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The Diplomatic, Religious, and Economic Presence of the Republic of Dubrovnik (Ragusa) in Ottoman Edirne

As the first Ottoman capital on European soil, Edirne was a place of great importance for diplomats of the Republic of Dubrovnik (Ragusa). With the gradual transfer of the political center to Istanbul in the period after its conquest in 1453, Edirne ceased to be the final destination of Ragusan diplomatic missions. However, it continued to be an important station for diplomats travelling to Istanbul. As a matter of fact, Ottoman sultans often resided in Edirne in ensuing centuries as well, so that Ragusan envoys also tended to dwell in the city, particularly in the second half of the 17th century. Although the 18th century was marked by the gradual disappearance of Ragusan merchants from Balkan towns, Dubrovnik even appointed a vice- consul to Edirne at the end of the century – the first and the last one, because in 1808 the French abolished the Republic. Even though there was no official Ragusan colony in Edirne, as one of the main trade centers of the Balkans, it attracted Ragusans as well as other foreign and domestic merchants. To meet the needs of envoys, the Republic of Dubrovnik maintained a residence in the city from the mid-16th century on, if not already earlier. In addition to the residence, there was a chapel that served the spiritual needs of diplomats and other Ragusans, as well as the wider Catholic “Latin” community. The existence of the church within the residential complex was in accordance with Ragusan privileges, but contradicted postulates of Islamic law. This brought about a series of litigations that lasted over a century, ranging from petitions for the church to be repaired to disputes with Jewish neighbors. The dispute over the chapel and residence in Edirne correlated with quarrels Ragusans had in other Balkan colonies with competing local merchants, such as Orthodox Serbs and Bulgarians, Muslims, and co-religious Bosnian Catholics, indicating that the cause of the dispute in Edirne was probably not mere confessional bigotry. Moreover, the question of the Ragusan church in Edirne throws light on the complex character of Ottoman law. In its regular form, the latter already represented a complex amalgam of two different and sometimes contradictory elements, namely Islamic law (sharia), and state law (kânȗn) ; the involvement of a third, completely alien element – capitulations with a foreign state (sg. ahdnâme) – led to misunderstandings by the local authorities and numerous litigations with Ragusans and interventions by the Porte as the highest legal instance. Be it as minor as it may in comparison with the histories of other major religious and ethnic communities of the city, the Ragusan example provides an important if peculiar insight into the complex commercial, social, religious, legal, and diplomatic realities of Edirne.

Ottoman-Ragusan Relations, Diplomacy, Trade, Church

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