On the Economic Activity of Evstati Selveli in 1842

The publication aims to present information about the economic activity of the prominent Tarnovo entrepreneur and public figure of the 19th century Evstati Selveli. The research uses previously unpublished Greek-language documents: a personal notebook of Evstati Selveli kept in the Regional Historical Museum in Veliko Tarnovo, an account-book that belonged to a partnership established between him and Atatnas Hadzhi Nikolaou, as well as two of their commercial contracts kept in the State Archives in Veliko Tarnovo. The mentioned primary sources shed light on the business activities which took place in 1842. The partnership of Evstati Selveli and Atanas Hadzhi Nikolaou, functioning in 1842, was established in 1841. We have reason to assume that its name was "Evstati Hadzhi N. Selveli and Company". The partners maintained a wide range of contacts - both in the Bulgarian lands and in Constantinople. The publication sheds light on several important issues: the names of the business partners; the goods they traded with; the volume and prices of the traded comodities; the trade routes along which they were transported; the payment methods and terms; the used currency, etc. The commodities that E. Selveli and A. Hadzhi Nikolaou imported to the Bulgarian lands were different types of yarns, unbleached calico, basma and other kinds of cotton cloth and materials, etc. They exported rose oil and silk from the Bulgarian lands to the capital city of the Ottoman Empire. The main flow of imported goods came from Constantinople, through intermediaries. From the Ottoman capital the goods were transported by ships to Varna from where they were dispatched to the interior of the Bulgarian lands. Evstati Selveli and Atatnas Hadzhi Nikolaou also maintained close commercial ties with Vienna and, more specifically, with another entrepreneur who originated in Tarnovo – Luka Hadzhi Paraskeva. Unfortunately, we do not have detailed information about the nature of their contacts in 1842. The main conclusion is that during 1842 the traded goods and raw materials sent and/or received to/from E. Selveli and A. Hadzhi Nikolaou passed over Constantinople which means that the capital of the Ottoman Empire served as an important trading hub for the Tarnovo entrepreneurs.