Source Collection: The World in 1750
Document 1
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Author |
Boynueğri Seyyid Abdullah Paşa |
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Date and location |
1749, Constantinople, Ottoman Empire (modern-day Turkey) |
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Source type |
Primary source – letter |
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Description |
Letter from Ottoman grand vizier to the governor of Sidon, reminding the governor of the Ottoman order. This particular letter is focused on the pilgrimage caravan that passes through the Middle East on its way to the holy city of Mecca. Written in a lyrical, upper class Ottoman style full of euphemisms and formal phrasing, this letter is in fact a stern warning and a reminder about Ottoman goals in the provinces. It asserts the Ottoman worry about protecting ordinary people, particularly those in Sidon and nearby Damascus during the time of pilgrimage. Ensuring the safety of passing pilgrims was important to Ottoman rulers’ legitimacy, but it was also difficult and costly. That made collecting taxes pretty important. The governor of Sidon had failed to collect taxes, earning this warning from the grand vizier. |
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Citation |
Amin, Camron Michael, Benjamin C. Fortna, and Elizabeth Brown Frierson. The Modern Middle East: A Sourcebook for History. Oxford University Press, 2006. |
My honorable, felicitous colleague, Excellency:
Because offices in the Exalted Everlasting State were... arranged according to... principles of... good order, in the well-protected imperial dominions, to protect, comfort, and arrange the affairs of the [common people]... and to regulate and advance... the interests of the Exalted State... and in order to achieve good and beneficial causes, to each of the great provinces in the well-protected imperial dominions, by appointing and assigning a governor from among the great viziers, their [agreement] and unity are needed for continuously advancing [state] interests and obtaining the comfort of the people...
... collecting the [land taxes] which are entrusted to the obligation of the governors of Sidon, and supervising and advancing the other interests of the Exalted State, are dependent on the [agreement] and mutual support of the governors of Damascus... [who] are appointed to the duty of administering... the caravan of the commander of the Muslim pilgrims.
... some coolness has resulted between you and the current governor of Damascus, the honorable vizier, Esat [Pasha]. Because the occurrence of this state of affairs is discerned and understood, the matter with which you are charged—collecting the miri revenues—entails agitation and difficulty. If it were necessary to listen to the... [aristocrats], payment of the miri revenues charged to them would be accomplished carelessly... collecting the money to be transferred for [purchasing] provisions for the imperial fortresses, and assigning the duty of dispatching the cerde at the proper time would become impeded by delay... [and] suffer disorder.
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Glossary Viziers: high-ranking officials in the Ottoman Empire who advised the sultan and governed provinces |
Document 2
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Author |
Ahmad Budayri al-Hallaq |
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Date and location |
1749, Damascus, Ottoman Empire (modern-day Syria) |
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Source type |
Primary source – personal chronicle |
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Description |
Many Syrian commoners wrote chronicles during the eighteenth century. Rather than a formal history, focused on rulers and religious leaders, these chronicles describe ordinary people living their daily lives within their local communities and networks. The interest in news from other areas in the Arab provinces, as well as pilgrimage routes, suggest a robust network in the region and a broader sense of community. |
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Citation |
Amin, Camron Michael, Benjamin C. Fortna, and Elizabeth Brown Frierson. The Modern Middle East: A Sourcebook for History. Oxford University Press, 2006. |
The Year 1162 AH (1749 CE)
... the common people continue to suffer under the weight of the high cost of living...
... the official messenger of the hajj caravan arrived in town... the carrier of letters from the pilgrims also arrived... the caravan itself finally arrived in town...
... a bitter cold snap gripped the city. Folks started selling coal by the basket-full, carrying it on their heads... They roamed the markets and neighborhoods.
... an official messenger from Istanbul arrived to call upon... the emir of the hajj and the governor of Damascus... this message came directly from the imperial palace so he ordered a firework display to mark the occasion. Imperial guards and regular forces raced toward the governor’s palace. The people of Damascus thought that a skirmish had taken place so the town shut down. The governor was informed and responded, ‘Fire the cannon and light the fireworks once again.’ The order was filled and the common folk calmed down and opened their shops...
High prices continued to mount... The common people were in deep distress.
