The Republic of Ragusa: An Episode of the Turkish ConquestVillari, Luigi
History
The Republic of Ragusa: An Episode of the Turkish Conquest
Villari, Luigi
Dubrovnik (Croatia) -- History
In March 1684 a new Holy League was formed between the Emperor Leopold
I., the King of Poland, the Pope, and the Venetians, in which Ragusa
was forced to join. But the danger from such a proceeding was now
less great, for the Turkish power was now broken. As the Austrians
had reconquered a large part of Hungary, Ragusa was considered to be
under the protection of the Emperor as ruler of that country, and on
August 20, 1684, a treaty to that effect was signed at Vienna by Baron
von Strattmann, representing Austria, and Raphael Gozze, the Ragusan
envoy, under the auspices of the Marquis of Borgamenero, the Spanish
ambassador, for Spain still had certain rights over the Republic. The
agreement was ratified by the Senate on December 1. It declared that
this protection was merely a renewal of the old Hungarian protectorate
over Ragusa, “hactenus per vim Turcicam aliquantisper interpolata,”
which the citizens requested that they “quasi postliminio gaudere et
fieri possint.” The Emperor promised to protect and defend Ragusa, to
confirm all the privileges and commercial immunities which the kings
of Hungary, his predecessors, had granted her, in exchange for which
she was to pay him a sum of 5000 ducats per annum. This payment,
however, was only to be made if and when the Austrian armies conquered
the Herzegovina. The Empire was successful in the war, and the Turks
were steadily driven back out of Hungary, where they now only held
a few isolated posts. Venice too displayed an energy and achieved a
success remarkable for a decaying State. She conquered the greater part
of the Morea, captured Athens and a number of islands, and occupied
Castelnuovo and the whole of the shores of the Bocche di Cattaro, as
well as several positions in the Herzegovina. The Morlachs in the
Venetian service made raids into Turkish territory, and did not spare
that of Ragusa. Venetian privateers threatened to destroy what remained
of the Republic’s sea-borne trade, while the closing of the land
routes practically stopped all intercourse with Turkey. The citizens
applied now to their new protector, the Emperor of Austria, who at once
sent Herberstein to Ragusa as Imperial Commissary, and he induced the
Venetians to desist from their molestations.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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