The original manuscript of the proclaimation and other printed proclaimations of Emperor Leopold the first from 1690 with which he takes the Macedonian people under his protection

7 been lifted, we shall restore everything to its firm state and proper order for the future, according to your desire and pleas, and, his own Rights and Freedom of Religion, Privileges and Immunities having been restored to anyone, we will administer Justice to all and singular, offering to everyone very abundant displays of Our Grace, Clemency, Benevolence and Fatherly Protection. Moreover, we promise, gift and grant all and singular the free possessions of Goods, either mobile or immobile, that they have taken from the Turks in their own Borders. So, act for God, your Religion, your Safety, your Freedom, for the restoration of your Security, boldly join Our side, do not abandon your domestic Cults and the Cultivation of fields, invite your Allies to follow your footprints, and seize this opportunity, given to you by God and Us and that will never come back, if you care about You, your Sons, your beloved Fatherland and Safety; In the meanwhile, for the rest, we merrily offer you all and singular our Cesarean and Royal Grace. Given in Our City of Vienna, on the sixth day of the Month of April, 1690 A.D; among Our Reigns, during the thirty-second year of the Roman One, the thirty-fifth year of the Hungarian One, and the thirty-fourth year of the Bohemian One. * * * * From the content of this proclamation, we can see that, following the customary listing of his titles and the lands he ruled, Emperor Leopold I truly offered extensive rights and freedoms to all the Balkan peoples, provided they joined his army in the effort to drive the Ottomans out of the Balkans. He guaranteed them religious and cultural freedom, along with the right to choose their local leaders, and even offered them free of charge all movable and immovable property taken from the fleeing Turks in their liberated territories. The only requirement he had was that, according to their abilities, they join and support the imperial army whenever the need arose. It is particularly significant that among the lands whose peoples he called to rebellion, Macedonia is explicitly mentioned. This is important because, at that time, the name “Macedonia” had not officially existed in administrative use for several centuries in the states that ruled over the region (including the Ottoman Empire), yet it had been retained in the consciousness and memory of the people, not only in Macedonia itself but far beyond. Unfortunately, due to objective circumstances—primarily the limited means of mass communication at the time—this proclamation barely reached those for whom it was intended. What course history might have taken had the Austrian army succeeded in driving the Ottomans out of the Balkans in the 17th century is something we can only speculate about. THE PROCLAMATION OF EMPEROR LEOPOLD I TAKING THE MACEDONIAN PEOPLE UNDER HIS PROTECTION On April 26, 1690, that is, twenty days after the previous proclamation, Emperor Leopold I issued another proclamation, this time addressed directly to the Macedonian people. This