The Impact of Passarowitz. 300 Years of Continuity in Europe

Landeszeughaus

The Impact of Passarowitz 300 Years of Continuity in Europe Stations of the Exhibition

Landeszeughaus, Universalmuseum Joanneum, Herrengasse 16, 8010 Graz T +43-316/8017-9810, Di-So 10 - 17 Uhr landeszeughaus@museum-joanneum.at, www.museum-joanneum.at

About the exhibition In 1718 the Ottoman Empire and the Habsburg Empire conclude a peace and trade treaty in Passarowitz, today’s PoŞarevac in the north east of Serbia. Both treaties bring to an end hostilities between the two powers, but more besides.

They usher in a new era of relations and place future cooperation between Central Europe and the Balkan countries on the basis of international law.

The exhibition in the Styrian Armoury is devoted to the consequences of the treaties in the areas of traffic, economy, political relations, and cultural and scientific exchange to the present day.

1 Passarowitz Passarowitz is the German name for Požarevac – a city in the northeast of present-day Serbia. In 1718, an international conference was held there with the aim of putting an end to an armed conflict that had been fought on Hungarian, Serbian, Romanian, and Venetian soil. The purpose was to find peaceful ways for the Habsburg Monarchy (“Austria”) and the Ottoman Empire (“Turkey”) to coexist with each other. This led to a “development cooperation” between Central and Southeast Europe that continues until the present day.

The outcome of the conference that took place 300 years ago was a peace treaty and a trade and shipping agreement between Vienna and Constantinople, which had a major impact on their relationships for generations to come. We still enjoy the benefits of these achievements today.

The Circumstances •In 1683, the Ottomans attacked and besieged Vienna for the second time since 1529 •A “European“ alliance – consisting of the German Empire, Hungary, Poland, Russia, Venice, the Pope, and the Sovereign Order of Malta – was formed and repulsed the Ottoman forces. The war ended with the Peace Treaty of Karlowitz (Sremski Karlovci) in 1699.

Venice obtained the Peloponnes (Morea).

•The Sublime Porte (Ottoman government in Constantinople) declared war on Venice and reconquered the Peloponnes in 1715. Since the Habsburg Monarchy was allied with Venice, the Viennese Court was obliged to declare war on the Ottoman Empire in 1716.

•The fighting was successful: after the conquest of Timişoara and Petrovaradin, Belgrade was captured in 1717. Thus, a territory (North Serbia, Oltenia) was incorporated into the Habsburg domain which historically did not belong to the Kingdom of Hungary.

The Negotiations It took weeks of preparations before all the negotiators arrived in Passarowitz, all the necessary accommodations were available, and all the different government instructions were ready.

The considerable number of staff surrounding the representatives of Emperor Charles VI and Sultan Ahmed III consisted of a multitude of clerks, servants, and security groups.

The peace treaty was signed on 21 July 1718 by Damian Hugo Count of Virmont and Michael von Talman as representatives of the emperor as well as Ibrahim Ağa and Mehmed Effendi as representatives of the sultan. The accuracy of the treaty was certified by Robert Sutton (Great Britain) and Count Jacob Colyer (United Netherlands) who were involved as mediators.

The trade and shipping agreement was signed on 27 June 1718 by Anselm Franz von Fleischmann and Seifullah Effendi. In terms of long-lasting effects, this proved to be far more important than the peace treaty.

Damian Hugo Franz Adrian Anton von Virmont (1666-1722) Originally destined for priesthood like Prince Eugen of Savoy, Count Virmont became a soldier and rose steadily in the Imperial Army to the rank of general. In 1718, Emperor Charles VI commissioned the Rhinelander, who was experienced in diplomatic missions, to take control of the negotiations in Passarowitz. In 1719, Count Virmont went to Constantinople at the head of the Imperial Delegation to the court of Sultan Ahmed III.

