Mahmud II, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (1785-1839, ruled 1808-1839). Courier Order (Firman).

€ 3,500.00

An Ottoman courier order issued during the reign of Mahmud II, addressing the governors of towns to provide the bearer of the pass with a post-horse free of charge: "Buyurdum ki hükm-i serîfimle her kanginizin taht-i hükümet ve kazasina varip dahil olur ise menzil bargiri bulunan yerlerde ücretleri menzilcilerin yedlerinde müctemi’ olan akçeden hîn-i hesâbda deynlerine mahsûb olub ol vechle bunlardan ücret talep olunmamak sartiyla yalniz bir nefer adama yalniz bir menzil bârgiri virilüp". The document further instructs governors to provide a road guide if the bearer is travelling through dangerous or unsafe territory: "mahuf ve muhatara olan mahallerde yanlarina yarar kilavuzlar kosup".

The document does not specify the bearer's name or route. From the 18th century, it was customary for clerks "to have prepared stocks of ‘blank forms’, on which the salient details of the rider(s) and the journey to be undertaken, together with the date and place of issue, might be rapidly entered" (Heywood, 292). Later these blanks would be filled by a second scribe, and golden sand would be used as an absorbent. Although the locations and the details of the bearer were left blank, the number of people who might use the decree, the date, and the place of issue are obviously filled in by a different hand. On the verso is an endorsement summarizing the decree: "one post-horse for one man". The document was given to a British seafarer and kept by his family to this day.