The Earliest Records of Income and Expenses of the Sultan
abstract
This paper presents in a chronological order some Venetian sources (primarily, but not only) containing data about the Ottoman state, governance, income and army. This information is analyzed and presented in the form of tables, which give us different types of revenues and expenses. It is unique for the 15th century and can be compared partially only with the contemporary ottoman written documentation. Presented here is the data from the works of Laonicos Chalkokondyles, and manuscripts of Iacopo Promontorio de Campis, a Venetian anonymous author from 1490, the Venetian Relazione by Alvise Sagondino from 1496 and other diplomatic reports from the first decades of the 16th century. The report of Felix Petantius from 1502 to the Hungarian king has been added to other Venetian texts, because it was edited in a different manuscript version and presented to Venice.
Keywords: Felix Petantius • Income and expenses of the Ottoman Empire • Anonymous author from 1490 • Iacopo Promontorio de Campis • Venetian diplomats • Laonicos Chalkokondyles