Treaties The peace treaty as well as the trade and shipping agreements consist of 20 pagraphs each. The most important provisions are: … adopted the very salutary resolutions that once again pay due attention to reconciling bitter feelings, preventing further bloodshed, promoting prosperity and what’s best for their subjects… … merchants from both sides shall […] trade freely, safely, and peacefully in the countries of both empires; merchants and subjects of every nation from those provinces that are already subject to the Holy Roman Emperor [Charles VI] […], shall travel under the flag of the Holy Roman Empire […] be able to travel peacefully in and out of Ottoman countries and provinces both by land and by sea... … consuls and interpreters shall be hired to attend to the affairs of the merchants in the Ottoman areas… […] shall also have the power to have interpreters, couriers, and the like accompany their people who travel back and forth from the Imperial Court to the Ottoman Porte, and be able to journey there and back safely, freely, and with safe conduct […]

2 Chances and Opportunities Paragraphs 13 and 18 of the peace treaty as well as paragraphs 1 to 20 of the trade and shipping agreement concerned the regulation of the bilateral economic relations and their establishment between the Habsburg Monarchy (“Austria”) and the Ottoman Empire (“Turkey”).

Due to the rise of nation states on the land of the Ottoman Empire since the 19th century – Serbia, Greece, Romania, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Albania, Turkey, Macedonia, Kosovo – the economic relations between Austria and the Southeastern European countries had to be renegotiated. These agreements continue what began in Passarowitz in 1718.

Trade Relations in the Past Sheep wool, cotton, dye, spices, wine, leather, furs, olive oil, and tobacco were imported from the Ottoman Empire to satisfy the growing needs of the Habsburg Monarchy. The goods were mainly imported by merchant families from the Balkan countries who now lived in Hungary and Transylvania as well as Trieste and Vienna.

The main goods that were exported to the Ottoman Empire or through its territory to Russia were hardware – scythes, sickles, hoes, and other agricultural tools. The main beneficiaries of this trade were the many hammer mills in Styria, Carinthia, and Lower Austria (Eisenwurzen).

Economic Relations Today The current trade between Southeastern European countries and Austria extends far beyond just finished goods and now includes other industries – primarily, financial institutions (banks and insurance companies like GRAWE), service and media companies (e.g. SPAR, Saubermacher, OMV, Styria Group), as well as companies active in EU projects (e.g. STRABAG).

Mosdorfer Family Business The bladesmiths of the Mosdorfer family in Weiz, whose roots go back to the Late Middle Ages, specialized in the manufacture of saber blades. Anton Mosdorfer (1749–1800) purchased several iron-working companies in

Styria and expanded his range of products to include civilian consumer goods like sickles, sycthes, nails, hoes, etc. The group of companies that grew out of this tradition, the Knill Group, is today one of the most important industrial companies in East Styria.

Diplomacy To facilitate political, economic, and cultural collaboration, all the participating countries have embassies or consulates nowadays that report to the respective foreign ministries.

These institutions serve the purpose of safeguarding the interests of the respective country abroad and offering safety and assistance to their citizens.

Paragraph 18 of the peace treaty and Paragraph 5 of the trade and shipping agreement of 1718 form the historical basis for this practice in the Southeastern European countries.

3 Travel and Borders Paragraphs 1, 2, 5, and 7 of the trade and shipping agreement concern the regulations on travel and transportation between Central Europe, the Balkan countries, the eastern Mediterranean, and the Black Sea. The growth of transportation by land and sea led to the expansion of transportation routes and the founding of famous transportation companies like Donaudampfschifffahrtsgesellschaft (Danube Steamboat Shipping Company), SüdbahnGesellschaft (Southern Railway Company), and Lloyd Triestino. In 1719, Emperor Charles VI declared Trieste and Rijeka to be free ports which gave a significant boost to both cities. Monuments still serve as reminders of this today.

