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-The Project Gutenberg EBook of Annals of the Turkish Empire, from 1591 to
-1659, by Mustafa Naima
-
-This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most
-other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
-whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of
-the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at
-www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have
-to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook.
-
-Title: Annals of the Turkish Empire, from 1591 to 1659
-
-Author: Mustafa Naima
-
-Translator: Charles Fraser
-
-Release Date: August 22, 2019 [EBook #60151]
-
-Language: English
-
-Character set encoding: UTF-8
-
-*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ANNALS--TURKISH EMPIRE, 1591-1659 ***
-
-
-
-
-Produced by Turgut Dincer and the Online Distributed
-Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was
-produced from images generously made available by The
-Internet Archive)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-Transcriber's note:
-
- Errors and inconsistencies in accented words, mostly
- related to Arabic and Turkish names, have been taken care
- as much as possible, without attempting however to make a
- major revision and overhaul of the original text.
-
-
-
-
- ANNALS
- OF
- THE TURKISH EMPIRE,
- FROM
- 1591 TO 1659 OF THE CHRISTIAN ERA.
-
-
- BY NAIMA.
-
-
- TRANSLATED FROM THE TURKISH,
- BY
- CHARLES FRASER.
-
- [Illustration]
-
- LONDON:
- PRINTED FOR THE ORIENTAL TRANSLATION FUND
- OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND.
- SOLD BY
- JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET; AND PARBURY, ALLEN, & CO.,
- LEADENHALL STREET.
-
- M.DCCC.XXXII.
-
-
- LONDON:
- Printed by J. L. COX and SON, Great Queen Street,
- Lincoln’s-Inn Fields.
-
-
-
-
-TRANSLATOR’S PREFACE.
-
-
-History, it has been well observed, is, of all other branches of
-human knowledge, the most attractive, and best rewards the efforts of
-research. Even the history of the most ignorant and barbarous nations
-that have ever peopled the globe, may furnish something, either in
-their modes of government, in their forms of religion, or in their
-manners, customs, and laws, which is calculated to amuse or instruct.
-The knowledge of the springs and motives of human actions, and of
-their consequent effects, whether auspicious or inauspicious, and
-which operate more or less powerfully on the destinies of the human
-race, is, by this channel, conveyed to our minds with a distinctness,
-perspicuity, and force which cannot, by any possibility, be gained in
-any other way.
-
-By the investigation of history we become acquainted with points of
-character of the utmost importance, and arrive at the conviction that
-good and evil are, in some way or other, combined and interwoven in
-the affairs of life: and we may often, without difficulty, trace the
-happiness or misery of millions of human beings to the act of a single
-individual; and perceive that impressions have thereby been made that
-stamp, for ages, the moral and intellectual character of mankind.
-
-Without adverting to the rise and downfall of the Roman Empire, out
-of the dismemberment of which have arisen the principal States of
-Europe, we would merely refer, at present, to the rise, progress, and
-establishment of Mohammedanism, the followers of which conquered, sword
-in hand, the whole of the rich and fertile provinces possessed by that
-empire in the East.
-
-To trace the rise, progress, and final establishment of the Mohammedan
-power, from its commencement under Mohammed Mustafa, the prophet of
-Islamism, and its successive triumphs under the Khalifs, his immediate
-successors, would be to detail a series of revolutions and successions
-of dynasties, the most eventful and extensive, the most disastrous and
-appalling, that have ever taken place on the theatre of our world.
-
-On this department of deep and lasting interest, though it be amply
-fitted to remunerate the labour of investigation, it is not our
-intention, did we possess the vanity to conceive ourselves competent
-for the task, to enter. Moreover, it is unnecessary; because this
-department of history, in regard at least to its great and leading
-features, has already been fully and accurately traced and brought
-within our reach by others, whose talents and means of information
-rendered them qualified for the undertaking, and whose services, in
-this respect, can hardly be too much valued.
-
-Our real purpose in offering these few general remarks, is with the
-view of introducing to the reader’s notice the learned and laborious
-Turkish annalist, NAIMA, who favoured his countrymen with a connected
-narrative of the most important and interesting events which had
-transpired within the Turkish dominions for the space of seventy years.
-In this he has given a detailed account of all the wars, offensive
-and defensive, foreign and domestic, in which the Turks had been
-engaged during that period, besides other incidents of importance,
-and negociations and treaties, friendly and commercial, with foreign
-powers. The importance and value of this author’s labours induce us to
-recommend to the reader’s perusal the annexed volume of Translation,
-which contains within its pages the first twenty-eight years of the
-above Narrative or History, or about one-fourth of the whole work. We
-shall reserve for a succeeding paragraph, our remarks on this work,
-and in the meantime proceed to observe in general, that the foundation
-of the Turkish power seems to have begun with the accession of Osmán
-or Othman I. to the rank of emír of the Oguzian tribe of Tátárs in
-room of Ortogrul, his father, the last sultán of Iconium, who died
-A.D. 1299. Osmán, at the head of this warlike horde, in the course of
-a very few years conquered and possessed himself of several of the
-provinces of Asia Minor, assumed the title of Sultán in 1300, and
-fixed his residence in Yení-Sheher, a city of Anatolia. Orkhan, his
-son and successor, acquired possession of Brúsa, Nice, and Nicomedia
-in Bithynia, by force of arms; the first of which the Osmánlí Sultáns
-made for a time their capital. In short, such was the success which
-attended the Ottoman arms, that, in the course of fifty or sixty years,
-they overwhelmed, and subjugated to their sway, the whole of the Roman
-empire in the east; absorbed the whole strength and energy of Moslem
-dominion; and became, and continue to be to this day, the chief bulwark
-of Islám and of Mohammedan despotism.
-
-Naima commences his history of the Turkish empire with the year of the
-Hijrah or Hejeret 1000 (A.D. 1591), and brings it down to the year 1070
-of the same era. This work was probably intended by its author to form
-the supplement or continuation of the history composed by Sa’d-úd-dín,
-which commences with the origin of the Turkish power, and brings down
-the narrative of events to 926 (A.D. 1526).
-
-Naima’s Annals consist of two large volumes folio, which were printed
-at Constantinople in the year of the Hijrah 1147, being the twelfth
-printed work which issued from the imperial press of Constantinople.
-In six years afterwards, Ráshid’s History, and the Annals of Chelebí
-Zádeh, followed, having issued from the same press, and are a
-continuation of Naima.
-
-Of Naima himself we have not been able to collect any certain
-information; nor do we know at what period he lived: but we conjecture
-he must have been contemporary, or nearly so, with Kátib Chelebí,[1]
-author of the Fezliké, to which work Naima sometimes refers. As a
-narrator of facts, however, we think, from what we have read of
-him, we have just cause to accuse him of partiality and occasional
-exaggeration, into which the historian ought never to be betrayed. But
-where, we would venture to ask, is there one of this class of writers
-who stands entirely acquitted of these defects? To a Turk, however,
-the Annals of Naima possess that same sort of importance which we, in
-similar circumstances, are accustomed to attach to a work of the like
-nature amongst ourselves. The Turk, we have no doubt, will consider,
-as sound doctrine, the defects to which we have referred, and that
-too without hesitation and without enquiry; because they are entirely
-congenial to his creed and modes of thinking.
-
-Of the annexed translation we have only one word to say, and that is,
-that we have exercised all possible care to translate honestly and
-fairly, and this being all we undertook to accomplish, we leave it to
-speak for itself.
-
- THE TRANSLATOR.
-
- _Edinburgh, May 24th 1832._
-
-
-N.B.—In the following work the system of Sir William Jones, in the
-orthography of Oriental words, has been used as far as the nature of
-the Turkish language would permit. The accented vowels have the same
-sounds as in Italian; and the unaccented, the short sounds, as _a_ in
-_bat_, _i_ in _lily_, &c. The consonants have the sound usually given
-them in our own language.
-
-
-
-
-AUTHOR’S PREFACE.
-
-
-IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL AND MOST GRACIOUS GOD!
-
-The thousandth year of the Hijrah commenced on the first of
-Moharrem—which is also the Sabbath-day (Saturday)—and is the three
-hundred and fifty-fourth thousand four hundred and ninety-ninth day of
-the Prophet’s flight.
-
-This year of happy omen, connected with antecedent time, makes the
-184693d year, and the 5350th of the Jewish era; but, according
-to Melek’l-mowid’s mode of reckoning, is the 7216th year. The
-thousandth year of the Hijrah is the 4974th from Noah’s flood, but
-which, according to the calculations of astronomers, falls short of
-that period by a space of 270 years: and the 2807th of the supreme
-conjunction; the 2338th of the era of Nebuchadnossar; the 1901st of the
-era of Alexander; the 1590th of the Christian era; the 1360th of the
-Copts; the 959th of the Yezdijerd (the ancient Persian era); the 533rd
-of Jellali (the modern Persian era); and the 167th year of the middle
-or intermediate supreme conjunction.
-
-Writers of defective intelligence have introduced a multitude of
-opinions into their writings, which go on to say, among other things,
-that when the thousandth year of the Hijrah was once over, the day of
-the resurrection would immediately arrive, or if it should not then
-arrive, it would, most certainly, not extend beyond thirty lunar years
-(_i. e._ the intercalary and other years of that period of time). In
-this particular they not only assumed weak and ill-founded premises,
-but, as might be expected, have written incorrectly on the subject.
-Witness, for instance, their speculations concerning the completion of
-the moon’s revolutions, whence they affirm, that the Prophet (on whom
-be blessing and peace) should not remain in his grave till the thousand
-years expired, and other similar records, which, however, are at once
-at variance with true philosophy and sound theology. Several writers
-not attending to these things have, through ignorance or carelessness,
-given currency in their writings to statements which are utterly
-without foundation, and therefore contrary to the received canon.
-
-
-
-
-CONTENTS.
-
- Page
-
- EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1000 OF THE HIJRAH.
-
- The Grand Vezír, Ferhád Páshá, deposed, and the Vezírship conferred
- on Síávush Páshá 1
-
- The Militia of Tabríz 2
-
- The Muftí Effendí, Bostánízádeh, deposed, and Zekeríá Effendí
- appointed in his stead 3
-
- Disturbance on the Confines of Bosnia and Hungary—Movements of the
- Infidels 4
-
- News from the East 5
-
- Concerning learned Men 5
-
-
- EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1001, H.
-
- The Spáhís create a Disturbance in the Diván 11
-
- The Grand Vezír, Síávush Páshá, deposed 12
-
- A Rupture betwixt the Ottomans and the Austrians 13
-
- The Grand Vezír, Sinán Páshá, determines on carrying the War into
- Hungary 16
-
- The Enemy advances to Belgrade 19
-
- Felk falls into the hands of the Enemy 20
-
- The Faithless are chastised 22
-
- The base and ignoble Infidels besiege Khutván 23
-
- The Siege of Osterghún 24
-
- The Request of the Prime Minister—The Succour of the magnificent
- Emperor 27
-
- Yanuk laid siege to 29
-
- The Moslem Warriors begin an Assault 30
-
-
- EVENTS OF THE YEARS 1005, H.
-
- The Conquest of Yanuk 31
-
- Komran laid siege to 33
-
- Concerning the bad Management of the Commander-in-Chief; his Error
- and Failure in some other Matters 35
-
- The Waiwoda of Moldavia rebels 36
-
- Concerning the Insurrection occasioned by Michael, Waiwoda of
- Valachia 37
-
- Death of Sultán Murád III. 39
-
- The late Emperor’s Age—The time of his Reign—Some of his virtues
- and good deeds described 41
-
- Vezírs contemporary with Sultán Murád Khán 42
-
- Learned Men contemporary with Sultán Murád Khán 44
-
- Reverend Doctors contemporary with Murád Khán 46
-
- Facts relative to the new Emperor, Sultán Mohammed Khán III. 48
-
- Insurrection of the Valachians and Moldavians 49
-
- Ferhád Páshá makes preparations for War 50
-
- The Spáhís raise a Tumult 51
-
- Ferhád Páshá prepares to set out for Valachia 53
-
- Continuation of Ferhád’s Affairs 55
-
- Ferhád arrives on the Banks of the Danube 55
-
- Ferhád is deposed—Sinán Páshá raised to the Premiership 56
-
- Sinán Páshá’s Operations in Valachia 59
-
- A Council held—A Fortress built 61
-
- Concerning the Enemy’s Operations on the Frontiers 61
-
- The Moslem Army advances to Osterghún, and is defeated 62
-
- The apostate Michael gains a Victory 63
-
- The Fortress of Yerkok taken 65
-
- Osterghún delivered up to the Enemy 66
-
- Vishégrade is taken by the Enemy 66
-
- The Grand Vezír deposed—Lálá Mohammed Páshá made Grand Vezír 66
-
- Sinán Páshá is made Grand Vezír a fifth time 67
-
- Sinán Páshá’s Counsel to the Emperor 68
-
- Sinán Páshá’s Death—Ibrahím Páshá is made Grand Vezír 69
-
- Strife and Contention between Sa’d-úd-dín Effendí and the Muftí 69
-
- The Emperor of the Moslems prepares to set out for the Seat of War 71
-
- A Council held 73
-
- Agria besieged 74
-
- The Moslems are threatened by another immense Host of Infidels 77
-
- Jafer Páshá sent with a body of Troops to surprise the Enemy 79
-
- The Orthodox Army advances to meet the Enemy 82
-
- The Battle of the First Day 84
-
- The Battle of the Second Day—The Defeat of the Enemy 85
-
- The Premiership conferred on Jaghaleh Zádeh Sinán Páshá 91
-
- The Fugitives punished 92
-
- The conquering Moslems return to Agria 93
-
- The Emperor returns to Constantinople 94
-
- Jaghaleh, the Grand Vezír, deposed—Ibrahím is re-appointed 94
-
- Concerning Fateh Gheráí 97
-
- New Appearances of Hostilities 99
-
-
- EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1006, H.
-
- A Council held—The Army marches on Wáj 102
-
- The Grand Vezír, Ibrahím Páshá, deposed—Khádem Hasan Páshá
- succeeds to the Premiership 106
-
- Jeráh Mohammed Páshá raised to the Premiership 109
-
- The Enemy gains advantage at Yanuk by stratagem 109
-
- The Moslems determine on attacking Warad 112
-
- State of Affairs in Bassra 114
-
-
- EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1007, H.
-
- Account of the late Expedition, continued from last Year 115
-
- Warad besieged 119
-
- Concerning the Fall of Besperim, Polata, Tata, and the Siege
- of Buda 125
-
- Khádem Háfiz Ahmed Páshá routed at Nicopolis by the odious
- Michael 127
-
- The Grand Vezírship conferred a third time on Ibrahím Páshá 129
-
- Satúrjí Mohammed Páshá murdered—Etmekjí Zádeh imprisoned 131
-
- Strange Conduct of the new Grand Vezír, Ibrahím Páshá 133
-
-
- EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1008, H.
-
- Account of Ibrahím Páshá’s further Operations 136
-
- The French Soldiers stationed at Papa join the Osmánlís 140
-
- Laudable Qualities of Ibrahím Páshá 142
-
- Concerning Abulhelím 144
-
- The State of Yemen (Arabia-felix) 146
-
- Ibrahím Páshá’s Movements against Kaniza 146
-
-
- EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1009, H.
-
- Kaniza taken 153
-
- Hájí Ibrahím Páshá defeated by Kara Yazíjí (Scrivano) 157
-
- The odious Michael’s Troops defeated 159
-
-
- EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1010, H.
-
- The Grand Vezír Ibrahím Páshá’s death—Yemishjí Hasan Páshá
- succeeds him in the Premiership 160
-
- Concerning Tarnákjí Hasan Páshá going to Kaniza 164
-
- The Enemy return to lay siege to Kaniza 165
-
- The Grand Vezír and Commander-in-Chief, Yemishjí Hasan Páshá,
- marches against the Enemy 166
-
- Kaniza is besieged 168
-
- Arrival of the Arch-Duke Mathias 179
-
- Some further Account of the Affairs relative to Kaniza—The Arrival
- of the Commander-in-Chief at Sigetwar 197
-
- State of Matters in the East—Concerning Scrivano 199
-
- Some other Events of this Year—Karah Yázijí dies in the Mountains
- of Jánbeg 200
-
- Concerning the rebel Delí Hasan, the Brother of Karah Yázijí—Hasan
- Páshá, the Commander-in-Chief, falls a Martyr 201
-
-
- EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1011, H.
-
- Hasan Páshá recovers Alba Julia 202
-
- The Commander-in-Chief conducts an Expedition into Transylvania 204
-
- Pest taken—Buda is besieged 206
-
- Ghází Gheráí Khán arrives with a Tátár Army 210
-
-
- EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1012, H.
-
- Advantage gained by the Rebel Delí Hasan—Mahmúd Páshá is appointed
- in the room of Khosrú Páshá 211
-
- Several changes take place 212
-
- Concerning Ghaznafer Aghá and Osmán Aghá, ághá of the Palace 212
-
- Yemishjí Hasan Páshá returns to Constantinople 213
-
- Mahmúd Páshá reports these Proceedings to the Emperor, who refuses
- to sanction the Deed of the Muftí 215
-
- Poiráz Osmán and other Rebels executed 221
-
- Other Affairs of this Period 226
-
- Concerning the Operations of the new Commander-in-Chief, Mohammed
- Páshá 229
-
- The Grand Vezír Yemishjí Hasan Páshá deposed—Dies a violent death 234
-
- Kásim Páshá is made Governor of Constantinople 239
-
- The Commencement of a Rupture with Persia 240
-
- The Sháh of Persia marches upon Tabríz 242
-
- The Capture of Nakhcheván 248
-
- Death of Sultán Mohammed Khán, son of Murád Khán 249
-
- Of learned Men 251
-
- Concerning Grand Vezírs and other Great Men 251
-
- Concerning the Ulemá, or higher order of Ecclesiastics 253
-
- Of the Mesháiekh, or Priests 254
-
- The Arrival of the Fleet—Concerning the Grand Vezír, Yávuz Alí
- Páshá 258
-
- Alí Páshá, Grand Vezír, is appointed Commander-in-Chief over
- the Troops employed against Hungary, and Jeghala Zádeh is
- appointed to the command in the East 259
-
- A variety of Changes in the Ecclesiastical and Military
- Establishments 260
-
- Some further Account of Delí Hasan (Brother of Scrivano) 262
-
- Continuation of the Account of the War carried on against
- the Heretics—The Sháh reduces Reván 263
-
- The Sháh conquers Shirwán 264
-
- Kars is besieged—Other Acts of Hostility by the Red Heads 265
-
-
- EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1013, H.
-
- The Grand Vezír, Alí Páshá, sets out for Belgrade 267
-
- Lálá Mohammed Páshá succeeds Alí Páshá in all his Offices 274
-
- The Infidels abandon Pest 275
-
- The Fortress of Wáj conquered 276
-
- Osterghún is laid siege to 276
-
- Concerning Botchkai 279
-
- A Battle fought between the Germans and Hungarians 281
-
- Concerning the Defeat of Kásim Páshá 283
-
- Sárukjí Mustafa Páshá is made Deputy of Constantinople—Other
- Promotions take place 285
-
- Sárukjí Mustafa is murdered—Súfí Sinán succeeds him 286
-
- The Emperor goes to hunt—Sultán Osmán Khán is born 287
-
- The Grand Vezír, Lálá Mohammed Páshá, returns to Constantinople 287
-
- Continuation of the Affairs in the East 288
-
-
- EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1014, H.
-
- Osterghún set fire to 293
-
- The City and Fortress taken 294
-
- Progress of Botchkai 295
-
- Botchkai pays a Visit to the Commanding General 296
-
- Peace is proposed by the Archduke Mathias 298
-
- Concerning Jeghala Zádeh’s Operations on the Confines of Persia 300
-
- A Battle between Ibrahím Páshá and the Croatians 306
-
- Mohammed Páshá, the son of Sinán Páshá, killed 306
-
- The Emperor, whilst at Adrianople, hears further intelligence as
- to the state of the Rebellion in Anatolia 307
-
- An Overture made to Túyel 312
-
- The Grand Vezír, Mohammed Páshá, is recalled to Constantinople 312
-
- A Commotion among the Janissaries and Spáhís 313
-
- The Commander-in-Chief arrives at Constantinople 314
-
- Delí Hasan killed at Temisvar 315
-
- Concerning the Grand Vezír, Lálá Mohammed Páshá—His death—Dervísh
- Páshá raised to the Vezírship 317
-
-
- EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1015, H.
-
- Dervísh Páshá is murdered—Murád Páshá is made Grand Vezír 326
-
- The Cause of his Death more particularly related 327
-
- Peace concluded with Austria 330
-
- Concerning Nesúh Páshá 330
-
- Death of Botchkai 335
-
- Other Events of the current Year 335
-
-
- EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1016, H.
-
- The Grand Vezír, Murád Páshá, returns to Court 336
-
- Murád Páshá gains a Victory over the Rebels 338
-
- Ebn Kalander goes to Ancora 340
-
- Murád Páshá winters at Aleppo—Troops are sent to Baghdád 345
-
- Jánbulát Oghlí seeks refuge in Constantinople—Kalander commits
- new Depredations 347
-
- Jánbulát Oghlí meets with a happy reverse of fortune 350
-
- Some more Particulars belonging to this Year 351
-
- An Ambassador arrives from Poland—A former Treaty is renewed 353
-
-
- EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1017, H.
-
- The Commander-in-Chief, Murád Páshá, pursues Kalander Oghlí 355
-
- His Excellency, Murád Páshá, hastens after the Brother of Túyel
- Mahmúd 361
-
- The Commander-in-Chief, Murád Páshá, is recalled to Court 366
-
- Concerning Mohammed Páshá in Egypt 370
-
- A great Earthquake 379
-
-
- EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1018, H.
-
- The Grand Vezír and Commander-in-Chief, Murád Páshá, is again
- sent to the East 380
-
- Yúsuf Páshá arrives at Scutari 384
-
- Mesli Chávush and Yúsuf Páshá are murdered 385
-
- Treachery in some of the Grand Vezír’s Domestics discovered 388
-
- The Arrival of Yúsuf Páshá’s and Mesli Chávush’s Wealth—A Display
- of Ill-will and Malevolence 389
-
- Concerning the Naval Operations of the Lord High Admiral, Khalíl
- Páshá—Karah Jehennem taken 390
-
- Ancient Treaty with France renewed 392
-
-
- EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1019, H.
-
- The Grand Vezír and Commander-in-Chief, Murád Páshá, goes
- to Tabríz 394
-
- Other Events of this Year 396
-
- The Death of Murád Páshá, Grand Vezír and Commander-in-Chief—Nesúh
- Páshá succeeds to the Premiership 398
-
-
- EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1020, H.
-
- Naval Affairs 400
-
-
-EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1021, H.
-
- Nesúh Páshá arrives in Constantinople along with the Persian
- Ambassadors 402
-
- Naval Affairs continued 402
-
- Sultán Ahmed Khán takes a Journey to Adrianople 404
-
-
- EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1022, H.
-
- The Emperor, Sultán Ahmed Khán, goes to Gallipoli 407
-
- The Emperor leaves Gallipoli for the Imperial City 408
-
- Mohammed Gheráí arrives at Rudosjuk 409
-
- A Messenger from Holland arrives in Constantinople 411
-
- A Mosque is built in the Garden of Stavros 412
-
- Sultán Ahmed Khán resolves on a second Journey to Adrianople 412
-
- Nesúh Páshá’s enmity to the Lord High Treasurer, Etmekjí Zádeh
- Ahmed Páshá 413
-
- Begzádeh, a celebrated Spáhí, assassinated 413
-
- Other Events and Circumstances of this Year 415
-
- The Treaty of Peace with Persia adverted to 416
-
-
- EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1023, H.
-
- The Moslem Emperor returns to Constantinople 417
-
- The Admiral, Khalíl Páshá, goes to Sea 417
-
- Punishment inflicted on the Infidels of Maneíah 420
-
- Mímí Páshá falls a martyr 420
-
- The Cossacks become troublesome 421
-
- Some fortresses built on the Ouzi (Borysthenes) 422
-
- Concerning Maán Oghlí 422
-
- The Grand Vezír, Nesúh Páshá, murdered—The Seals are conferred
- on Mohammed Páshá 426
-
- Chief Reasons for accomplishing the Death of Nesúh Páshá 430
-
- Concerning Betlan Gabor 432
-
- The Treaty of Transylvania 433
-
- Another Treaty 435
-
- The Grand Vezír and Commander-in-Chief marches against Persia 436
-
- A Messenger arrives from the Sháh 437
-
- The Peace with Austria renewed—New Articles added 437
-
- Death of the reverend Muftí—His Brother, Isaád Effendí, succeeds
- him 439
-
-
- EVENTS OF THE YEARS 1024-1026, H.
-
- The Grand Vezír and Commander-in-Chief marches to Reván 440
-
- The Grand Vezír and commanding-general, Mohammed Páshá,
- is deposed—Khalíl Páshá is advanced to the Premiership 443
-
- The Persian Ambassador is imprisoned 445
-
- Iskunder Páshá marches against the Cossacks 446
-
- The Grand Vezír and Commander-in-chief goes to Diárbeker, where
- he winters—Ján Beg Gheráí, the Khán of Crimea, joins the Royal
- camp 448
-
- A Division is sent to protect Gúrjistán (Georgia) from the grasp
- of the Heretics 448
-
- Iskander Páshá concludes a Peace with the Cossacks 449
-
- Concerning the Naval Affairs of this Year 450
-
- Death of Sultán Ahmed Khán—Sultán Mustafa Khán is inaugurated 451
-
- Character of Sultán Ahmed Khán 451
-
- Concerning Sultán Ahmed Khán’s Sons 452
-
- Vezírs who were contemporary with Sultán Ahmed Khán 453
-
- Some of the Events which took place during the Reign of Mustafa
- Khán 454
-
- Sultán Mustafa Khán is deposed 454
-
- Sultán Osmán Khán inaugurated 456
-
- Concerning Mohammed Gheráí 456
-
- Ján Beg, Khán of the Tátárs, defeated 458
-
- The Arrival of the King of Poland’s Ambassador 463
-
- An Ambassador arrives from Fez 463
-
- A Phenomenon 464
-
- Death of Etmekjí Zádeh Ahmed Páshá 464
-
- On the state of the Coin 465
-
- The Seals of the Premiership are again conferred on Mohammed
- Páshá, the Emperor’s Son-in-law 465
-
- The Arrival of a Persian Ambassador 466
-
- A remarkable Phenomenon 466
-
- Betlan Gabor 466
-
-
-
-
-ANNALS OF NAIMA;
-
-OR,
-
-A HISTORY OF THE TURKISH EMPIRE.
-
-A. H. 1000-1070. A.D. 1591-1659.
-
-
-
-
-EVENTS WHICH HAPPENED IN THE YEAR 1000 OF THE HIJRAH.
-
-
-_The Grand Vezír Ferhád Páshá deposed, and the Vezírship conferred on
-Síávush Páshá._
-
-The inhabitants of Erzerúm having earnestly requested, by letters, to
-be delivered from the oppression and tyranny of the Janissaries, who
-had been sent among them during the winter, Ferhád Páshá, to put a
-stop to these complaints, assured them in return that the Janissaries
-would be recalled to their own odás within the empire. The inhabitants,
-on receiving this intelligence, were elated: their proud and haughty
-spirits were roused; and without giving any due time to the Janissaries
-to prepare for their departure, or without exercising the least degree
-of patience whatever, and in violation of the Páshá’s letter, they
-commenced expelling the Janissaries, and loading them with every
-species of reproach. A tumult ensued. Some of the Janissaries fell by
-the hands of the inhabitants before the former had sufficient time
-given them to evacuate the place.
