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

9 universam in genere et specie in gratiam nostram Caesariam ac Regiam hisce clementer suscipimus: et acceptamus, omnibus et singulis nostris officialibus bellicis benigne demandantes, ut repetitam gentemMacedonicam in nullo modo genere infestent, neque molestare praesumant verum pro viribus in omni occasione et occurentia protegant, defendant, et eidem hunc in finem assistant, eandemque de amplioribus gratiis nostris Caesareis et Regiis, juribusque et libertatibus suis conservandis omnino securam et certam reddant, et casu quo aliqui (que dictu praefatorum Capitaneorum nostrorum) ex eadem gente sub signisque nostris militare voluerint, eorundem intentionem potius promonere quam impedire teneantur prouti hisce benigne indulgemus, ut cum praescita, et annuentia et nostri in capite ibidem Commandantis generalis, in banderium coire et separatim agere, aut cum nostris se conjungere sicque contra communem hostem decertare possint ac valeant Quem in finem apud mentionatum generalem se insinuabunt et secundum ejusdem dispositiones uni communo bono rem secundante Deo partesque nostras tueri et pro virili in omnibusque occurrentiis egregie cooperari haud intermittent Dabantur Viennae 26 Aprilis,1690. * * * * This Proclamation represents one of the most significant medieval documents for the history of the Macedonian people. From its content, the following conclusions can be drawn: 1. The mentioned Macedonians, Marko Kraida from Kozani and Dimitrija Gjorgji Popović from Thessaloniki, were officers in the army of the Holy Roman Empire. Both held the rank of captain ( Hauptmann ), which means that in the army of the Holy Roman Empire—known as the “Imperial Army” ( Kaiserliche Armee )—each of them commanded a company consisting of 100 to 150 soldiers. The question arises: how long had these two Macedonians served in the Holy Roman Empire’s army to reach the rank of captain? At that time, according to common practice, to obtain this (relatively lower) officer rank, a candidate had to have previously served for five to ten years, progressing through the ranks of ensign ( Fähnrich ), first lieutenant ( Oberleutnant ), and lieutenant ( Leutnant ). Furthermore, every officer had to come from a noble family, be loyal to the Emperor, and be a member of the Catholic faith, given that the main adversaries of the Holy Roman Empire at that time were Muslims and Protestants. However, after the army of the Holy Roman Empire (primarily the Austrian forces) entered the Balkans and pushed back the Ottoman army as far as Macedonia, it received support from the Orthodox peoples (primarily Macedonians and Serbs). Because of this, Emperor Leopold made exceptions in recruiting soldiers and officers into his army. From that point on, Orthodox Christians could also join without having to serve for such a long period. Moreover, if some brought with them a significant number of loyal native fighters who demonstrated their allegiance to the Emperor in the fight against the Ottomans, they could quickly attain the rank of captain. Therefore, it can be assumed that Marko Kraida and Dimitrija Gjorgji Popović joined the Holy