The rise in prices... continued unabated... Thus, the misfortune and subjugation of the common people continued.
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Glossary Hajj: the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, a religious duty for Muslims |
Document 3
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Author |
Anonymous Indigenous Americans |
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Date and location |
1770s–1781, the Andes region |
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Source type |
Primary sources – poems |
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Description |
Pasquinades are poems that criticized colonial authorities—sometimes in crude verse and sometimes publicly. These poems were written sometime in the 1770s but before 1781 in the Andes region, in towns like Cochabamba, Arequipa, Cuzco, and La Paz, where unrest was building. In 1781, there was a general insurrection. The first pasquinade is against the customs-house official Bernardo Gallo—who was ultimately executed by angry insurrectionists sometime after this poem was written. The second calls for the removal of the King of Spain. |
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Citation |
Thomson, Sinclair, Rossana (Barragán Romano) Barragán R., Xavier Albó, Seemin Qayum, and Mark Goodale. The Bolivia Reader: History, Culture, Politics. Duke University Press, 2018. |
Pasquinade 1
Pluck this thieving old gallo, cut up some juicy morsels, and into the river with him. There’s no feigning ignorance or saying his downfall was sudden, as this is the third warning. Such a shame that many will pay for this thieving scoundrel.
the miserable
conniving
corregidor
the Devil take this
cursed fellow, pluck
this evil gallo
these gentlemen
are the thieving
royal officials
and after these will follow those who the nineteenth of this month, are
[guilty] and those who are not it will turn out badly for whoever does
not defend the patria (nation).
Pasquinade 2
Long live God’s law and the purity of Mary! Death to the king of Spain and may Peru come to an end! For he is the cause of such iniquity. If the monarch knows not the insolence of his ministers, the public larceny, and how they prey upon the poor, long live the king and death to all these public thieves since they will not rectify that which is asked of them. This is the second warning and there is no rectification. We will weep with grief since because of two or three miserable thieves among us many innocent lives will be lost and as much blood will run through streets and squares as the streets of La Paz can hold water! The nineteenth of this month, let him beware who does not defend the creoles.
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Glossary Gallo: rooster |
Document 4
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Author |
Sultan Badi IV (d. 1764) |
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Date and location |
1744, Sinnar Sultanate (modern-day Sudan) |
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Source type |
Primary source – royal charter |
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Description |
This charter confirms the renewal of land rights. Written in an eloquent Arabic, this royal charter does more than simply confirm land rights; it asserts the sovereignty of the Sultan over all commercial affairs in a particular region, going so far as to prohibit the sale of a particular parcel of land. In this way, the grant is seen as permanent, regardless of the rules of external markets. It is also notable for its use of religious language as a way to mark out a political community and political authority. Lastly, the royal charter is signed with the names of witnesses, suggesting a kind of shared authority with community leaders. |
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Citation |
Spaulding, J. L. (Jay L.), and Muhhammad Ibrāhīm Abū Salīm. Public Documents From Sinnār. Michigan State University Press, 1989. |
A sultanic charter and royal document [issued] in the divinely guarded and protected city of Sinnar... aided, invested, elevated, and strengthened, and made [a protecting shelter with whom every subject may seek refuge]. He is happy in this world and, if God wills, in the next will be [a martyr. His interior is] purity, his exterior truth and fidelity. Truthful in word [and trustworthy in deed], when he speaks he speaks the truth, and when he speaks the truth he has ordained, our lord the sultan Badi the son of Sultan Nol. May God, the Merciful, [the Compassionate], grant him victory [through the influence of the sublime] Qur’an and the eminent prophet. Amen, amen, Oh Lord of the Universe.
To [the presence of all who read this] document and see the truth therein.
Thereafter: [The pious, divinely assisted and victorious sultan] has confirmed... [settlement] of his grandfather... formerly in his possession and not that of his neighbors, nor of his kinsmen by marriage who are in his [settlement]. Let no one draw near or [approach them], nor trouble them in their grant... nor pause near them along the way. Let no one carry off [even] the rope they have [thrown away]. We command you peremptorily, all you [rulers] and [officials], and [all] who are under them throughout my kingdom... and under my authority; let no one of you trouble this grant. He who troubles [it after] these my words has exposed himself to destruction. Beware, then beware of disobedience, and let [the disobedient blame] none but himself.