-
-This treatment, which was wholly occasioned by Ferhád’s letter,
-awakened the wrath of the Janissaries, and led them to write letters
-to their own odás and commanders complaining of the author of the
-maltreatment they had met with. Accordingly the grand vezír, Ferhád
-Páshá, who knew what he had to fear from the malevolence of the
-Janissaries, rode boldly up to the Diván on the 20th of Jemadi II.,
-and demanded to know whether the emperor (Sultán Murád Khán III.) had
-given his consent to the orders sent to the Janissaries at Erzerúm
-to murder him. The members of the council replied to this imperious
-demand by immediately commencing an assault on the grand vezír;
-and it was with no small difficulty that the officers of the vezír
-succeeded in quieting the tumult and uproar which this circumstance
-had occasioned. The members of the council, on peace being restored,
-retired to their respective homes: but the affair was not yet ended;
-for the emperor was no sooner informed of the disturbance which had
-taken place in the diván, than he issued a royal mandate requiring
-an explanation of the cause of it from his minister, Ferhád. The
-minister, however, found himself inadequate to give a satisfactory
-answer to the imperial demand; and therefore, instead of giving a fair
-and candid statement of the whole affair, had recourse, from a defect
-of judgment, to equivocation. Thinking the matter was now hushed, he
-proceeded to depose and maltreat the ághá of the Janissaries, Satúrjí
-Aghá; and appointed the armour-bearer, Khalíl Aghá, in his stead. The
-very next day, however, the emperor, who had become acquainted with his
-inconsistent and rash conduct, deposed him, and raised Síávush Páshá a
-third time to the premiership.
-
-
-_The Militia of Tabríz._
-
-The militia of Tabríz, malicious, corrupt, oppressive, and obstinate,
-and ever skilful in stirring up rebellion, have always been disposed to
-throw off the authority of their governors. The vezír Ja’fer Páshá, who
-was this year governor of Tabríz and Azerbáíján, contrived and executed
-a stratagem against them however, which ought to have taught them ever
-afterwards to conduct themselves with propriety and good order. It
-was this: Ja’fer Páshá, under the pretext of being obliged to go and
-take cognizance of some other garrisons, left Tabríz, having secured a
-sufficient number of troops from the Kúrd chiefs to come and assault
-Tabríz. The Tabrízians on learning that an army of Kurds was come to
-attack them rushed forth to give it battle, but were defeated with the
-loss of 1,500 of their number. Ja’fer Páshá, on learning the success of
-the Kurds, joined them with the volunteers under his own command, and
-commenced a general slaughter of the Tabrízians, and thus punished them
-most severely for their wickedness and insubordination.
-
-
-_The Muftí Effendí, Bostánzádeh, deposed, and Zekeríá Effendí appointed
-in his stead._
-
-Husain Beg Zádeh says (in his history), that several disgraceful
-complaints had been lodged with the emperor against the acute poet
-Bákí Effendí, the military judge of Anatolia. As soon as Bákí Effendí
-was made acquainted with this fact, and conjecturing that the mufti,
-in order to get his own brother, cazí of Constantinople, appointed
-in his room, would be excited to raise an accusation against him;
-he, with great boldness, raised his voice in the diván and demanded
-what these Bostáns (the mufti and his brother) wanted with him? The
-elder of them, he said, was forty years of age, and was not yet able
-either to repeat or read correctly. None of the decrees, continued he,
-which he (the mufti) has written are in accordance with those already
-collected and registered. Would it be just or wise, in order to get
-Jamús, the mufti’s brother, put into his office, and for which he was
-unfit, he asked, that complaints should be invented against him? This
-speech was communicated to the mufti, who was so much nettled that
-he instantly exhibited two hemistiches from Bákí’s poetical works,
-which he declared evident blasphemy. A man, he said, who did not keep
-himself free from that corruption ought by no means to hold any office,
-sacred or profane. If Bákí, continued he, be not deposed, and not only
-deposed but prosecuted, he (the mufti) would wander away to the utmost
-bounds of the empire. Bákí Effendí, seeing the mufti had commenced
-his vexatious proceedings against him, appealed to the grand vezír
-and Khoja Sudur-úd-dín Effendí, and proposed to them to raise Zekeríá
-Effendí to the office of mufti: or else to give that office to himself,
-assuring them that he was competent to give forth daily, if requisite,
-500 fetvás (judicial or religious decrees).
-
-The mufti, in the mean time, sent an account of the whole affair, by
-means of Dervísh Aghá, chief of the falconers, to his imperial majesty.
-The emperor, however, was so much displeased at the high-mindedness of
-the pontiff, who had said he would wander away to the utmost bounds of
-the empire if Bákí Effendí was not deposed, that on the night of the
-28th of Rajab he issued his royal mandate for deposing the mufti, and
-appointed Zekeríá Effendí military judge of Romeili, to succeed him
-in the sacred office. Bákí Effendí succeeded Zekeríá in Romeili: the
-mufti’s brother was deposed from his office in Constantinople, and was
-succeeded by Siná-allah Effendí of Adrianople, who was succeeded by
-Abú-saúd Zádeh Mohammed Effendí.
-
-This same year, however, on the 7th of Shevál, Bákí Effendí lost his
-situation, which was conferred on Menlá Ahmed, the late Mollah of
-Anatolia; and the jurisdiction of Anatolia was conferred on Siná-allah
-Effendí, cazí of Constantinople: and Shemish Effendí, of Adrianople,
-succeeded Siná-allah Effendí. Mohammed Aghá, one of the Kapújí báshís,
-on the day preceding the last-mentioned date was appointed ághá of
-the Janissaries, and his predecessor, Khalíl Aghá, was created beg of
-Kostamúní (in Anatolia).
-
-In consequence of the late tumult which had taken place in Erzerúm, and
-which had been the cause of Ferhád’s removal from office, as before
-observed, the new grand vezír appointed a number of fierce Janissaries
-to accompany a Kapújí báshí to Erzerúm, and require an explanation.
-On the arrival of this body, and in consequence of the authority with
-which they were invested, they caused several of the inhabitants to be
-executed, and transmitted a number of others to Constantinople, where
-they met with that punishment which their crimes had merited.
-
-
-_Disturbance on the confines of Bosnia and Hungary.—Movements of the
-Infidels._
-
-The Beglerbeg of Bosnia, Hasan Páshá, a brave and active man, continued
-unremittingly to harass the enemy’s territories; on which account, the
-Emperor of Austria sent his ambassador praying to have this officer
-removed, or otherwise an end was to the existing peace. The ambassador
-was told in reply, that it belonged to the grand vezír and to Dervísh
-Páshá, the emperor’s favourite, to repel their aggressions against
-the Ottoman empire; that, he was told, was a sufficient answer. Hasan
-Páshá, elated by the encouragement which this laconic answer afforded
-him, marched his Bosnian forces against Bihka, and after a siege of
-eight days, took it. After having placed a sufficient garrison in
-Bihka, he erected two other fortresses in its vicinity; the command of
-which he conferred on Rustam Beg, an officer who had had the command of
-Ferhád’s militia.
-
-In the month of Jemadi I., Hasan Páshá again assembled his forces, a
-considerable host: erected a bridge across the Koopa, in the vicinity
-of Yení Hissár, and penetrated into the country of Croatia. The most
-famous of the Croatian frontier chiefs, the governors of castles, the
-Bani of Transylvania and the Croatian generals opposed him with a
-mighty army, and gave him battle. The conflict was not long doubtful:
-the Moslems were victorious; the infidel troops were broken, and
-obliged to retreat. A great number of the fugitive host perished by the
-edge of the sword: the whole of their fortifications, their stores,
-six large cannon and other warlike apparatus fell into the hands of
-the victorious Moslems. After having obtained this splendid victory,
-the Páshá sent out parties to scour the country, who returned with an
-immense number of captives and a great deal of spoil. Two thousand
-heads, and two hundred living infidels were sent under guard of cannon
-into the interior of the empire as trophies of the Moslem victors. A
-proclamation was issued by the Páshá, that if ever the infidels should
-again assemble such another host, they should meet with a similar or
-severer fate; but it had no effect.
-
-
-_News from the East._
-
-The ungrateful Sháh of Persia marched this year, with a numerous army,
-from Kazvín, in Irák, against Abdulmumin, Khán of Uzbek, and proceeded
-as far as Khorassan. The Khán advanced to the borders of Jiorján to
-meet the invading army; but finding his troops not sufficiently strong
-to give the Sháh battle, he retreated to Nishapúr. The Sháh followed
-him as far as Damghan, and after having reduced the cities of Sebzevár
-and Isfaráyan in the district of Nishapúr, he returned victorious to
-Kazvín.
-
-
-_Concerning learned Men._
-
-_Al Mevleví Mustafa ben Mohammed._—Mustafa ben Mohammed, one of the
-most learned men of the age in which he lived, was born in the month
-of Ramazán 940 of the Hijrah, when his father was cazí of Ipek, in
-Romeili; and after having studied under the learned Kází Zádeh and
-Sachlí Emír, he attended, in 963, Abúlsa’úd Effendí, and was appointed
-head of an academy in 967, with a salary of twenty akchés attached to
-his office. In ten years afterwards he was salaried by Alí Páshá. In
-Shabán, A.H. 993, he fell into a lingering illness, which for some
-time prevented him from active duty. In 998 he was so far recovered as
-to be able to take upon himself the office of cazí of Tripoli. In the
-month of Sefer of this year he was deposed, and soon afterwards died at
-Aksheher, of a severe cold he had caught. He was much celebrated for
-his great learning, and was a man of generous and mild dispositions. He
-made a collection of all the common errors, and translated into Turkish
-Kútb Mekín’s History of Yemen (Arabia Felix). He left behind him also
-several poems in Turkish.
-
-_Mohammed Elvání_, commonly called _Ván Kúlí_.—This venerable prelate
-was greatly celebrated for his attainments in learning. In his pursuit
-after knowledge he studied first under Hamid Effendí, and afterwards
-made the round of forty seminaries. In the end of 977 he became reader
-to Mohammed Páshá, and afterwards the same in Alí Páshá’s Khánegáh and
-ancient academies. In 979 he was appointed Muftí of Rhodes, and in 981
-was removed from Thesalonica, where he had acted as chief judge, to
-Kutahia. In the end of 991 he retired on a pension of eighty piastres,
-but was created cazí of Medina in 998; and in the month of Rajab
-of this year he was translated into the eternal world. His virtues
-were no less conspicuous than his learning. His letters relative to
-evidence and the mode of government, as well as his splendid notes, are
-sufficient to shew his depth of learning and erudition. He translated
-the Seháhi Júheri (صحاح جوهري) into Turkish, which was placed in Sultán
-Mohammed Khán’s mosque. He translated also Imám Ghazáli’s Treatise on
-Alchemy.
-
-_Almevlevi Alí Ben Abdí_, called also _Bitlí Alí_.—Bitlí Alí’s father
-was called Abdí Tchelebí, and was brother to Muftí Jeví Zádeh Sheikh
-Mohammed Effendí. Bitlí Alí was born in 938. He studied the lives of
-the learned doctors under Sinán Effendí. In 963 he became thoroughly
-acquainted with the ancients, and was soon afterwards competent for
-reading lectures in colleges. In the month Sefer of 981 he was made
-Fetva of Rhodes: in 983 he was cazí of Sehen: in 993 he held the
-same office in Brúsa: and in Shabán 998 he became judge or cazí of
-Constantinople. In the following year he was deposed, and in the month
-of Shabán 1000 he died. He was a man of highly respectable connections,
-and was possessed of marked sincerity and greatness of mind.
-
-_Abdulkádír Ben Emír Gísúdárí._—Yálánjek Effendí, son of Sachlí Emír,
-was helped forward in his career after learning by Sinán Effendí,
-and in 981 he became rector of Pírí Páshá’s academy. In 989, after
-having been one month president of the Consistory in Sehen, he was
-appointed cazí of Merœsh and Kutahia. In the month of Shevál, 995,
-he was translated to the jurisdiction of Tabríz; but in consequence
-of the violence of his tongue he was afterwards ejected. In 999 he
-was made cazí of Yenísheher, and in Rabia II. 1000 he was deposed,
-and soon afterwards died. He was a rash and violent man, and easily
-precipitated into passion. He wrote the Zeíli Shukáïk (زيل شقايق), but
-his composition is weak, and his style incorrect.
-
-_Almevlevi Mohammed Aïdín of Ak-Hisar._—This prelate, after having
-studied the various sciences, attended the lectures of Abú Iliás Isa,
-and afterwards was sent to study under the very able Ja’fer Effendí.
-In 963, after having perfected himself in every branch of useful
-knowledge, and having been for some time in the jurisdiction of Egypt,
-he was made high priest of Medina. He died about the end of the year
-1000, and was buried in the burying-ground of Medina. Three years after
-his death his poems and other scientific works were collected together.
-His explanations of the sacred word (the Koran) are short but nervous.
-Besides a variety of other writings on various subjects, there are also
-two or three in Persic. The compendious discourse to silk merchants
-belongs to him.
-
-_Almevlevi Shemaï._—Shemaï, when once his mind was enlightened by the
-seeds of knowledge, though a partaker of human vanity, contemplated the
-end of his life and made the best of it. Free from all worldly cares
-and entanglements, he presented a lively picture of religion and virtue
-to all ranks. About the end of the year 1000 his glorious soul was
-translated into heaven. He was a very able instructor, and left behind
-him an excellent treatise on morals. He translated into Turkish the
-Diván of Háfiz, the Gulistán, and the Bústán.
-
-_Almevlevi Sevdí._—This worthy prelate was a native of Bosnia, and
-was much distinguished for his high attainments in learning. After
-having made himself acquainted with the various branches of education
-he retired on a small income, and taught the domestics belonging to
-Ibrahím Páshá in his own palace; and in this employment finished his
-earthly course towards the end of the year 1000. He left behind him
-remarks on commerce, which are of great importance to the merchant,
-besides a number of moral sayings, and various valuable translations.
-
-_Almevlevi Abdur-rahím._—This great man was the younger brother of
-Kanalí Zádeh Alí Effendí. After he had perfected his education he was
-employed in the service of Abdulkerím Effendí and Bostán Effendí;
-and from being intimate with Hasan Beg Effendí, rector in the
-Queen-mother’s academy, he became related to Abú-saúd Effendí, by which
-means he raised himself greatly in importance. But Abú-saúd, neglecting
-the respect due to him, sent him into the service of Arab Zádeh
-Abdulbákí, cazí of Brúsa. At length, however, in 959 he was appointed
-travelling judge by the Beglerbeg college of Adrianople, with a salary
-of twenty piastres. In the cities of Romeili, whither he had gone,
-he manifested his great zeal, and acquired public notoriety by his
-talents. He was raised to the cazíship of Ancora, and died towards the
-end of the year 1000, whilst he filled the same office in Begsheher. He
-was a man of excellent character, and was much regretted.
-
-_Al Sheikh Mohammed al Bokhárí._—This man was a native of Bokhárá,
-where he studied the divine sciences. After having made himself
-thoroughly acquainted with the learned men of his day, he travelled to
-Constantinople. In Romeili and in Silistria he made arrangements for
-founding several establishments. He died towards the end of the tenth
-century of the Hijrah, and was buried in the principal sepulchre in the
-Forum. His splendid achievements are well known to the world.
-
-_Al Sheikh Mohammed Effendí._—In the city of Brúsa he was distinguished
-by the appellation of Kowaklí Imám, and because he was the son of an
-Imám he was called also Kowaklí Zádeh, a name by which he was more
-generally known. After having perfected his education he was for some
-time in the service of the learned Merhebá Effendí, where he made
-himself eminent by reading and studying the belles lettres, and in
-making himself acquainted with the Persian language. His talents and
-acquirements brought him into notice, for he became tutor and companion
-to Alí Páshá, one of the beglerbegs of Egypt, and to Ferhád Páshá,
-the grand vezír. He was for a while, also, in the service of Sheikh
-Chelebí, the philosopher, and secured to himself, by his prudent
-conduct, the friendship and respect of the best part of society. He
-lived for some time, it is said, in a cell in Bokhárá in the exercise
-of devotion. Towards the end of the year 1000 he passed from this vain
-world into the next. Sivásí Shemsí Effendí collected his books, which
-show him to have been a most profound adept in the ocean of science.
-There were, besides those we have now mentioned, an immense number of
-learned men throughout the Ottoman dominions, such as Nasúhí Effendí of
-Aksheher and other great and celebrated orators like him, but of whom
-we cannot speak particularly. It is hoped, however, that in the course
-of writing this history, other great men may be adverted to. This much
-is sufficient to awaken the envy of the Christians.
-
- If this does not please you—
- Turn away your face: never mind it.
-
-
-
-
-EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1001, H.
-
-
-Menlá Ahmed Effendí, about the end of the month Sefer, was deposed,
-and Bostání Zádeh Mohammed Effendí was appointed to succeed him in the
-jurisdiction of Romeili. On the 8th of Rabia I. the ambassador of the
-Sháh of Persia, and on the 25th the governor of Gilán, Ahmed Khán,
-reached Constantinople. The latter of these, Ahmed Khán, governor of
-Gilán, having come with the view of imploring the protection of the
-emperor, the great men of the state went forth with great pomp as he
-was coming into the harbour to meet him. He was conducted to the palace
-of Yúsuf Páshá, near Kirk-cheshmeh, where all the honours due to his
-rank and office were shown him. But as it was on account of escaping
-the molestations of Sháh Abbás he had taken refuge under the royal
-shadow, he conceived that the royal favour bestowed on him was less
-than what he had anticipated, and therefore, grieved and afflicted,
-he requested to be allowed to go to Baghdád. His request was complied
-with: a suitable salary was allowed him, and in the month of Rajab he
-set out on his intended journey. Having many friends and adherents
-in Shirván, however, he directed his steps thither with the view of
-endeavouring to effect a change in his own favour, but had no sooner
-reached the confines of Gunja than the governor of that place seized
-his person for having dared to depart from the path which had been
-assigned him, and put him in prison.
-
-
-_The Spáhís create a disturbance in the Diván._
-
-Whilst the new grand vezír, Síávúsh Páshá, was actively employed in the
-duties of his office, a very serious disturbance took place. On the
-23d of Rabia I. the pay of the troops was issued, when the Janissaries
-received the full amount of what was due to them; but there not being
-sufficient money to pay the Spáhís the whole of their salaries, they
-became discontented, raised a great noise, assaulted the royal diván,
-clamorously demanded the head of the high treasurer, Emír Páshá, who,
-on account of his great wisdom and prudence, was much respected by
-the emperor, and stoned their own ághás. The affair came before the
-royal presence, who ordered forthwith an advance of a hundred yúks
-(about 100,000 dollars) from the royal coffers, but the obstinate
-soldiery would not accept of it, whilst they became more violent and
-unruly. Three times did the chief of the royal messengers and the
-superintendant of the household troops go forth to try to pacify them,
-and to advise them to take their allowance. “Take your pay,” they said,
-“and leave off your unreasonable demand with regard to the head of the
-treasurer:” but this speech was replied to by a shower of stones. The
-military judges now stepped forward, and with the same view said, “Your
-pay has been advanced: the treasurer is a descendant of the Prophet:
-how is it possible that you thirst for his blood, contrary to all law
-and justice?” This had no effect. The military judges again advanced
-with the royal letter, containing an exhortation to obedience, which
-they read to the tumultuous soldiery, but these turned a deaf ear to
-it. The vezírs made the next attempt at restoring order, but they were
-met by a shower of stones, and were obliged to retire. The orator of
-the Suleimániyeh, Emír Mohammed Effendí, and the orator of St. Sophia,
-Ibrahím Effendí, with a number of other súfís, were now called, and
-being seated before the vezírs, were informed of the events which
-had just taken place. These sages, on learning the state of matters,
-made two attempts, by exhortation and advice, to still the tumult,
-but with no better result than the efforts had which had preceded.
-After all these fruitless attempts about twenty Seids (descendants of
-Mohammed) came forward, and remonstrated with the Spáhís about the
-guilt of seeking to encompass the death of an innocent descendant of
-the Prophet. But they, too, descendants of Mohammed as they were, were
-hailed with another volley of stones, which actually wounded two of
-their number. At length the high treasurer, seeing no effort whatever
-could restrain the soldiery, resolved on presenting himself before
-them. With this view he folded a green cloth round his turban, and said
-he would meet his fate, be it what it might. This resolution so alarmed
-the _chaúshes_ and members of the diván, that they raised a tremendous
-lamentation, and thus deterred him from his rash purpose.
-
-One of their number, however, who was any thing but friendly towards
-the lord high treasurer, addressed the grand vezír thus: “How long will
-it be that you will screen this treasurer? On a former occasion you did
-not hesitate to deliver up Mohammed Páshá, who was a beglerbeg and a
-vezír. This man is only a treasurer: deliver him up, and you will put
-an end to the present tumults.” One of the military judges, Bostání
-Zádeh, on hearing these sentiments was perfectly astonished, raised his
-voice and said, “What! is this diván become so far heretical, as even
-to agree to permit the head of a descendant of the Prophet to be struck
-off and hurled upon the ground? What madness and insanity is this!
-Cease, I beseech you, from this rashness, and let justice take her own
-course.” This short but energetic speech had the desired effect on the
-mind of him to whom it was directed.
-
-In the mean time a royal mandate was sent to the ághá of the
-Janissaries, requiring him to repair to the diván, whilst the
-Janissaries were ordered to surround the forum. The immense multitude
-of ruffians who had rushed into the court continued their tumultuous
-noise and uproar till the afternoon; but at last the ághá of the
-household troops succeeded in awing this unwelcome concourse, and
-inspired them with such a degree of terror as caused them to give way.
-The members of the diván, and other servants of the court, perceiving
-the Spáhís were awed, seized what weapons they could find. One took
-hold of a cudgel, another of a culinary implement, and a third of a
-garden rake, and turned with fury on the Spáhís, who, through fear
-of the Janissaries, had turned their backs, and sought to make their
-escape as fast as they were able. Such, indeed, was the crush and
-pressure in trying to get out of the court, that three hundred and
-fifty persons were trampled to death, and the rest hardly escaped with
-their lives. Thus did God, in his wise providence, defeat the wicked
-purposes of this lawless multitude, and peace and good order was again
-restored. The ághá of the Janissaries dispersed the crowd of spectators
-which had assembled on this occasion, and thus cleared the way for the
-members of the diván, who all returned to their respective homes. The
-dead bodies of the insurgents were thrown into the sea.
-
-The emperor was so very much pleased when he learned the fate of the
-insurgent Spáhís, and the conduct of the grand vezír, Síávúsh Páshá,
-that he presented him with a robe of honour. The money which had been
-furnished for paying the Spáhís was distributed as on former occasions;
-but the lord high treasurer was deposed, and Hájí Ibrahím Páshá was
-appointed in his stead. Borhán Effendí was made treasurer of Anatolia.
-
-
-_The Grand Vezír, Síávúsh Páshá, deposed._
-
-After the insurgent Spáhís were chastised and punished, and the grand
-vezír was graced with the robe of honour, as a token of his majesty’s
-approbation, he (_i. e._ the grand vezír), next day rode round the city
-and laid a heavy tariff on commodities in the market-place, and then
-returned, with great pomp and show, to his palace. On the 25th day of
-Rabia II., however, the emperor’s chamberlain waited on him, demanded,
-in the name of his master, the seals of office, and sent them to the
-formerly exiled, but now renowned Khoja Sinán Páshá. Síávúsh Páshá, who
-but yesterday was clothed in a robe of honour, and admired, is to-day,
-to the astonishment of the vulgar multitude, debased!
-
-Sinán Páshá, the new grand vezír, entered upon the duties of his office
-on the first day of Jemadi I. This is the third time he became premier.
-The following able councillors held their situations in the diván at
-this time, and were accordingly arranged as follows: Ferhád Páshá,
-who had been deposed from the office of grand vezír, held the second;
-Ibrahím Páshá, the third; Jeghaleh Zádeh Sinán Páshá, the fourth; Jeráh
-Mohammed Páshá, the fifth; Boyálí Mohammed Páshá, the sixth; and Khusur
-Páshá, the seventh.
-
-On the 15th of Shabán the ceremony of circumcision was performed on the
-young prince, Mirzá Haider, and a splendid feast was given to the great
-men of the state in the palace of Mohammed Páshá.
-
-
-_A rupture between the Ottomans and the Austrians._
-
-The rupture just now announced took place when Hasan Páshá, formerly
-mentioned, commanded on the frontiers of Bosnia. Before alluding
-directly to the result of this rupture, it is necessary to observe,
-first, that Mustafa Páshá, son of Ahmed Páshá, who had been formerly
-governor of Semendria, had his father’s palace in the At-maidán pulled
-down, on the ruins of which Sultán Ahmed’s mosque was built. This
-Mustafa Páshá, when he was commander in the Sanjak of Kilis, was in
-the habit of committing depredations on the frontiers of the infidels’
-dominions; and this also provoked the Germans and Croatians to cross
-their respective boundaries, and to commit atrocities against the
-Osmánlís. The Beglerbeg of Bosnia, Hasan Páshá, entered the country of
-the Croatians, as we have already observed, and erected two fortresses
-there, which he named Novograde. On one or two occasions he succeeded
-in defeating the infidels, and thus acquired some considerable degree
-of glory. When he communicated this intelligence to the Ottoman court,
-he stated at the same time, that if the enemy should assemble in
-greater numbers in future, the Bosnian troops alone would not be able
-to cope with them, and therefore requested that the troops of Romeili
-might be sent to his aid. The former grand vezír, Síávúsh Páshá,
-conferred on a relative of his own, Kirli Hasan Páshá, the government
-of Romeili, and appointed him to afford the aid which Hasan Páshá
-deemed necessary. When Kirli Hasan Páshá, with his Romeilian troops,
-reached the Sanjak of Serim, he learned that Sinán Páshá had been
-created grand vezír. It is necessary to observe here, however, that
-when Sinán Páshá was formerly grand vezír, the válí of Bosnia, Hasan
-Páshá, gave him his house in Constantinople, but the Páshá refused to
-give it back when he was deposed. The circumstance of Hasan’s seeking
-back his house offended Sinán Páshá and put him into a complete rage.
-
-About the end of the Ramazán of this year Kirli Hasan Páshá was
-translated to the vezírship of Temisvar, and his son, Mohammed Páshá,
-was made governor of Romeili in his father’s stead.
-
-Hasan Páshá, proud of the succours he had reason to anticipate, and, in
-addition to his eruptions for the last two years, in violation of the
-existing treaty of peace, went and besieged a fortress called Siska,
-in the enemy’s country. The infernal infidels, in consequence of this
-infringement of the peace by Hasan Páshá, collected an immense army,
-the command of which was given to the accursed wretch, Zerín Oghlí,
-ruler of Katpaz. With this mighty army, furnished with all sorts of
-apparatus of war, he marched to the frontiers of Bosnia.