The increase of travel to the southeast called for improved language communication: professional interpreting and translating especially in oriental languages (Turkish, Arabic, and Persian) thus became noticeably important. This need led to the founding of the “Oriental Academy” in Vienna in 1754, which was renamed the “Consular Academy” in 1898. Today it is called the “Diplomatic Academy” and is one of the oldest educational institutions in Europe for diplomatic service and international relations.

As there were occasional cases of the plague in the Ottoman Empire, Empress Maria Theresia had quarantine stations set up along the military border that, depending on the threat level, controlled the traffic from the Balkan countries into the Habsburg Monarchy.

Souvenirs Travelling inspires people to buy souvenirs to give to people back home or keep as a memory of their trip. This is why there are so many mementos in Austrian museums and private ownership related to the Ottoman Empire or its successor states.

The examples on display are: a leather portfolio from 1784, three “Oriental” coins from the Prokesch-Osten Collection in the Universalmuseum Joanneum (Archaeology Department & Coin Cabinet), as well as historical pictures of Istanbul (private ownership), and a postcard from Passarowitz (private ownership).

Excerpts from Travel Guides on Passarowitz … to the R[ight] Dubrovica Stat[ion], from which you can travel south 10 km to Požarevac (Passarowitz), with 11,134 inh[abitants], in the fertile plain between Morava and Mlavka (you can see its towers), an emerging center of trade, famous for the Peace of 21 July 1718, as a result of which Turkey had to cede all [!?] of Serbia to Austria ...

(Meyer Travel Guides, Turkey, Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria, 5th edition, Leipzig, Vienna 1898, p. 124) … inland on the right bank, you can see the towers of Požarevac, famous for the peace treaty signed here in 1718…

(The Danube from Passau to the Black Sea, Vienna 1911, p. 171) …From the KM 63 marker in the direction of Požarevac and Golubac, at first 53 km of paved road, then

23 km of rather mediocre gravel road (modernization work is almost finished) […] Požarevac: trading and commercial town with about 17,000 inhabitants; generally known as Passarowitz since the peace treaty signed here on 21 July 1718 between Austria and Venice on the one hand, and Turkey on the other…

(Yugoslavia, Guide bleu, Paris 1972, p.

465) Požarevac is probably the most important city in East Serbia … The city doesn’t have much to offer in the way of sights or tourism … Previously insignificant, the city grew in the 17th century and became famous in 1718 when the Peace Treaty of Passarowitz (the German name of the city) was signed here between Austria and Turkey…

(Serbia in Your Pocket, travel guide, Belgrade 2012, p. 262)

Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (1689-1762) As the wife of the British diplomat Lord Edward Wortley Montagu, she lived in Constantinople in 1717/1718 and was thus able to gain a wealth of experiences which she wrote down in her 52 “Letters from the Orient.” These texts are one of the best known sources of information on travel in the Ottoman Empire in the 18th century and were first published in 1719. On her journey to Constantinople, she stopped off in Vienna and wrote, among other things, the following: “This city, which has the honor of being the Emperor’s residence, did not meet my expectations; it is much smaller than I expected …”

Constantin Radovici Golescu (1777-1830) This boyar from Wallachia journeyed from 1824 to 1826 to “Europe.” After traveling through Transylvania and Hungary, he stoppped in Vienna and also visited Graz on his way to Italy and Switzerland. He wrote of his impressions of Graz: […] “The city is rather large, and adorned with magnificent buildings, spacious squares, and broad streets. Through the city runs the Mur River, over which there is a covered bridge with shops on it […]

These people are also hardworking […]”

The Language Issue Successful international relations depend on how well people from different language communities can communicate with each other.

The military and diplomatic contact between Vienna and Constantinople, which grew rapidly in the 16th century, required trained people with the language skills necessary to meet the needs.

This demand led to the occupation of court and border interpreter for oriental languages, although for generations there was no systematic training.

Only with the founding of the Oriental Academy was the training finally organized in a professional way.

