Peace treaties (ahdnames) concluded from the mid-15th century to late-18th century between the Kingdom (or Republic) of Poland and the Ottoman Empire
Documentary heritage submitted by Poland and recommended for inclusion in the Memory of the World Register in 2013.
The Turkish section of the Royal Archives of Warsaw includes some 1,500 documents from a period of over 300 years. These documents testify to centuries of direct contacts by neighbours with differing traditions and religions, but also provide substantial source material for research on all types of contacts with the Ottoman Empire. The contents are exceptional for the history and culture of the late Middle Ages and early modernity. The peace treaties (ahdnames) between the two states are an example of mutual tolerance and universal values in international relations. A period of particular importance is the reign of Suleiman I (1st half of the 16th century) and his contemporaries, the last two Polish rulers from the Jagiellon dynasty, Sigismund I and Sigismund II Augustus. These rulers maintained lively contacts. The “eternal peace” they concluded in 1533 was a decisive step toward a modern foreign policy and lasted nearly a hundred years.