.

Thewarsandrevolutionsofthepashaswho,fortheirownadvantage,exploitedthetendenciesoftheprovinceswiththeaimdrivingthemapart,alsohadadisastrouseffectontheeconomy.

IntheislandstooCyprusandChios36whichwereanimportantmarketforcerealsinLevant,thepeoplewererevoltingagainstabusescom-mitted

bythefiscalauthorities,whichprofoundlyaffectedtheirproperty.Syriahadbecomeconsiderablypoorer,whileinEgyptthebeysweresharing

the

power

between

them.WithEgyptfallingunderthebeyofthe

mamelukesand

neglecting

itsobligationtoprovisiontheOttomancapitalcity(Egypt,thePrincipalitiesandtheregionoftheMarmoraSeaprovidedfourmonthsfoodforConstanti-nople37),theburdenonthePrincipalitiesincreased.Hence,abiggerquantityofsupplies,animprovementintheprovisioningofConstantinople,butalsodissatisfactiononthepartoftheinhabitantsand,induecourse,introductionoftheabove-mentionedregulations.

As

regardsthemethods

usedby

the

kapanlies

toaoquire

Wallachian

33.M.M.Alexandrescu-Dersca,ContributionltudedelapprovisionementenbldeConstantinopleauXVIIImesicle,inStudiaetactaorientalia,Bucharest,1957,p.13.

34. Ibidem,p.14.35. Ibidem,p.

16.

36. Ibidem,p.17.37.TraianIonescu,Hatierifuldin1802inceputullupteipentruaprovizionareapielei

interneaPrincipatelordunrene(TheHatt-iSheriffof1802andtheBeginningoftheStruggletoProvisioningtheInternalMarketoftheDanubianPrincipalities),inStudiifiorticoledeistorie.Vol.I,Bucharest,1956,p.44.


11/31

Thetradeof

WallachiawiththeOttomanEmpirebetween1791and1821 299

products,VelSpatharusIanacheVcrescuwroteonMay18,1793:there-

fore,whereasthenizam(inTurkish:order,system)providesthatthekapanl

merchantswhowant

totaketheirmerchandisefromthecountryshould

receiveaprincelyorderfromthetreasurer,addressingthesubprefectsofthe

country

wherethemerchandiseisand,whengoingoverthere,togivethesened

tothesubprefectsforthequantityofmerchandisetheyhavetotakeandthus

toreceivefromthesubprefectsayoltezkeresi(akindofpassport),tobe

allowedtocrosstheDanubewheretheywantedto...38.

GheronNettagivesalsoacompletetableaboutthewaytheexportof

productsinWallachiawastakingplaceanddirectedtotheOttomanEmpire.

Henotedfourmainstages:

I.Checkingandtakingtheproducts;

II. Gatheringof

products

from

all

overthecountry

and

their

carrying

totheresidenceof thekadi(ajudge),whowasregardedastheeyeand

armofthegovernor,andalsoorganizedtheprovisioningandfinancial

problemsineveryprovince;

III. DispatchingorforwardingallthoseproductstoConstantinople;

IV. HandingthemoverinConstantinople.

Thekadididnottaketheproductshimself.Hehadproviders(thegeleps)

whom

heaskedtocometohisresidence.Theproviderswereregisteredin

abookconcerningfoodsupplies.Togetherwiththekaditheyestablished

the

merchandise,

its

quantity

and

nature.

The

list,

comprising

the

names

ofalltheproviders,wasthensenttoConstantinople,whereitwassanctioned

bythecompetentorgansandsentbacktothekadi.Itwasasortoflicence.

Cattleofgoodqualitywereselectedandthegelepstookthemover,some-

timesatlowerprices.Thecattlewerethengatheredattheresidenceofthe

kadi,whoboughtthemfromthegeleps.Thusthekadialwaysboughtmer-

chandiseat

secondhand.

CattleweresubsequentlysenttoConstantinoplebymeansofsomemer-

chant,acontractbeingconcludedbetweenthekadiandthemerchant.From

the

country,

the

herds

were

escorted

by

spahis,

under

the

leadership

of

a

representativeofthekadi(callednaipirzcndbeingalowerjudge,whoused

to

replacethe

kadi)39.

38.A.S.B.RegisterXXIV,p.150.

39. GheronNetta,op .cit.,pp.470-471.


12/31

300 FlorinMarinescu

III.

THE

MERCHANDISEWALLACHIASUPPLIEDTOTHEOTTOMANPORTE

Inthefollowingpagesweshalltrytoshowamostcompleteandvaried

table,

coveringtheforwardingofcereals,cattle,woodandotherproducts

fromWallachia,necessaryforprovisioningConstantinopleandotherregionsofthe

EmpireandtheTurkish

garrisons

ofSilistra,

Rustchuk,

Ada-Kaleh

etc.

MostofthedocumentsweshallusetoillustratethisaspectofTurkish-

WallachianrelationsaretobefoundinthecatalogueofTurkishDocuments,

publishedbyMihailGuboglu;weidentifiedtheothersinthecollectionsof

the

LibraryoftheAcademy;thecriterionwechosewasthechronological

one;wetriedasfaraspossibletogrouptherespectivemerchandisewithin

everyyear.Themostdocumentaryevidenceisaboutcereals,cattleandtheir

derivatives.Forinstance,in1791,thefirstyearwelldealwith,onOctober

3,

SultanSelimIIIorderedthekadiandtheotherdegnitariesofSilistrato

depositinWallachia,atCallrai,80.000chile(kilas)ofwheatand150.000

kilas

ofbarley,obtainedthankstoMichaelSoutsos.Fromthatquantity,

15.000 kilasofwheatand45.000kilasofbarleyweretobedistributedto

Brila,20.000kilasofwheatand45.000kilasbarleytoSilistra,13.000kilas

wheatand20.000kilasofbarleytoRustchuk,ShishtovandNicopole.One

kilaofConstantinoplewouldequal20penceforwheatand10pencefor

barley,thecosttobegiventoMichaelSoutsosentirely40.

Inanote.PrinceMichaelSoutsosstatedthatin1791-1792therewere

broughttothegangway

ofBrilla41,

fromWallachia,foodandcerealsina

quantityof:1.347kilasofConstantinople42wheat,19.164barley,19.991

milletasasumtotal40.502beingloadedonfivesailingvesselsbelonging

tothekapan43.

OnDecember18,1791,SultanSelimIII, whowasatthecampofSumla,

askedtheTurkishdignitariesofHirsovaandofotherplacestocarrytoHir-

sova38.822ocasflour44.

Theonlymentionoftheexportofcattlein1791isthatofMarch6.That

year,thekadiofIstanbul,AbdulahAli,showedthatahighorderhadbeen

40.A.S.B.Microphilm13(IV-3),apudM.Guboglu,op.cit..Voi.,p.370.

41. ForgrinsBrilabecomesahugewarehouse,fromwhichnotonlytheTurkish

fortressesontheDanubeareprovisioned,butalso,andespeciallythecapitalcityof

heEmpire,Constantinopleanditsothercities,C.C.Giurescu,op.cit.,p.99.

42. OnekilaofConstantinople22ocas27,402-27,720Kg.

43. A.S.B.Anorientalmanuscript,no.231,f.1.(markofB.A.),apudM.Guboglu,

top.

cit..Vol.II,p.367.

44. A.S.B.Microphilm13(III-26),apudM.Guboglu,op .cit.,Vol. II,p.373.


13/31

The

tradeofWallachiawiththeOttomanEmpirebetween1791and1821 301

receivedattherequestofthekasapbashandheaskedthataparticularly

largenumberofsheepandgoatsshouldbesenttothePorte,ontheoccasion

oftheBairamofRamazan,beingnecessaryasfoodforthepopulation.The

followingpricesarementioned:225,135,105,125and165akce(aTurkish

silvermoney),forsheepandgoats;it isalsomentionedthatthesaidgiesand

thegelepswereregisteredinthedefter(abookofentry)ofthedistrict

Cetalgea,with250gurushes(oldTurkishsilvermoney)foreachsheep,per

capita45.

