{"document_url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahidn%C3%A2me"}
Official agreement of the Ottoman Empire
An Ahdname, achtiname or ahidnâme (meaning the "Bill of Oath") 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.

Historical background

The Ahdname still requires much detailed study regarding its historical background and about what type of document 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 during 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 protocols 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."

List of Venetian Ahdnames

Examples of Ottoman Ahdnames

Bibliography