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Glossary Charter: a formal written document granting rights or privileges |
Document 5
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Author |
Chen, a Cantonese trader |
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Date and location |
1770s, Hôi An in Champa (modern-day Vietnam) |
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Source type |
Primary Source – personal account |
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Description |
This passage describes networks of trade and exchange between China and Southeast Asia, particularly the coastal city of Hoi An in modern-day Vietnam. In the eighteenth century, Hôi An was a bustling destination for Asian trade. |
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Citation |
Tana, Li and Anthony Reid, eds. Southern Vietnam under the Nguyen: Documents on the Economic History of Cochinchina (Dang Trong), 1607–1777. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 1993. |
... It takes only four days and nights and [about two hours] to Son Nam, but no goods other than rice can be obtained... only pepper is available from Thuan Hóa, whereas such an abundance of goods can be carried from Quang Nam that... nothing cannot be obtained there; it is superior to all other ports of Southeast Asia. The goods come from Thuân Hóa, Dien Bàn, Quy Nho’n, Quang Ngãi, Bình Khang and Nha Trang, carried by ships, boats and horse, by land and by sea, and assembled in Hôi An. That is why the Chinese like to come and buy goods to carry back. The goods are so abundant here that even a hundred large ships could not carry them all away from here....
Here the best were the Chinese cassia trees, agalloch from the eaglewood, and pearls. Red sandalwood was also produced here, but the quality was not as good as in Siam. When asked how well the goods brought from China sold here, the man said that the goods sold out... [and soon] nothing was left. Colored gauze, satin, brocade and cloth; all kinds of medicinal herbs; paper whether golden, silver or colored; slender sticks of incense; threads whether golden, silver or colored; pigments; clothes, shoes and socks; do lo flannelette [possibly patola, from Java]; glass mirrors, writing brushes and ink sticks; needles and knobs; all kinds of tables and chairs; metals; porcelains and stonewares; and all kinds of food. [All] were bought and sold here, and everyone got what he or she wanted.
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Glossary Abundance: a lot of something; having more than is needed |
Document 6
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Author |
‘Abd al-Karim Kashmiri (d. 1784) |
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Date and location |
c. 1739–1785, likely written in Dehli, possibly written during a campaign in Central Asia |
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Source type |
Primary source – historical work |
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Description |
Kashmiri was a historian of India. When the Persian Nadir Shah sacked Dehli, Kashmiri joined him as an official and traveled with him on his campaigns, recording Nadir Shah’s biography and other observations about the places they traveled. In this excerpt of his history, Kashmiri describes Central Asian lands and compares them to India. In his comparison, his love and admiration for his homeland is evident. Yet his description also gives readers a good window into Central Asia in the mid-eighteenth century. |
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Citation |
Levi, Scott Cameron, and Ron Sela. Islamic Central Asia: An Anthology of Historical Sources. Indiana University Press, 2010. |
[Nadir Shah] set out upon his expedition against Turan... and by quick marches arrived at Maruchaq. This town is well inhabited... Nadir Shah has compelled some people of the tribe of Shahun to settle here. Throughout Iran, and the bordering territories, are... wandering tribes... Like the Arabs of the desert, they wander about in quest of good pasturage and water, which when they have found, they pitch their tents and remain till their cattle have eaten up all the grass... Amongst these people, riches and property signify flocks and herds of camels, horses, oxen, sheep, and goats. Some of them... settle in towns, and apply themselves to agriculture. These customs prevail... throughout Turan.
In reflecting upon the poverty of Turan and Arabia, I was at first at a loss to assign a reason why those countries had never been able to retain wealth... it is daily increasing in Hindustan... this dissipation of the riches of a state must have happened either from some extraordinary drains, or from some defect in the government. Hindustan has been... plundered by foreign invaders, and not one of its Kings ever gained for it any acquisition of wealth; neither has the country many mines of gold and silver, and yet Hindustan abounds in money and... wealth. The abundance of species is... owing to the large importation of gold and silver in the ships of Europe and other nations, many of whom bring ready money in exchange for the manufactures and natural productions of the country...
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Glossary Pasturage: land covered with grass used for feeding animals |