-
-Hasan Páshá, in the mean time, becoming hopeless as to the aid which
-had been promised him, and not suspecting that the enemy was on his
-march to attack him, threw two bridges over the Kupa, near Yení Hisár,
-and marched over into Croatia. Hearing of the movements of the enemy,
-he hastened to prepare to give them battle, although he had only
-about ten thousand Bosnians under his command. Being a very brave and
-fearless man, he acquired very great glory by his skill in military
-tactics on this occasion.
-
-The enemy having asked assistance from Maximilian, brother of the
-Emperor of Austria, received a large augmentation of forces, raised by
-the great princes of Germany, and thus became much more formidable.
-This vast multitude, many of whom were covered with steel, resembled
-the raging waves of the sea. The brave and veteran Páshá resolved on
-encountering the enemy, and commanded Ghází Khoja Mimí Beg, father
-of Serkhúsh Ibrahím Páshá, celebrated in war, to cross the river and
-reconnoitre the enemy. He did so; and when he returned, he assured
-Hasan Páshá that it would be altogether ruinous to give battle to so
-superior a force as the enemy possessed. When Ibrahím delivered this
-disheartening report Hasan happened to be playing at chess, and, after
-hearing him patiently to the end of his tale, said, with a stern voice,
-“Curse you, you despicable wretch! to be afraid of numbers: out of my
-sight!” and immediately mounted his horse, passed his troops across the
-bridges he had before erected, and prepared for the conflict, which was
-not long in commencing. The infidels gained, at the very commencement,
-an evident advantage; which Zerín Oghlí no sooner perceived than he
-gave orders for a general assault, which proved fatal to the Osmánlís.
-The Páshá of Kilis, Sultán Zádeh Mustafa Páshá, mentioned above,
-perished. The troops of Izvernick were routed: those of Usk fell into
-confusion and were repulsed; but the veteran troops of Novo, well
-skilled in the use of muskets, maintained their ground for a while,
-slew a great number of the opposing káfirs; but the son of Zerín, by
-an artful manœuvre, succeeded in driving them back, and cut them
-to pieces. The Moslems were now obliged to retreat to their bridges,
-when a most terrible conflict ensued, in which Khoja Ghází Mimí Beg
-perished. The brave Hasan Páshá himself also met with his fate, having
-fallen into the river with one of the bridges, which had been cut to
-prevent the pursuit of the enemy. Such was the result of this terrible
-day. Though Hasan had acted throughout with the utmost skill, and had
-fought with unequalled bravery; though his military prudence had never
-once forsaken him, yet such was the immense superiority of the enemy’s
-forces, augmented besides by forty thousand Germans, that it does
-not appear surprising that the Moslems were defeated. Eight thousand
-Moslems fell or were drowned. The nephew of Rustem Páshá, Mohammed Beg,
-and three other Sanjak princes, perished along with Hasan Páshá in the
-river at the falling of the bridge. The victorious infidels retired
-from the field of battle in triumph.
-
-When intelligence of this unfortunate day reached the court of
-Constantinople, the ocean-like zeal of the emperor was stirred up
-within him, and at once led him to determine to prosecute the war with
-vigour and without delay.
-
-
-_The Grand Vezír, Sinán Páshá, determines on carrying the war into
-Hungary._
-
-The grand vezír, Sinán Páshá, ambitious of acquiring fame similar to
-that which Ferhád Páshá, the conqueror of kingdoms, had acquired,
-found now a sufficient stimulus to awaken his zeal. The Austrians
-having, for the last twelvemonth, neglected sending their accustomed
-tribute; the defeat and discomfiture of the veteran Hasan Páshá by the
-most consummate general of the enemy, and in which defeat he himself,
-Mustafa Páshá, and several other princes, besides many thousand
-Moslems, had fallen martyrs, roused the indignation of the vezír, and
-at once led him to determine on carrying the war into the Hungarian
-dominions. Winter arrived, however, before the vezír had accomplished
-the whole of the preparations for the intended expedition, which he had
-resolved on conducting in person, and therefore was advised to postpone
-his departure till the spring. But the vezír was not to be moved from
-the resolution he had formed: none of the considerations which had
-been advanced to cause him to put off had the least effect in turning
-him from his purpose, and in fifteen days afterwards the whole of his
-apparatus was in movement, _i. e._ on the 12th of Shevál, 1001 of the
-Hijrah.
-
-Although Sinán Páshá had succeeded, in so short a time, in making the
-necessary preparations for the war, yet it was not customary, unless
-the emperor himself went forth to war, that the lord high treasurer and
-ághá of the Janissaries should go forth; and therefore twelve thousand
-Janissaries, destined for the war, were put under the command of a
-deputy. Six regiments of paid troops remained behind. The salary of the
-troops who were on the eve of marching was paid to them at the vezír’s
-palace, and on the 18th of Shevál the grand vezír commenced his march,
-leaving behind him Ferhád Páshá as governor of Constantinople.
-
-The grand vezír reached Adrianople about the beginning of the eleventh
-month of the year, where, after a few days rest, he recruited five
-hundred men, experienced in the use of arms, and sent them off with
-his other troops, and under proper leaders, for Belgrade. When he came
-to Wazansha, at the request of the inhabitants, he appointed proper
-persons to commence building a couple of inns, a mosque, two baths,
-and a magazine for merchants; for which splendid and beneficial
-purpose he advanced thirty thousand dollars from his own private purse
-towards defraying the expenses. The place was formerly a miserable
-wretched hole, but by transplanting the inhabitants of two villages
-to it, it acquired in time respectability. After passing through
-Philippopolis and Sophia, he caused a palanka and an inn to be erected
-at a place called Batchina, in the district of Yaghodina, a dangerous
-and difficult pass, and exposed to banditti. On the 7th of Dhu’lhijja
-he reached Belgrade, and after having ordered a distribution of
-provisions, &c. to the various troops, he sent off his military stores
-by water to Buda. On the 17th he reached the plains of Sirim, and on
-the last day of the month he arrived at Usk, where without loss of time
-he made preparations for attacking Besperim and Palaha. In the month
-of Moharrem, 1002, he crossed the bridge of Usk, and after four days’
-rest he received information from Bodin (Buda), that the Emperor of
-Germany, and other infidel princes, were posted with an army of twenty
-thousand men below Yanuk. This information accelerated the Páshá’s
-movements; and after holding a council of war, it was determined that,
-without loss of time, they should march against Besperim and Palaha.
-The Beglerbeg of Romeili, Mohammed Páshá, was ordered to proceed to
-Buda and transport thence six large cannon, two field-pieces, and
-other stores, to Alba Julia (Weissenburg, in Siebenbürgen); and the
-commandant of Buda, Hasan Páshá, was also ordered, at the same time, to
-accompany him with the troops under his command.
-
-The troops under the grand vezír halted two days in the plains of
-Mehaj, for the purpose of receiving their rations of provisions, and
-immediately after the distribution, the troops of Anatolia advanced
-first, and the others followed. The cannon and troops from Buda joined
-the main army when passing through Dallderese, and on reaching Alba
-Julia, the Beglerbeg of Bosnia, with the Anatolian troops, marched
-against Besperim, and encamped before it on the 20th of Moharrem. The
-commandant of Buda, Hasan Páshá, with the veteran borderers under his
-command, commenced the assault, and after three days’ hard fighting
-the infidels became disheartened and proposed to capitulate, which
-was acceded to by the Moslem conquerors. The Kapúdán of Besperim, his
-troops, and the whole of the inhabitants, evacuated the city, when
-it was immediately taken possession of by the Moslem troops: but the
-peasants in the surrounding country remained in their villages. On
-Friday of the first week, after taking possession of it, prayers were
-offered up, a Sanjak Beg was appointed, and Besperim was attached
-to the jurisdiction of Buda. After a rest of four days, the troops
-advanced to besiege Palaha which, though of no great strength, was
-surrounded with extensive suburbs. Around the whole was a kind of
-marsh, and on one side was a mountain or hill covered with wood. The
-Moslem troops, in their heroic ardour after conquest, lost no time in
-preparing for commencing their operations, and after two days’ struggle
-the place fell into their hands, on the 1st of the month of Sefer, and
-was afterwards attached to Besperim.
-
-In the meantime information reached the Moslems that the enemy’s
-troops, which were posted below Yanuk, intended to march on Alba Julia;
-and that another body of the enemy’s troops was encamped in the plains
-of Tata. It was considered in a council of war, that as the Kasímgún
-(Michaelmas) was fast approaching, it would be more advisable to
-postpone any further attack upon the enemy till it was once over.
-
-About this time Haram Aghá, ághá of the Spáhís, it is said, went with
-a party of his men to the mountain called Yakúah, about two leagues
-distant from the enemy’s camp. Next morning, however, at the hour of
-prayer, he was suddenly attacked by the enemy, who poured in upon him
-in great numbers, slew him on the very carpet on which he was offering
-up his devotions, seized his banners, and killed a considerable number
-of his men. The Aghá of the Salihdárs was appointed chief of the Spáhís
-in his room.
-
-The Janissaries and Spáhís who were present at the late victories
-obtained over the enemy received an augmentation of salary for their
-valour, and were ordered to return to Buda; the plains of which
-they reached on the middle of Sefer, the day of Kásím, and where
-distribution of provisions was made to the various troops. After this
-was once over, the Ketkhodá of the Janissaries (_i. e._ the officer who
-commanded the Janissaries in room of their Aghá, who was not present
-in this war), placed two legions of Janissaries in the fortress of
-Buda, ordered his arsenal, waggons, and other heavy baggage to be
-moved forward to Pest, sent his remaining Janissaries to Segdin to
-remain there during the winter, whilst all the other Aghás and writers
-or secretaries remained with him at Buda. Ten days after Kásím day,
-the Serdár, or commander-in-chief, gave orders to strike his tents,
-and marched for Belgrade, where he went into winter-quarters, which,
-however, he did not reach till the 17th of Rabia II. Rezván Aghá was
-sent off to Constantinople to announce the victories which the Moslem
-arms had obtained over the infidels: the young Spáhís were sent to
-Nikboli (Nicopolis in Bulgaria), and the Salihdár of Widin was ordered
-to take up his winter-quarters to the left of Belgrade.
-
-
-_The Enemy advances to Belgrade._
-
-The commander-in-chief, Sinán Páshá, had scarcely reached Belgrade,
-when the Austrians appeared before it and fought an obstinate battle,
-but were at last defeated. Many thousands of them perished, and their
-cannon fell into the hands of the victorious Moslems. After they were
-repulsed, Hasan Páshá collected all the troops scattered in Buda and
-Pest, and in the country round about, and advanced to meet the enemy,
-who had put themselves in order of battle. The enemy’s troops were
-covered with steel, and had a very singular appearance. Their horsemen
-had breast-plates of iron to shield them, and even their horses seemed
-to be bound together by chains of the same metal.
-
-When the enemy perceived the efforts which had been made by the
-Moslems, and how they were preparing to meet them, they, thinking the
-moment had arrived when they might easily and without resistance seize
-on Buda, immediately after the first assault fled towards that city.
-The brave Hasan, however, pursued them; and falling on them in the rear
-hewed down a great many of them. The enemy, on perceiving the havoc
-which Hasan and his heroic associates committed amongst them, marked
-him out as the chief object of their hatred and vengeance, and their
-swords were directed against him; but being covered with a coat of
-mail, he for a while received no injury. Being excessively forward, and
-impatient in carrying destruction among the enemy, he received at last
-several wounds and fell from his horse. The commandant of the fortress,
-Ahmed Aghá, a man of great heroism, handed him another, and though
-wounded in several places he maintained his ground; and it was only
-after long and continued acts of the greatest bravery that those around
-him succeeded in getting him to retire from the scene of action. Those
-of his followers, and who fought on foot, maintained the struggle till
-night, and not one of them escaped alive from the field of battle. The
-rest of his troops fled towards Buda and Pest, and Hasan himself was
-carried in his wounded condition to Buda, whence he sent a report to
-the Serdár at Belgrade of what had happened, and requested immediate
-assistance.
-
-
-_Felk falls into the hands of the Enemy._
-
-After the defeat of the army of Buda the enemy retreated, and
-after making a circuitous route, marched against Felk and besieged
-it. Sinán Páshá, son of Mohammed Páshá, who had been sent by the
-commander-in-chief, and a few strangers, five in all, moved slowly
-forward to Felk and perceived the extremity to which the besieged were
-reduced, and who in the end were necessitated to evacuate the fortress.
-This took place on the first of Rabia II. The execrated infidels robbed
-them of all the money and valuables they were possessed of before
-leaving the place; and what is very remarkable, notwithstanding this
-treatment, two or three hundred of them actually became apostates,
-and were content to remain in Felk. But it must be observed, however,
-that the majority of the people of Felk had a predilection for heresy,
-and therefore the conduct of the apostates now mentioned need not be
-much wondered at; though it must be confessed the innocent were also
-infected by them.
-
-It is also very remarkable that the spring of that year commenced
-sooner than usual by two months, but it was short. The fruit trees were
-soon covered over with blossoms, and in a short time afforded abundance
-of fruit. By this fortuitous circumstance the hateful infidels were
-enabled to subsist and pursue their hostile purposes, and they were but
-too successful. Several castles and places of strength and importance
-fell into their hands.
-
-Such of the inhabitants of Felk as chose to leave it went to Sitchan,
-but the commander and troops of that fortress were thrown into such
-a panic at hearing of the infidels that they all fled, carrying with
-them what they could conveniently take away. The enemy found it of
-course forsaken, and immediately placed a garrison of five hundred
-men in it. The troops in Sunta, in the country of Moravia, also fled
-for fear of the enemy, and went into the surrounding mountains; but
-their commander, and about ten men, had the courage to remain where
-they were. When the enemy appeared before Sunta, the commander and
-his ten men commenced firing their cannon, in order to lead them to
-suppose that the fortress was well supplied with men; and in fact this
-stratagem succeeded so far as to awe them; and a report happening to
-circulate that some thousands of Tátárs were on their march to aid the
-fortress, caused the enemy to retreat altogether, when the fugitive
-troops returned to their duty.
-
-Those other faithless runaways and heartless Martlooses (a sort of
-Christians), who had fled when the above-mentioned and other places
-fell into the enemy’s hands, joined together and formed themselves
-into a band of robbers about Wáj, and commenced committing excess
-and villany against the peasants in the country. The Páshá’s deputy,
-however, soon dispersed them, and hanged five of their ringleaders as
-an example of terror to others. Such of those vagrant fugitives as
-actually joined the enemy met with no better fate. The enemy considered
-them as being neither useful to them nor to the Turks, and therefore
-caused their heads to be cut off.
-
-In the meantime the enemy concentrated in the vicinity of Wáj, and
-after very much fighting reduced the fortress of Novograde. About the
-same time, also, some of the chiefs of Wáj failed in their courage
-and fled, when a troop of infidels came and set fire to the suburbs,
-and carried off what plunder they were able. On the 19th of Jemadi
-II., when the sound of the cannon ceased to be any more heard from
-Novograde, the Wajian chiefs, excited by curiosity, ran towards evening
-to Novograde, to see how matters stood there, and were sufficiently
-confounded when they saw the enemy rushing from all directions into
-the place, distressing the inhabitants, thrusting them forth naked
-and disgraced, and committing every sort of violence on these poor
-creatures. When these naked wretches, thus thrust out of Novograde,
-met the Wajian chiefs, they warned them of their danger. “Watch your
-villages and city,” said they, “the infidels will soon be at your
-heels. What do you want here? What are you gazing at? Have you not
-sufficient example in our fate?” The Wajian chiefs took the hint, and
-fled to Buda. Nevertheless, the governor of Wáj and four or five of
-his men had the courage to remain behind. The fortress of Sunta was
-afterwards burned to the ground by order of Hasan Páshá. Several of
-the Novogradians came to seek a retreat in the city of Wáj before its
-suburbs were burned by the enemy, but they were robbed and spoiled,
-even of their geese and hens, on that occasion of rapine and plunder.
-A party of horsemen came and surrounded Wáj, but the desperate
-inhabitants of the inner fortress were so excited at the conduct and
-rage of the infidels, that they exerted every nerve in self-defence,
-and by their heroic bravery dispersed their antagonists from their
-gates, many of whom went away wounded. The whole party afterwards
-returned to Novograde.
-
-
-_The Faithless are chastised._
-
-Mohammed Páshá, son of the grand vezír and commander-in-chief, and
-Hasan Páshá, agreed together to send a report of the disasters which
-had happened; and also an account of those Begs and Aghás who had
-either fled from or had given up the cities and fortresses under
-their command to the enemy. The Aghás of Sunta, for not saving the
-cannon of Novograde before it fell into the hands of the enemy, were
-imprisoned and tortured. The Beg of Semendria, Wadanali Ramazán Zádeh,
-the commandant of Novograde, was degraded and imprisoned. The Beg
-of Novograde, Karah Kurahli Mohammed Beg, was secretly strangled by
-the Janissaries. But these severe measures were very grievous and
-distressing to the champions of the borders. The above-mentioned
-Mohammed Beg was one of the ancient heroes and most virtuous of that
-class.
-
-In Súbúska Palanka, otherwise called Shúmushka, a few horsemen that
-garrisoned it killed with their own hands their women and children
-rather than let them fall into the hands of the infidels who had come
-to besiege the place, and then by a desperate sortie made their way
-through the enemy. One or two companies of the enemy’s swift cavalry
-pursued them a whole day and night, but were at length repulsed by the
-arrows and arms of the pursued.
-
-
-_The base and ignoble Infidels besiege Khutván._
-
-When Novograde fell into the hands of the enemy, the Chaúsh of the
-deputy of Ramazán Zádeh was brought before the king (of Hungary, I
-suppose), but was afterwards set at liberty. This man returned to
-Buda in the month of Rajab, and informed his Moslem brethren that the
-emperor himself (_i.e._ the Emperor of Germany) was making preparations
-for coming to lay siege to the city and fortress of Buda with an
-army of 200,000 swine (_i.e._ Christians). The Budians lost no time
-in putting every thing in proper order for defence, and for giving
-the infidels a reception. Some time before the Moslem army was put
-in motion in the spring of that year, and before the new year had
-commenced, the enemy fitted out two armies: the one of which was sent
-against Osterghún and the other to Khutván. It was the one which was
-sent against Khutván that reduced the fortress of Novograde, and the
-siege of the former fortress commenced in the month of Jemadi II. The
-Beg of Khutván, Arslán Páshá, was a man of some levity, but a most
-excellent swordsman, and the whole of the inhabitants were warlike
-and brave. By their intrepidity and quickness in firing their cannon
-many of the enemy fell in the siege. They were under the necessity,
-however, of sending to Buda for assistance, when, in compliance with
-their request, Mohammed Páshá, Sinán’s son, the Válí of Buda, and Hasan
-Páshá, on the 8th of Shabán, hastened forward to their aid with their
-respective troops. Osterghún was besieged at the same time.
-
-When this auxiliary army drew near to Khutván, they perceived a
-body of the enemy stationed on the banks of the river, which flowed
-a little below the city on the north side; and therefore, with the
-view of accomplishing their purpose, they on the 11th went about a
-mile further up the river in order to cross. The enemy thought, when
-they saw this, that the Moslems fled to escape them, and immediately
-pursued after them and got in front of them, when a tremendous carnage
-ensued. Mohammed Páshá and his corps of Spáhís stood back, whilst
-Hasan Páshá with his veteran borderers was left to cope alone with
-the infidel soldiery. In this desperate contest a very great number
-of the iron-cased infidels perished, and almost the whole of the
-heroic borderers fell martyrs. Hasan Páshá himself, like a furious
-lion, brought incredible numbers of them to the ground. His clothes
-unfortunately, in consequence of the bursting of a shell, caught
-fire, but were extinguished without difficulty. From the explosion of
-the gunpowder he was severely injured. The commander-in-chief of the
-Moslem troops, Mohammed Páshá, son of the grand vezír, when he saw his
-brave associates sorely pressed by the superior force of the enemy,
-heartlessly and cowardly furled his banners, and returned with his
-dastardly Spáhís to Buda. Just as the remaining Moslems were about
-to retire in despair, the Beg of Ancora, Neïrání Páshá, issued most
-fortunately from Khutván with a party, who attacked the enemy with
-such fury as to drive them back with considerable loss both of men and
-cannon. The larger guns he spiked. The enemy, however, soon recovered
-themselves, and returned with greater vigour and renewed strength, and
-continued the siege of Khutván till the month of Ramazán, when they
-became altogether disheartened. The prudence and skill of the besieged
-was too much for them.
-
-In this battle 4,000 Moslems fell martyrs, and very many of the
-infidels perished. When the account of this day’s transactions was
-transmitted to the court of Constantinople, the glory and honour which
-Hasan Páshá had most certainly gained would have been honourably
-acknowledged; but by the grand vezír’s influence, the honour and
-distinction which ought to have been conferred on Hasan Páshá was
-awarded to his own son Mohammed Páshá. Besides an augmentation of
-authority, he received a splendidly ornamented sword set in jewels, and
-a handsome robe of fur, which was sent him by the emperor.
-
-
-_The Siege of Osterghún._
-
-The body of troops sent to lay siege to Osterghún was afterwards
-largely augmented by those other troops which had been engaged
-against Khutván, and the siege began to assume a regular appearance
-in the month of Shabán. The peasants and villagers, encouraged by
-the presence of the enemy, declared in their favour, and committed
-enormous excesses. About the end of this month another body of the
-enemy attacked the city of Wáj, slew several of the inhabitants, and
-carried off about forty or fifty horsemen, besides a number of Martloos
-(Christian) women and children.
-
-Some time previous to this, 2,000 horsemen, sent from Bosnia and
-Semendria, were appointed to settle themselves any where about
-Osterghún, and were allowed to profit by any thing the chance of war
-might put in their way. These perfidious wretches, however, entered
-into a treacherous correspondence with the enemy, who had, by that
-time, surrounded the city. They shot at the rate of 1,800 cannon-balls
-per day against the walls of the city and fortress.
-
-In the mean time a body of experienced Janissaries and other troops
-were sent to their assistance. Three times did the Beg of Rhodes
-convey to them, in galleys and other boats, timely aid; and completely
-prevented the enemy from benefiting by any assistance sent them by
-water, besides a variety of other important services which he had
-rendered to the besieged.
-
-The enemy, intent on reducing Osterghún, and after several days’
-battering with their cannon, at length commenced an assault, but
-were driven back with immense loss. The Hungarians, who acted at
-some considerable distance, directed their guns against the place,
-and succeeded in laying several portions of the walls level with the
-ground. They now attempted to deceive. They told a thousand idle
-stories about the propriety of following the example of the people of
-Felk and Novograde, and thus to yield and give up the fortress; but
-the heroic Moslems answered: “We are Romelian heroes and true-hearted
-veterans, and shall never yield nor give up the place: we are resolved
-on continuing our resistance. Behold, you accursed! you deride us by
-saying that an army of Tátárs, riding on tortoises, are coming to our
-aid; but we are sure of immense succours from Buda, either to-day or
-tomorrow: and then we shall be swine if we don’t mount you all on
-tortoises and send you to hell.” Such was the reply of the besieged
-to the enemy, who finding their fraudulent attempts to deceive were
-in vain, pushed on the siege with all their vigour, and advanced to a
-third general assault. Among their leaders one was observed who was
-very active in stimulating the soldiery on to the assault, and who wore
-a breast-plate, and a gold chain suspended from his neck. The Beg of
-Osterghún observed to those around him, that if that execrated wretch
-could be disposed of, the infidel army would immediately retreat.
-“Whoever lays him flat in the dust,” said he, “shall receive a sanják,
-and whatever else he may ask.” This was so sooner uttered than one
-Osmán, a brave man, and an excellent marksman, levelled his piece
-at the gold-chained infidel, cried “Yá allah,” and in a moment shot
-him through the breast, when he sank from his horse, and was dragged
-along the ground. The besiegers were now panic-struck, and retired
-in the greatest precipitation towards their fortifications; but were
-hotly pursued by the veteran Moslems, who rushed out after them,
-and slew very many of them. The enemy, however, soon rallied again.
-Every peasant in the country round about, able to handle a sword,
-was collected; and with this augmentation of new strength they again
-returned to the siege and work of destruction. The unfortunate Moslems,
-notwithstanding the heroism they had displayed, and the firmness with
-which they had acted, were at length, by famine and hard labour,
-reduced to complete weakness; whilst the troops acting under the King
-(of Hungary) joined the besiegers. Thus strengthened, the enemy began
-to set the city on fire in several places.
-
-At this critical moment an army under the command of the válís of
-Temishvar and Bosnia, and which had been sent off by order of the
-Serdár in the month of Ramazán, reached Pest in time enough to hear
-the sound of the cannon from Osterghún; but it was the middle of
-the month before the vanguard of this army advanced so far as to be
-discovered by the enemy. This new appearance of assistance in favour
-of the Moslems in the city of Osterghún so dismayed the enemy, that
-they immediately relinquished their object, forsook their tabúr or
-fortifications, and fled away in the utmost precipitation. Now was the
-time for taking revenge. The Moslems, like raging wolves, rushed out of
-their strong-hold, slew about a thousand of the enemy, did what damage
-they were able to their fortifications, took a number of captives,
-spiked their field-pieces, seized all the powder and goods they could
-easily carry, set fire to what remained, and returned to the city in
-triumph with the spoil they had taken. But the enemy, after recovering
-from the panic into which they had been put, and after the army which
-had come from Buda had returned back, retraced their steps, and again
-took possession of their tabúr or fortifications, exercising violence
-and cruelty on those who had been hired by the month in the villages
-belonging to Buda.
-
-Before finishing this paragraph we must add, by way of postscript,
-that the enemy continued their hostile operations against Khutván
-and Osterghún till they learned that the grand vezír was marching
-with the royal army to Buda, when they removed to Komran, where they
-concentrated their forces. The Válí of Temishvar who had came to aid
-the city of Osterghún, and who was at this time in Pest, heard that a
-palanka in his own government had revolted and declared for the enemy.
-He returned and executed the whole of them.
-
-
-_The Request of the Prime Minister—the Succour of the Magnificent
-Emperor._
-
-In consequence of the several disasters which the Moslem arms had
-sustained during the late spring, the evils and oppressions to which
-the garrisons on the frontiers had been exposed, and also because
-the contest was not yet ended, the mind of the grand vezír, when he
-considered all these things, was very much afflicted; and therefore,
-as the most effectual remedy for his grief, and for securing a more
-favourable state of things, he sent, at once, an account of the whole
-state of matters, and also a statement of the finances, and that of
-the army, to the court of Constantinople. The grand vezír found, it
-would appear, that military movements were a difficult thing to attend
-to, especially every time a fixed period was necessary to be observed
-with respect to those movements. Besides, the army of Romeili had been
-precluded from attending to their harvest. In short, all these things
-together had a powerful effect on Sinán Páshá’s mind, and led him to
-regret his having had any thing to do with the war at all.
-
-In these circumstances, and being no way prepared to prosecute the
-war, he called together his emírs, commanders of castles, chiefs of
-the army, nobles, and other great and learned men, to consult them
-as to the steps which ought, in their situation, to be adopted. But
-fortunately, at this time, the succours, as to men and money, which his
-letters requested from the government of Constantinople, were hastening
-towards him.
