ORLYK S INTERNMENT IN THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE
Only one option remained open to the Hetman. In a letter to a friend, he noted that “the imperial (Habsburg), Swedish and Polish courts advised me to look to my safety and seek safer lands.
For this reason I decided to flee to the protection of the Ottoman Porte.”28 After bidding his family a tearful farewell, on 27 February 1722, Orlyk set out for the Ottoman border at Khotyn. There was something inevitable about his return to the empire. Historical experience indicated that any Cossack leader with “separatist tendencies” would sooner or later come courting the favor of the Porte. Unfortunately for Orlyk, his return was not well timed.Since the Ottoman settlement with the Russians in 1713 (Peace of Adrianople), the Porte assiduously avoided confrontations on its northern borders. This was especially the case during the vezirate of Damad Ibrahim Pasha (1718-1730). In order to cater to the Sultan’s desire to lead a quiet, cultured life and to rule without complications, this cultivated and clever son-in-law of Ahmet III based his entire foreign policy on the avoidance of conflicts.29 Thus, in 1720, largely through the efforts of the Tsar’s Verycapable envoy, I. I. Nepliuev, a treaty of “eternal peace” was concluded between the Ottoman Empire and Russia. From then to the time of Peter Γs death in 1725, the Ottomans showed remarkable passivity towards the Russians, allowing them to make impressive gains in the Caucasus and along the Caspian Sea.30 Clearly, the scorn which the Porte had for the Russians previously had now turned to respect and even fear.
Such was the state of Ottoman-Russian relations when, on 10 March 1722, Orlyk entered Ottoman territory. Immediately he ran into difficulties. Abdi Pasha, the governor of Khotyn, was an old acquaintance of the Hetman’s from the time of Stanislaw Leszczyn- ski’s attempted incursion into Poland in 1713.
However, this did not insure him a friendly welcome. In fact, Abdi Pasha was very negatively disposed to Cossacks in general and to Orlyk and his collaborators in particular. He felt that the Zaporozhians were no better than brigades and troublemakers who constantly disturbed peace and order along the Ottoman-Polish-Russian borders.31 As for Orlyk and especially his advance man, Nakhymovskyi, they too were troublemakers, though of a more sophisticated type, engaged in spying and “disturbing the peace among great monarchs.”32Abdi Pasha converted his opinions and pro-Russian sentiments into action when, several weeks before Orlyk’s arrival in Khotyn, he arrested Nakhymovskyi and sent him off to Crown Hetman Sieniawski in Poland.33 This “tyrant and vulgar beast” as Orlyk called the Pasha, responded to news of the Hetman’s arrival with an order that he return from whence he came. Orlyk then produced his trump cards—letters of recommendation from European monarchs addressed to the Sultan, the Tatar treaty of 1711, and the charter of Ahmet III. This made an impression on the Pasha who allowed Orlyk to wait in Khotyn while he sent to the capital for instructions on how to deal with this guest.34
In Constantinople, meanwhile, news was filtering in about Peter Γs increasing involvement in Persian affairs. In addition, another series of complaints by Khan Saadet Girei against the Russians reached the capital.35 It seems very likely that the nature of this information had a positive effect on the Porte’s initial reaction to Orlyk’s arrival. In May 1722, an official arrived at Khotyn from the Porte with very friendly greetings for the Hetman and informed him that he was to travel to Seres. There he would pass the high Muslim fast and holidays of Ramadan and Bayram and proceed thereafter to Constantinople for “conferences” at the Porte. Even the surly Abdi Pasha changed his tone and provided Orlyk with an escort of eighteen horsemen for his journey.
On his way, the Hetman stopped at Bucarest where he was met with great pomp and circumstance by the Hospodar, Nicholas Maurocordato. Since the Hospodar’s brother was the Chief Dragoman at the Porte, it is likely that this cordial reception reflected the attitude of the Porte towards Orlyk at this point. Another indication of friendliness was the fact that the Hospodar arranged a ceremony at which Ahmet Ill’s charter to the Hetman was publicly read.36 The latter used this occasion to re-establish his contacts, broken since the arrest of Nakhymovskyi, with the Zaporozhians and the Khan.
On 13 August, the Hetman and his party reached Seres. Here Orlyk stayed much longer than expected. The delay reflected new, and unfavorable, developments at the Ottoman capital. The Tsar, through Nepliuev, had learned about Orlyk’s presence on Ottoman territory and demanded his extradition.37 According to the Austrian diplomat, Talmann, the Porte had already decided to allow Orlyk to go to the Crimea and join the Zaporozhians there, when Nepliuev protested that such a move would be contrary to the peace treaty.38 Apparently, Orlyk’s case led to a sharp confrontation between Ibrahim Pasha and Nepliuev. Peter Γs envoy reported that the Grand Vizir was distressed by the developments in Persia and even mentioned war, in which case Orlyk would be utilized against the Russians.39
Meanwhile, the waiting at Seres was becoming unbearable. It was more with a sense of relief than suspicion that, on 26 November, Orlyk noted in his diary that a “bey of imposing bearing” had arrived from Constantinople and informed him that, “although the Porte wished to bring me to Stambul, the present situation with Moscow does not allow it.” For the sake of “greater convenience,” the Hetman was instructed to go on to Salonika with the Grand Vizir’s personal assurance “of his unalterable intention to bring me, after a few days, to Stambul.”40 Little did he realize that these “few days” would stretch into more than ten years.