The Oriental Academy Founded in 1754 by Empress Maria Theresia, its task was to train the diplomatic and consular personnel for the Ottoman Empire and other countries in the Middle East. This purpose called for a combination of theory and practice and involved a variety of research and documentation tasks.

This “early university of applied sciences” (Heinrich PfusterschmidHardtenstein) expanded its program in the course of the 19th century to include non-oriental countries. In 1898, it was renamed the “Consular Academy,” and upon the initiative of the Foreign Minister at the time, Bruno Kreisky, was given the name of the “Diplomatic Academy” in 1964.

4 Influences and Rapproachments Economic relations, travel abroad, immigration, and study visits influence the mutual perception of people with different historical and cultural backgrounds. These impressions often find their way into literature, music, the plastic arts, fashion, and cooking – especially in the form of spices.

A number of academic disciplines also deal with topics related to “Passarowitz”. These include Oriental studies, history, archaeology, Slavic studies, Greek studies, Albanology, political science, and translation studies.

The two most famous experts on the Ottoman Empire from Graz are Josef von Hammer-Purgstall (1774-1856) and Count Anton Prokesch von Osten (1795–1876).

Music The military contact with the “Turks” led to Ottoman influences finding their way into the European music of the 18th and 19th centuries. Instruments used in the Janissary bands were popular due to their unfamiliar sound (big drums, triangles, and shrill whistles). Islamic melodies were used to lend a special touch to compositions (“Turkish music”). Additionally, some opera compositions incorporated Oriental themes (for example, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, The Abduction from the Seraglio).

The Styrian Armoury Becomes a Museum The armoury in Graz was the central arms depot of the Inner Austrian estates – Styria, Carinthia, Carniola, and Trieste – for the “military border” that was established in the 16th century to prevent Ottoman soldiers from crossing into Croatia and advancing towards the southeastern fringe of the Alps.

Since the strategic situation of the Habsburg Monarchy changed significantly in the early 18th century, the armoury became less important.

After an eventful hisory, it was finally incorporated into the Landesmuseum Joanneum (Provincial Museum Joanneum) in 1892.

Ivo Andri� (1892-1975) Born in Bosnia, the later Yugoslavian diplomat studied at the University of Graz in 1923/1924 and received

his doctorate on 13 June 1924. His dissertation was devoted to a critical analysis of the Ottoman period in Bosnia – a topic that would occupy the author his entire life. In 1961, he received the Nobel Prize in Literature for his novel The Bridge on the Drina, which also dealt with the period of Austro-Hungarian rule in Bosnia.

Media The media’s task is not only to report on the latest news but also to comment on the events. As early as the 18th century, there were already newspapers that published news from the Ottoman Empire (for example, the Wiener Diarium (Vienna Diary) as the predecessor of today’s Wiener Zeitung (Vienna Newspaper)). During the course of the 19th century, a highly diversified press industry developed, which expanded in the 20th century to include radio, television, and the Internet. Sometimes, the media is also used for humanitarian purposes, which can be seen, for instance, in the ORF’s commitment to the “Nachbar in Not” (Neighbor in Need) funding campaign. This campaign was launched during the War in Yugoslavia (1991-1995), which not only led to heightened media attention but also numerous relief efforts – both in Croatia and Bosnia as well as Austria.

Imprint

Wir und Passarowitz.

300 Jahre Auswirkungen auf Europa Landeszeughaus 6. April bis 4. November 2018

Curator Harald Heppner Exhibition design and graphics Anika Kronberger, Jakob Pock Project coordination Daniela Assel Proofreading Jörg Eipper-Kaiser Restoration and conservational care Renate Einsiedl, Thomas Storm, Johann Weichhart Exhibition Construction Robert Bodlos und Team Technical support Walter Ertl, Georg Pachler Educational Service Anita Niegelhell und Team Andreas Metelko und Team Lender Universalmuseum Joanneum (Volkskundemuseum, Museum für Geschichte, Münzkabinett)