Thesultansordersin1791,asinotheryears,includedfalconstoo.That

year,MichaelSoutsosconfirmedtothe greatvizireKogeaIusufPasha,receipt

ofthefirmanforforwardingthefalcons,inkeepingwiththeannualhabit,

andheshowedhehadgiventhechiefofhunters12bigfalcons46.

Forthefollowingyear,1792,thequantityoffoodthePorterequested

wasof150.000kilas(about4.240.5tons)47.Thatyear,MichaelSoutsosaskedthePortetoissueorderstotheemin(aconfidentialpersonandmanageror

bailiff)whosejobwasthatofsomechiefatthebarns,andtothenazir-aga

(thecommanderofthefortress)atBrila,totakeover40.000kilasofbarley,

inordertobekeptatSilistra,40.000kilasflouratBrilaand18.000kilasat

Rustchuk.Therestofbarleyandflourand3.500weighing machinesofbiscuits

(oneweighingmachineequalled44ocas)forBrilawerebeingprepared48.

That

sameyear,theWallachianprinceconfirmedtothePortereceiptof

theimperialfirmanforsupplying100.000kilaswheatandheaskedthat

theyshouldbesubtractedfromtheabove-mentionedquantity,asthecountry

was

sufferingbecause

ofthedrought,

havingnoteventhenecessaryseeds.

People...associatedandploughedsuperficially,soagriculturehasdiminish-

ed.Besides,insomegoodplacesforcultivatingcereals,locustsappeared,

andinotherplacesthereappearedakindofinsectontheearsofwheat,be-

comingarealcalamityforthebeansofcereals.Besidetheagriculturalcrisis,

onecanforeseeakindoffaminetoo49.ItisstillSoutsoswholetthePorte

knowthathewouldloadonshipsandwouldcarrytothegangwayofBrila

another57.410kilaswheat,untilthebeginningofMay179350.

45. A.S.B.StockHagiIanu,XX/16, apudM.Guboglu,op .cit.,Voi.I, p.116.

46. A.S.B.AnorientalManuscript,no.226,f.4(markofB.A.),apudM.Guboglu,

op.cit..Vol.II,p.366.

47. MustafaA.Mehmet,Ocondicdomnea sc...(APrincelyRegister...),pp.253-254.

48.A.S.B.Registerno.53/1954,mark342,suretTa(markofB.A.)apudM.Guboglu,

op.cit..Voi.I,pp.124-125.

49.A.S.B.Registerno.53...suret8(markofB.A.),apudMustafaA.Mehmet,O

condicdomneasc...(APrincelyRegister...),p.256.

50.A.S.B.Registerno.53...suret12(markofB,A.),apudM.Guboglu,op .cit..Voi.

I,p.125,


14/31

302 FlorinMarinescu

Inspiteofthecrisisinagriculturehecouldhoweverannouncethat

hehadsentsofar(in1792orso)266.439kilasofConstantinoplewheat

and

barley,loatedon57ships.Thedocumentoftheirforwardingwould

bepresentedinConstantinoplebythekapikehaye(abailiffoftheOttoman

Porteandalsoadiplomacyagent)ofWallachia51.

Asinthepreviousyear,theexportofsheepwasnowagainmentioned

indocuments.Inamahzar(acollectivepetition),theprince,theboyars,the

metropolitana.o.informedthePortethattheycouldnotsendthatyearmore

than70.000sheep;becauseofthesupplies52exceedingthecountryspossibil-

ities,theraiawasindangerof remainingwithoutbreedingsheep.Afterre-

ceivingthe70.000animals,allthegelepsandsaidgieshadtoleavethecountry53.

(Sheepwerethemainchapteroftradeandoflivingforthepoorraia).

Asaresult,thegelepsgaveawrittenagreementthattheywouldobserve

thenizam

(order)thePrince

ofWallachiahad

madeup54

.Itis

still

in1792

thatMustafathecaimacamtransmittedtoavali(generalgovernorofapro-

vince)thecontentsofafirmanstipulatingthatfromWallachia,fromthere-

gionsabouttheDanube,thechannelsofDobrudja,Andrinople,Vra(aand

fromthekazas(administrativeunitsundertheruleofakadi,aslargeas

somecounties)ofSalonicandVeriashouldbebrought80.000sheepand

goatstobepaidincashfromthesumsthesaedjiespossessed,attheprice

thestatehadfixed;theywillthenbesenttoConstantinople.Itwasprovided

thatonesheepandonegoatfromtenshouldbeboughtfromthesumtotal

theownershadgotandthatnooneshouldbesoldbeforethestatesnecess-

itieswereensured.(Itmaytherefore besupposedthat

notallthecattlereached

Constantinople,asthegelepsandthesaidgiesalsopracticedatradeoftheir

own-F.M.)55.

Itisstillin1792thatthemerchantEminsenttoConstantinopleanother

32.000 sheep56andanumber of90.000weretobeforwardedin thetwomonths

51. A.S.B.Registerno.53...suret17(markofB.A.),apudM.Guboglu,op.cit..Voi.

I,p.126.

52. Moreover,thisyear,becauseofalongwinter,mostoftheanimalsstarved,lacking

foodand

because

ofthefrost

,A.S.B.

Registerno.

53,suret

8,apud

MustafaA.

Mehmet,

Ocondicdomneasc...(APrincelyRegister...),pp.253-254.

53. A.S.B.Registerno.53...suret7(markofB.A.),apudMustafaA.Mehmet,O

condic

domneasc...(APrincelyRegister...),pp.254-255.

54.Registerno.53...suret7,apudMustafaA.Mehmet,Ocondicdomneasc...

(A

PrincelyRegister...),

pp.

254-255.

55. A.S.B.TurkishdocumentXXXII/2459,apudM.Guboglu,op.cit..Vol.II,p.380.

56. A.S.B.Registerno.

53...suret3(markofB.A.),apudM,Guboglu,op.cit..Voi.

I,p.123.


15/31

The

tradeof

Wallachia

withtheOttomanEmpirebetween1791and1821 303

afterOctober2657.

WeshallalsomentionthedocumentofthatsameyearinwhichMichael

Soutsosaskedfor anorderfromthePortedesignedtoprovidethatmerchants

shouldnotclaimanytalloworsuetunderthepricefixedatSilistra.They

buyinWallachiasuet,payingfor anocanot20pencebut12only58.

Thatsameyear,thegreatvizireMehmetpashaletMichaelSoutsosknow

that,althoughinthehighfirmantheyprovidedforconstructionof4big

barnsfordepositingfoodnexttoSilistra,Rustchuk,NicopoleandShishtov

thePrincesuggestedthatthefirsttobebuiltshouldbethoseatSilistraand

Rustchuk.

ThePrinceisadvisedthattimberforthebuildingsshouldbecutfrom

Romanianforests,atareasonableprice59.

Inthesellingcuesof thecustomsfor1792,canbefoundwithinarticle

15thefollowingmention:

aswaxisalsooneoftheproductswhicharefor-biddenafterthefirstcue,everybodyshouldknowthatinforeigncountries

nobodyisallowed topasswaxanywhereelseexcepttotheTurkishland...60.

Fortheyear1793,nomentioncanbefoundindocumentsofthequantity

offoodortheanimalsforwardedtotheOttomanEmpire.Wedohowever

noteanordergivenbySultanSelimIII,onMay18,1793,tothemuhafz

(thecommanderof thefortress)ofVidinandthemiralem(acolourbearer)

MehmetPasha,totakecareof thesheepnecessarytofeedthetroops;with

thisendin

view,theyshouldpassintoWallachia,inordertoobtain

them61.

Apartfromthegeleps,

nomerchant(atleasttheoretically)wasallowed

toexportsheepovertheDanube.OneJ une7,1793,theprinceorderedthe

arrestoftwomenofViaseawhomthegeleodenouncedashavingsecretly

sentsheepovertheDanube62.

