Neacșu's letter

Neacșu's letter (Romanian: Scrisoarea lui Neacșu), written in 1521, is the oldest surviving document available in Old Romanian that can be reliably dated. Written using Cyrillic, it was sent by Lupu Neacșu, a merchant from Câmpulung, Wallachia (now Romania) to Johannes Benkner, the mayor of Brassó, Kingdom of Hungary (now Brașov, Romania), warning him about the imminent attack of the Ottoman Empire on the city of Belgrad and its implications to regional politics.

Neacșu's letter is the oldest surviving document written in Old Romanian

Lupu Neacșu was the son of Mircea Neacșu, mentioned for the first time during Vlad cel Tânăr's reign (1510–1512), in documents related to a trial regarding debts between himself and merchants of Brașov. It is possible that he was himself a merchant involved in the trade of Turkish goods that he was buying south of the Danube and selling in Transylvania, which may explain his relationship with the mayor of Brașov.[1]

History
Early engraving of Brașov

The Letter of Neacșu of Câmpulung to Johannes (Hans) Benkner of Brașov was most probably written on June 29 or 30, 1521, in the city of Dlăgopole (Old Bulgarian rendition/translation of Câmpulung, lit. "the long field"). The date is not mentioned within the letter itself, it being inferred from the historic events described and the people mentioned.

The letter was discovered in 1894 by Wilhelm Stenner, the archivar of Brașov.[2]

Contents
Boyar house in Câmpulung

The text of the letter was written in the Cyrillic script, and is composed of three parts. The introduction in Old Church Slavonic, translated: "To the most wise and noble and venerable and by God endowed master Hanas Begner of Brașov, all the best, from Neacșu of Câmpulung".

Following the Slavonic introduction, the content of the letter is written in the old Romanian language. As opposed to the first documents of other languages, which are in general more ancient, the Romanian language used in this letter is very similar to the language spoken in the present day. The Romanian linguist Aurel Nicolescu stated that no less than 175 words of the 190 found in the letter have Latin origins, this not counting the repeated words and the names. Some incorrect forms of different words appear due to the difficulty of representing some Romanian sounds like ă and î, while using the Cyrillic alphabet.[3]

Lupu Neacșu's letter contained a secret of great importance, warning Johannes Benkner of Brașov about Turkish preparations for an invasion through Transylvania and Wallachia.

Another two Slavonic expressions are also present throughout the content of the letter: "I pak", meaning "and again" and having a similar function as the Latin "item", being also used to mark the beginning of a new sentence, and also the word "za", meaning about.

The letter ends with another sentence written in Bulgarian, which means: "And may God bring happiness upon you. Amen."

Text

Transliteration from Cyrillic
  1. mudromu i plemenitomu i čistitomu i b(o)gωm darovannomu župan hanĭš begner ot brašov mnog(o)
  2. zdravie ot někšul ot dlŭgopole i pak dau štire domnïetale za lukrul turčilor kum amĭ
  3. auzit èu kŭ ĩpŭratul au èšit den sofïę ši aimintrě nue ši sěu dus ĩ sus
  4. pre dunŭre i pak sŭ štïi domnïjata kŭ au venit un ωm de la nikopoe de mïe měu
  5. spus kŭ au vŭzut ku ωkïi loi kŭ au trekut čěle korabïi če štïi ši domnïjata prè
  6. dunŭre ĩ sus i pak sŭ štïi kŭ bagŭ den tote ωrašele kŭte 50 de ωmin sŭ ę
  7. fïe ĩn ažutor ĩ korabïi i pak sŭ štïi kumu sěu prinsŭ nešte meššter den c(a)ri
  8. grad kum vorĭ trěče ačěle korabïi la lokul čela strimtul če štïi ši domnïjata
  9. i pak spui domnïetale de lukrul lu mahamet beg kumu amĭ auzit de boęri če sŭntĭ medžïjaš
  10. ši de dženere mïu negre kumu ęu dat ĩpŭratul slobozïe lu mahamet beg pre iu iωi va
  11. fi voę pren cěra rumŭněskŭ jarŭ èlĭ sŭ trěkŭ i pak sŭ štïi domnïjata kŭ are
  12. frikŭ mare ši bŭsŭrab de ačel lotru de mahamet beg mai vŭrtos de domnïele vostre
  13. i pak spui domnïetale ka mai marele mïu de če amĭ ĩceles šïeu eu spui domnïetale jarŭ
  14. domnïjata ešti ĩceleptĭ ši ačěste kuvinte sŭ cïi domnïjata la tine sŭ nu štïe
  15. umin mulci ši domnïele vostre sŭ vŭ pŭzici kum štici mai bine i b(og)ĭ te ves(e)lit amïnŭ