-
-It may be observed here, that it was not customary for the ághás of
-the Janissaries to go forth to war, except along with the emperor. On
-this occasion this rule was departed from, and Sáleh Mohammed Páshá was
-appointed to conduct the Janissaries to join the grand vezír Ibrahím
-Aghá, superintendent of the armoury, with a thousand men-at-arms, and a
-sufficient number of portable tents were attached to this expedition.
-They set out for Belgrade on the 1st of Rajab. On the Segbán Báshí, the
-commander of the guard, devolved the duties belonging to Sáleh Mohammed
-Páshá’s office during his absence from Constantinople.
-
-Before these arrangements took place, however, Kapúdán Jeghala Zádeh
-was ordered out to sea with a fleet of five galleys carrying troops,
-who reached the Mediterranean before the middle of Shabán. Ghází Gheráí
-Khán of the Crimea, was also required to join the grand vezír, and
-assist him by his counsels and by his arms.
-
-About the middle of the above-mentioned month, the grand vezír, Sinán
-Páshá, began to collect his troops from their winter quarters, and
-commenced pitching his tents in the plains of Serim, when he ordered
-distribution of provision, &c. to be made to the men under his own
-command; where also he was soon afterwards joined by the following
-chiefs: viz. Mohammed Páshá, Válí of Sivás; Mohammed Páshá, Válí of
-Merœsh; Alí Páshá, Válí of Vœrka; Ahmed Páshá, the serdár or
-commander-in-chief of Buda; and Ahmed Páshá, governor of Bosnia: and
-where, too, the ághá and his Janissaries, sent from Constantinople,
-joined his camp.
-
-The grand vezír and his associates in arms, after having consulted
-as to the mode of commencing their operations, resolved on attacking
-Yanuk first, and accordingly sent off their heavy baggage towards Tata.
-Mohammed Páshá, the grand vezír’s son, was appointed to command the
-artillery; the Governor of Buda, Hasan Páshá, to head the Cherkají
-troops or Iägers; the Governor of Bosnia, the advance guard; the
-Beglerbeg of Anatolia was appointed to command the right wing; another
-Beglerbeg was to command the left wing; and the Páshá or Válí of
-Merœsh, in conformity to ancient custom, was appointed to command
-the rear-guard.
-
-On the 14th of Shevál the grand army advanced to the plains of Tata.
-Tata lies in a plain in the vicinity of mountains near the Danube,
-opposite to Komran, an island in the Danube, about two leagues from
-Tata. The enemy, who had posted themselves on the opposite side of the
-river, had also extended their lines as far as Tata; but this place
-after three days’ siege, yielded to the conquerors. A garrison was
-thrown into it, and such of the enemy as escaped from it fled to Komran.
-
-In the mean time the Khán of the Tátárs reached the royal camp. He
-was seated on a beautiful horse, and alighted from it at the door of
-the grand vezír’s pavilion. After having rested himself on a suitable
-sofa, and taken some refreshment, a handsome ewer ornamented with gold
-was presented before him, in which he washed his hands, and which was
-afterwards handed to his armour-bearer. The Khán was also presented
-with a sword adorned with jewels, a bridle ornamented with gold, a
-two-edged dagger, a club with an iron head, and a most beautiful
-charger. Five thousand pieces of pure gold were also presented to him.
-The whole of the begs or princes, and such of the ághás as were present
-on this august occasion, conducted the Khán to his own royal tent. The
-fortress of Semarin, in the neighbourhood of Tata, was evacuated by the
-enemy and taken possession of by the Moslem troops.
-
-
-_Yanuk besieged._
-
-This fortress, formerly called Kilvár, is situate on the banks of the
-Raab, which pours its waters into the Danube, and was on this occasion
-surrounded on the land side by an immense ditch filled with water,
-across which was a drawbridge which led into the city and fortress.
-
-The Moslem army commenced their offensive operations by first attacking
-those of the enemy on the outside, and seized a number of prisoners.
-On the 18th of Dhu’l Kada, after the siege was regularly formed,
-skirmishing became general. The division of the Spáhís under the
-command of the Salihdár watched the trenches, and two other divisions
-were appointed to guard the camp and money-chest. A thousand men were
-employed in carrying earth from two different quarters, who daily threw
-a thousand _bedalooshkas_ into the fosse. On the opposite side of the
-Danube, the enemy erected their tabúr or fortifications, directly
-opposite the fortress, and constructed also a bridge which communicated
-with the tabúr and the fortress, but which was not allowed to remain
-open for either man or beast. Twenty days thus passed away in mutual
-hostilities and skirmishing, when, behold, Duke Mathias, the brother
-of the Emperor of Austria, encamped in the vicinity of Komran with an
-army of 100,000 German, Hungarian, and similar infidels. A man of high
-rank, a Count, son-in-law to the King (of Hungary), was governor of
-the city and fortress. On one of the first ten days of the lunar month
-(_i.e._ on the 10th of Dhu’l hijjah), ten thousand of these execrated
-wretches rushed out and slew three thousand Moslems, whilst engaged in
-performing the duties and ceremonies of their religion on that solemn
-day, and committed, besides, some other injuries. They were, however,
-soon obliged to retrace their steps and hide themselves within their
-strong-holds, but it was found impossible to get them to shut the gate
-and prevent annoyance from that quarter.
-
-It appeared to have become necessary, from some reason or other, to
-effect some changes. Accordingly we find, that the offices held by the
-son of the grand vezír and Hasan Páshá were exchanged, the one for the
-other. The government of Romeili was, therefore, transferred to Hasan
-Páshá, and that of Buda to the vezír’s son. Hasan Páshá, in consequence
-of this exchange, entered the trenches opposite the gate, and by a
-well-directed fire of ten field-pieces, forced the besieged to close
-their gate. In short, Hasan manifested to every unprejudiced person
-what force, properly directed, might effect.
-
-
-_The Moslem Warriors begin an assault._
-
-The appearance of the Duke Mathias with his many thousand infidels
-encouraged the besieged, and supported them in their obstinacy, and
-therefore it was evidently seen that, unless the Moslems crossed to the
-other side of the river and defeated this host, they would never be
-able to reduce the place. Accordingly, and in conformity to this view
-of the matter, materials which had been ordered from Buda and Osterghún
-for the purpose of erecting three bridges, were immediately put in
-requisition, and every effort made to get them ready for immediate use.
-
-A party of Tátárs who had swam on their horses across to the enemy’s
-side, were no sooner discovered than they were checked by a body of
-horse and foot, which so frightened them that they turned about and
-swam back again. Several of them, however, perished. In order to
-prevent occurrences of this nature, the enemy made themselves trenches
-along the bank of the river: but their trenches were of no use to
-them. Two thousand men volunteered their services, and crossed over
-in boats; and before the enemy had time to look about them, they made
-themselves masters of these trenches, and completely routed their
-occupiers. The Moslems now commenced with all speed to erect their
-bridges; and to prevent their being annoyed in this work, and in order
-to scare the enemy, they placed some of their largest cannon on an
-eminence on the brink of the river, and commenced firing. The enemy,
-blind to their preparations, again endeavoured to gain possession of
-the brink of the river: but were repulsed with immense slaughter, when
-they were obliged to fall back on their fortifications. The Moslems,
-in consequence of this victory, succeeded in finishing their bridges,
-and, under covert of the night, accompanied by a body of Tátárs,
-crossed to the other side, approached the enemy’s fortifications, put
-the infidels to flight, who, it must be observed, destroyed the bridges
-which they themselves had erected in the vicinity of the fortress.
-The victorious Moslems returned with immense booty: such as cannons,
-powder, arms, waggons, and other heavy articles, besides a great number
-of loaded waggons full of valuable stores. Three hundred boats, and
-four hundred cannon, were taken possession of in the river, besides
-powder, ball, and three thousand tents: all which became the property
-of the Ottomans. The Archduke Mathias himself was wounded; and the
-brother of the Duke, who commanded the French troops, was shot dead
-by a cannon-ball, and ten thousand other infidels perished on this
-occasion. Many captives were also taken. After obtaining this singular
-and splendid victory over Mathias, the Moslems returned to the siege,
-and continued their operations against the city and fortress till the
-following year, when they took it; but of this more afterwards, when
-we have said a few things with regard to the notorious rebel Michael,
-Waiwode of Valachia.
-
-The Waiwodas of Valachia were in the habit of providing horses and
-oxen for the purpose of conveying cannon and other apparatus of war
-when they were required to do so. But when messengers from Belgrade,
-in the name of the grand vezír, required them to supply the army
-before Besperim with three hundred of those animals, for the purpose
-of conveying provisions and money, they manifested no small degree of
-tardiness in complying, for which they were severely reprimanded.
-And again, when they were required to send four hundred waggons with
-food and money to the troops before Yanuk, they played the same trick,
-for which neglect the drivers were ordered to be executed; but by
-the intervention and intercession of the grand vezír’s son, Mohammed
-Páshá, their lives were spared, but the presents which they carried
-along with them were rejected with disdain. It was inconsistent, it was
-said, that a country like Valachia should be controlled by one or two
-indolent infidels, and therefore they might expect that next spring
-the war would be carried thither. The men who had their lives spared
-to them were kept prisoners, but were afterwards set at liberty. But
-the prevaricator Michael, and this is the chief point to be observed,
-became so enraged at the disgrace and dishonour thus manifested, that
-the incorrigible wretch raised the standard of defiance, and became the
-ostensible instigator of the rebellion which afterwards broke out in
-Valachia in the following year, and to which, when we relate the events
-of that year, we shall advert.
-
-The arrival of Ghází Gheráí Khán from a country in which never infidel
-stepped, and whose splendid achievements in war it is impossible fully
-to delineate, relates chiefly to the same period.
-
-About the middle of Rabia II., Fatima, daughter of the august and noble
-monarch of the world, was united by marriage to the vezír Khalíl Páshá
-in the old palace. At the commencement of the same month ambassadors
-from Abdullah Khán, sultán of Transoxania, arrived in Constantinople.
-About the same time, also, the admiral, Jeghala Zádeh, sailed with a
-fleet to Messina, put the inhabitants into great fear, carried off
-several galleys, and returned. The Jews and Christians hitherto wore
-blue and yellow turbans; but it having been determined to humble and
-disgrace them, they were ordered, in future, to wear fillets made of
-black and scarlet cloth.
-
-
-
-
-EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1003 H.
-
-
-_The conquest of Yanuk._
-
-The siege of Yanuk, at the commencement of this year, 1003 of the
-Hijrah, had continued a month. By the batterings of the cannon and
-the springing of mines, both the outside and inside of Yanuk were
-completely damaged. On the 17th of Moharrem (the first month of
-the year), and after an immense quantity of earth had been thrown
-into the fosse, and when a breach had been effected in the walls or
-ramparts, a general assault was announced. This news fearfully alarmed
-the besieged. They considered the defeat of the archduke’s army, and
-thought of the vast numbers that had already perished in the siege.
-Their fears increased; their condition, they saw, was perilous. To try
-to escape by means of planks would be both difficult and dangerous.
-Their courage altogether failed them; and many, for fear of the cannons
-of the Osmánlís, hid themselves within the inner works in ditches. In
-short, all resistance ceased.
-
-Towards evening, two thousand of the most celebrated of these hateful
-infidels came forth and importuned the commander-in-chief to spare
-their lives. Their request was granted. Next morning their commander,
-the malignant count, came out with ten thousand men, all covered
-with steel, and said; “This German army, who have crept into holes
-in the earth, have been influenced by fear more than any thing else.
-Otherwise,” continued he, “so many thousands of muskets ought to have
-been adequate to prevent you from even looking at the place.” Thus
-saying, he wept and fell down dead before the conquerors. The remains
-of this royal count were afterwards put into a tomb and covered over
-with stone, when several rounds were fired over it. The rest of the
-prisoners were all shipped off in boats to their own country, and Senja
-Osmán Páshá and two thousand soldiers were appointed to garrison Yanuk
-for three years, at a stipulated rate of pay. A thousand Janissaries
-from Wáj, three hundred cannoneers, and a thousand armourers were also
-added to the above number; and every thing else necessary for defence
-was fully attended to.
-
-After the defeat of the archduke, Ghází Gheráí Khán marched against the
-fortress of Papa. The infidels on the approach of the Tátárs fled, and
-left the place for them to take possession of it.
-
-
-_Komran laid siege to._
-
-Information from Komran apprised the commander-in-chief that, in the
-event of Yanuk being taken, Komran would yield without resistance.
-This turned out, however, to be a false report; for when Yanuk did
-fall, they manifested no disposition to do as they had said.
-
-The weather was awfully cold, and the Serdár determined that if he
-should be obliged to lay siege to it, it should not be said that it
-was taken at an easy rate. He did lay siege to it; but his troops,
-from what they had endured at the taking of Yanuk, were a good deal
-dispirited. The enemy made several sorties, went as far as the Moslem
-trenches, and slew a considerable number of the most heroic soldiers
-of the Serdár, who now began to be convinced of the difficulty of his
-undertaking, and resolved, as the day of Kásim was near at hand, to
-relinquish his object for the present. Accordingly on the 7th of Sefer,
-after having transported his provisions and heavy baggage to some of
-the nearest fortresses belonging to the Osmánlís, he raised the siege
-and returned to Buda.
-
-It is related in the histories of Hasan Beg Zádeh, Alí, and Abdulkádír,
-secretary to the ordnance, that the governor of Komran cried out from
-the battlement, “Send us Hasan Páshá, Beglerbeg of Romeili, and we
-shall deliver up the fortress.” The son of the grand vezír, however,
-paid no regard to him, and merely remarked, “Let him fire his cannons
-if he will;” but the Janissaries on his saying this immediately
-relinquished their trenches and retired. Kátib Chelebí[2] in his
-Fezlikeh denies this story altogether, and declares it to be a foul
-calumny invented by men who had been neither members of the diván of
-that day, nor present where the event is said to have taken place.
-
-On the 5th of Sefer, two days before the siege was raised, permission
-was granted to Ghází Gheráí Khán to return home with his Tátár army,
-first giving him the robe of honour which in the spring of that year
-had been sent to him, and showing him the honours due to his rank.
-He left, however, one of his mirzás with a thousand Tátárs in winter
-quarters in the vicinity of Alba Julia, or Weissenburg in Siebenbürgen.
-
-The grand vezír himself made his way to Buda, and after the lapse of a
-week he appointed his son, Mohammed Páshá, to remain in Buda with the
-Janissaries and the army of Romeili. Lála Mohammed Páshá was sent with
-the army of Anatolia into winter quarters in Weissenburg. The Beglerbeg
-of Bosnia was sent with his troops to Usk. The troops of Sivás, of
-Diárbeker, of Werka, of Haleb, and of Shám, were allowed to return
-to their respective homes. The artillery and other stores were all
-deposited in Buda, and after distribution of provision, &c. had been
-made to the troops, the grand vezír returned to Belgrade.
-
-Before leaving Buda, however, he sent off Rezván Aghá to carry tidings
-to Constantinople of the fall of Yanuk, which he reached after fourteen
-days’ travelling. The news of the fall of Yanuk was the cause of great
-rejoicings in the metropolis, which were demonstrated by the roar of
-cannon and the firing of musketry. To the Serdár and to the Khán a robe
-of honour, a sword, and richly ornamented plumes, accompanied by royal
-letters, were sent to each of these personages; also robes of honour
-for each of the Beglerbegs and other dignitaries were sent off at the
-same time.
-
-
-_Concerning the bad management of the Commander-in-chief; his error and
-failure in some other matters._
-
-There is no evidence from the records of the intendant of the finances
-what was the actual number of the troops employed in the war in
-Hungary; he merely states that thirty thousand household troops were
-sent thither. The army of Romeili was immense. After the death of
-Soleimán Khán, and before the war commenced in Hungary, the people
-thirsted for spoil. An army equal to that of Romeili, but destitute
-of the means of subsistence, was collected in that quarter. A swift,
-active body of troops, competent for every sort of depredation, and
-equal to a whole province in number, assembled. The Tátárs alone
-amounted to more than forty thousand. Such was the vast army the
-commander-in-chief had under his command: such also was their fitness
-for contending with the enemy, if properly and wisely directed.
-
-When, however, the pensioned Janissaries entered their trenches, the
-rest needlessly wasted their time in idleness: when the Khán and other
-chiefs proposed to commit depredations in the enemy’s territories,
-they were checked by being asked what advantage would accrue by
-treading down one province? and yet it is a certain fact, that no
-power whatever could have stopped the army, especially after the
-victory gained at Yanuk, from reaching Vienna, had they been properly
-commanded. When a deputation came from the country about Buda, begging
-protection against rapine and plunder, they were told, that unless
-one province fell another could not rise. To this very evident defect
-and mismanagement in the government of the commander-in-chief is to
-be attributed chiefly every misfortune which happened to the Moslems.
-The peasants were made slaves, and villages were ruined. Some of the
-most powerful of these peasants were roused to seek revenge: five or
-six hundred of them seized on a palanka, and refused giving it up so
-long as one of them remained alive. When their villages and hamlets
-were robbed and plundered, they set fire to them and left them. The
-mills near Belgrade were taxed. No apology was offered to the Waivodas
-of Moldavia and Valachia for the heavy injuries done to them, but they
-were still more oppressed; and when they sent their usual presents they
-were rejected with disdain, and the bearers of them threatened with
-death; and this wicked and unreasonable conduct awakened the spirit of
-rebellion and revolt which afterwards manifested itself in these two
-provinces, as we shall see.
-
-
-_The Waivoda of Moldavia rebels._
-
-At the time the war broke out in Hungary the Emperor of Austria sent
-letters to all the Christian chiefs, and even to the Pope, to come and
-aid him in attacking the followers of Mohammed. The Transylvanians,
-Valachians, and Moldavians entered with one consent into this
-confederacy, and commenced hostilities by making inroads on the
-Mohammedan population dwelling on the banks of the Danube. At this time
-the Waivoda of Moldavia was one who had been raised to that dignity by
-Sinán Páshá, but who, when Ferhád was deposed, was also deposed. His
-office was conferred on a young Moldavian prince who had been educated
-at Sinán’s expense, and who it was supposed had embraced Mohammedanism.
-When this young man went to take possession of his new government he
-was accompanied, according to custom, by a kapújí báshí, whilst a
-messenger was sent forward to announce his approach. Notwithstanding
-all this, however, his predecessor inspired him with such terror, that
-he found himself necessitated to apply for aid to the grand vezír,
-his patron. This aid was accordingly granted. One Mustafa Páshá, who
-had been governor of Merœsh, in Asia, was appointed to conduct a
-body of troops to his assistance: and some military ághás, of whom the
-grand vezír wished to get rid, were appointed to join this expedition,
-with two thousand Janissaries also. When this expedition reached the
-Danube they found it completely frozen, and therefore halted at Rusjuk
-in order to transport their field-pieces and heavy baggage to Yerkok
-on the opposite side. Whilst thus employed, and suspecting no danger,
-they were suddenly fallen upon by an army of infidels, headed by the
-deposed Waivoda, who slew their leader, a great number of his men, and
-carried off a number of others prisoners. From this time the rebellion
-in Moldavia increased day after day.
-
-
-_Concerning the insurrection occasioned by Michael, Waivoda of
-Valachia._
-
-As the country of Valachia abounded with sheep, cattle, honey, and
-salt, the merchants and rich men of Constantinople were in the habit
-of advancing sums of money to every new waivoda on the condition of
-collecting from the peasantry articles of the above description in
-return. This practice occasioned frequently great contention. It
-happened sometimes, when the waivodas did not fulfil their engagements,
-that those who had advanced them money in the way above described,
-went and abused and harassed the begs, and created much disturbance.
-Michael, mentioned at the head of this article, was one of these
-waivodas who failed to fulfil his promises, and who was therefore one
-day visited by more than four thousand of this sort of creditors,
-chiefly Janissaries and principal servants of great men, who profited
-by this rapacity. They assaulted the waivoda in his own palace,
-seized upon every thing which fell into their hands, and beat and
-abused as many of his domestics as chanced to come in their way. This
-circumstance of violence and mode of assault completely wrought on the
-mind of the hateful infidel, and led him to the following method of
-settling with his creditors. He called them together, and by way of
-giving them his advice, at the same time appearing very polite, said:
-“If you kill me, you will of course lose all the property that is due
-to you: that is evident. Come, then, follow my advice, and go along
-with persons duly appointed into the province, collect what property
-you can, and pay yourselves out of it.” Manifesting for some time,
-however, some degree of hesitation and unwillingness, they at last
-agreed; but it turned out that the quantity they had collected was
-not sufficient to liquidate the whole of his debt, and they therefore
-pressed him to furnish the remainder. “Let the cazí of Yerkok,” said
-they, “be called, and let him examine the accounts. If he is unwell,
-his deputy, Alí Ján Effendí, may come in his stead;” for it was
-customary when any law-suit happened between any of the Mussulmans
-living in Valachia, that an appeal was made to the cazí of the above
-place. The cazí, or rather his deputy, Alí Ján, arrived and decided in
-favour of the appellants, whose receipts amounted to sixty thousand
-dollars. The contention was long, and a thousand obstacles presented
-themselves in settling this affair; but at last the sum of the debt was
-reduced to six thousand akchas.
-
-The above Alí Ján relates the following story about himself: “On
-retiring from the tribunal, and when I was outside of the city,” he
-says, “I was met by an old acquaintance, an infidel, who accosted me
-thus: ‘Alí Ján, you have been my friend for twenty years: do not let
-the evening overtake you, nor remain at Yerkok; but hasten as fast
-as you are able to Rusjuk, for all hope of accommodation is at an
-end,’ and immediately went away.” The deputy, perceiving some strange
-commotion and troops hastening towards the city, mounted his waggon,
-and made the best of his way to Yerkok; but had scarcely time to give
-the cazí an account of the affair in which he had been employed,
-before these raggamuffian soldiery murdered every one of the Waivoda’s
-creditors and every Mussulman in the place, and thence marched to
-Yerkok, which they also attacked. “Seeing no alternative left me but
-either to fall into the hands of these infidels, or make my escape,”
-says Alí Ján in continuation of his story, “and being a good swimmer, I
-immediately swam across the Danube. Another person swam across at the
-same time, and we were the only persons of the inhabitants of Yerkok,
-amounting to four thousand men, women, and children, that escaped being
-either murdered or made prisoners. The city they afterwards burned to
-the ground.”
-
-These events, now recorded, took place in Jemadi 1. of 1002. Those
-Musselmans that lived in Moldavia removed to Kili, to Ak-kermán, or to
-Korsú, as they found most convenient. Some of the people of Rusjuk who
-were present, and saw when these movements took place, sent an account
-of the whole state of matters to the court of Constantinople, but the
-Rusjukians themselves afterwards removed and dispersed themselves among
-the Balkan mountains.
-
-It being the winter season when these accounts reached the metropolis,
-the operations of war were deferred till the spring of the year.
-
-
-_Death of Sultán Murád III._
-
-In Jemadi I. of 1003 of the Hijrah, the constitution of the deceased
-emperor, now removed from this vain world to the distant light of God,
-became so shattered and altered, as to receive no benefit whatever from
-the skill and penetration of the medical faculty.
-
-At the commencement of his disease, the grand vezír, Sinán Páshá went
-in to see him into the palace at the very time when the singers or
-chanters, and the females of the palace, were all collected in the
-royal apartment; and though it was an exceedingly rare thing to read or
-chant verses on such an occasion, yet, contrary to usual custom, the
-Emperor ordered the following distich to be chanted:
-
- I am afflicted, O Fate!
- This night me watch, and me sustain.—[3]
-
-At the time the Emperor departed this life, two vessels from Egypt
-arrived before the royal fortress, and, according to ancient custom,
-commenced firing their guns in token of rejoicing. But such was the
-tremendous effect once and again which the concussion of the air, put
-in motion by the explosions, had upon the mirrors in the apartment
-next to the royal saloon, that they fell down from their places and
-were shattered to pieces. When these mariners, however, were made
-aware of what had taken place, and perceived the emblems of grief
-and affliction, their joy was turned into sorrow, and tears began to
-trickle down on their beards.
-
-On the night of the 5th of Jemadi II., the remains of the Emperor were
-carried from the bed of state to the table or board on which the dead
-bodies are washed, and were afterwards consigned to a coffin and put
-into a vault.
-
-For nearly two weeks the vezírs and military judges could come to no
-agreement among themselves how to act, with respect to settling the
-government. At length, the Aghá of the royal house, without informing
-any of the vezírs what he meant to do, and under the pretext of needing
-some water, called the Bostánjí Báshí, Ferhád Aghá; informed him of
-the secrets that were going on, and sent him with letters to the
-heir-apparent, at that time in Magnesia, calling upon him to return
-and ascend the throne of his ancestors. Two days after the above
-messenger was sent off, one of the vezírs, Ibrahím Páshá, learning
-the steps which the Aghá of the royal house had taken, immediately
-sent off a letter to the prince by Súfí Osmán Aghá, who followed the
-previous messenger close at his heels. Ferhád also, the governor or
-Káímakám of Constantinople, on learning these manœuvres, wrote
-officially to the young prince about his father’s death, and also
-letters of congratulation: seeking by these means to screen himself
-from all suspicion, and, at the same time, to ingratiate himself into
-the prince’s favour. He also made several promotions; and the day after
-sending off the above letter, he caused several criminals to be taken
-out of prison and executed before the multitude, with the view of awing
-them, and left their bodies exposed. His officers of police went about
-the city and kept every thing quiet and in good order.
-
-The young prince, Sultán Mohammed Khán, no sooner received intelligence
-of his father’s demise than he set sail from Medeyna on the 16th of
-Jemadi II., and landed near Sinán Páshá’s summer palace. Thence he
-immediately went into the royal harem, where he had an interview with
-his mother, and made arrangements for entering into mourning. His
-inauguration was completed before Friday, the day of assembly (_i.e._
-the Mohammedan sabbath), when it was necessary for him to attend the
-mosque.
-
-After all these things were once over, the remains of the late emperor
-were carried into the area of the palace, when Khoja Sa’d-ud-dín
-Effendí said, “We are now assembled to perform the last duty, to our
-late Emperor,” and then requested permission to perform the funeral
-rites. Ferhád Páshá obtained this permission for him from the new
-emperor. But before he and the reverend prelate had time to come out
-from the royal presence, the Muftí, Bostán Zádeh, in virtue of his
-office, proudly arrogated to himself this honour, and without further
-ceremony commenced performing the obsequies in question. When Sa’d ud
-dín Effendí saw this he was greatly displeased, and said, “The relation
-of the dead, the chief mourner, granted me the permission of performing
-what you, the Muftí, have taken upon yourself to do. It is right
-and proper to perform the service over again.” The Muftí, in reply,
-observed, “that it was the permission of the Lord of the whole universe
-he possessed, and therefore that what the other demanded was not only
-unnecessary, but prohibited him from attempting it.” This circumstance
-was afterwards the cause of much ill will and strife between these two
-reverend divines.
-
-After this unpleasant discussion between the two prelates respecting
-the right of performing the funeral obsequies over the remains of
-the deceased emperor was finally ended, his Majesty, the Asylum of
-the World, returned to the royal harem, leaving his vezírs and other
-grandees to accompany the bier of his father to the vicinity of St.
-Sophia, where they interred it in a tomb previously prepared.