Thesamesultan(SelimIII)orderedonJ une10-J uly9,1793,thatthe

muhafzandthekadiofVidinshouldprocureandcarrytimberfromWal-

lachia,fortheneedsofthefortressofVidin63.

57. A.S.B.Register

no.

53...

suret9(markofB.A.),apud

M.Guboglu,op .

cit..Voi.I,p.124.

58.A.S.B.Registerno.53...suret9(markofB.A.),apudM.Guboglu,op .cit..Voi.

I,p.125.

59. A.S.B.Turkishdocument/220,apudM.Guboglu,op .cit..Voi.I,p.130.

60.V.A.Urechia,op .cit..Vol.IV,Bucharest,1892,p.641.

61. A.S.B.Microphilm12(V-9),apudM.Guboglu,op .cit..Vol.II,p.381.

62. V.A.Urechia,op .cit..Vol.VI,Bucharest,1893,p.641.

63. A.S.B.TurkishdocumentIII/1204,apudM.Guboglu,op .cit..Vol.II,pp.385-386.


16/31

304 Florin

Marinescu

Concerning

1794,

wefoundnonoticeaboutquantitiesofsupplies.We

onlymentionthatthegreatvizireMehmetizzetPashawrotetoMichael

Soutsos,theprinceofMoldavia(ashealsowrotetotheWallachianprince)

orderingtheboyars,

theraiasandthemonasteriesnottohideanyfoodin

ordertosecuresomeincome,buttosellittothekapanlmerchants6465.

Ascanbeseen,regulationdejurebymeansoftreatiesorfirmans

was

notenoughtostopavoidanceoftheirstipulations.Inanunpublished

documentof 1794,itisemphasizedthattheArgesbishopryorderedall priests

ofthediocesetopassanysupplementarywheattotheprincelyofficialswho

wouldpayforitonthespot;butif itwasfoundthatanywheathadbeen

hidden,itwouldbetaken fromthemforitwasmeantforthe necessitiesof

Constantinople66.

Concerningthesendingoffalcons,AlexanderMourousistoldthePorte

thathegave25ofthemtothemubasir(thedelegate)

Satiri

Mehmet

aga...ThegatheringoffalconsforthehuntingorganizedbytheSultantookplace

inWallachia,inkeepingwiththeengagementofobedienceofeveryvoivode66.

OnMay17,1795,Mehmet,thestewardofShishtov,sentalettertoMou-

rouzisaskinghimwhatpossibilitiestherewereconcerningfood(probably

exceedingthequantitythathadalreadybeengiven-F.M.)because thedrought

had

madehim

seekforwheatinothercountries.Hewantedtheprinceto

send15-20.000ocasflour,25.000ocasmillet,paying29gurushesforone

hundredocaswheatflourand8penceforeverykilamilletandcornflour67.

Wallachia

was

continuing

to

send

cattle

to

Constantinople.

On

J une14,SultanSelimIII,whohadaskedhisdignitariesandtheWallachianprince

forhelpintransportingsheepandgoatsfromWallachiaandfromthebanks

oftheDanubeuptothestraitsofBosphorusinRumelia...asallthesewere

necessary

toprovisiontheimperialcapital68.

Thesameyear(1795),thegreatvizireMehmetinConstantinopleasked

theWallachianandMoldavianprincestosendalargequantityoflongthick

poles,inordertorepairthefortressofIsmail69.

Otherinformationconcerningtradearetobefoundin1799.OnJ une

64. A.S.B.Registerno.

53...

suret32(markofB.A.), apudMustafaA.Mehmet,O

condicdomneasc...(APrincelyRegister...),pp.257-258.

65. A.S.B.CMLIV (markofB.A.)unpublisheddocument.

66. A.S.B.Registerno.53... suret34(markofB.A.),apudM.Guboglu,op.cit.,Voi.

I,p.138.

67. A.S.B.A.N.,CLXXXI/29,apudM.Guboglu,op .cit..Voi.I,p.140.

68. A.S.B.DLXXXII(markofB.A.), apudM.Guboglu,op .cit..Voi.I,p.386.

69. A.S.B.TurkishdocumentIII/272,apudM.Guboglu,op.cit..Voi.,p.386.


17/31

The

tradeofiVallachiawiththeOttomanEmpirebetween1791and1821 305

18,themerchantsofthekapanofGalataaddressedamahzartoprinceAle

xanderMourouzis.39merchantsweretoarriveinordertobuyvariousitems

inkeepingwiththefirman.AmongthemwasArabzadeAhmedaga,asso

ciatedwith

Topal

HuseinAgafromBrila,andCerasl-Es-Ahmed,with

attendantKrmAhmed70.

Averyinterestingdocument,althoughconcerningMoldavia,isone

issuedfromtheimperialcapitalon2-11September.TheSultanaskedCon

stantineYpsilantis,thevoivodeofMoldavia,toprohibitthecuttingoftrees

intheMoldavianforeststoobtainashesforthepreparationofdyes.He

disapprovedthefactthatacategoryofmerchantshadformedargimeof

tradeoftheirown(ourownunderlining-F.M.),byopeningbigworkshops

andcuttinggianttreestopaintcottonandflax,havingtraderelationswith

PolandandAustria.Ifthissituationisconfirmed,boththeempireandMol

davia

will

no

longer

have

timber71.

From

this

document,

it

transpires

thatinspiteoftheintenseexploitationoftheprincipalitysresources(andwe

havenoreasontobelievethatthesituationwasdifferentinWallachia)there

stillremainedandthePorteacknowledgeitsomepossibilityofturning

woodintoaccountinothermarkets,albeitlessefficiently72.OnMay25,

1800,HadjIsmail,abailiffofvoivode,informedtheAustrianconsul,J .

Merkelius,thatamanhadarrivedatGiurgiu,andanumberof cartstrans

portedtimberfromWallachiatothesmallfairPhilimon,nexttoNicopole73.

Thatsameyear,

itwasmentionedthatfoodandcerealshadbeensent

to

the

Empire.

In

a

tacrir

(report),

the

voivode

ofWallachia

let

the

Porte

knowthathe

had

sent

by

the

two

ships

belonging

totheKapanmerchants,

9.108kilaswheatand275kilasbarley,from thegangwayofBrila74.

In1801-1802,MichaelSoutsosansweredthecourtmarshalGregory

Ventura,caimacam

ofCraiovainanunpublisheddocument,aboutthe

70. A.S.B.,A.N.,CLXXXI/31,apudM.Guboglu,op .cit..Voi.I,p.150.

71. A.S.B.MCCCLXXXV/19(markofB.A.),apudM.Guboglu,op .cit..Voi.,p.400.

72. AmongtheessencestheTurksaskedfor,therewerethoseof thefir-tree(required

bythenavy),lime-tree,oaktree,elm.,hornbeam,corneltreeseeG.BujoreanuLivrrile

lnnaturactrePoartaotomana,mijlocdeexploatare

economicaa

Moldovei,inperioada1802-1828(ThedeliveriesinkindtotheOttomanForte,aMeansofExploitingMoldavias

Economy,between1802and1828),inAnaleleUniversitatiiAl.I.CuzadinIasi(newseries)

sectiuneaaIll-a(tiintesociale)A,Istorie,filologie,IX (1965),p.184;seealsoC.C.Giu-

rescu,Istoriapdurii romne ti.TheHistoryoftheRomanianForest,Bucharest,1976.

73. A.S.B.Agendaaustriaca'TheAustrianAgency11/19(markofB.A.),f.15,apudM.Guboglu,op .cit..Voi.I,p.154.

74. A.S.B.orientalmanuscriptno.190(markofB.A.),f.15,apudM.Guboglu,op .cit..Vol.II,p.405.


18/31

306 FlorinMarinescu

quantityofbarleythathadbeenboughtfortheneedsoftheOttomanarmy,

atthepriceof3gurushesforonehundredocas,andthatanotherquantity

wastobeboughtbytheprefectsofthecountriesofMehedinjiandRomanap,

foronepennyanoca;healsomentionedthat75.000ocasbutterand25.000

ocas

suet

were

obtained75.

