Beylerbey of Bosnia and Sancakbey of Herzegovina in the Diplomacy of the Dubrovnik Republic

The Bosnian beylerbeys and Herzegovinian sancakbeys were high officials of the Ottoman state posted in the immediate vicinity of Dubrovnik. These Turkish administrators played a most significant and complex role in the Ragusan diplomatic affairs with the Porte. However, an elaborate hierarchy of the Ottoman administration allowed these provincial governors to act rather independently, which may or may not have proved satisfactory to the Ragusans. Dubrovnik’s relations with the Ottoman representatives in Bosnia relied largely on gifts, money and favours, but primarily on the ability to find a personal approach in each matter

Emin (Customs Officer) as Representative of the Ottoman Empire in the Republic of Dubrovnik

The Osmanlis and the Ragusans alike recognized emin as an unofficial Ottoman consular representative to the Republic of Dubrovnik, authorized to act as a witness, interrogator, and judge. Emin’s presence facilitated trade and business arrangements between the Ottoman and the Ragusan subjects, but also contributed to the early settlement of disputes

The Conflict Between Dubrovnik and Venice 1751-1754

The conflict between Dubrovnik and Venice 1751-1754 reflected the conflict between their interests and principles which were also in collision with those of the Tripolitan corsairs. The Ottomans, from whom all three sides expected help, found themselves in a very unpleasant position. It was simply impossible to meet the expectations of all sides, i.e. their subjects the Tripolitans, their protegé and tax-payer - Dubrovnik - and their newly fledged friends - the Venetians, all had different conflicting interests. In the end, it was Dubrovnik’s turn to celebrate. The third solution found in Travnik, later known as the “Travnik Agreement”, was completely in its favor

Dragomano nostro della Porta: Dragomans of the Porte in the Service of Dubrovnik in the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries

Ragusan tribute ambassadors to the Porte needed the assistance of trained dragomans. Considering that the Ragusans did not have such language intermediaries in their service prior to the mid-sixteenth century, they used the assistance of the dragomans of the Porte, who mastered European languages, contacted and maintained correspondence with European residents, consuls, envoys and rulers, and generally, were an important source of information for the Ottomans and the Europeans alike. Owing to the abundance of sources related to this topic in the State Archives in Dubrovnik, this article aims to illuminate these professionals and their relations with the Ragusans in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries

Per favore della Soltana: Powerful Ottoman Women and Ragusan Diplomats

This article is based mainly on the letters and instructions written by the Ragusan government to its tribute ambassadors to Istanbul. Also used are the scanty surviving letters that the ambassadors addressed to their government in Dubrovnik. Although only a few Ottoman documents touch upon this topic, the information they provide has proved invaluable for this research. Emphasis has been placed on the Ragusan business dealings with Mihrimah Sultan, famous daughter of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent, as well as the relations of the Ragusan diplomats and the imperial harem

BRIGANDAGE ON THE RAGUSAN FRONTIER DURING THE MOREAN WAR (1684-1699)

The exhausting Ottoman wars waged in the vicinity of the Dubrovnik Republic were marked by disorder and anarchy. The bordering villages of the Republic’s counties (Konavle, Župa, and Primorje) became the victims of a mob law that spread from Herzegovina like a disease. The Republic’s frontiersmen thus polarized into brigands and non-brigands, their mutual hatred being particularly strong. Life in this area was characterized by constant ravages, plunder, famine, and plague. The population was unable to use the pastures and fields in Herzegovina. Small-scale trade across the border was hampered, contributing further to the unbearable conditions in the area