-
-In a tumult which had taken place on this occasion, nineteen brothers
-of the emperor, all innocent and guiltless, were strangled and added to
-the company of martyrs. Early next morning the reverend Muftí performed
-the customary prayers over these martyred bodies, which were afterwards
-interred in a grave at the foot of their father’s tomb.
-
-
-_The late Emperor’s age.—The time of his reign.—Some of his virtues and
-good deeds described._
-
-Sultán Murád Khán was fifty years old when he died, and reigned a
-little more than twenty years. He was the father of one hundred and
-two sons. Four of those princes who suffered martyrdom, namely, Sultán
-Mustafa, Sultán Báyazíd, Sultán Osmán, and Sultán Abdullah were the
-most distinguished, and were all of them instructed in the doctrines of
-Nawa Effendí. The others, too, were all graceful and virtuous. Sultán
-Mustafa was a man of an extensive genius, and a great orator. The
-glorious parent of these princes when despairing of life repeated the
-following lines:
-
- “What the Almighty Notary has written on my forehead, I know not;
- “Alas! I have never smiled in the rose-bower of this world.”[4]
-
-The lamented emperor was a man of very extraordinary attainments. Owing
-to his wisdom and prudence, all parts of the empire felt, during his
-whole reign, the benefit of his solicitude and care, of his military
-skill and heroic bravery, both in governing the empire and in vexing
-and punishing the enemies of religion and of the state. In consequence
-of no impediment having been thrown in the way of the learned men and
-poets of that day, they have favoured the world with a sober account of
-his life, which is contained and set forth in a book of contemplation
-called the Fatúhát Síám (فتوحات صيام), in which is introduced Arabic,
-Persian, and Turkish poetry.
-
-During the time the royal prince remained in Magnesia, the late emperor
-caused a noble mosque of two minarets, a school, and other religious
-establishments to be erected there, besides an inn and conservatory. He
-caused also the roof of the temple of Mecca to be supported by pillars,
-a canal to be made, and an edifice, where religious rites might be
-performed, to be erected. He transmitted many thousands of ducats to
-that city of religious fame. At Bektásh, over the grave of Yahiah
-Effendí, he caused a splendid arch to be raised to his memory.
-
-
-_Vezírs contemporary with Sultán Murád Khán._
-
-Mohammed Páshá, who had continued in possession of the premiership
-ever since the days of Soleimán, was murdered in a scuffle with a
-furious mad fellow in the diván. He was succeeded in office by Ahmed
-Páshá, who died about four months after entering upon his duties in
-the grand vezírship. Lálá Mustafa Páshá, the conqueror of Cyprus and
-Shirván, died when he was governor of the Sublime Porte. Khoja Sinán
-Páshá, the conqueror of Yanuk, was his successor, and he was succeeded
-by Zál Mahmúd Páshá, who was proprietor of the temple called Zál
-Páshá in the neighbourhood of Ayúb-Ensári. He died in office. Vezír
-Hasan Páshá was also carried off by death. Síávush Páshá was Káímakám
-once, and three times grand vezír, but died without any office. Osmán
-Páshá, son of Timúr Páshá, one of the ancient heroes, was during his
-premiership commander-in-chief in the Persian war. He reduced Tabríz,
-and afterwards fell sick and died. Mesíh Páshá succeeded Osmán, but
-died out of office. Ferhád Páshá was twice commander-in-chief in the
-east, and for having afterwards effected an advantageous peace, was
-created grand vezír. He was Káímakám, or governor of Constantinople,
-when Sultán Murád Khán died, as we have already seen. Ibrahím Páshá was
-son-in-law to the emperor. Vezír Jeráh Páshá is well known. Jaghala,
-son of Sinán Páshá, was both vezír and admiral at the same time. Boyálí
-Mohammed Páshá, son of Pír Ahmed: he died after he was deposed from
-the beglerbegship of Haleb. He was successively Remembrancer, Reïs
-Effendí, Chancellor and Válí of Haleb, and twice in the privy council.
-He was a man of very extensive information and experience. He built a
-handsome mosque, a school-house, and another edifice dedicated to a
-religious purpose, in Constantinople, where he died in the month of
-Ramazán, in the year 1001 of the Hijrah. Khalíl Páshá was son-in-law to
-the emperor. Hazár Páshá was Válí of Egypt. Ja’fer Páshá was son-in-law
-to Mohammed Páshá. He was an excellent vezír: he died lamented in 995.
-Hasan Páshá, the eunuch, was a potent and brave man: he was a native of
-Shirván, but was raised to the office of grand vezír. Vezír Alí Páshá
-married the widow of Mohammed Páshá, and died in office. Mohammed Páshá
-was murdered whilst governor of Romeili. Vezír Yúsuf Páshá was by birth
-an European, but of noble descent. He died a martyr in the arms of his
-domestics in his own palace near Kirk Cheshmeh. Vezír Shemshí Páshá was
-a Persian: he died in 989. Vezír Hasan Páshá was joint governor in the
-government of Romeili with Mohammed Páshá, who was the son of Sinán
-Páshá, grand vezír at the death of Murád Khán. Between Hasan Páshá and
-Mohammed Páshá, who were both in active service under Sinán Páshá, in
-the late war in Hungary, existed no small degree of envy.
-
-
-_Learned Men contemporary with Sultán Murád Khán._
-
-Hamid Effendí was mufti when Murád ascended the throne, and died
-three years afterwards. Khoja Saadín Effendí was tutor to the emperor
-when he resided in his Sanjak. After his elevation to the throne,
-Saadín Effendí became his counsellor in what concerned the well-being
-of the state and in the art of government. Cazi Zádeh Effendí was a
-mufti who wrote a comment on the law, and was a guide to salvation.
-Malúl Zádeh Effendí was military judge in Romeili and succeeded Cazi
-Zádeh as mufti. In consequence of having failed to show some acts of
-politeness to the emperor’s adviser and spiritual counsellor, Khoja
-Hasan Ján Zádeh Saadín, and for some mistakes which he had committed,
-he was represented to the emperor, and deposed. He died in 992. Tchoí
-Zádeh Effendí was an interpreter of the law, and his decrees were
-esteemed more excellent than any of those of his contemporaries. He
-succeeded Malúl Zádeh as the mufti. He was a remover of oppression and
-injustice. He died in 995. His son, Shúkhjí Effendí succeeded him in
-the high priesthood, but was afterwards deposed. Bostán Zádeh Effendí
-is well known. Zekeriáh Effendí is the most honourable of all the
-interpreters of the law. On going into the imperial palace one day to
-receive a robe of honour from his majesty Sultán Murád Khán, he was
-seized with fainting fits, in one of which he died, 1001. Abdur-rahmán
-was contemporary with Sultán Soleimán and Sultán Selím, and was one
-of the military judges of those times in which they lived. He died in
-Rabia II. 983. Násir Zádeh Effendí died suddenly in 984, whilst Cazi
-of Constantinople. Ahkí Zádeh Effendí retired from his jurisdiction in
-Anatolia with a salary of 150 akchas. He died in 989. Bokhárí Zádeh
-Effendí was deposed from his jurisdiction in Tripoli, in Syria, and
-died in 986. Mehshi Sinán Effendí retired with a salary of 200 akchas
-from his office, as military judge, in Anatolia, and died in 982.
-Neshánjí Zádeh Effendí was deposed from his jurisdiction in Medina.
-Hemshíreh Zádeh Effendí died when he was lecturer in Sultán Selím’s
-academy, _i.e._ in 989. Sinán Zádeh Effendí died in 987. Kamí Ahmed
-Effendí died in the same year. Mualim Zádeh Mahmúd Effendí was raised
-from the academy of Sœhen to the office of recorder or chancellor.
-He was afterwards deposed, and died in 987, Bábá Effendí was tutor
-to Rustem Páshá. He was a pious and religious man. Sárí Kiris Zádeh
-Effendí died when he was Cazi of Haleb, in 987. Abdul Vafá Effendí
-was the son of Abú Saoúd. Ezumí Effendí was tutor to one of the royal
-princes. He died in 999. Hazár Beg Chelebí died in the academy attached
-to the convent of Brúsa. Khosrú Zádeh Mustafa Effendí was a man of
-various attainments, and an orthodox guide in religion. In 998 he
-was Cazi of Tripoli in Syria, where he caught a severe cold. He died
-at Aksheher, on his way to Turkey, in 1000. He was a well-informed,
-gentle, and humane man. He made a collection of all the vulgar
-errors, and translated the History of Kútb Mekí, and left several
-fine poems in Turkish. Vankúli Mohammed Effendí was a man of the most
-consummate skill and learning. From the academy of Sœhen he was
-raised to be Cazi of Magnesia. He held the same office, successively,
-in Thessalonia, in Kutahiah, and in Anatolia, and was afterwards
-raised to the chief Caziship in Medina. He retired from office with a
-salary of eighty akchés, and died in the latter city, in 1000. To his
-extensive information he added that of undaunted firmness, and was a
-perfect linguist. He wrote several pious epistles and translated the
-_Seháh Júherí_, which was deposited in the mosque of Sultán Mohammed
-Khán. He also translated the _Kimiái Sa’ádet_. Abdul Káder Effendí,
-son of Emír Gísúdárí, and known by the name of Yálánjek Effendí, was
-judge of Kutahiah, and afterwards held the same office in Tripoli.
-It was not with his will that he was restrained from denouncing the
-great men of his day; for which, in fact, he was at last banished the
-city. He was a man of great violence and excessive virulence. It is
-said in the _Zeíli Shukáïk_, that his composition is weak, and his
-sentiments incorrect. He was some time Cazi of Yení Sheher, but was
-degraded, and died in 1000. Mevlana Mohammed Aydin of Akhisar was some
-time Cazi in Egypt, and was afterwards chief-priest in Medina. He was
-a clever, excellent, and acute man. His poems were extant in the year
-1003. There is also a translated compendium of his writings. He died
-in the year 1000, in Medina. Ismáíl Effendí was a complete separatist,
-and subsisted by teaching. He resembled a dervish: but having been
-a well-informed man, he wrote a commentary or paraphrase on the
-_Mesnevi_, the _Diván of Háfiz_, the _Gulistán_, and the _Bostán_, in
-Turkish. He died in 1000. Sevdí Effendí was a native of Bosnia. He was
-a person of great learning. After having travelled the whole path of
-literature, he was content to live on a small salary for teaching the
-domestics in the palace of Ibrahím Páshá. He died in the last-mentioned
-year. His explanations of the _Mesnevi_, and of the _Diván of Háfiz_,
-and his translations and explanations of the _Káfi_, the _Sháfi_,
-and the _Gulistán_, are still extant. Abd-ur-rahím Chelebí Kanáli
-Zádeh, was the younger brother of Alí Effendí. He too was a man of
-parts. He died in 1000. Mulla Abdul Kerím, a native of Magnesia, was
-Imám to the Sultán. He was studying in the academy of Magnesia when
-Sultán Murád Khán, son of Sultán Selím Khán, went to that quarter.
-The Imám of Magnesia having been removed by death at the time of the
-sultán’s visit, this man was appointed to succeed him in the office of
-Imám. After Murád ascended the throne of the Ottomans, he was created
-military judge. His learning and virtues, as well as his condescension
-to the poor and to strangers, are much celebrated. The following is
-one instance of his ingenuity and freedom. The Jews, both priests
-and laity, in contradistinction to all other people, would not wear
-orange-coloured turbans, and therefore could not be distinguished in
-the twilight of the morning and evening from others. On this account
-Mulla Abdul Kerím caused them to be obliged to wear scarlet bonnets.
-He was the means also of causing them to remove their dead in their
-burying-ground, near the Musselman streets in Kásim Páshá, to some
-other place; and, in one night, caused a mosque to be erected on the
-spot.
-
-He was in the habit of making poor wretched apes to perform astonishing
-feats, alleging they were only made to be instruments of sport; and was
-thus the cause of many a poor innocent creature’s death. He died in
-1002.
-
-
-_Reverend Doctors contemporary with Murád Khán._
-
-Sheikh Yolluk Mohammed Chelebí was preacher in the mosque of Sultán
-Mohammed, and taught theology. Sheikh Mohammed Effendí was an
-illustrious preacher in St. Sophia, and, in fact, a brave fearless
-man. He was the cause of serious difficulties to Sheikh Emír Effendí,
-who was preacher in the Soleimáníyeh. Sheikh Khezr Effendí was the son
-of a chief of a cohort of Janissaries, and a pious chaste preacher
-and a good speaker. Sheikh Tátár Ibrahím Effendí was a practical man
-and a historian: he explained and taught extempore in the mosque of
-Sultán Mohammed. Sheikh Shabán Effendí was a painter. He perfected
-himself in Emír Bokhárí’s convent, and chose the life of a Dervísh. His
-imperial majesty was in the habit of paying him visits. Sheikh Kúrd
-Effendí was a very able expositor. Sheikh Hasan Effendí officiated in
-the mosque of Khoja Mustafa Páshá. Sheikh Mohammed Effendí, after the
-death of Bábá Effendí, by the recommendation of Siná Allah, military
-judge of Romeili, was appointed to the mosque of Sultán Mohammed, by
-Ferhád Páshá. He captivated, by his lofty eloquence, the heart and
-the affections of the great, and secured the respect of the emperor’s
-tutor and his family. These things caused his patron, Siná Allah, to
-regret his having recommended him. Jaghala Zádeh and other vezírs
-were assiduous in attending the assemblies on Thursdays and Fridays
-to hear his orations. In short, so great was his fame, that even the
-emperor and the great men of the state were included in the number
-of his hearers, which increased every day. The wife of Rustem Páshá
-built for him a mosque and a small meeting-house, when of course
-he ceased preaching any more in Sultán Mohammed’s mosque. Sheikh
-Abú-vafá was employed by the Khalifs in many cities for the purpose
-of extending religion. He was in great favour with the late lamented
-emperor Murád-khán when he was in Magnesia. In consequence of his great
-fame he was called from that city, after Murád’s inauguration, to
-Constantinople, put in possession of a splendid mansion, and allowed a
-suitable salary. He was generally known by the appellation _Pádisháh
-Sheikhí_ (the emperor’s spiritual guide). He had a great deal in his
-power, being keeper, as it were, of the emperor’s conscience; and it
-was, therefore, an easy thing to secure offices of trust and importance
-for those who found access to him. In a certain sense he was a sort of
-asylum to the members of the diván. Doubtless those who had posts, and
-who were deprived of them, found it their interest to wait upon his
-eminence, and show him the respect due to him. He died in 998.
-
-
-_Facts relative to the new Emperor Sultán Mohammed Khán III._
-
-On the third day after Sultán Mohammed Khán succeeded to the throne
-of his ancestors, _i.e._ on the third day after his return to
-Constantinople and after his father’s interment, the whole of the
-nobles and dignitaries of state laid aside their mourning, waited on
-his majesty to congratulate him on his elevation, and to receive tokens
-of his favour, which were liberally distributed on this occasion. To
-the Janissary body alone six hundred and sixty thousand pieces of
-gold were given. The Bostánjí Báshí, Ferhád Aghá, who brought the
-intelligence to Magnesia, where the young prince then was, of the
-late emperor’s demise, received in money and presents to the amount
-of twenty thousand ducats, and was, agreeably to his own request,
-confirmed in his office. Lála Mohammed Páshá, who accompanied Mohammed
-Khán from Magnesia, and who was the husband of the new monarch’s nurse,
-was rewarded with a vezírship. The soldiers who came along with him
-were registered, and a suitable provision made for them. Some of their
-ághás were made masters of the royal stables: others of them were made
-Kapújí Báshís; and others again were made colonels of regiments. As the
-office of chief judge happened to be vacant at the time we are speaking
-of, by reason of death, the emperor’s tutor, Sa’d ud-dín Effendí, was
-appointed to fill it.
-
-On the 27th of the month (Jemadi I.) an official was sent by night to
-the Seven Towers, who dispatched Ibrahím Páshá, who had been degraded
-and sent thither from Diárbeker, in the former reign, for having been
-guilty of tyranny and oppression. The ághás, khojas, and others who had
-rashly meddled with the affairs of government, were also brought forth.
-Most of them were sent to Egypt, and a certain allowance was given to
-each of them by way of salary: the rest were set at liberty.
-
-In Jemadi II. a royal order was issued permitting the pages to leave
-the royal harem (probably those pages who belonged to the late
-emperor), and to return to their own friends.
-
-
-_The Premiership conferred on Ferhád Páshá._
-
-The grand vezír, Sinán Páshá, having become obnoxious to the emperor,
-in consequence of his hostility to Ferhád Páshá, who was, at that
-very time, governor of Constantinople, and who had free access to the
-royal ear, was deposed. On the 6th of Jemadi II. the premiership was
-graciously conferred on Ferhád, and an officer was dispatched to Sinán
-Páshá to take back the seals of office from him. This officer met Sinán
-Páshá returning from Belgrade, and received from him the object of his
-mission; whilst Sinán Páshá was ordered to retire to Mulghera. His
-deputy at Belgrade, vezír Satúrjí Mohammed Páshá, and the treasurer,
-Hájí Ibrahím Páshá, sealed the whole of their papers and deposited them
-in the fortress of Belgrade.
-
-
-_Insurrection of the Valachians and Moldavians._
-
-The Waiwoda of Moldavia having marched against Bender, attacked the
-emír of that place, and afterwards laid siege to Ak-kirman. But
-before the Waiwoda had succeeded in reducing it, he was repulsed by
-Adel Gheráí, sent thither with a body of Tátárs by Ghází Khán. The
-firmness of the besiegers, on the approach of this horde, was turned
-into feebleness. Some of them were killed, some fled, some were made
-prisoners, and the whole body was dispersed.
-
-The accursed Waiwoda of Valachia, Michael, formerly mentioned, sent
-a body of troops to Ibrail, to distress and reduce that place. The
-inhabitants in the villages and suburbs, on the approach of these
-barbarians, fled into the fortress, leaving their dwellings to the
-rapacity of their invaders, who first subjected them to spoliation, and
-afterwards set fire to them. Having accomplished this, they erected
-fortifications against the fortress; but a body of about four thousand
-Tátárs crossed over the Danube on the ice, destroyed wholly these
-fortifications, and slew about one thousand of the Valachian army,
-or rather insurgents. These wandering insurgents, amounting to about
-twenty thousand naked wretches, collected chiefly out of Hungary,
-Transylvania, and Valachia, returned again to lay siege to Ibrail, and
-were accompanied by a number of field-pieces. The inhabitants, anxious
-to oppose them, went forth to give them battle, but being overpowered
-by numbers they returned to the fortress and annoyed them from thence.
-In consequence of the ice on the Danube having all melted before this
-second visit to Ibrail, and it being impossible to obtain aid from the
-Tátárs in sufficient time to stop the progress of these infidels, they
-commenced, without further resistance, to batter the fortress and to
-explode mines, which so alarmed the besieged, seeing their condition
-was desperate, as to lead them to propose a capitulation. Accordingly,
-Karah Shawesh Mohammed Beg and Mustafa Shawesh stepped out and met the
-Hungarian chiefs, who, according to their religion, swore solemnly that
-they should all be allowed to evacuate Ibrail, and retire across the
-Danube without molestation or sustaining any injury.
-
-When these followers of Mohammed were on the eve of crossing the
-Danube, according to the terms of capitulation, they found themselves
-necessitated to leave behind them the greater part of their
-property—about one thousand loads, which caused a great out-cry. They
-determined, therefore, to take all, and made an effort to remove what
-was left; but the perfidious enemy opposed them. They surrounded the
-complainants, seized some of the most distinguished Moslems amongst
-them, and made them prisoners: others of them they entirely robbed, and
-others they murdered on the spot.
-
-When this violence and perfidy was remonstrated against by Karah
-Shawesh Beg, the Hungarian chiefs answered by displaying their naked
-swords, murdering a number more in cold blood, and driving the
-remainder across the Danube.
-
-The accursed Michael, already too often mentioned, having killed
-Mustafa Páshá, the Beglerbeg of Merœsh, went every where exciting
-insubordination and insurrection, and plundering and murdering where he
-could. With four thousand of his raggamuffin army he penetrated into
-Silistria, but was so firmly and effectually opposed by Mustafa Beg,
-the governor, that only about one hundred of the four thousand vagrants
-escaped the edge of the sword. Thus ample vengeance was taken on them.
-
-
-_Ferhád Páshá makes preparations for war._
-
-After the above-mentioned Yerkok was destroyed, letters reached the
-Sublime Porte which imported that Michael was marching at the head of
-one hundred thousand men, collected from the neighbouring princes, and
-committing devastation and plunder in the villages on the banks of the
-Danube and on the shores of the Black Sea; thus exercising violence
-and cruelty on the servants of God. When this disastrous account
-reached the royal ear, the grand vezír, Ferhád Páshá, who was also
-commander-in-chief, was ordered to make preparations for war against
-the insurgents by the time the spring season arrived. Letters were
-sent to those chiefs on the borders who had maintained their integrity
-to join the troops of war at a certain place; orders were issued to
-prepare bridges and other apparatus necessary for crossing the Danube
-at Rusjuk, opposite Yerkok; and an earnest request was sent to the
-chiefs of Silistria, Nicopolis, and Widin, to furnish a sufficient
-number of artificers for accomplishing this design. Until the arrival
-of the grand vezír the office of commander-in-chief was conferred
-on Lála Mohammed Páshá, Beglerbeg of Anatolia, who went to Widin.
-Mohammed Páshá, Beglerbeg of Romeili, son of Sinán Páshá, lately in the
-premiership, gave up his office of commandant in Buda to vezír Hasan
-Páshá, who had been at Widin and returned to Belgrade.
-
-
-_The Spáhís raise a tumult._
-
-On the 12th of Shabán, as Ferhád was leaving the diván, and intending
-to return to his own palace, he was met by ten thousand of the troops,
-who were waiting for him at the gate of the diván. These complained
-of not having been duly paid for three years’ services performed in
-garrisoning the fortress of Ganjé, and demanded payment. The grand
-vezír told them in return that their wages would be paid them from
-the treasury of Tabríz and Ganjé. “Why,” said he, “do you break the
-law by raising a tumult? Do you not know that disobedience to the
-supreme authority involves in it the guilt of infidelity?” Thus saying,
-he dismissed them. They, however, began to speak publicly of their
-grievances, and sounded abroad that they were oppressed, and in fact
-effected a tumult in the city. Next day Ferhád’s embarrassments were
-increased, for the whole of the Spáhís, and some of the Salihdárs,
-sycophants of Sinán Páshá, who united with them, came in a tumultuous
-manner to the door of the diván, declared that until Ferhád Páshá’s
-head was cut off they would accept no wages, and stoned such of their
-companions as ventured to ask them. The ághás endeavoured by kind
-advice to soothe them, but without any beneficial effect. The chávush
-báshí and the deputy of the household troops tried what they could
-do in appeasing them, but were rewarded with a shower of stones, and
-of course were obliged to seek shelter. The tumult increased in noise
-and numbers. The insurgents were then told that the pay of the men of
-Ganjé would be forthwith advanced, and that all their wishes, whatever
-they might be, would be complied with. These promises also made no
-impression. The insurgents continued obstinate and determined, and
-threatened they would permit no member of the diván to stir out of the
-council alive before the head of Ferhád was given to them, and became
-more and more turbulent and vociferous.
-
-When the emperor was made aware of these scenes of insubordination
-and turbulence, he sent two military judges to exhort them to return
-to their duty. These two prelates were the poet Bákí Effendí and
-Abúlsa’úd, a principal effendí; but their exhortation to the mutineers
-had no better result than the former. The mutineers stamped with their
-feet on the ground, and again vociferated “The head of Ferhád!” Ferhád
-was now induced to wait on his majesty and tell him how he had acted,
-and how he had spoken to the instigators of the riots about their want
-of subordination, which conduct manifested, he observed, their utter
-want of religion. “Lála Mohammed Páshá and other vezírs were present
-when I spoke to them,” said the grand vezír, “and I am sure nothing
-of all that I said ought to have offended them. I am only one of your
-slaves, and though I should be removed out of the world, that will
-not reduce the number of your majesty’s councillors. To comply with
-their demands will only have the effect of increasing their rebellious
-spirit and open a door for making similar demands in future, which will
-not be so easily resisted if their present one be complied with. At
-the present moment, when neither exhortation nor threatening can make
-any impression on them, it will be most advisable that your majesty
-authorise the ághá of the Janissaries to bring out a considerable
-number of his troops and station them below the arsenal, and order the
-most powerful of the Bostánjís to be in a state of readiness at the
-Tímúr gate. If, therefore, the vezírs be molested when they retire from
-the diván, these troops will immediately, on the first signal, advance
-and chastise the insurgents for their temerity.” The emperor approved
-of this advice, and promised to act accordingly. He desired Ferhád
-to remain with him, and that he would again send his vezírs to try to
-pacify them. “If they succeed, well; if not, then your method will be
-adverted to,” said he to his grand vezír, and ordered them to make the
-endeavour. The vezírs, however, no sooner showed themselves, than the
-audacious multitude commenced pelting them with stones as formerly.
-At this moment the Janissaries and Bostánjís were let loose upon the
-mutinous Spáhís, and dispersed them in all directions: not any two of
-them remained together, so completely were they awed and terrified.
-
-In this tumult the brother-in-law of Khalíl Páshá had his head hurt,
-and Lála Mohammed Páshá his arms, by stones which were hurled at them.
-Both of them were carried into the diván in a wounded condition by the
-ághá of the Janissaries, who related to the members of the council how
-matters stood, after which they all dismissed: Ferhád mounted his horse
-and rode away to his own palace.
-
-The grand vezír, reflecting on the disgrace done to him by the friends
-and sycophants of his enemies, Khoja Sinán Páshá and his son Jaghala,
-sought redress from the emperor. His importunity was not in vain, for
-a royal decree ordered Sinán Páshá to repair to Mulghera, where he had
-been before, and Jaghala Zádeh Sinán Páshá was ordered to Karahissar.
-Síávush Páshá, being also involved in raising the tumult we have
-described, was ordered to Iconium. Others who had taken a share in it
-were similarly punished.
-
-After peace and quietness were restored the emperor next day ordered
-100,000 dollars to be distributed among the Janissary troops, and ten
-of their chiefs were presented with robes of honour.
-
-
-_Ferhád Páshá prepares to set out for Valachia._
-
-All the preparations for the war having been properly attended to, and
-all in a state of readiness, the grand vezír, Ferhád Páshá, on the 17th
-of Shabán, marched at the head of his army from the imperial city,
-and halted at Dávud Páshá. The second vezír, Ibrahím Páshá, was made
-káímakám, or vice-governor of Constantinople. The chief ághá of the
-Janissaries remained at home according to custom, but the commander
-or ághá of the first legion of the Janissaries, with ten thousand
-Janissaries, accompanied the expedition to Valachia. Ten galleys were
-ordered up the Danube with cannon and other military stores as far as
-Rusjuk; but Ibrahím Páshá, the káímakám, in consequence of some secret
-enmity towards Ferhád, hindered as much as he could, and under various
-pretences, the dispatch of these and similar other articles necessary
-for the war, though he made it appear that he was every way active.
-
-When Ferhád was on his way to the scene of action he wrote a very
-earnest letter to his majesty, requesting an augmentation of troops.