Fromanotherunpublisheddocument,issuedonAugust17,1802,wecan

seethatthetwokapikehayasofthePrincipalities(ConstantineSoutsosand

AlexanderHangerli)weresendingtoPrinceA.Ypsilantistwofirmans,con-

taining:1)Anorderprohibitinganyfurthercuttingofcattleinthecountry,

andthesellingof cattleanywherebutinAndrinople,andthereonlytothe

merchantschosenbythePortetoprovisionConstantinople;2)anorder

prohibitinganyfurthersellingbypeopleofGiurgiutoanyoneotherthan

merchantssentbythePorte76.Wecanthereforeseethattheporteintervened

againtostopanyfreetradebetweentheWallachiansandtheTurks.Thehatt-i

sheriffSultanSelimIIIissuedin1802,presentedinthepre-

viouspart,regulatesonlythequantityofvegetables77tobesenttothePorte.

Until1806,nootherinformationcouldbefoundaboutWallachiasproducts

senttothePorte.

Inan

unpublisheddocumentof

that

year,[Crejulescu,thetreasurer]

wrotetothePrinceabouttheSultansfirmaninwhichheorderedthat40.000

kilas

barleyshouldbesenttoAda-Kaleh,aswellas10.000kilasflourand

4.000 kilaspulledbread,whichhadalreadybeenpatiallydeliveredtoRegep-

aga78.

Turn

now

to

a

document

attesting

the

large

quantities

ofproducts

ex-

portedtothePorte.

OnNovember

14,es-SeidMehmed,themola(judge)ofSilistrainformed

theHighDevelt(i.e.theOttomanEmpire)aboutthemeasuresoftheKapanli

merchantsontheoccasionofthemedjilis(generalmeeting)oftheseriate.

Theyhadaskedforaquantityof607.404ocastallow,suetandtchirvish(melt

tallow

ofbeef,used

forcooking),whichhad

resultedfromthe

98herdsof

cattle,consistingof6.524oxenand7.848cows,thathadbeenobtainedthanks

toConstantineYpsilantisofWallachia79.AllthefoodboughtfortheOttoman

troops

wasmeanteitherforeachgarrisonseparately,

orfortwo

ormoreof

them.

75. A.S.B.MCDXXXV/106(markofB.A.),unpublisheddocument.

76. A.S.B.DC/58(markofB.A.),unpublisheddocument.

77. A.S.B.TurkishdocumentVII/1149,apudM.Guboglu,op.cit..Vol.I,p.166.

78. A.S.B.DC/202(markofB.A.),unpublisheddocument.

79. A.S.B.Turkishdocument1/2,apudM.Guboglu,op.cit..Vol.I,p.276.


19/31

ThetradeoffVallachiawiththeOttomanEmpirebetween1791and1821 307

Mentionedinalistof1806-1807arebread,meatandbarley,tobesent

tothearmyofGiurgiuandofBucharest80.On

October30,theemins(bailiffs)ofthebamsofIsacceaconfirmed

receipt

of6.740ocasflourand5.622kilasbarley,intendedfortheimperial

army81.OnNovember12,thesameyear,theemirofBrila,IbrahimChedcklii,

confirmedreceiptof45.000ocasand330sacksfromMehmetaga,whowasinstructedtobuyvariedmerchandiseatTulcea82.Fourdayslater,Ibrahim,theeminofIsmail,confirmedthathehadreceived171.349ocaspureflourboughtatTulceabyMehmetaga83.From1808wehaveoneofthefewin-dicationsofthesumspaidforprovisioningtheOttomanarmy,whichhadbeenestablishedinthePrincipality.OnJ anuary18,HadjEbn-Bekiragacon-firmedin

asenedpaymentof27.000gurushesforsuppliesreceivedbythe

imperialarmyonthebanks

oftheDanube8485 86.

OnMarch31,peoplesentbyMehmetagacarriedflour(1.500Constanti-noplekilas)and3.000kilasbarley,from IsacceatoIsmail88.

Amonthlater(April27),theeminofTulceaconfirmedthat50rackwaggonloadsoflirewoodwere

bought

for134gurushesand3

pence

and

assignedtothetopchies(gunners)underthemieofskenderaga88;onJ une

25,receipt

of

135cartloadsoffirewoodwasconfirmedbyskenderagaforassignmenttothegunnersandcartersofGiurgiu87.

Among

theplaceswherefoodandcerealswereboughtforthearmy,

were

Babada,

Hrova88,

Mangalia,

Constanta

and

the

Wallachian

port

ofGiurgiu89,

wheretheabovementionedmerchandisewasdelivered,

beingforwarded

asfarasRustchuk.

Among

the

documents

ofthetimewealsofindthenameofthewell-knownArmenianmerchantManucbey90.OnAugust2,1808,theaim(mayor)ofRustchuk,Ahmedeffendi,askedManucbeyfor20.000ocashoney,100.000

80. MuzeuldeIstorieBucureti(HistoryMuseum,Bucharest,hereafterreferredtoasM.I.B.),inv.26341,apudM.Guboglu,op .cit..Voi.I,p.179.

81. M.I.B.,inv.26422,apudM.Guboglu,op.cit..Voi.I,p.177.

82. M.I.B.,inv.26452,apudM.Guboglu,op.

cit..Voi.I,p.185.83. M.I.B.,inv.26414,apudM.Guboglu,op.cit.,Voi.I,p.185.84. M.I.B.,inv.26301,apudM.Guboglu,op .cit.,Voi. I,p.189.85. M.I.B.,inv. 26336,apudM.Guboglu,op.cit.,VoU,p.192.86. M.I.B.,inv.26433,apudM.Guboglu,op .cit..Voi.I,p.195.87. M.I.B.,inv.26443,apudM.Guboglu,op .cit..Voi.I,p.204.

88. M.I.B.,inv.26499,apudM.Guboglu,op .cit.,Voi.I,p.204.89. M.I.B.,inv.26513,apudM.Guboglu,op .cit..Voi.I,p.208.90. FormoreinformationsabouthimseeGh.Bezviconli,ManucBei,2ndedition,Chi-

lo


20/31

308 FlorinMarinescu

ocassuet andcheese,5.000ocasbeansandlentil,2.000ocasbrimstone,150.000

eggs,2.000ocasiufkaand5.000candles91.Thisdocumentisinteresting,

sinceitthrowsintoboldreliefthesubstantialscaleonwhichthisArmenian

merchanttraded.Hisnamewillbementionedagaininthisstudy.Alsoworth

mentioning

are

his

commercial

relationships

not

only

with

Ottoman

high

officials,butwithprivatemerchantsaswell.Hewasthereforeconcerned

withexport-importandwithfinancialoperation.

Concerning1810,wedealwithtwounpublisheddocuments,showing

thecontributionofordinaryclergymentoPorteobligations.TheArgedio

ceseorderedthatallpriests(livinginregionswherecerealscouldnotbe

cultivated-F.M.)weretocontribute10thalerseachforfoodassignedtothe

Imperialarmy92.ThedateofthedocumentwasJ anuary5;onAugust30,

Iosif,thebishopofArges,askedpriestsanddeaconstodonatecartsofhay

tomeettheneedsoftheimperialhosts93.Wedonotknowwhethersuchsupplieswerepaidfor,orwhetherthey

weretreatedasdonationswhichwerenormalPorteobligations.Itisonly

in1812thatinformationontherequiredfoodbegantoappear.OnNovem

ber

14,therewererequiredforthehostandthegunnersofthebeilerbey

(generalgovernor)SahinAlipasha,whohadbeenalsonamedvice-governor

andmuhafzofSilistra,3.000kilasbarleyand150.000ocasflour,tobefor

wardedtoSilistra,underthecontrolofthePrince94.

