Berat was the name of the license (patent) which granted their non-Muslim Ottoman bearers, the beratlı, a variety of tax exemptions and access to European Law. They were also known as "honorary dragomans". The access to European law helped its agents dominate European commerce.
References
edit- Artunç, Cihan (March 2013). "The Protégé System and Beratlı Merchants in the Ottoman Empire" (PDF).
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