-“The enemy,” said he in his letter, “are at Bekrish, and we have
-advanced near to Rusjuk, on our frontiers. The troops under my command
-are too few, and they are also much weakened by the fatigues of the
-long journey and other privations incident to long marching. The number
-of the enemy is too great for us at present to take vengeance, and we
-must, before venturing to attack them, be made better acquainted with
-their actual force, and be put in circumstances to secure success.”
-These sentiments of Ferhád were more than once expressed. Ibrahím
-Páshá, on the contrary, represented to his majesty that the army under
-Ferhád was on the point of deserting him; that they were unwilling to
-act under him; that what at one time had appeared hopeful had vanished;
-in short, that the whole of the army would rather perish by the sword
-than choose to continue under his banner. The mufti, Bostán Zádeh,
-joined in the fraud; and Bákí Effendí from among the military judges,
-and Jeráh Mohammed Páshá, Hasan Páshá, and Jaghala Zádeh, from among
-the vezírs, were carried away by this deceit and dissimulation. “It is
-not,” said the deceitful káímakám, “that I wish an investigation to be
-made in the case of Ferhád that I speak as I do, neither is it that I
-wish to be made grand vezír; nor is it the chief command of the army I
-seek. No: it is a duty I owe to religion, to the emperor, and to the
-empire, that forces me to express myself.” These sentiments, apparently
-good, were uttered with the view of affecting Sinán Páshá, the late
-prime minister, who was so well pleased with them that he was induced
-to distribute some thousands of gold among those who were present and
-heard this discourse. Ibrahím’s words soon found their way to the
-ear of his royal master, who was so much affected by them that he
-determined on deposing Ferhád Páshá.
-
-
-_Continuation of Ferhád’s affairs._
-
-On the 21st of Shabán Ferhád Páshá marched from Dávud Páshá, and on
-reaching Chorlí he raised about a thousand sharp-shooters, and gave the
-command of this body to one Hasan, a Spáhí. The stages by which the
-army was to march were all written down, but the troops were to halt
-every day at mid-day and take rest.
-
-About the 5th of Ramazán, the government of Moldavia was conferred on
-Ja’fer Páshá, who had been, formerly, Beglerbeg of Shirván, and that
-of Valachia, on Satúrjí Mohammed Páshá. The office of treasurer was
-conferred on Mohammed Beg of Yení Sheher. Twelve thousand men from
-these two provinces were ordered to be taken into pay.
-
-
-_Ferhád arrives on the Banks of the Danube._
-
-The grand vezír, Ferhád Páshá, reached Rusjuk towards the end of
-Shevál, and immediately commenced preparations for erecting a
-bridge across the Danube. Artificers, brought from Nicopolis, were
-set to the work. From some prisoners who had been brought to the
-commander-in-chief he learned that the wicked and mischievous Michael
-had received a reinforcement, from Transylvania and Hungary, of
-about 70,000 troops, and that he was posted at Bekrish. About the
-commencement of Dhu’l Kadah, the Beglerbeg of Romeili, Hasan Páshá,
-joined the royal camp with four thousand troops, and brought along with
-him five hundred Valachian and Hungarian prisoners. The grand vezír
-and commander-in-chief, Ferhád Páshá, sat under a canopy supported by
-eight pillars, and superintended the erections which were carried on.
-The whole might have been completed in five or six days had it not
-been found necessary to extend the bridge to an island in the river,
-opposite Yerkok. To accomplish this object, the Sanjak chiefs were
-ordered to cut down trees suitable for the purpose, and to transport
-them to the spot where they were needed. Whilst these erections were
-going forward, arrangements were also made to pay four divisions of
-troops which remained in the garrison of Belgrade; the Serdár himself
-intending, after he had chastised the rebel Michael, to remove to that
-city.
-
-
-_Ferhád is deposed.—Sinán Páshá raised to the Premiership._
-
-It has already been observed how Ibrahím Páshá, the son-in-law of Sinán
-Páshá, and other sycophants of the latter, had effected a change in the
-emperor’s mind towards Ferhád. They at last succeeded in moving him to
-remove him from office altogether. Accordingly the seals of office,
-at the close of the month Shevál, were sent to Sinán Páshá, who, on
-being raised to the premiership, set immediately to work in seeking the
-destruction of his predecessor. He insinuated that Ferhád maintained
-a secret correspondence with the apostate Michael: that he meditated
-the utter ruin and destruction of the Moslem army: he accused him of
-negligence, infidelity, and treachery, and importuned his warrant: and,
-in order to encompass his death, he took the royal seal and signed
-a commission, which he sent to the deputy of the Janissaries, Ahmed
-Aghá, desiring him to execute this diabolical but earnestly desired
-object. He issued another order for taking possession of the arsenal
-and other stores which Ferhád had provided for the war. Before either
-of these firmáns reached the place of their destination, however, a
-friend of Ferhád had hastened, with all manner of speed, to inform him
-what was going on against him. The information had such an effect on
-the unfortunate Páshá, that his life, for a while, was despaired of.
-He was, however, able to make arrangements for his return. He informed
-a diván, called for the purpose, that he found it necessary to return
-to Constantinople, and therefore required some men to accompany him.
-He, accordingly, selected about three thousand veterans from the
-most valiant of the troops, and delivered over, secretly however, to
-Satúrjí Mohammed Páshá, his own seal, and all the stores to Mohammed
-Páshá. Having settled every thing relative to the troops that were to
-accompany him, he mounted his horse and set out for Constantinople. To
-avoid meeting the officer who had in charge the grand vezír’s firmán,
-he travelled by a different route, night and day, with the greatest
-speed.
-
-When the officer reached Rusjuk, he learned, to his surprise, that
-Ferhád had set out two days before; but with the assistance of
-Satúrjí Mohammed Páshá, he immediately transmitted an account of this
-circumstance to Constantinople.
-
-Sinán Páshá was still in the metropolis. The Syrian troops, destined
-for the war, had arrived. Sinán informed them that a sentence of death
-had been issued against Ferhád. “His head is mine, his property yours,”
-said he, and sent off these fearless troops to intercept him.
-
-In the mean time Sinán Páshá busied himself in making arrangements for
-carrying on the war in Hungary. The Syrian troops, just now mentioned,
-fell in with Ferhád’s treasures, which were carried on camels. These
-they seized, whilst Ferhád himself stood on a rising ground at a
-distance, and saw what was going on. There is another version of this
-story. It says, that when these Syrians met Ferhád, he had the presence
-of mind to scatter some purses of silver and gold amongst the rapacious
-fellows, and made off with himself whilst they were scrambling for
-the booty thus thrown amongst them. The story goes on to say that the
-Syrians began to quarrel about the division of the spoil they had so
-very easily acquired, and that instead of fairly dividing it, each man
-set off with what fell into his own hands.
-
-Ferhád, in the meantime, succeeded in descending the mountains of
-Istrenj, and arrived at his own villa near Constantinople in the middle
-of Dhu’l hijja. Here he concealed himself, but sent all his treasures
-and jewels as a present to the emperor’s mother. This mode of applying
-his money had a wonderful effect, for the joyful news of his being
-about to be pardoned soon became public.
-
-The grand vezír, Sinán Páshá, reached Rusjuk, on the borders of the
-empire, before these things had transpired, and had other objects
-to occupy his attention, independent of Ferhád. But his son-in-law,
-Ibrahím Páshá, was still governor of Constantinople, and when he heard
-the report that Ferhád was to be pardoned, formed another plot for
-effecting his destruction, which succeeded, as the sequel will show. He
-employed one Soleimán, a German Jew, a well-known fellow, who succeeded
-in finding out where Ferhád had secreted himself, and afterwards sent
-him (probably by the same infamous Jew) a letter, as from the emperor,
-which conveyed to him a free pardon. This, the poor man had no
-doubt, was an act of mercy from his sovereign, and therefore ventured
-out of his hiding-place and commenced paying visits to his friends.
-One morning, however, by break of day, his villa was surrounded,
-and himself made prisoner by the Bostánjí báshí, who conducted him
-forthwith to the Seven Towers. This took place on the 5th of Sefer,
-1004. Ibrahím Páshá wrote out his indictment and laid it before the
-throne, and soon afterwards succeeded in obtaining the emperor’s
-warrant for taking away his life. Accordingly, Chobán Soleimán Aghá,
-a chávush báshí, strangled him in the Seven Towers that same night,
-before supper-time.
-
-
-_A Reflection._
-
-The late Ferhád Páshá was a man who had rendered many important
-services to his country whilst employed in the Persian war, and was
-one of those who had forwarded the elevation of the then reigning
-monarch; but he was rewarded, as we have seen, with disgrace heaped
-upon him, and, at last, with an ignominious death. The late emperor
-knew his value, and always showed him peculiar honour and respect.
-Sultán Mohammed Khán was a man who was free from guile and duplicity,
-and unacquainted with cunning and deceit; but he had not reached that
-degree of penetration which so much distinguished his father, and
-which would have secured him from putting too much confidence in his
-advisers, and have kept him from committing himself before he had made
-proper and strict inquiry. The result of the want of these qualities we
-have seen.
-
-
-_Sinán Páshá’s Operations in Valachia._
-
-The new grand vezír, Sinán Páshá, left the plains of Dávud Páshá on
-the 11th Dhu’l Kadah, passed through Adrianople, the pass of Chaluk
-Kovak, and, after encountering a thousand difficulties, reached the
-camp towards the end of the month. The above-mentioned bridge was in a
-state of completion, and about the middle of the month Dhu’l hijja, the
-grand vezír crossed over with his whole army. The troops of Romeili,
-with their Válí at their head, formed the advance guard: Satúrjí
-Mohammed Páshá, at the head of the Syrian troops, formed the right
-wing: the chiefs of Thessalonica and Nicopolis were appointed to watch
-the bridge: the ten galleys which had been ordered to convey military
-stores had reached Rusjuk, and on the 17th the army removed from
-Yerkok, and halted near a wood about four leagues distant from a narrow
-pass which led to Bekrish. A party was led forward to reconnoitre this
-pass, but they had scarcely approached it when they observed a cloud of
-dust, and soon afterwards saw the enemy’s troops advancing. The party
-retreated to the camp: the grand vezír girded on his sword, ordered
-planks to be placed over a marsh which lay in front, by which he made
-the Janissaries pass, and stationed them in a part of the wood. On the
-top of an eminence he placed ten pieces of ordnance, which did great
-execution, and with the middle division of his army he succeeded in
-driving back those of the enemy which were advancing upon him, and
-spiked their cannon which they had been obliged to leave behind them.
-A few only of the enemy were killed, but every thing was in favour of
-the Moslems, who now advanced upon them, and took their position near
-Kalúgirvan. The whole of the enemy were concentrated in the pass or
-valley of Bekrish, where they during the night lighted fires, made a
-tremendous noise and stir, and, at the same time, brought forward a
-great number of buffaloes.
-
-In the history called _Bahjet_, the account is thus related:—The
-Moslem army having halted in a marshy and woody spot near the bridge
-of Kalúgirvan, were soon attacked by a body of the enemy, whose cannon
-and small arms were most galling to them. In these circumstances,
-Satúrjí Mohammed Páshá, Haider Páshá, Hasan Páshá, and Mustafa Páshá,
-the son of Ayás Páshá, crossed the bridge with a considerable number of
-troops, and attacked them in return, and after a most dreadful conflict
-succeeded in securing ten of the enemy’s cannon, but were afterwards
-obliged to retreat, leaving their acquisition behind them. Mohammed
-Páshá, in the act of retreating, was wounded in the above-mentioned
-marsh. Hasan Haider and Mustafa sunk into the mud and perished. The
-grand vezír himself was also very unfortunate, for in this moment of
-confusion and retreat, he too was obliged to fly; and in doing so, fell
-into a morass. His body guards sought their own safety, and left him
-to shift for himself the best way he could. He got out, but soon fell
-into another; and in this predicament he continued till he was observed
-by a veteran Romeilian called Hasan, who advanced towards him, took
-him on his back, and thus carried him out of the marsh. This hero, the
-deliverer of the grand vezír, acquired public fame for his heroism,
-and had the word “marsh” affixed to his name ever afterwards. He was,
-therefore, called Hasan Bátákjí, and became afterwards the commander of
-a body of heroes under Khoja Murád Páshá, honourably mentioned in the
-sequel of this history.
-
-On the night of the above-mentioned disastrous event, one of the
-Janissaries happened to lay down an unextinguished match upon some
-gunpowder, which, when it ignited, communicated itself to a great
-quantity of the same material which lay in its neighbourhood, and
-which produced so tremendous an explosion as to cause an universal
-cry of “Yá allah,” among the troops. The effect of this explosion on
-the infidel army was astonishing—for they supposed they were attacked
-by the Moslems, and to escape them they immediately retired. Michael
-hastened to Bekrish with the greater part of his army, whilst a smaller
-body made its way into Moldavia, but afterwards returned to join their
-infamous leader at Bekrish.
-
-The Moslems unable, in consequence of the fatigues they had endured
-the preceding day, to take advantage of the flight of the enemy, and
-thus gain the open field, retreated a little. Here they remained two
-days, during which time some prisoners were brought in, who informed
-them that the enemy had concentrated at Bekrish. Encouraged by this
-information, Hasan Páshá, on the 18th of the month, crossed over with
-his division, gained the plain beyond the valley or pass, and sent out
-a foraging party through the country, who returned with provisions,
-prisoners, and cattle.
-
-Michael, not thinking himself secure at Bekrish, retired to Terghúshta,
-and afterwards, from the same dread, penetrated the almost inaccessible
-mountains which form the boundaries of Transylvania. The grand vezír,
-now that the enemy had entirely disappeared, passed through the valley
-on the 20th and appeared before Bekrish, in the plains of which he
-pitched his tent. The churches of Bekrish were converted into mosques;
-and worship, according to Mohammedan usage, was performed in them. The
-ornaments and crosses which adorned the roofs of the churches, as well
-as the whole of the images and pictures which were placed in them, were
-totally demolished. Not a vestige of them was allowed to remain.
-
-
-_A Council held.—A Fortress built._
-
-The nobles and princes having assembled in the grand vezír’s pavilion,
-they consulted as to the most effectual method they should adopt to
-prevent Valachia and Moldavia from falling into the hands of the
-infidels; and also as to the difficulty there existed in keeping the
-inhabitants of these provinces under subjection. After these matters
-were fully discussed, it was resolved and agreed to: 1st, That an
-impregnable fortress should be built at Bekrish; and 2ndly, That a
-similar one should be erected at the pass of Terghúshta. After the
-passing of these resolutions, it was thought proper to transmit a
-report of affairs to the court of Constantinople for its approbation;
-and at the same time, the government of the country was conferred on
-Satúrjí Mohammed Páshá. When once these things were thus settled,
-the grand vezír and his nobles proceeded to the suburbs of Bekrish
-and measured off double the space of ground on which Alexandra, the
-Waiwoda’s Monastery stood, and which was formerly a fortress, and
-made preparations for commencing the first fortress mentioned in the
-resolutions adverted to above. The whole was completed in the space
-of twelve days after it was fairly commenced. But what more relates
-to this fortress we must reserve till we relate the events of the
-following year.
-
-
-_Concerning the Enemy’s Operations on the Frontiers._
-
-Mohammed Páshá, son of Sinán Páshá, having been appointed
-commander-in-chief on the frontiers, went, at the commencement of
-the month Shevál, to Buda, where he properly housed a quantity
-of provisions which had been sent from Belgrade; and afterwards
-distributed troops among the military stations along the frontiers in
-that quarter. He himself went to Kiris Elias, where he pitched his
-camp. The beglerbeg of Anatolia, of Karamania, of Sivás, of Buda, of
-Temisvar, of Haleb, and of Scutari, the deputy-ághá of the Janissaries,
-the salihdárs of the Spáhís, and all the various troops regular and
-irregular, assembled at Old Buda, where a distribution of provisions
-and of other necessaries was made to them.
-
-About this time Osmán Páshá, beglerbeg of Yanuk, sent information
-that the Austrians were preparing to send a large army; and it so
-happened that, towards the end of Dhu’l Kada, an army of 50,000
-foot and 20,000 horse laid siege to Osterghún. The Moslem serdár, or
-commander-in-chief, and the other beglerbegs, could muster no more than
-10,000, and therefore prudently forbore attempting to offer battle to
-so immense a host. They accordingly took up their position on a hill
-opposite the enemy, and there meant to wait till they received more
-succour.
-
-
-_The Moslem Army advances to Osterghún, and are defeated._
-
-About the commencement of the month Dhu’l hijja, the
-commander-in-chief, Sinán’s son, the beglerbeg of Buda; Súfí Sinán
-Páshá, the beglerbeg of Temisvar; Mikaeljelí Ahmed Páshá, the beglerbeg
-of Scutari; Teríakí Hasan Páshá, the beglerbeg of Haleb; Mohammed
-Páshá, and the beglerbeg of Yanuk, Osmán Páshá, advanced with the
-10,000 lately mentioned to Osterghún, and took up their position
-immediately opposite the enemy. This was a fool-hardy step, and one
-for which they paid dearly: for that very day the battle commenced,
-and was continued for several days, when it ended in the discomfiture
-of the Moslem army, as might have been easily anticipated, considering
-the vast majority of the enemy. The following day, when the Moslems
-advanced to the conflict, they were encircled by a considerable body
-of the enemy, drawn up in regular order to receive them, but whom
-the Moslems, led on by Osmán Páshá, drove back, retaking at the same
-time Jegirdilen, a place of some strength, and spiked the whole of
-the cannon in it. Hitherto fortune seemed to declare for the orthodox
-army, but on the fourth day it experienced a reverse. In approaching
-Dipadilen, another place of strength, the Moslems were much annoyed by
-the small arms of the enemy, which played incessantly upon them. Here
-many of the brave Musselmans fell lifeless on the ground, and among
-them was Osmán Páshá. Another division of the Moslem army attacked
-the enemy’s trenches on the Danube, and got possession of them. Here
-they either slew or drowned in the river such of the enemy as fell
-into their hands: but alas! this act of heroism was dearly paid
-for; for on retiring from these trenches they were met by a strong
-augmentation of the enemy coming forward to the aid of those who had
-been in the trenches, when a most desperate and awful conflict ensued.
-The Serdár, thinking his Moslems were overpowered, turned his face
-towards Buda and set off. Others, seeing this, followed his example.
-Teríákí Hasan Páshá was no sooner made aware of the state of matters
-than he too ordered his tents to be struck, loaded his waggons with
-the heaviest of his baggage, caused oxen to be put to them and to his
-field-pieces—which had been kept as memorials of Soleimán—and moved off
-for Buda, whither the rest had fled.
-
-After this signal superiority gained by the enemy they proceeded,
-without any further resistance from the scattered army of the Serdár,
-to effect their original purpose, the reduction of Osterghún. But we
-must defer any further account of this till we relate the events of the
-following year.
-
-The Serdár Mohammed Páshá, after reaching Buda, and after his troops
-had found their way to that city, was in conformity to a resolution
-passed by a council of war, appointed to the government of Yanuk, and
-proper persons were also dismissed in order to assemble forces at
-Belgrade.
-
-When the enemy, stationed about Novograde, heard of the defeat
-sustained by the Moslems they were emboldened to lay siege to Wáj, but
-were repulsed with great loss. Finding they were unable for the task
-they had undertaken, they contented themselves with carrying off what
-cattle they could seize or drive off. But this also belongs to the
-affairs of the following year.
-
-
-_The Apostate Michael gains a victory._
-
-The grand vezír, Sinán Páshá, after having seen the fortress
-completed, which he had ordered to be erected of wood at Bekrish, as
-before observed, placed a garrison of one thousand Janissaries and a
-thousand other troops in it, besides cannon and other implements of
-war for defence, and on the 13th of Moharrem removed to the plains
-of Terghúshta. The inhabitants of this latter place having all fled
-before his arrival, he commenced building in it a fortress of wood,
-similar to the one erected at Bekrish, and ordered two deep ditches to
-be cut round it. The whole was completed in the space of a month; and
-after having placed a garrison in it, and supplied it with all kinds
-of necessary stores, he commenced his countermarch on the 12th of the
-month Sefer.
-
-The grand vezír had scarcely reached the very first stage, however,
-before the atrocious Michael started out of the woods and surrounded
-Terghúshta with his troops. The sound of his cannon was distinctly
-heard in the grand vezír’s camp. After three days of violent effort he
-took the place. Alí Páshá, Khoja Beg, and other persons of distinction,
-he caused to be fixed on spits and roasted before a fire: the rest of
-the garrison he made prisoners, set fire to the place, and withdrew.
-Information of this disaster reached the grand vezír the day it took
-place, and awakened the grief and sympathy of the whole army. Whilst
-they stood deploring the fate of the garrison, and of their brethren
-who had fallen into the hands of their merciless enemies, three
-hundred of these infidels issued out of the wood, not very distant
-from the Moslem camp, but they were all dispersed by a party of the
-Romeilian troops. The army now began to retrace their steps. After
-consulting as to the propriety of returning to Terghúshta, about which
-there existed a variety of opinion, they at last resolved on going to
-Bekrish, which they accordingly did. During fifteen days which the
-army was ordered to remain there, all the traders, whether belonging
-to the army or otherwise, were requested to remove in that space of
-time with their effects out of Bekrish, and retire to some other place
-of greater security. After this and other matters of importance were
-fully attended to, the guns and other stores belonging to this garrison
-were put on waggons and removed, and itself, so lately built, set fire
-to about midnight, when the troops left it to perish. After hastily
-passing through the pass of Bekrish they arrived at Yerkok, where they
-halted three days.
-
-On reaching this place, the grand vezír was confounded when he
-perceived that the bridge, which had been confided to a sufficient
-guard, across which ten thousand waggons and captives had passed, was
-now watched only by five. Formerly, the Moslem troops were in the habit
-of making excursions by this bridge into the country of Transylvania,
-and returning by the same with waggons loaded with spoil, thousands of
-captives, and with droves of cattle, sheep, and young horses, and which
-used to be sold in the Moslem camp. Here also a faithful custom-house
-officer used to sit and collect an impost which was levied on all such
-imports.
-
-The grand vezír was but a very few days at the above place when he
-learned that the apostate Michael was at his heels. Without waiting
-the arrival of this rebel he crossed over by night, and permitted
-his troops to do as they might be able. Before morning they succeeded
-in getting over part of their ordnance, whilst they were obliged to
-leave the remainder behind them. Whilst all were in confusion, and
-petrified with terror at the recent information, each one, concerned
-about himself, sought to save himself the best way he could. In these
-circumstances of confusion and terror the enemy appeared in the
-vicinity of Yerkok, and arrived in sufficient time to seize on all
-which yet remained to be passed over to the Moslem side. A party of
-the enemy, more like enraged swine, hastened forward to the edge of
-the river, and from an eminence sufficiently near, played with their
-cannon against the bridge, which soon gave way in the middle. Such of
-the retreating Moslems and baggage as were crossing at the time, fell
-into the river along with it, and were lost. Some of the unfortunate
-wretches who got hold of pieces of the bridge were carried down the
-stream, and their shrieks pierced the skies. All who had not been
-able to make their escape from Yerkok were butchered without mercy,
-and their blood made to flow in rivulets. In short, the slaughter
-was terrible. The cannon which fell into the hands of the enemy were
-directed, after they had burned the city, against the fortress. So very
-disastrous a retreat, as well as defeat, has never been recorded in any
-history.
-
-
-_The fortress of Yerkok taken._
-
-The troops who were stationed in this garrison at this time shut
-themselves up in it, but the rabble-army, after three days’
-bombardment, took it by storm on the 10th of the month Sefer, put
-every Mussulman within it to death, and afterwards directed its cannon
-against the grand vezír’s camp on the opposite side of the river. About
-this time information was received from Ghází Gheráí Khán, khán of the
-Tátárs, which apprised them that he had entered Moldavia with his Tátár
-army, and had brought the inhabitants of that province under subjection
-and promise of obedience; and further, that they had promised to
-deliver up the apostate Michael, the sole author of all the evils and
-mischief which had taken place. In the letter which they addressed to
-the khán, they requested that one of his emírs might be appointed
-governor over them; but their chiefs not liking this arrangement, the
-thing was delayed.
-
-
-_Osterghún delivered up to the enemy._
-
-In the month of Dhu’l hijja of last year the enemy, as we have seen,
-laid siege to the fortress of Osterghún, and after having defeated
-the army sent from Buda to oppose them, they redoubled their efforts
-against the above place, which at last the Moslems were necessitated
-to give up. This took place on the 1st, or about the beginning of the
-month Sefer. About forty or fifty Mussulmans, who were allowed to leave
-Osterghún, went by water to Buda.
-
-
-_Vishégrade is taken by the enemy._
-
-After the reduction of Osterghún the enemy surrounded the fortress of
-Vishégrade, a place of considerable strength, not far from the above,
-and which, through the treachery of one Osmán, who had been degraded
-from the rank of an ághá of the Janissaries, was delivered over to the
-enemy; but the inhabitants and the garrison were allowed to retire
-to Buda. The above-mentioned apostate Osmán, in order to ingratiate
-himself with the King of Hungary, went and pointed out the vaults in
-which the Moslems had preserved their gunpowder, and which till then
-had not been discovered. The enemy carried the whole away in boats.
-
-
-_The Grand Vezír deposed.—Lála Mohammed Páshá made Grand Vezír._
-
-When accounts of the ill fate of the expedition conducted by the grand
-vezír into Valachia, of the pusillanimity of his son, who permitted
-Osterghún to fall into the enemy’s hands; and who was the first who
-fled from the field of battle, and shut himself up within the fortress
-of Buda, were received at Constantinople, the whole of the Moslem
-population and the grandees of the state were roused to madness and
-indignation; and when the emperor was formally informed of these
-disgraceful circumstances, he immediately ordered the grand vezír,
-Sinán Páshá, to be deposed and to go to Mulghura. On the 16th of Rabia
-II. the seals were transferred to Lála Mohammed Páshá, but who, on
-account of his bad state of health, was never able, with the exception
-of the day he had the honour of kissing the emperor’s hand, to attend
-to his duties in the diván. He died shortly after his elevation to the
-premiership.
-
-
-_Sinán Páshá is made Grand Vezír a fifth Time._
-
-The káímakám of Constantinople, Ibrahím Páshá, of whom frequent though
-not honourable mention has been made, expected that on the death of
-Lála Mohammed Páshá, as well as on some former occasions, when a prime
-minister was degraded, that the emperor would confer the seals upon
-him. He was mistaken, and of course disappointed. The fact was, that
-the emperor had discovered before then that he was the principal cause
-of Ferhád Páshá’s murder, and was seized with a kind of horror and
-remorse, and therefore dismissed him from office and from his presence.
-
-The friends of Sinán, lately deposed and banished, were not idle. They
-threw a cloak over his faults, and represented his virtues and high
-qualifications for government in such a light as to induce his majesty
-to recall him from his exile, and to reinstate him (a fifth time) in
-his former office. He took his place in the diván about the end of
-Rabia II.
-
-A circumstance took place about this time which is worthy of being
-recorded. A great dispute having taken place between Ibrahím Páshá and
-his father-in-law, Sinán Páshá, the former accused the latter, in the
-presence of the diván, of maladministration, and charged him with being
-the cause of all the insurrections which had happened, by his having
-given places of trust and responsibility to men who were unfit to hold
-these offices. On another occasion Ibrahím spoke in the same strain in
-presence of the emperor, which so enraged Sinán that he said: “I am
-represented to your majesty as a person every way unfit to hold office,
-and though it be Ibrahím who has thought fit to do so, I challenge him
-to go down to the court, and there let us try the edge and strength of
-our daggers.” Thus saying, he seized him by his robes and thrust him
-out of the presence of the emperor. These were times in which rebellion
-and disorder, hatred and envy, reigned without; rudeness and asperity
-within; and had the effect of marring the tranquillity of all ranks
-and conditions.