Big quantitiesofcerealswereclaimedoneyearlater.OnMarch15,

the

governor

ofSilistra

asked

Ioannis

Karatzas,

on

behalfofthe

Porte,

to

send

165.000

kilas

wheat

to

Constantinople

and

75.000

kilas

barley

to

the

troopsontheDanube(thedocumentisnotpublished)95.

OnJ anuary8,1813,theaian(mayor)ofRustchuk,AbdulahBosniac,

askedIoannisKaratzastopermitOmeragatobuy15.000ocasofgoatsuet

fromWallachia,fortheneedsofthepeopleofhisdomain9.OnMarch26,

twoTurks(perhapsmerchants)fromBrilasoughttheinterventionofthe

postelnic(courtmarshalofWallachia)toauthorisethedespatchof56.000

inu,1938.

AbouthimandotherArmenianmerchantsseeH.Dj.Sinini,Armeniiin

viafaeconomicafrilorromne ti(TheArmeniansintheEconomicLifeoftheRomanianPrin

cipalities),Bucharest,

1944.

91.M.I.B.,inv.42381photocopy,apudM.Guboglu,op .cit..Voi.I,p.198.

92.A.S.B.,DCVn/26(markofB.A.),unpublisheddocument.

93.A.S.B.,DCVn/27(markofB.A.),unpublisheddocument.

94.A.S.B.,Turkishdocument,1/1,apudM.Guboglu,op .cit..Voi.I,p.221.

95.A.S.B.,DCVII/271(markofB.A.),unpublisheddocument.

96.A.S.B.,Turkishdocument1/36,apudM.Guboglu,op .cit..Voi.I,p.222.


21/31


ocasofmeltedsuetto thePorte97.ItwasnotonlythePrincewhogavepermits

forgatheringWallachianproducts,butthekapikehayesaswell.

OnApril1,thennazr(inspector)oftheimperialkapan,elHadjHasan

aga,informedthekethda(manageroftheimperialpantry)thatSeemen-

dreli

Abdul-Kerimagahad

deliveredtothekapan

60sacksand

6.000

ocas

cheese,whichhadbeenboughtinWallachiaaccordingtothepermitofthe

kapikehaya98.

OnApril23,thetwokapikehayasofConstantinople[MichaelGr.Soutsos

andScarlatN.Rosetti]senttoJ .Karatzas2firmans:1)tostopwheatbeing

soldatapricelowerthanthepricefixedbythePorte;2)tostopmorewheat

beinggroundthanwasneeded99(anunpublisheddocument).Bothdocuments

wereintendedtoeliminateexporttoothermarketsforadvantageousprices.

OnMay26,1813,themollaofNicopoleaskedJ .Karatzastofacilitate

the

obtaining

offood

and

timberatthe

currentprice

fromvillages

onthebanksoftheriverOlt.Itwasalsomentionedthattheywereintendedfor

theraiaandnotforthemerchants100.Theherdsofcattle,sheeporlambs

were

stillpaidforatthemarketprice,andthemerchantsandbutchershad

topaywhenaskedtobythemollaofSilistra101.

ThefollowingdocumentwasissuedonApril23-May1,bySultan

MahmudII,anditrepeatedtheformerstipulationsregardingthetermson

whichthe

kapanlii

wereallowedtobuymerchandiseinWallachia.Thefol

lowingtermswereimposed:themerchantshavingcomein thecountrywould

receive

from

the

prince

the

tezkere

(passport),

specifying

the

place

wheretheycouldbuyfood,beitafairoragangway;thesellershadtobepaidfor

thefoodatthecurrentpriceandineash(ourownunderlining-F.M.).

Theywerenotallowedtobuyocafromotherplaces,nortotakefood

oranythingelsefromtheinhabitants.Theywerealsoforbiddentogobeyond

thespecifiedarea,ortotroubletheinhabitantsinanyway.Whenleaving,

theyhadtoreturnthetezkereandtorenderanaccountof thequantityof

foodtheyhadbought102.

Amongthedocumentsof1813,aretobefoundafewnamesofkapanl

merchants,suchastheonesappertainingtothekapanfortallow(SeidHadj

97. A.S.B.,Turkish document1/54,apudM.Guboglu,op.

cit.,Voi.I,p.223.

98.A.S.B.,Turkishdocument1/53,apudM.Guboglu, op .

cit..Voi.I,p.223.

99.A.S.B.,DCIQ/28(markofB.A.)unpublisheddocument.

100.A.S.B.,Turkishdocument1/33,apudM.Guboglu,op.cit..Voi.I,p.224.

101.A.S.B.,Turkishdocument1/51,apudM.Guboglu,op .cit..Voi.I,p.225.

102.A.S.B.,ms.21,f.33-34,translatedintoGreek,apudM.Guboglu,op .cit..Voi.,

p.421.


22/31

310 FlorinMarinescu

Aliaga,Hasanaga,IbrahimzadeelHadjMehmedaga,KavasogluMustafa

aga,Akkermanel-HadjMustafaaga,a.o.;andamongtheonespertaining

to

thekapanofhoneyareNazrKapanlelHadjMasan,el-HadjMustafa,

el-HadjHalilSalikaga,HafizMehmed103.

Itisstillin

1813thatJ .

Karatzas,PrinceofWallachia,

rejectedthepre-

tensionsoftheinhabitantsofthefortressofVidin,whowerelayingclaim

bythreatstoamuchbiggerquantityoffood,whichtheymaintainedwas

neededbytheirregion.Inordertosatisfythem,thePrinceinvitedanorder

forlargestquantityofcerealstheywereabletodeliver.Theywerealsotold

that in1813therewasadroughtandthatIstanbulwasconsumingagreat

quantityofcereals.

Asforsuet,thePrincewrotethattheycouldnotdeliversomuchevery

month,asthefivecountriesofOlteniaproducedannually80.000ocasof

suet104;thiswasoneof thefewindicationsto

befound

incertain

countries

ofWallachiaonsuetproductionintheZalhanas.

ItgoeswithoutsayingthattheinhabitantsandtheOttomanarmysettled

inthefortresseslaidclaimtoconsiderablymorethanthePrincipalitycould

produce,eventuallyleadingtothenecessarymeasurestakenbytheprinces.

Largecattle herdsandbigquantitiesofsuetortchirvish(meltbeeftallow),

a.o.,weresenttotheEmpirethefollowingyear(1814).

18.385ocasofsuetandtchirvish,yieldedbytwohersofoxenandone

ofcowsweresenttoSilistrabytwokapanliimerchants105106.Another18.000

ocas,

were

cut

from

300

oxen

(60

ocas

fromeach

ox

and

were

sent

bythekapanlJ adj

Mustafa)100.

In1815,HadjMustafawasgiven153.000ocasoftallow,suet,and127

weighingmachinesofpastrami,obtainedfromtwoherdscomprising227

oxen.

Anumberofciphersshowingthebigquantitiesofanimalproductssent

arementionedinthedocumentof September6;10kapanliimerchants,sup-

portedbyJ .Karatzas,bought15herdsofbeef(2.173headofcattle)and22

herdscows(3.133head)whichyielded229.170ocasoftallowsandtchervish

and1.800weighingmachinesof pastrami107.

That

same

year,

eight

merchants

bought

1.448

oxen

and

1.006

cows

103.A.S.B.,Turkishdocument1/50,apudM.Guboglu,op .cit..Vol.I,p.224.

104.A.S.B.,DLXXXVU/101(markofB.A.),apudM.Guboglu,op.cit..Vol.I,p.232.

105. A.S.B.,Turkish document1/52,apudM.Guboglu,op.cit..Vol.I,p.240.

106.A.S.B.,Turkishdocument1/56,apudM.Guboglu,op.cit..Vol.I,p.242.

107.A.S.B.,Turkishdocument1/18,apudM.Guboglu,op .cit..Vol.I,p.245.


23/31


(theciphersbeingtakenfromaregisterfromSeptember30,1815)loa.Amongthe

countriesthroughoutwhichtheTurkstraveledtotakefoodwerealso

PrahovaandScuieni;andsodid,after1816,SeidSuleimanagaspeople108109.

