Ottoman 1919 Certificate of Protest Legal Document Non-Muslim Citizen Empire Law

Ottoman Legal Document – Certificate of Protest (Protestoname), 1919

Description:
An original Ottoman legal document issued by the Istanbul Office of the Clerk of Justice (Dersaadet Katib-i Adli), dated 20 Teşrin-i Evvel 1335 (20 October 1919).

The text records the receipt of a protesto notice (protestoname) that had previously been issued on 16 Teşrin-i Evvel 1335 (16 October 1919) under number 1516, addressed to Albert Kapuano. The document certifies that the protestoname was delivered, and since Albert Kapuano was not present at the time, it was received on his behalf by his proxy Celal Bey, whose name and acknowledgment are written in the text.

The document bears an official revenue stamp and signature, ensuring its legal validity within the Ottoman judicial framework.As a legal instrument of Ottoman law, protestonames were formal declarations used primarily in commercial and financial disputes, similar to a modern-day notarial protest, establishing proof of default, non-payment, or formal notification.

This piece is a rare surviving example of late Ottoman legal and judicial documentation, issued only a few years before the end of the empire, and reflects the bureaucratic precision of the Ottoman legal system.

Key Features:

• Type: Legal document (Protestoname)

• Issuing Authority: Dersaadet Katib-i Adli (Office of the Clerk of Justice, Istanbul)

• Date: 20 Teşrin-i Evvel 1335 (20 October 1919)

• Recipient: Albert Kapuano

• Proxy: Celal Bey (received the document on behalf of Kapuano)

• Reference: Relates to protestoname no. 1516, issued 16 October 1919

• Authentication: Contains official revenue stamp (pul) and signature

• Historical Significance: Example of Ottoman legal practice, reflecting commercial and judicial procedures in the late empire