Transliteration into modern Romanian orthography
Neagoe Basarab, Prince of Wallachia, pictured on the murals of the Curtea de Argeș Monastery

"Mudromu I plemenitomu, I cistitomu I B(o)gom darovannomu zupan Hanăș Begner ot Brașov mnog(o) zdravie ot Nécșul ot Dlugopole.

I pak dau știre domnietale za lucrul turcilor, cum am auzit eu că împăratul au ieșit den Sofiia și aimintrea nu e. Și se-au dus în sus pre Dunăre.

I pak să știi domniia-ta că au venit un om de la Nicopoe de mie mi-au spus că au văzut cu ochii lui că au trecut ceale corăbii ce știi și domniia-ta pre Dunăre în sus.

I pak să știi că bagă den toate orașele câte 50 de oamini să fie în ajutor în corăbii.

I pak să știi cumu se-au prins nește meșteri den Țarigrad cum vor treace aceale corabii la locul cela strimtul ce știi și domniia ta.

I pak spui domnietale de lucrul lu Mahamet-Beg, cum am auzit de boiari ce sânt megiiaș(i) și de genere-miu Negre, cumu i-au dat împăratul slobozie lui Mahamet-Beg, pre io-i va fi voia pren Țeara Rumânească, iară el să treacă.

I pak să știi domniia ta că are frică mare și Băsărab de acel lotru de Mahamet-Beg, mai vârtos de domniele voastre.

I pak spui domnietale ca mai-marele miu de ce am înțeles și eu. Eu spui domnietale, iară domniia ta ești înțelept și aceaste cuvinte să ții domniiata la tine, să nu știe oamini mulți și domniele vostre să vă păziți cum știți mai bine.

I B(og)i te ves(e)lit, Aminu."

English translation
16th century miniature depicting Suleiman the Magnificent marching with his army

"To the most wise and venerable and by God endowed master Hanas Benger of Brașov, much health to thee wisheth Neacşu of Dlăgopole,

And again, I let thy highness know of the deed of the Turks, as I heard that the Emperor hath left Sofia and hath sailed up the Danube, and the truth is no other, but this.

And again, thy highness should know that a man from Nicopole came to me and told me he hath seen with his own eyes how those ships that thy highness knoweth as well have sailed up the Danube.

And again, thou shouldst know that they take fifty men from each town to help on those ships.

And again, thou shouldst know how few sailor(s) from Tzarigrad bound themselves to steer those ships through that narrow place, that thou knowest as well.

And again, I tell thy highness of the work of Mahamet beg as I heard from the boyars that art neighbour and from my son-in-law Negre, how the Emperor hath allowed Mahamet beg cross Wallachia wherever he would want to.

And again, thy highness should know that Basarab is greatly fearful of that thief Mahamet beg, more than thy highness is.

And again, I tell thy highness as thou art my Lord of what had I also understood. I tell thy highness this and thy highness is wise and these words thou shouldst keep for thyself and not let many people know them and thy highness beware as thou best knowest.

And may God give thee grace. Amen"

Notes

1 Italics in the original text are in Slavic language

References
  1. (in Romanian) Ion Rotaru, Literatura română veche, București, 1981, pp. 62-65, quoted by Institutul de Memorie Culturală; English translation.
  2. Wilhelm Stenners Biographie von Gernot Nussbächer, Historiker und Archivar in Kronstadt
  3. "Epistola lui Neacsu" (in Romanian). Jurnalul Național. p. 1. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
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