ThekapanliofBrilaaskedJ .Karatzastourgethegatheringofthemerchan-

diseas60vesselswerewaitingatthegangwayofBrilatotransportittothe

Porte110.

Concerning1817,nodocumentswerefoundonsuppliesassignedtothe

Porte.However,accordingtoastatisticaltableoftheTsaristconsulatein

Bucharest,between

1812and1817Wallachiaexported448.750

kilas(of

Brila)withanannualaverageof89.750kilas111.For1818,

wehave

several

documentsshowingthelargevolumeofex-

portstoConstantinople.

Forinstance,onOctober14,MahmudIIorderedIbrahimPashathe

generalgovernorofSilistra totakeoverandstoreinthebarnsofthefortressallthefoodhehadreceivedfromWallachia.Ithadalreadybeenpartially

paidforbytheEmpirestreasurywith94.750gurushes,representingthepriceof25.000kilasofreddishwheat,15.000kilasofmilletand10.000kilas

ofbarley112.

OnOctober2-11,byafirman,10.000moreConstantinoplekilasof red

wheatand10.000morekilasofbarnsbarleyfromthelatestharvestwereas-signedfordepositintheBrilafortress.

Thiswasaddedtothequantityalreadyregulatedi.e.1.000Constantinople

kilas

ofbarley,

2.000

Brila

kilas

of

milletand

17.000Constantinople

kilasofred

wheat113.

Here

is

therefore

a

concomitant

useofbothmeasureunits,aswellas

anillustrationoftheimportantrolethemarketofBrilawasplaying,that

rolehavingalreadybeenemphasizedbyC.C.Giurescu.

On

October2-30,anotherfirmanaskedtheprincetosupplytheAda-

Kalehfortress,onthetributesaccount,withflour,2.000kilasofmilletfrom

Brila,andwhatwasleftof100.000ocasyieldedbytheharvestof1815.

They

werewaitingbeforethearrivalofwinterfor82.000ocasof

108. A.S.B.,Turkishdocument1/3,apndM.Guboglu,op .cit..Vol.I,p.245.109. A.S.B.,Turkishdocument1/95,apudM.Guboglu,op .cit.,Vol.I,p.248.

110. A.S.B.,Turkishdocument1/41,apudM.Guboglu,op .cit.,Vol.I,p.248.111. C.C.Giurescu,Istoriatiora luiBrila(TheHistoryoftheTownofBrila),p.101.112. A.S.B.,Microphilm23(113and114copies,115)apudM.Guboglu,op .cit..Voi.,

p.428.

113. A.S.B.,Turkishdocument1/31,apudM.Guboglu,op .cit.,Voi.I,p.254.


24/31

312 Florin

Marinescu

flourand40.000kilasmillet114;andon2-31Octoberanother1870kilas

wererequestedfromBraila,atthecurrentprice.Previouslyreceivedfor

Silistra

were25.000Constantinoplekilasof redwheat,15.000kilasofmillet

andasmuchbarley,incash(94.750gurushes)115.

An

obligation

not

yet

found

in

documents

is

the

one

granting

yearly,byimperialfirman,20.000ocasflour(takenfromWallachia)assignedto

theKoshaiCossaks(livingintheregionofZaporoje).Bysened,onNovem

ber

20,Andreia

Lola,

astewardof theCossaks,confirmedthathehadre

ceivedsuchaquantityfromthestewardoftheWallachianPrince116.The

quantityofsuetobtainedfromeachanimalcutwasbetween40ocas(ac

cordingtotheDivanboyarsofthePorte)and60ocas(accordingtotheOt

tomans).Forthepreviousyears,thequantitieshadbeen52.5ocasfromeach

oxand32.5ocasfromeachcow117.Tallowwascarriedbyship.

In

the

same

period

of

time,

the

great

vizire

Dervish

Mehmed

PashareproachedthePrincebecause thetimberforthebuttsneededbythefortresses

ofRustchuk,Nicopole,Hrova,SilistraandMatin,hadnotyetarrived.Aselmwoodcouldnotbefound,theviziredemandedthat500pieces

ofoakshouldbedeliveredtothegangwayof Brila,inordertobesentby

ship.

OnFebruary26thefollowingyear,44.000Constantinoplekilasofwheat

and51.000kilasofbarley,stillfromtheharvestof1816,weresenttoCon

stantinople.

The

transport

expenses

are

also

mentioned.

They

attained

the

cipherof43.553.28gurushesontheroutebetweenCalarasiandGiurgiu118.

Alsomentionedarerequestsforposthorses,whichthegreatmerchant

HagiIanuwasaskedtoassistinobtainingonFebruary25,1818119.

Fromtheharvestof1819,44.000Constantinoplekilasofwheatand

51.000 kilasofbarley120,and2.000kilasofmilletand40.000ocasofflour121

weresenttothePorte,onJ uly28,forthebarnsofAda-Kaleh.

AccordingtoVoivodeAl.Soutsos484.000kilasmilletwerealsosent

114.A.S.B.,Turkishdocument

1/16,apud

M.Guboglu,op.cit..Voi.I,p.254.

115.A.S.B.,Turkishdocument

1320,apud

M.Guboglu,op .

cit..Voi.I,p.255.

116.A.S.B.,Turkishdocument1/57,apud

M.Guboglu,op.cit..Voi.I,p.257.

117.BibliotecaCentralideStat(TheStateCentralLibrary-hereafterreferredtoasB.C.S.), stockM.Koglniceanu,LXXIII/1,nr.2, apudM.Guboglu,op.cit..Vol.II,p.433.118.A.S.B.,Turkishdocument1/14,apudM.Guboglu,op.cit..Voi.I,p.261.119.A.S.B.,stockHagiIanusLXXVII/12,apudM.Guboglu,op.cit..Vol.II,p.261.

120.A.S.B.,Turkishdocument1/19,apudM.Guboglu,op .cit.,Voi.I,p.269.

121.A.S.B.,Turkishdocument,1/13,apudM.Guboglu,op.cit..Voi.I,p.269,


25/31


fromWallachia,butitisnotmentionedwhen122.

AnumberofprecisedataarecomprisedinthedocumentAl.Soutsos

signedonNovember23,inwhichthequantitiesofvariousproductsobtained

bythekapanliiarementioned123.Certain

quantities

oftallow,

cheese,

honey,

melt

suet

and

tchirvishwere

senttwicethatyear(inspringandinautumn).

Springdelivery:

5.692ocastallow

30.353ocascheese

5.156ocashoney

681.775ocasmelt

suetandtchervish

A

utumndelivery:

101.934

ocas

tallow149.694ocascheese

52.141

ocashoney

100.255ocas

meltsuetandtchirvish.

Itcanseen

that

theAutumndeliverycontainedincreasedquantitiesof

allproductsexceptmeltedsuetandtchervish,whichwerenearly7timesless.

Forthefollowingyears,weencounterednopublisheddocuments,nor

didwefindanyunpublishednoticesconcerningfoodsenttothePorte.

OnlyonNovember24,1820,thefollowingsuppliesweresenttoClarai

on

behalf

of

Caimacam

Constantine

Negri

for

the

Ottoman

hosts

whichhadmadeahaltinBucharest,BradaandIai:

415.780piecesofbreadof750gramseach,824ocasofmeatfor13pence

oneocaand1.625kilasbarleyandcor.Thesupplieswerefor41days,bet-

weenMay12,andSeptember30,1820124.

Beforeanyappreciation,itmustbeemphasizedthatthedocuments

mentioned

do

not

purporttopresentafullycomprehensivepictureofthe

merchandisesentbythePrincipalitytothePorte.Thisiswhywecannot

compileastatisticaltable,basedoneitherexactannualoraveragefigures,

illustratingthequantitiesdemanded,withorwithoutinsistenceandregularity.Weshall

simplyenumeratetheproducts

wemetindocumentsandin

publishedwritings:

Cereals(wheat,barley,millet,soyabeans,lentils,com).