-
-
-_Sinán Páshá’s counsel to the Emperor._
-
-One day when the grand vezír was sitting with his imperial majesty he
-offered him the following counsel. “Sire,” said he, “it is inconsistent
-with sound policy to have a commander-in-chief in hostile countries,
-and it is incompatible for two to hold that office. In having a
-commander-in-chief, or a person of this description, it falls either
-to the grand vezír, or some other one of the vezírs, to hold it. If
-the grand vezír exercise this function, then the káímakám, in order
-to get himself into the vezírship, will throw all the hindrances he
-possibly can in his way, and no good will be effected. On the other
-hand, if it be a vezír who shall exercise that high office, then the
-grand vezír, for fear his services should, perchance, recommend him to
-hold the premiership, will, from mere envy, seek to hide what glory
-he may acquire in the service of his country. For how many years have
-ambition and envy of this kind been the cause of the ruin of our
-armies, and the wasting of our treasures, without producing the least
-benefit to the state, but, on the contrary, misfortune and disgrace!
-Do you, therefore, Sire, imitate the example set before you by Sultán
-Suleimán, and declare that you will, in person, take the chief command
-of the army in the present war with the infidels on the north of our
-frontiers. Do this, that, after you have gained victories, and restored
-the fading glory of the Ottomans, you may then have it in your power to
-make peace on honourable terms. The presence of the royal warrior in
-the midst of his camp will inspire the enemies of our religion and of
-our country with dread, and paralyze their efforts against us.” Khoja
-Sa’d-ud-dín Effendí, being of one mind with the grand vezír, confirmed
-his sentiments by an appeal to the practice of former emperors, who all
-commanded in person, and who, by their valour and heroism, extended
-the dominions of the Ottomans. The result was, that the grand sultán
-determined on joining his army, and on conducting it to battle in
-person.
-
-Accordingly, every preparation for furthering the views of the royal
-warrior was promptly attended to. Khoja Sa’d-ud-dín Effendí was
-appointed to accompany the royal suite; and on the 1st of Rajab,
-150,000 ducats were delivered out of the royal treasury to Kara
-Mohammed Páshá, who was commissioned to proceed to Belgrade and make
-the necessary purchases of provisions for the army. Artificers were
-also sent out to mend the roads and bridges every where. Orders were
-issued to have all kinds of vessels, and all sorts of apparatus in
-a state of readiness on the Danube. The whole of the royal tents,
-&c. were confided to the emperor’s chancellor, Hamza Páshá. To the
-chief master of the horse, Tarnákjí Hasan Aghá, in conjunction with
-a chávush, called Konáí Zádeh Mohammed, was committed the charge of
-collecting in Caramania and thereabouts the necessary number of beasts
-of burden for the war. In short, the preparations were decisive and
-complete.
-
-
-_Sinán Páshá’s death.—Ibrahím Páshá is made Grand Vezír._
-
-Whilst the grand vezír, Sinán Páshá, was actively employed in carrying
-on the preparations alluded to in the preceeding section, death put
-an end to his blemished life. He did not survive the murder of Ferhád
-Páshá a full year. His death took place on the 5th of Shabán. Ahmed
-Aghá, Ketkhodá of the household troops, was deputed to carry the seals
-to Ibrahím Páshá, who happened, at the time they were sent to him, to
-be praying in St. Sophia. The learned and exalted men, Sa’d-ud-dín
-Effendí and others, besides vezírs, who were present in the temple when
-the seals were put into his hand, congratulated him on his elevation.
-After having finished their religious duties they accompanied the
-remains of the deceased grand vezír, and buried him in his own tomb,
-when the newly created one, Ibrahím Páshá, returned to his own palace.
-
-
-_Strife and contention between Sa’d-ud-dín Effendí and the Muftí._
-
-On the third day after Ibrahím’s exaltation to the premiership, the
-reverend Effendí, Sa’d-ud-dín, went to pay him a visit, and to do him
-the honours due to his high office. Whilst the reverend father was
-sitting and holding friendly conversation with the grand vezír, letters
-were brought to his excellency, one of which was from Hasan Páshá,
-son of Mohammed Páshá. This letter informed him of the submission of
-the haughty Michael and of the Boyárs of Valachia. As the exalted
-vezír was in the act of beginning to read these communications, the
-Muftí arrived to congratulate the new minister, and formed one of the
-company. These two magazines of learning and science sat, the one on
-the right and the other on the left hand of the grand vezír, resembling
-two lofty but firmly based mountains. These two august personages,
-being noble, were permitted, of course, to sit and speak in the sublime
-council. The papers above alluded to were put into the hands of the
-reverend Effendí, who began to read their contents in a loud voice, and
-gave his opinion freely on the points submitted to their consideration
-and judgment. But the Muftí, from motives dictated by envy, opposed and
-contradicted his reverend brother without ceremony. To his grave, wise,
-and straight-forward advice he would give no place. This circumstance,
-unfortunately, was the cause of producing a most serious altercation
-between the two reverend prelates, which put a complete stop, for the
-time being, to all further reading and cool deliberation. “Why,” said
-the reverend Effendí, “if the Boyárs of Valachia, and Michael, have
-petitioned for pardon, let no discouraging answer be returned to them.
-Let them only be required to deliver up Michael’s son, as hostage,
-in proof of the sincerity of their repentance. It is in this way, I
-propose, their letters ought to be answered.” The superior priest, or
-Muftí, under the influence of envy, opposed this judgment, and in his
-turn maintained, that no offers whatever ought to be accepted at the
-hands of the apostate Michael. The storm increased: mutual accusations
-ensued. To such a length, indeed, did these reverend fathers carry
-their animosity and personal reproach, that they completely exhausted
-the patience of the other emírs present. At length the Muftí rose up
-from his seat, turned himself to the grand vezír, and thus addressed
-him: “If it please your excellency, we have come hither for the purpose
-of congratulating you on your recent exaltation; not for contention
-and strife: may the most high Allah, therefore, bless you in your high
-office.” Thus saying, he returned to his own house. The other prelate
-was very much offended at the Muftí for his outrageous conduct, who,
-at the very commencement of their deliberations, began to oppose his
-opinion and advice, and then marched off in a pet. This, he said, was
-far from being honourable. However, he had this consolation afforded
-him: his advice was adopted and followed. Orders accordingly were given
-to Músá Chelebí, the secretary, to prepare a suitable answer to Michael
-and the other Boyárs, and Sa’d-ud-dín Effendí returned home.
-
-
-_The Emperor of the Moslems prepares to set out for the scene of war._
-
-By the time the spring arrived the preparations deemed necessary
-for the war were fully attended to, and on the 15th of Ramazán the
-different commanders were appointed. Immediately after the feast in the
-month of Shevál the royal pavilion was erected on the plains of Dávud
-Páshá. The ulemá and great men were ordered to join the royal suite,
-and record the deeds of the war. On the journey, Sa’d-ud-dín Effendí
-regaled the royal ear, in presence of his vezírs, by talking to him
-of foreign affairs. On reaching Adrianople, the reverend prelate’s
-second son, Izzet Effendí, a eunuch and cazí of Adrianople, applied to
-his father to importune the emperor in his favour for the cazíship of
-Constantinople. The father’s request was graciously granted. The grand
-army had scarcely commenced its march towards Philippopolis, when Izzet
-Effendí directed his course to the metropolis, but was disappointed.
-Abdul Helím Effendí, through the intercession of the queen-mother,
-was confirmed in the office of which Izzet thought himself sure, and
-was obliged to retrace his steps to the place whence he came. When
-his father had learned that his wishes respecting his son had been
-thwarted, he approached the grand vezír, and complained against the
-Káímakám Hasan Páshá, for his want of politeness, and of the disdain
-and contempt which had been shown to his son. The grand vezír went
-immediately and laid the affair before the royal presence, and added,
-that it had been owing to the intercession of the queen-mother the
-favour had not been granted: but something else he intimated ought
-to be conferred on the reverend priest as an equivalent. The monarch
-ordered his minister to create him a military judge, which was
-accordingly done. His father soon after this fell sick of a fever, but
-was fully restored to health by the time the city of Agria was taken.
-
-On the 8th of the month Dhu’l Kadah, the emperor removed from
-Adrianople, and after reaching Philippopolis, the fifth stage, the cazí
-of that city, Chelebí Kází, inspector of the river Ebras, gave him a
-splendid entertainment in a large pavilion erected for the occasion.
-During four days which the emperor passed in this city, nothing was
-seen or heard but demonstrations of joy. Chelebí Kází was confirmed in
-his office for life.
-
-When the emperor arrived at Batchina, Mohammed Páshá, son of Sinán
-Páshá, came with a choice body of troops and saluted him. Two days
-afterwards, Jeráh Mohammed Páshá, who was sent to Belgrade to collect
-provisions, &c. for the army, came out to meet the emperor, and had the
-honour of kissing his hand. Shortly afterwards the emperor entered the
-city of Belgrade, where every thing had been prepared for the reception
-of the royal guest.
-
-Soon after his majesty entered Belgrade, his royal pavilion was erected
-on a small eminence opposite to the city, and demonstrations of joy
-were every where manifested by the roar of cannon and the firing of
-musketry. Provisions also were distributed among the troops, and a
-considerable quantity of the same article was sent in boats up the
-Danube to the fortresses on the frontiers. It is to be observed,
-however, that the emperor, who was exceedingly displeased with Mohammed
-Páshá, the son of Sinán Páshá, for having allowed the city of Osterghún
-to fall into the hands of the enemy, and for neglecting to watch the
-frontiers with greater vigilance than he had done, put him in prison,
-and confiscated the whole of his property. One Kishedhán Alí Chávush,
-a man lame in both his feet, and who had been appointed by the late
-grand vezír to be resident custom-house officer at Belgrade, was
-discovered to have been guilty of some crime or other, and therefore
-ordered to be executed before one of the gates of the city; but his
-majesty was satisfied with having him thrust into prison. Both these
-prisoners, however, were afterwards set at liberty, and Mohammed
-Páshá was reinstated in his vezírship. In consequence of the whole of
-his property having been confiscated, he was not in circumstances to
-enable him to accompany the army, and therefore remained at Belgrade.
-The munificence of his late fellow-prisoner, however, made up this
-deficiency to him, and he immediately set out and followed the royal
-camp.
-
-
-_A Council held._
-
-His majesty, the asylum of the world, removed from Belgrade, crossed
-the Save, and on arriving in the neighbourhood of Islancúmin, called
-a general council of all his princes, great lords, and high vezírs.
-In this council it was discussed whether it would be more advisable
-to commence their operations by first laying siege to Komran, or
-to proceed directly to Agria. To Jaghala Zádeh the first of these
-two proposals seemed the most proper; but the other vezírs opposed
-this. They said that Komran was a place of no note, and of no great
-importance: neither would the reduction of it reflect any great credit
-to their royal leader, nor very much intimidate the enemy. Agria, they
-maintained, and justly too, was a place of great importance, it being
-one of the largest and most populous cities of the Germans, the chief
-or principal one within the limits of Hungary; famed also for the mines
-which abound in its neighbourhood, and which are held in much esteem
-by the infidels. The reduction of this city and fortress, continued
-the speakers, will extend the glory and promote the honour of the
-Moslem religion. This speech had the effect it was intended to have;
-and, accordingly, the army, in order to reach Segdin, in the enemy’s
-country, passed the fortresses of Tetul and Waradin, when the ághá of
-the Janissaries was ordered to proceed with carpenters and erect a
-bridge of boats across the Danube; which he accomplished in the space
-of four days. The emperor, vezírs, and the army, after having crossed
-this bridge, waited a whole day, until all the ordnance and heavy
-baggage were also safely got across, when they proceeded to the plains
-of Segdin, and pitched their camp opposite that fortress.
-
-Here the royal camp was joined by the army of Romeilia with their
-beglerbeg, Hasan Páshá, a heroic vezír, at their head, and the sight
-of whom inspired the royal troops with animation and courage. His
-battering cannon he caused to be transported in boats along the Danube
-from Widin; and among other important services which he rendered on
-this occasion, he caused all the other Romeilian princes to be sent
-down the river Tisse to Segdin.
-
-The army was not long at Segdin before a number of letters were
-presented before the royal presence by a deputation from the borders,
-which set forth the conduct of the detestable enemy in laying siege
-to Khutván, and many other grievances which these infidels had given
-occasion to complain of. The deputation added, that if immediate aid
-were not afforded, the besieged Mussulmans would inevitably fall into
-the hands of the enemy and perish.
-
-To prevent, therefore, the disgrace of allowing these Mussulmans to
-perish by the enemy’s sword, Jaghala Zádeh was ordered to proceed with
-a party of troops to their aid, and beat off the besiegers. But Jaghala
-Zádeh, another son of Sinán Páshá, was too tardy in his movements,
-and before he had time to arrive to afford aid to Khutván, it was in
-the hands of the abject enemy. All the men, women, and children were
-put to death, and the fortress itself was made level with the ground.
-The conduct of Jaghala Zádeh on this occasion was such as deserved
-the severest punishment; but being highly esteemed and of noble
-birth, he not only escaped with impunity, but even without reproof, a
-circumstance which is truly marvellous and confounding.
-
-About this same time, also, the troops created a tumult, and complained
-against Hájí Ibrahím Páshá, the treasurer, under the pretext of not
-receiving their dues; for which reason the treasurer was deposed and
-Kej Dehán Alí, a chávush báshí, was appointed in his stead. On the
-18th of the Moharrem the troops were all paid their wages, each man
-receiving his usual allowance.
-
-After the army had reached the vicinity of the fortress of Sonluk they
-disembarked their serpent and dragon-mouthed cannon, which they had
-conveyed thither by water, and transported them on sledges drawn by
-oxen towards Agria, as also their heavy baggage. The royal camp, after
-three other stages were accomplished, reached, without being observed,
-an open field in the skirts of the city, where the necessary quantity
-of arms and ammunition was immediately distributed among the troops.
-
-
-_Agria besieged._
-
-It was on the 28th of Moharrem that the Sháhin-Sháh of the universe
-pitched his royal camp in the plains of Agria. The two first days were
-employed in arranging the machinery for making the ditches and raising
-mounds, and in examining the ground.
-
-Agria appeared, in the distance, like a mountain. The top of the
-fortress was hid in the clouds; its towers rose one above another; and
-its lofty buildings and turrets filled the eye. The fortress itself was
-situated on a high hill, and three parts of it presented a rock, on
-which was built a wall so firmly constructed that cannon could hardly
-affect it. A huge mineral rock adjoined it on the south side, and as
-a guard to their outer works or fortifications, there was an immense
-deep ditch cut in front of them. In short, it was a place of the
-utmost strength—a first-rate fortress. There were in it at this time
-two princes; the one a relation of the Emperor of Austria, who was the
-commander of the Germans in it; the other the Prince of Hungary.
-
-Before the commencement of hostilities the following communication
-was sent to the two above-mentioned chiefs, and to the inhabitants of
-Agria. “Be it known to the princes and all others in the city of Agria
-that we (the Emperor of the Ottomans) have come with the intention of
-reducing it. We, therefore, call upon you, in the name of the most
-High Allah, to embrace our religion. If you become Mussulmans, then we
-promise you shall sustain no injury from us, but shall be allowed to
-live in tranquillity and in the possession of all your property. If,
-on the other hand, you will not be converted, but continue obstinate
-at all hazard, then we command you to abandon your present position,
-and to set out for some other country. In the event of your not
-embracing either of the alternatives now proposed, and prepare to offer
-resistance; if you fire one cannon, musket, or mortar at us and our
-army, then, by God and by God’s prophet, we shall commence a general
-slaughter, and not one of you shall escape. Let this be known to you.”
-The person who carried the above to Agria was seized as a spy and put
-into prison.
-
-In the meantime, however, the Moslem troops entered into the trenches
-they had before this prepared, and during the night planted their
-ordnance in the most proper position for annoying the walls and the
-sides of the citadel. When all was in a state of preparation the
-Moslems cried _Allah! Allah!_ and commenced the work of destruction.
-Day and night the firing of cannon and musketry and the bursting of
-mortars ceased not. The sound and roar of these instruments of death
-from both sides shook the earth, whilst the volume of smoke formed a
-black cloud above and around them. The brave, the heroic, the orthodox
-Moslems relaxed not in their mighty efforts, nor once turned away their
-faces from danger.
-
-After a whole week’s constant fighting, as above described, the Moslems
-succeeded in taking the outer line of the enemy’s fortifications, and
-drove the enemy within the inner one. The Moslems slackened not in
-pressing them hard; and by the constant springing of mines they at last
-effected a breach; but in consequence of a constant fall of rain for
-some days they found it impossible, though they made several heroic
-attempts, to scale the walls. The artillery, however, continued to play
-with effect.
-
-On the 18th of the month Sefer the command of the Janissaries was
-conferred on Mustafa Aghá. Next day, which was the Sabbath, and the
-19th of the month, the rain fell in torrents, and the difficulty of
-succeeding in reducing the place appeared to be greater than ever; yet
-by constantly and unweariedly, and under every difficulty, persevering
-in their efforts, they brought the besieged, about noon of that day, to
-capitulate for their lives.
-
-Next morning two begs and eight sons of begs came forth to the trenches
-to the vezírs, whilst Begtásh Beg, beg of Sonluk, was sent into the
-city as a hostage till the articles of the capitulation were fully
-settled and signed. This negotiation being over the commissioners were
-conducted into the imperial presence, when they informed his majesty
-that one or two of them wished to embrace Islamism. Immediately they
-were clothed in white robes, and the drums throughout the camp began
-to beat in token of victory, and great rejoicings took place. The
-beglerbeg of Romeili, the ághá of the Janissaries, the commander of
-the artillery, and the head of the arsenal, entered the city and took
-possession of it in the name of the Emperor of the Ottomans.
-
-On the 20th of the last-mentioned month, the commander of the Spáhís
-was ordered to conduct the weak and half-famished garrison of Agria, in
-conformity to the articles of capitulation, which guaranteed to them
-their lives, to the end of the first stage; but unfortunately for them,
-though the emperor had promised them every security, and even granted
-them passports, the men of the borders and the Tátár military, roused
-with indignation and thirst for revenge, when they remembered the fate
-of the inhabitants of Khutván, seized on what weapons lay nearest to
-them, and massacred them all before they got out from among the tents.
-Not one of them escaped, and their number amounted to about 5,000. The
-two princes who had the command in Agria were sent to Belgrade.
-
-The victorious Moslems commenced repairing the breaches which their
-own artillery had effected in the walls of Agria, and on the same
-day, _i.e._ on the 20th, the beglerbeg of Caramania, Khezr Páshá, and
-the begs of Sonluk and Segdin, were ordered to repair to Khutván and
-commence rebuilding it. Dilsiz Aghá was sent off to Constantinople with
-tidings of the fall of Agria. On the 23rd provisions were distributed
-among the various troops. The guns in the trenches were all conveyed
-into the fortress. On the 25th, being the day of assembly (Friday),
-the emperor and his suite converted the large churches of Agria into
-mosques, in which public devotion was performed.
-
-
-_The Moslems are threatened by another immense host of Infidels._
-
-Some captives, who had been seized by Moslem spies, informed the
-Osmánlí camp that Maximillian, with an army of 100,000 foot and horse,
-composed of Bohemians, Poles, Italians, Spaniards, and others, was
-encamped in the valley of Mehaj not far from Tokái, and only three
-stages distant from Agria, where he had erected fortifications.
-This information had only the effect of awakening more strongly the
-enthusiasm of the Muselmans, who all with one voice declared they would
-either bring renown on the Muselman name, or perish for their religion.
-The news, however, turned out to be true.
-
-In the _Fateh námeh_ it is said, that when it was known that the
-Ottomans were collecting troops on the frontiers, and marching towards
-Agria, an army of 300,000 men levied by the kings of Vienna and Spain,
-by the Pope, and the ruler of Transylvania, in short by the seven
-European monarchs, assembled also in the vicinity of Agria. This mighty
-host was furnished with one hundred pieces of ordnance, and with every
-kind of military apparatus. Its object was, so soon as the Moslem
-army was fairly engaged in carrying on the siege of Agria, suddenly
-to surround their camp, and cut them to pieces. The fate of Agria,
-however, reached them before they found an opportunity of accomplishing
-their object, and caused them to alter their manœuvres. They
-retreated two stages, but it was only with the view of deceiving. Their
-real purpose was, when they found the Moslem army had retired from
-Agria, to return with all their force and retake it: but the Moslems,
-who were informed of their movements, as well as of their purposes,
-resolved on anticipating them on their own ground.
-
-Maximillian being lame and afflicted with blindness, the crown was
-conferred on his brother, Duke Matthias, and with it the whole command
-of the army. It is related in some history, that after the Duke and the
-ruler of Hungary had united in their hostility against the Osmánlís,
-they debated over their cups about the propriety of attacking the
-Moslem camp. Other histories say, however, that it was the Austrian
-minister to whom the joint command was given.
-
-
-_Ja’fer Páshá sent with a body of Troops to surprise the Enemy._
-
-After it had been fully ascertained what the enemy meditated to do,
-Ja’fer Páshá, one of the most illustrious vezírs, and an eunuch, was
-dispatched with a chosen body of various troops to surprise the enemy
-in their strong-hold. Ja’fer Páshá, on leaving the camp, began to
-reflect what the issue of the expedition on which he was sent might be,
-and therefore sent out spies, who brought him intelligence with regard
-to the numerical force of the enemy, which was immense. Ja’fer Páshá,
-on receiving the above intelligence, sent word to his Majesty that his
-offering to contend with such a vast multitude with so small a force as
-he possessed, could only terminate in disgrace and ruin. For his own
-part, he said, the thought of his own life gave him no concern, and
-that at all times he was ready to sacrifice it, when necessary, for the
-honour and glory of the Mohammedan Faith: to proceed to the assault,
-therefore, under such circumstances, could not fail, as he had before
-observed, to throw disparagement on the Supreme authority: the great
-men in the camp however said, that this story was a mere pretence; and,
-in order to remove it, proposed sending the governor of Romeili with
-his Romeilian troops to his assistance. This proposal was accompanied
-by bitter reproach, and of course was very discouraging; yet Ja’fer
-Páshá, notwithstanding all this untoward aspect of things, attempted
-to face the enemy with the forces he had. After having girded on his
-arms he divided his artillery into two divisions, and having rescued
-his men out of the mud into which they had sunk, conducted the whole
-to a secure spot, but from which the enemy could not yet be observed.
-It was not long however before they began, like black mountains, to
-make their appearance, and seemed as if they covered the whole surface
-of the plains of Mehaj. Ja’fer Páshá, with a select body of borderers,
-ascended an eminence in order to get a view of the enemy’s camp, which
-had the appearance of an extended sea, whose raging billows beat
-against the shore. Though the troops of Ja’fer Páshá amounted only to
-three thousand, he resolved, few in comparison though they were, to
-attempt something, and prepared to engage some of these iron-cased
-infidels. They on perceiving his boldness dashed towards his standard
-and knocked it down. The contest became general. Ja’fer himself fought
-most desperately, though almost up to the breast in mud and water; and
-continued thus to show his bravery, till all who were about him either
-perished or fled from the contest, and he himself was nearly taken
-prisoner: such was the heroic boldness which this brave man evinced
-on this occasion of unequal battle. Several of the ághás came up to
-him and begged him on bended knees to retreat. “It was no bravery,”
-they observed, “for a handful of men to contend with a host; it was
-not necessary, in order to escape the reproach of the enemy, to throw
-one’s self into utter ruin and destruction: it was impossible for a
-small number of men, however valiant they might be, and where there
-was not _one_ to a thousand, either to resist such a vast multitude as
-that with which they then contended, or even to make an impression upon
-it. Return,” they still continued, “return to the Moslem camp, and do
-not be the cause of the destruction of troops whom no one will blame.
-Such conduct can never advance the general interest.” This exhortation
-had not the desired effect on the mind of the valorous chief. It was
-night before he consented to yield to their entreaties. One Ahmed, in
-consequence of the darkness of the night, led his horse to the gates
-of Agria. The whole of his ordnance and heavy baggage fell into the
-hands of the enemy. About thirty or forty of the men perished; and had
-not night come on, not one of those who had entered the lists with the
-iron-cased soldiery would have escaped alive. Their retreat was however
-marvellously quick, for they performed in one night a journey of three
-days.
-
-The emperor, on receiving intelligence of the above disaster, which was
-now become public, was displeased with Ja’fer, reprimanded him for his
-adventurous mode of attack, which ought to have been made during the
-night, deposed him from all his offices, and granted his principality
-to Mohammed Páshá, Sinán Páshá’s son.
-
-On the morning after the disaster above described took place, the
-grand vezír, the reverend prelate, Sa’d-ud-dín, the vezírs and other
-magnates assembled in the royal pavilion, in order to take into grave
-consideration the propriety of giving the enemy battle or not. In
-this august assembly most of the grandees opposed the experiment of
-offering the enemy battle. The excellent and reverend Sa’d-ud-dín,
-however, formed an exception. He rose and addressed the assembly in the
-following heroic speech: “Doubtless, it is right,” said he, “to give
-battle to the enemy of our religion and perish to a man, rather than
-suffer their insult to pass unnoticed and with impunity: for should
-they perceive any unwillingness on our part to meet, or if they see
-us begin to retrace our steps, then most assuredly they will attack
-us. To act in this way, would be like alluring a bird into a gin. More
-especially,” continued he, raising his voice, “was it ever heard that
-an emperor of the Ottomans turned away his face from danger!” And
-even after the members who composed this council entered the royal
-apartment, he continued to express the same sentiments and with the
-same freedom—and again added: “the situation in which this fortress
-(Agria) is situated, is far from being favourable to our engaging
-with them in so narrow a space. Should they, for instance, succeed in
-placing their artillery on the surrounding hills, we shall find it
-hard work to resist them. The plains where the enemy now lies encamped
-afford ample space for performing heroic exploits: thither let us
-march. This is the first and only thing which ought to be attended
-to. We must attack them and not they us.” So much for the reverend
-prelate. The bold and heroic speech of the veteran priest made a deep
-impression on the heart of his royal master, and awakened within him
-that innate bravery which he had inherited from his ancestors.
-
-It was proposed by some in the assembly, that Hasan Páshá, the válí
-of Romeili, should be appointed to conduct the next attack. This
-was opposed. To conduct so important an expedition as the one now
-contemplated, it was absolutely requisite, not only that the whole
-of the army should be called into requisition, but that the emperor
-himself should be its conductor. This last proposition met with the
-royal approval, when the discussion, of course, came to an end. The
-Reïs Effendí immediately sent off dispatches to Sultán Fateh Gheráí,
-brother to the Tátár khán, in which he instructed him to be on the
-look-out for such stragglers as might chance to fall in his way.