122.A.S.B.,Turkishdocument,1/13,apudM.Guboglu,op .cit..Vol.I,p.269.

123. A.S.B.,Turkishdocument,IV/314,apudM.Guboglu,op .cit..Vol.I,p.272.

124.A.S.B.,DCCCXXX/156(markofB.A.),apudM.Guboglu,op .cit.,Vol.II, p.441.


26/31

314 FlorinMarinescu

Herewemustalsomentionriceandderivatives(flour,bread,biscuits).Animals(sheep,goats,lambs,cows,oxen,horses)andderivatives(eggs,

cheese,butter,marrow,pastrami,tchervish).

Fish

Wood-timber,firewoodVariousproducts,suchashoney,wax,cartsofhay,falcons,salt,oil,salt

petre,potassiumnitrate125.

Ifweassumethatlargequantitiesofmerchandise(cerealsandcattle)

weretakenfromWallachiaduringthelongwarperiods,thedocumentsshowanincreasein

Wallachianobligations.

Themerchandiseclaimedinlargequantitiesduringthisperiod1791-1821wasprovidedbytheRomanianPrincipalityonlywithgreatdifficulty.

Nevertheless,as

C.C.Giurescuexplains,therewassomelimitationon

thelowpricespaidforrequisitionedgoods,

particularly

for

cereals,

for

thesimplereasonthatifpricespaidwerecuttoofarproducerswouldceaseto

produce

andmarkettheirgoods.Furthermore,theprincestoodtolossif

pricesforsuchproductsascereals,fish,honey,waxetc.werefixedattoolow

alevelbecausethiswouldmakeitdifficultforproducerstopaytheirdues

to theTreasury,whichwouldhaveanadverseeffect onhisincome126.Intime,juridicalregulationsreplacedeverythingarbitrarilyimposed

andthepricespaidformerchandiseenabledthePrincipalitytopaytheharac

andmeetitsotherobligationstothePorte.

IV.THEFREETRADEBETWEENWALLACHIAANDTHEOTTOMANEMPIRE

TheOttomanPortedidnot

retain

allthe

products

whetherrawor

remadeitreceivedfromtheWallachiaPrincipalityinitsroleasakiler

(imperialpantryorgranary).

In

additiontoheavyobligations,oftenthecauseofunrest,Wallachia

was

alsoengaged,between1791and1821,innormal,freecommercialex-changeswithotherpartnersoftheOttomanEmpire.

Exports,whetherthe

kapanlis

admitted

itor

not,increasedthe

countrys

125. C.C.Giurescu,SurlesrelationsentrelepeupleroumainetlEmpireOttomantraverslessicles,inTurhTarihKongressi,Ankara,1973,p.594.126. Ibidem,Istoriaora uluiBrila(TheHistoryoftheTownofBrila),p.102.See:

C.C.GiurescusopinionsontheTurkishmonopolyinhiswork:Problemecontroversate

aleistoriografieiromne ti(ControversialproblemsofRomaniansHistoriography),Bucha

rest,1977,pp.87-122.ThechapterCaracterulrelatiilordintreromniiturci(ThenatureoftherelationsbetweenRomaniansandTurks).


27/31


income.Butattimes,insteadofgoingtothetreasurythemoneyfoundits

wayintothepocketsoftheprinceorthoseofhisdignitaries.

AfairlylargenumberofproductspenetratedthemarketofWallachia,

beingrequiredbyrichandpooralike,inthatwaycompetingtheimageof

anactivetradebetweenthetwocountries.

Mostofthemerchandisefreelyforwardedorimportedismentioned

intheCataloguesofCustomsV.A.UrechiapublishedintheHistoryof

theRomanians.Weshouldmakeitclearthattherearetobefoundnotonly

suchproductsthataretypicalofeverycountry;therearealsoidenticalones

butof variousqualities,beingcommercializedinbothdirections.

Forinstance,thecatalogueof1803,featurestheaba(akindofcloth

ofthickwool)whichcomesherefromtheTurkishLand,andfurtheron,

theabawhichgoesfromheretotheTurkishLand127.Fromallthesecata

loguesfortheyears

1792128,

1803129,

1807130and

1822131,

as

well

as

fromothertestimoniestobefoundintheXlthvolumeoftheabove-mentioned

book,fromtheyears1802(pp.305-309),1803(pp.317-321),1804(pp.SII

SI5),1806(pp.322-326),weselectproductswhich,arespecifiedtogetothe

TurkishLandorwhichareintheTurkishLand.

Wementionbelowthemaincategoriesofexportedmerchandise:

a) animals:buffaloeswhichleavetheTurkishLand,butonlyifI permitit,

bymyownwriting132,oxen,cows(theytooifallowedtogototheTurk

ishLand),horses(exportedbymyownwrittenapproval),aswellas

animal products:pressed

cheese

and

ordinary

cheese

(which

goes

totheTurkish

Land,

but

is

not

intended

for

the

kapan

ofTsarigrad

but

for

otherplaces),andpastrami.

b) technicalplants(country-sidetobacco);cerealderivatives-flour.

c) remadetextilesofavegetalnature(rope)andofanimalsource(aba,

passementerie,cloth).

d) rawskins(oxen)andremadeskins.

e) wood-timber.

f) fruit-apples;prepared-wins.

g)various -honey,tar,pitch.

Nearly

all

the

documents

found,

whether

published

or

unpublished,

127. V.A.Urechia,IstoriaRomnilor,Vol.XI,Bucharest,1900,pp.206-207.

128.V.A.Urechia,op .cit..Vol.IV,pp.233-252.

129.V.A.Urechia,op .cit..Vol.XI,pp.206-251.

130. Ibidem,pp.581-683.

131. V.A.Urechia,op .cit..Vol.XIII, Bucharest,1901,pp.203-242.

132. V.A.Urechia,op .cit.,Vol.IV,p.233.


28/31

316 FlorinMarinescu

dealwithproblemsofsaltexporttotheEmpire.

OnAugust10,1806,NehmedEmin,thechiefofthecustomsatthegang-

waysofHrova,confirmedreceiptfromIancu,thekethda(bailifformanager

oftheprincelyorimperialpantry)ofBrailathequantityof167.000ocasof

salt133.

Oneyearlater,

onOctober30,

Mehmedagaconfirmedhis

owndebts

of651gurushes,i.e.thecounter-valueofthesalthehad receivedfromkethda

Anton134135.

AnunpublisheddocumentfromOctober12,1812leadsustobelieve

thatRegepaga,whohasrelationshipswiththegreatmerchantHagiMoscu,

informedthelatter,fromAda-Kaleh,thathehadintervenedwiththeTurk-

ishcaimacansfromRustchukandanothertwoports,withtheaimofper-

suadingthemtostoptakingcustomforsalt136.

Otherunpublisheddocumentsmentionthatthequantityofsalthad

increased

somuchthatitcouldno

longerbe

storedand

AthanasieEmanuelConstantin

hadaskedforatemporarystoppageoftransportacrosstheDa-

nube.Theonlysaltdeliveryin1812wastothewarehouseofRuova(Orova)

where500.000ocasweredeposited136.

Exportofsaltwasinexchangeforiron,whichwasonceunloadedat

Ceme(iinsteadofGiurgiu137,becausetheyfearedtheSerbians,andon another

occasionbecausetheforwarderrefusedtotakesaltand,so,thegreat dignitary

loanHagiMoscudidnolongerreceivetheironsenttohim138.

Itisstillsalt(itsquantitybeingimprecise),and20.000ocasoftchervish,

thatBosniacAbdullahaskedManucbeytosendhim,throughKarakasOcul-lari,toRustchuk(adocumentdatedMay

11,

1810).

The kapanliimerchants,besidegatheringproductstoprovisionthecapital

city,practisedaprivatetrade.In1793,forinstance,theyaskedC.A.Mou-

rousisforpermissiontocutthegoatstheyhadboughtintheWallachianfairs139.

In

anunpublisheddocument

infactaregisterdiarycoveringthe

period

1806

to

1811,andbelongingtoatrade-houseofSmimaandCon-

stantinople,mentionismadeof atraderofBucharest,ApostolOfetaru;he

usedtosendhispartnersoftheEmpiretallowandtextilessuchascotton,

133. M.I.B.,inv.no.26489,apudM.Guboglu,op .cit..Vol.I,p.175.

134. M.I.B.,inv.no.26467,apudM.

Guboglu,op.

cit..

Vol.I,p.184.

135.A.S.B.,DCCCXXVI/58(markofB.A.)unpublisheddocument.

136.A.S.B.,DCCCXXVI/57(markofB.A.)unpublisheddocument.

137. A.S.B.,DCCCXXVI/58(markofB.A.)unpublisheddocument.

138. A.S.B.,DCCCXXVI/128(markofB.A.)unpublisheddocument.

139.GeorgetaPenelea,r.esfoiresdeValachiependantla priode1774-1848,Bucharest,

1973,p.83.


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fibresanddyes140.OthermerchantsofBucharesthadbusinessrelations,between1813and

1816,withthetradehouseofIoann/MichaelofConstantinople.

TheywereMichaelHagiDimuandhiscompany,Ioann.Zakinopol,

StephanNedelcuandCulogluBrothers141.

Therewasahugeexporttrade,greatlyappreciatedinEurope,inleeches.

Inthisconnection,GeorgePotrwrote:Eversincethefirsttwodecades

ofthe19thcentury,astrongdemandforleecheshasbeennotedinCentral

Europe,especiallyinAustria,theresultbeingthatthesewormscommanda

highprice,notonlyinWallachia,butalsobeyondtheDanube,inTurkish

territories142.

Theforegoinginformation,extractedfromdocumentsandotherwrit-

ings,coverstheexportofWallachian products toConstantinopleintheframe-

work

ofnormal

commercial

relations.

Furtherinvestigation

will

no

doubtleadtothediscoveryof othercategoriesofmerchandisesenttotheEmpire.

WeshallnowdwellupontheimportofTurkishproductstoWallachia

andweshallbeginagainwiththeonesmentionedinthecataloguesofthe

above-mentionedcustoms.

Wechosesomeproductseitherspecifyingthattheyarecomingfrom

Tsarigrad,Brasaetc.ormentioningtheTurkishtownwheretheyhadbeen

produced(butthemerchantwasnotobligedtotakeproductsoverandfor-

wardthembeyondtheDanube);somedescribedasfromtheTurkishLand;

andotherswhichalthoughnotspecifyingtheirplaceoforiginaretraditionallyTurkish

(particularly

clothes).

We

also

chose,

eventually

but

with

some

uncertaintyproductstowhichthewordTurkishwasapplied.These

aredoubtfulstarterssinceinWallachiatherewerepeoplemakingso-called

Turkishproducts143.

Weshallmentionalltheseitemsincategories:

1.Textileproducts:

a. vegetalrawmaterialsTsarigradcottonandBrasacotton.

b. animalproducts:flosssilkfromTsarigrad;primewool.

140.B.A.

Greek

Manuscript1007unpublished.

141.B.A.GreekManuscript1008unpublished.

142. GeorgePotr,PracticalipitorilorinterapeuticaromneascdinsecolulalXlX-leaicomertulculipitoriinTaraRomneasc(TheuseofleechesintheRomanianmedicine

duringtheXIXcenturyandtheWallachiastradeinleeches),in Dinistoriamedicinarom-ne ti(FromthehistoryofRomanianmedicine),Bucharest,1962,p.285.

143. In1832,forinstance,amancalledNicahadafactoryforTurkishdyedcotton-

threadandtherewereprobably alsootherpeople likehim,


30/31

318 FlorinMarinescu

c. re-madetextilefabrics:vegetalcottonthreadorcottonspunin

Smirna;cottonmixedwithsilk,satingmixedwithsilk,kerchiefs,velvet

cushions.

d. animal:shawls,thickwoolencloths,goldenthread,Brusasilk,Tsari-

gradpeasantsskirts,muslin,Tunuzfezes,Tsarigradslippers(boughtontheterritoryoftheTurkishland).

2. Rawskinsfox,marten,wolf,otter,polecat,fitchremadeskinshorse

tannedskin;saddles,boots(andboot-soles)madeinEderne.

3. Fishasortofgreymullet,sturgean,skipper,saltfish.

4. Fruitandtheirderivativesgrapes,winebrandymadeinTsarigrad,

raisinsfromIzmir.

5. PlantsTurkishtobacco,anise,saffron;wecouldaddherethesugar,

thechickpeaandthekhalva.

6. Variousproducts:gunpowder,paper,vermicellimadeinTsarigrad,greenolivesfromTsarigrad,soapmadeinIsmir,whitesandal.

Toallsuchmerchandisenotedinthecustomregisters,couldbeadded

(quotingtheabove-mentionedstudybyGeorgetaPenelea)thefollowing

textileproducts:cottonofAnatolia,TocatOtdeiar,Abekir,satinofConstan

tinople,silkfromConstantinople,satinmixedwithcottonofConstantinople,

aswellasbeltsofAndrinople,skirtsofBrusaandskirtsofConstantinople144.

AfewdocumentsattesttheimportofTurkishmerchandise.For instance,

tefanloanMoscuaskedfromConstantinopletobesent10bigspinylobsters

inbrine,

and

tobacco

aswell,

because

the

tobacco

ofBucharest

isexpensive

andofbadquality145.

ThemerchantofCraiovaKrkPoluzkar(whowasprobablyanAustrian

subjectsincehewasdenouncedtoMerkelius,theconsuloftheHapsburgh

Empire)hadimportedwoolfromHadjiHalilMolozadeandditnotpay

himthe1.431gurushes146.

Instead,thewell-knownArmenianmerchantManucpaidtoMustafa

pasha27.898,1/2gurushes,forthesilkhehadboughtfromthelatter,as

GhehaiazadeAhmedpaidhim,alsoforsilk,20.000gurushes147.

144. GeorgetaPanelea,op.cit.,p.81.

145.D.Limona,E.Moisuc,CasacomercialaHagi-MoscuitefanloanMoscudin

Bucureti(TheTradeHouseloanHagiMoscuandtefanloanMoscuofBucharest),in

RevistaArhivelor,no.3/1975,p.259.

146. A.S.B.,AgentiaAustriaca(Austrian Agency), II/9(markofB.A.), unpublisheddocu-

ment.

147. M.I.B.,inv.no.35.157,apudM.Guboglu,op.cit.,Vol.I,p.196,


31/31


In1795,AlexanderMourousisrequestedforhisownneedstwocurtains(onecurtain=22ocas=27.962kg.),alsocoffee,and15sacksand15basketswitholiveoil,forhisownuse148.

Thesedocumentscompletethetableofthemerchandiseimportedby:Wallachia

from

the

Ottoman

Empire.

Inconclusion,fromalltheabove-mentioneddataitisclearthat,ontheonehand,thePorteclaimedlargequantitiesofmerchandisewhichWal-lachiawasobligedtosend149,despitethefactthatWallachianssufferedinconsequence.

Ontheotherhand,however,WallachiahadfreetraderelationswithpartnersintheOttomanEmpire.Later,ofcourse,theTreatyofAndrinoplegavetheRomanianprincipalitiesfullcommercialliberty,andtheywereno

longerobligedtoprovisionthefortresseserected

ontheDanubeandin

Con-

stantinople.

Center

forNeo-HellenicResearch

Athens

148.W.Eton,Tableauhistorique,politiqueetmodernedelEmpireOttoman,2ndedition,

Vol.

II,Paris,

1801,

p.17.

149. 57,4%ofthetotalvalueofWallachiasexportableproductsin1820.SeeA.Otetea,Ptrundereacomerfuluiromnescincircuitulinternational(ThepenetrationofRoumaniantradeintotheinternationalcircuit),Bucharest,1977,p.72.