-
-After the above-mentioned assembly or council broke up, the grand
-vezír Ibrahím Páshá entered into the fortress, and made a selection
-of such pieces of ordnance as could most easily be made use of in the
-approaching conflict. Among other arrangements which the grand vezír
-attended to, he appointed Súfí Sinán Páshá and Lála Mohammed Páshá,
-governor of Anatolia, with his provincial troops, to take charge of the
-garrison or rather fortress of Agria. Towards evening he returned to
-the emperor’s pavilion, when a note from the reverend prelate was put
-into his hand; it imported, that if the Anatolian troops were to occupy
-the fortress of Agria, his majesty, when he entered the field of battle
-in consequence of this arrangement, would necessarily be defenceless on
-one side. “This,” said the sagacious prelate, “is a dangerous thing.
-If the enemy should even attempt to get possession of Agria, its
-present garrison is sufficiently able to hold out till succours can be
-sent to them. From the garrison, in the day of battle, no aid can be
-expected. It is therefore proper that the troops of Anatolia, according
-to ancient custom, be appointed to form the right wing.” Lála Mohammed
-Páshá was, accordingly, ordered to be in readiness with the troops
-under his command.
-
-After having made a distribution of provisions to those employed in
-repairing the breaches and appointed to garrison the fortress, many
-of whom were very ill off, the zealous, the orthodox army stood fully
-prepared to take the field.
-
-
-_The Orthodox Army advances to attack the Enemy._
-
-Early in the morning of the 1st of the month of Rabia II. after the
-troops were all properly adjusted, and when his Majesty, the asylum of
-the world, had mounted his steed with pomp and great glory, the moslem,
-the orthodox legions, commenced their march, which they continued till
-after mid-day, when they happened to halt at the very place at which
-Ja’fer Páshá halted, when he was sent to surprise the enemy, as before
-related. The grand vezír lost no time in advancing a little farther, in
-order to reconnoitre the enemy’s camp and apparent strength; and having
-made his observations, he determined in his own mind on commencing
-hostilities on the following day. He reached his own tent towards
-evening, and after having offered up his devotions, he was suddenly put
-into a state of surprise by the appearance of a royal letter which was
-brought to him from the emperor, and which was as follows: “I appoint
-thee, my lálá or adviser, to be commander-in-chief in this war: may
-I not return to Constantinople?” The grand vezír, as may easily be
-conceived, was utterly confounded and astonished at this sudden and
-unexpected change in the emperor’s views, and hastened to consult the
-Reïs Effendí on the subject. They were not long together, however,
-when a messenger arrived to call them to the emperor, who wished to
-see them. They proceeded to the royal pavilion together, and it was
-about supper-time when they reached it. Here they were met by Ghaznafer
-Aghá, the steward of the royal house, who took the vezír aside and
-conversed with him privately, and both afterwards entered into the
-royal apartment, and laid themselves down to sleep there. It was not
-long after they had laid themselves down, when behold, sixty-three
-iron-cased captives, which were sent by Fateh Gheráí Sultán, were
-arranged before the royal pavilion. The object in sending these
-prisoners was to elicit from them information respecting the enemy,
-and the grand vezír and Ghaznafer were soon on the spot to put the
-proper interrogatories to them. The grand vezír said to Ghaznafer in
-their hearing, “Let the money promised by our gracious emperor be paid
-to these men, and let them have security afforded to them of their
-personal safety.” The ághá replied, that he would do all these things.
-This stratagem of the vezír and the ághá had the effect intended,
-_viz_. that of making the prisoners tell all they knew concerning their
-late associates in arms. They confirmed the account, more than once
-received before, of the confederacy formed among the European powers
-for annihilating the Ottoman dominions; and moreover, that Zughmund,
-the bán or chief of Transylvania, was amongst the enemy. The prisoners,
-after having given the above information, were immediately slain, and
-the grand vezír returned to his own tent.
-
-Early the following morning, the 4th of the month, the troops were
-again put into motion; but they left their heavy baggage behind them.
-The emperor, with his right and left-hand troops, marched at a slow
-pace, and halted at so great a distance from the enemy as to secure
-himself from the reach of their cannon. This, however, was considered
-to be a disgrace; and it was after showing him the impracticability
-of any contact whatever at such a distance, that he ventured a little
-farther in advance, when he ordered a general halt.
-
-The royal personage now took up his position in front of his own
-standard, and was supported by six divisions of his troops. The vezírs,
-according to their rank, stood on his left, and the reverend prelate
-Sa’d-ud-dín and two military judges on his right. The whole of their
-cattle and such heavy baggage as they were obliged to carry along with
-them, were put under the charge of a party of cavalry in the rear. The
-Janissaries, full of enthusiasm, and ardent for contest and battle,
-were placed in advance. The cannon-waggons were all chained and bound
-together in front of the monarch and his royal suite. Hasan Páshá,
-Válí of Romeili, and the Beglerbeg of Temisvar, took up their position
-on one side; and the Beglerbeg of Anatolia, Lála Mohammed Páshá, the
-Beglerbeg of Caramania, the Beglerbeg of Haleb, and the Beglerbeg of
-Merœsh, in conformity with ancient custom, took up their position on
-the other side (_i.e._ these chiefs commanded the right and left wings
-which were composed of their respective troops). The advance guard was
-put under the command of Jaghaleh Zádeh.
-
-
-_The Battle of the first Day._
-
-After the two hostile armies were once confronted, Sinán Páshá,
-belonging to the Cherkess (Circassian), Fateh Gheráí and Murád Páshá,
-the Beglerbeg of Diárbeker, besides some other valiant and heroic
-chiefs, rode forth in front on their prancing horses, and giving the
-cry of war, rushed forward, sword in hand, to the bloody conflict
-and to death. They were, however, very much impeded in consequence
-of the marshy nature of the ground. This marsh, which resembled a
-small river, and which could only be forded at certain places, was
-occasioned by water which issued from the valley of Mehaj, and in which
-the enemy’s camp was strongly fortified. The conflict, however, was
-begun, and became hotter and hotter. The vezírs stepped alternately
-forward and encouraged and animated the divisions, as they moved
-onwards to the mighty contest, and returned again to the emperor and
-reported progress. In consequence, however, of the enemy’s cannon doing
-execution at a great distance, the orthodox troops were not able to get
-sufficiently close to their antagonists. About mid-day a cannon-ball
-passed over the emperor’s head, but fortunately it did harm to no one;
-though it clearly showed that the emperor’s person was in a dangerous
-situation, and therefore his majesty was conveyed to a tent which
-belonged to Yúnus Aghá, the commander of the cavalry, who afterwards
-fell a martyr. The well-ordered divisions, nevertheless, maintained
-their ranks unbroken, and continued firm.
-
-On the opposite side of the marsh there was a dilapidated church
-which formed a covert to thousands of the enemy, and against whom the
-Cherkajís had hitherto directed their efforts. It happened, however,
-that the body defended by this church rushed forth to the amount of
-several thousands, and like wild swine, or as if enraged with wine,
-commenced fording the marsh or river, in the intention of coming into
-close quarters with their assailants. At this favourable moment, the
-Moslems showered volleys of ball amongst them, and Jaghaleh Zádeh,
-who was posted behind a hillock, coming up at the same time with his
-Cherkajís, did immense execution, wounding and killing vast numbers
-of them: so much so indeed, that he almost filled that part of the
-marsh with their carcasses. Their drums and kettle-drums were seized,
-and such of their officers as were taken alive, were conducted before
-the royal presence. Those of them who escaped were terror-struck, and
-endeavoured to regain their strong-hold, but were intercepted by a body
-of Tátárs who made them all prisoners, and brought them bound in chains
-to the emperor, who commanded that their bonnets (_i.e._ their heads)
-should be made to roll on the ground.
-
-Fortune, hitherto, declared herself in favour of the orthodox army;
-but night coming on, and the atmosphere becoming dark and cloudy, both
-sides retired from the conflict for the night. Several of the Musselman
-veterans threw down their burdens on the spot, and waited with
-cheerfulness of mind for a renewal of the contest. Others, however,
-pitched their tents and went to rest. But, in fact, such was the tumult
-and confusion altogether, that the greater part of the cavalry chose to
-rest all night in their saddles. The sentinels were every where placed,
-and silence at length ensued, till the following morning when the
-battle was renewed.
-
-
-_The Battle of the second Day.—The Defeat of the Enemy._
-
-The morning at length arrived. It was the 5th of the month, and the
-day of the Sabbath (Saturday). His imperial majesty was on horseback
-by daylight; the drums were ordered to beat; the victorious troops
-were arranged in proper order; and, placing their confidence in God,
-they advanced with boldness to meet the enemy of their religion.
-They perceived that none of the enemy occupied the position where
-the church, which yesterday afforded them shelter, stood, but that
-a great number of them had concentrated themselves near a church on
-the plain, about half a league distant from the left ford, finding it
-impracticable to defend the other fords. The orthodox army, like the
-raging sea, rushed forward, crossed the river, and prepared to attack
-their fortifications: the Janissaries put their hands to their muskets;
-the field-pieces were properly stationed, and each man stood in his
-place ready to commence at the first signal. The emperor himself did
-not cross the river, but remained in a tent which was erected for him
-on the bank. Jaghaleh Zádeh, who commanded the Cherkajís or vanguard,
-took up his position immediately in front of the enemy.
-
-Notwithstanding all this hostile attitude in which the Moslem, the
-orthodox troops, arrayed themselves before their enemies, they,
-singularly enough, never once showed their faces till about mid-day,
-though in fact they had made every preparation. Suddenly, however,
-about that time of the day, their foot soldiery came pouring forth in
-chariots, and after them the iron-cased dragoons, troop after troop,
-to the amount in all of fifteen or sixteen thousand, and formed, as it
-were, an irresistible barrier. Their field-pieces were placed in the
-most excellent order. At every step almost they fired their muskets and
-discharged their cannon, and continued advancing on the Moslem army
-like a horde of swine, whom even _Rustam_ and _Zál_[5] would hardly
-think of resisting. Their columns resembled mountains of iron, and
-their lines seemed incapable of being broken. The right wing of the
-Moslems gave way, and were thrown into confusion: the left, composed
-of the household troops, after making a mighty and heroic resistance,
-was overpowered, when the enemy forced their way to the Moslem side of
-the marsh. At this moment of vehement struggle and impetuous movement,
-the Tátár troops advanced and supported their chief Fateh Gheráí, and
-thus checked, in some degree, the progress of the enemy. That part of
-the enemy which had succeeded in throwing the right wing into confusion
-made a strong effort to reach the royal tent, and was only restrained
-for a short time by the Romeilian troops, brought up by Hasan Páshá,
-who with the utmost celerity attacked them in the rear, but was again
-repulsed by the briskness of the enemy’s fire. The Spáhís, weakened by
-the fatigue they had undergone, and hopeless of victory, were obliged
-to withdraw. The rest of the troops, perceiving the field thus clear
-of their companions in arms, conjectured at once that the emperor had
-fled, and therefore immediately turned about, some taking the road to
-Belgrade, some to Buda, and thus leaving the enemy complete masters of
-the field. The victorious enemy now commenced the work of spoliation:
-they entered the Moslem tents and laid their hands on every thing which
-came in their way. Five thousand of these wretches came within bow-shot
-of the emperor’s sejada, or prayer-carpet, when the most desperate
-struggle ensued. Musselman and Káfir, laying aside their muskets,
-betook themselves to their swords, and fell to cutting and slashing
-each other with the most deadly animosity. The vezírs and nobles
-rallied round his majesty’s person, and defended him with the most
-heroic bravery; and when some of the execrated wretches endeavoured
-to cut the cords of the royal tent, the ághás who were within it
-rushed out and slew them. It was a period which might be called an
-antetype of the day of the resurrection, wherein these Moslems, a mere
-handful, evinced the warm and genuine feelings of their loyal hearts.
-The reverend prelate, Sa’d-ud-dín, was not wanting in his duty: he
-translated, explained, and enforced the following sentiment: “Victory
-is gained by patience, and after difficulty comes prosperity,” which
-was calculated both to console and tranquillize the afflicted monarch’s
-mind: he augured, also, a happy reverse.
-
-The despicable but now triumphant infidels, thinking themselves
-perfectly secure from any further annoyance from the defeated Moslems,
-were intent only on acquiring spoil. God did not let them, however,
-escape without a mark of his signal vengeance. They dispersed
-themselves among the tents of the royal camp in search of booty, and
-thus became divided. Their minds were engrossed wholly in this way,
-and it so happened, by the providence of God, whilst fearlessly thus
-employed, that the grooms, cooks, muleteers, camel-drivers, grooms, and
-other servants which remained in the camp, perceiving the scattered
-condition of their vile visitors, seized, some on axes, some on knives,
-or whatever other weapon fell into their hands, and fell upon these
-regardless spoliators, and slew as many of them as they were able. This
-unlooked-for retaliation so terrified these robbers that they all fled,
-and never halted till they got beyond their own fortifications. The cry
-that the infidels were routed was now sounded, and spread like wildfire
-every where. The affrighted Moslems returned from their hiding-places
-and commenced pursuing the fugitives, and slew immense numbers of
-them. According to the most authentic accounts it appears, that in
-this pursuit the pursuing army, lately vanquished but now triumphant,
-killed no less than 100,000 of these infidels. The victory was most
-decisive: the fear of the Moslems so seized upon them that they fled in
-all directions. The Moslem pádisháh (emperor) was declared conqueror
-in the battle of Mehaj: his righteous cause triumphed, and the fame
-of Islamism and that of the Ottoman empire was raised to the highest
-renown. Never at any former period did any emperor, by so simple and so
-extraordinary a means, acquire so much glory. Some, however, have given
-a very different account of this battle.
-
-The Defterdar (treasurer or recorder) Ibrahím Effendí, who himself
-was present in this war, relates it thus: On the morning of that day
-(_i.e._ on which the Moslems were defeated, but afterwards became
-conquerors, as above related), the Moslem army directed their movements
-towards the church situated near the lake; but finding the enemy had
-retreated within their fortifications they advanced, after having
-crossed the ford in that quarter, towards the enemy’s strong-hold,
-keeping their cannon in the rear. The enemy, keeping close within their
-fortifications, did not venture to show themselves till near mid-day,
-when they began to issue forth in multitudes. 1st. The German foot
-soldiers, all of them covered with mail and carrying arms. 2d. Another
-body of the same race covered with breast-plates of iron, carrying
-arms called muskets, which were capable of discharging ten, fifteen,
-or twenty drachms weight. 3d. A body of Hungarians, consisting of one
-hundred companies, each company amounting to five hundred men, on foot
-and carrying fire-arms. 4th. The Hungarian cavalry, whose display of
-standards and flags made them resemble a mountain covered with trees.
-Besides all these there were also Germans, Bohemians, Poles, and men
-of other nations, who were mounted on horses, and carrying some three,
-some four, some five Hungarian fire-arms. The whole of this immense
-army exceeded fifty divisions.
-
-This immense number of troops is stated in the infidels’ own history
-of events belonging to the period referred to. The karals (kings)
-and dukes of different nations and states who aided the Emperor of
-Austria in this war, caused the number of their respective troops to
-be taken down, and the whole put together amounted to more than two
-hundred legions, besides another army which they say had not reached
-the field of battle. But to continue. The hostile divisions advanced,
-maintaining as they did so a constant fire of musketry and other
-fire-arms. Murád Páshá and the Bostánjí báshí, Alí Páshá, were sent to
-support Sinán Páshá; but the dreadful effect of the musketry was such
-that they found it impossible to withstand it, and therefore retraced
-their steps across the marsh, when they dispersed themselves through
-the fields. The enemy continued to press forward, with drums beating
-and the constant roar of cannon and of musketry, directly towards the
-royal camp. Hasan Páshá and his Romeilian troops were ordered to take
-up their position at the head of the ford on the right, and oppose
-them; but this effort proved ineffectual. The showers of musketry which
-were poured in amongst them prevented their maintaining their ground
-for a moment, and therefore they retired and joined the main body. The
-fearless and inconsiderate infidels no sooner reached the royal camp,
-though the Moslems were by no means broken and dispersed, than they
-recklessly gave themselves over to the work of spoliation and plunder.
-Two regiments of them made towards the imperial treasures, dispersed
-the Janissaries and Spáhís who had been appointed to guard them, drew
-out the coffers from the tent in which they were placed, threw down
-their cross-bearing banners, and began to dance for joy; but their joy
-was not of long duration.
-
-These disastrous appearances altogether were truly afflicting, and to
-none did they appear more so than to Sa’d-ud-dín Effendí. He counselled
-his majesty to continue firm and to maintain his position. “Such is the
-state of matters at present,” said he to his majesty, “and such they
-frequently were in the days of your illustrious progenitors; but depend
-upon it,” continued the reverend prelate, “depend upon it, that by a
-Mohammedan miracle the Mohammedan people, God willing, will yet obtain
-the victory: keep up, therefore, sire, your spirits, and be of good
-courage.” It is related that the emperor was informed of the disasters
-which befell his army whilst he was sitting on horseback, and the
-reverend prelate standing at his stirrup, to whom he dictated a humble
-and earnest supplication, which the prelate offered up to God. The
-Germans have recorded that this prayer or supplication was heard.
-
-Of the enemy’s entering the royal camp, and of their having given
-themselves over to the work of spoliation, we have already spoken. The
-enemy were astonished beyond bounds at the sight of the vast riches and
-wealth which the Osmánlí camp presented to their view. In fact, their
-eyes had never before seen such a quantity of wealth. In their thirst
-and greediness to acquire the valuables they every where saw around
-them, they forgot, or laid aside the art of war. The repulsed Moslems,
-seeing how their enemies were engaged, and watching their every motion,
-began to reflect how they might recover their property which their
-enemies were busily employed in appropriating to themselves. Just at
-this moment, and towards evening, an army raised up by God himself
-accomplished the destruction of these wretches. The grooms, cooks, and
-other menials who belonged to the camp, and who still remained in it,
-were roused to indignation. Some seized on axes, some on spades, or
-similar instruments, and fell, with undaunted fury, on the robbers,
-and slew many of them. The barbarians, by this circumstance, were
-panic-struck, and began to run away. The cry now resounded that the
-enemy had fled: the Moslems, who through fear had fled from the field
-of battle, returned at this exhilarating sound, fell with exasperated
-rage on the fugitives, and killed every one they were able to overtake.
-Not a few even of those of them who wore chains perished from fear
-and palpitation of heart. It may be affirmed, without incurring the
-charge of overstepping the bounds of truth, that fifty thousand of
-these hateful wretches fell by the edge of the sword. Very many of
-them stuck in the mud, and were there beheaded. Twenty thousand of
-their cavalry perished in one short hour on the right of the camp,
-by the heroic bravery of Sinán Páshá and his men. Vast numbers of
-them were drowned in the marsh. To complete their ruin, Fateh Gheráí,
-with his Tátár troops, pursued them even to their own fortifications,
-where they attempted to offer resistance, but again their courage
-failed them. They left all, and escaped only with their heads to the
-surrounding mountains. Ten thousand ducats, ninety-seven pieces of
-ordnance, with the whole of their magazines of powder, their mortars,
-their light guns, and in short, the whole of their arsenal fell into
-the conquerors’ hands. Thus did these wretches meet with retributive
-justice. To have slain so many in so short a period, it has been
-observed, could not have been the work of mere mortals. Those who were
-eye-witnesses, and who related these other facts, declared, that there
-was no comparison between the number who died in actual battle to the
-number that perished otherwise.
-
-This victory was gained on the 5th of Rabia II., 1005 of the Hejirah.
-
-
-_The Premiership conferred on Jaghaleh Zádeh Sinán Páshá._
-
-After having finally defeated and put to flight the enemy, as above
-related, Jaghaleh happened to reach the emperor before the grand vezír,
-Ibrahím Páshá, had time to do so, and said to him: “Sire, your slave
-has been the means of obtaining this glorious victory;” and boasted of
-himself at no allowance. The reverend prelate, and Ghaznafer Aghá, who
-witnessed his vanity, or who at least heard him tell of his exploits,
-thought it would be but justice to confer the seals of office on him,
-and therefore induced the emperor to promise to send them to him.
-
-Being now, as he thought, firmly established in the office of prime
-minister, he caused himself to be congratulated as such, and to have
-his hand kissed. It was not long, however, before it began to be
-rumoured that Jaghaleh was the very first who had taken flight. In the
-meantime, the grand vezír also arrived and confirmed the joyful tidings
-which had just a little before been communicated to the emperor; but
-this had not the least effect in making him alter the resolution he had
-come to with respect to the seals of office: neither did he give any
-hint of it to the grand vezír himself, who, soon afterwards, returned
-to his tent and devoted himself to the duty of conferring gifts and
-presents on those who had signalized themselves with him in the battle,
-not knowing that he was deposed. He also sent off couriers to recall
-such of the Moslem fugitives as had not returned to their duty.
-
-The following day, as Ibrahím was on the eve of accompanying Jeráh
-Mohammed Páshá and Ja’fer Páshá to the field of battle, and examining
-the ground lately occupied by the enemy’s camp, as well as all the
-tents and other furniture which they had been under the necessity
-of abandoning, the reverend prelate hastened to the royal tents to
-enquire of Ghaznafer whether Ibrahím still retained the seals or not,
-and wondered much whether his majesty was sincere in what he yesterday
-proposed: “it would have been better,” he added, “if his majesty had
-rejected Jaghaleh’s request.” The other replied, he did not know what
-the emperor had done with respect to the seals. The prelate observed
-that the change might occasion, at some future period, a disagreeable
-tumult and uproar. Ghaznafer Aghá, the emperor’s chamberlain, said
-he was afraid to say any thing further about the matter to his royal
-master, but that he was a witness of his royal master’s attachment to
-Ibrahím.
-
-In the midst of this conversation between the emperor’s spiritual guide
-and his chamberlain, the grand master of the horse went boldly into
-his majesty’s presence, and related to him the whole of the prelate’s
-conduct in this affair, and asked what evil he had seen in Ibrahím that
-he should be so summarily dismissed. “As for this Ghaznafer,” said he,
-“he is a Frank by birth, and of the same race with Jaghaleh, the son of
-Sinán Páshá. It is right and proper therefore,” continued this grand
-master of the stables, “to make enquiry into Ibrahím’s conduct. Let him
-be called into your own presence, hear his account, and you will then
-be convinced that the insinuations which have been made are false.”
-Whilst this officer went out to order a horse for his majesty, that he
-might go forth and examine matters on the field in person, the reverend
-prelate renewed his efforts in favour of Jaghaleh; and the result was,
-that the emperor, after a few moments of reflection, ordered an officer
-of the Kapújís to proceed and take the seals from Ibrahím and give
-them to Jaghaleh. This latter officer hastened to Ibrahím’s tent to
-fulfil his commission; but not finding him there, he proceeded towards
-the field of battle whither Ibrahím had gone, and met him returning to
-the Moslem camp. He told him the purport of his mission, received the
-seals, and went and delivered them to Jaghaleh.
-
-The late victory and glory acquired by the Moslem army having been
-acquired under the auspices of Ibrahím Páshá, it may easily be
-conjectured that Jaghaleh did not much enjoy his promotion. His
-imprudence and mismanagement, in short, his whole conduct created him
-many enemies; but we shall hear of him afterwards.
-
-
-_The Fugitives punished._
-
-After Jaghaleh was confirmed in the premiership, he commenced an
-inquiry with respect to those of the Moslems who had fled in the day
-of battle, which inquiry continued for the space of three successive
-days. The result of this inquiry was, that 30,000 were discovered to
-have deserted their colours, and were therefore not only cut off
-from receiving pay and provisions, but permission was given to slay
-them wherever any of them might be found. Those who did return, in
-consequence of the late grand vezír’s invitation, were miserably and
-cruelly put to death. Yúnus Aghá, in whose tent the emperor took refuge
-during the action, the Aghá of a regiment and many other worthies, he
-caused to be beheaded. This Yúnus was master of the horse to the grand
-vezír, Sinán Páshá, and was honoured by his majesty’s entering his tent
-on the day of battle, as already related. Much innocent blood was made
-to flow by the instrumentality of the new vezír, which roused a spirit
-of general murmuring against him. By his imprudent and violent conduct
-in trying to rectify the evil, he not only gave greater prominency
-to it in the sight of the enemy, but confirmed those Muselman troops
-who fell into the hands of the enemy in their terror of him, and
-inclined them to stay where they were, or caused them to seek refuge
-in their provinces. He executed all those who fell into his hands, and
-confiscated their property. When he returned to Belgrade he degraded
-Sohráb Páshá of Egypt, a man of great rank and office, and made him
-wear old and tattered garments.
-
-So great indeed was the consternation into which his intolerable
-government plunged every one of the military, that very many of them
-fled to Anatolia, which so roused the inhabitants of that country
-that they were constrained to rise in their behalf, and thus caused
-a rebellion which only terminated with his downfall. Among the many
-instances of his maladministration, the following was by no means
-the least: He removed Ghází Gheráí Khán, Khán of the Tátárs, from
-holding the supreme authority, and placed Fateh Gheráí in his room, a
-circumstance which caused great disorder and tumult among the Tátárs,
-and finally led to the murder of the latter.
-
-
-_The conquering Moslems return to Agria._
-
-After the contemptible enemy had been defeated and routed, as before
-related, the drums were kept beating and rejoicings celebrated
-till supper-time that night. Next day a diván was summoned, and
-congratulations offered on account of the success which the Muselmans
-had achieved. They remained three days in the valley of Mehaj after
-the troops were all gathered together. The command of the Janissaries
-was conferred on Tarnákjí Aghá. The ninety-seven pieces of ordnance
-taken from the enemy were transported to the fortress of Solnuk,
-or distributed among the Beglerbegs and Begs of Sanjaks, and other
-divisions of the army. On the 11th of Rabia II., the whole army
-returned to Agria. About the middle of the same month, Alí Aghá, Aghá
-of the household troops, was sent to Constantinople to announce the
-success of the Moslem arms. One thousand Kúl Oghlí and one thousand
-Agria Janissaries were registered and left as a garrison at Agria: and
-Tarnákjí Aghá, and three thousand Janissaries were left there also as
-an army of observation. The Beglerbeg of Romeili, Válí Páshá, and one
-thousand Janissaries were appointed to garrison Buda.
-
-
-_The Emperor returns to Constantinople._
-
-Towards the end of Rabia II., the emperor, the asylum of the world,
-left Agria, and passing through Solnuk, Segdin, and Waradin, arrived at
-Belgrade, where he rested two days, appointed the fourth vezír, Hasan
-Páshá, commander-in-chief of the army, and afterwards set out for the
-metropolis.
-
-
-_Jaghaleh, the grand vezír, deposed.—Ibrahím is re-appointed._
-
-Jaghaleh Zádeh Sinán Páshá’s maladministration secured him, as might
-easily have been prognosticated, the hatred and aversion of all
-ranks, high and low, prince and people. As soon as the emperor had
-reached the place called Khurmán, near Adrianople, he dispatched Omar
-Aghá, secretary to the Chávush Báshí, to receive back the seals from
-Jaghaleh, and to deliver them to Ibrahím Páshá, his predecessor in
-office. Jaghaleh himself was exiled to Aksheher, beyond the Hellespont,
-where he was doomed to spend his days in obscurity and inactivity.
-
-Ibrahím Páshá was no sooner reinstated in the premiership than he
-waited on his majesty, and paid him all due acknowledgment for the
-honour conferred on him. On returning to the camp, he banished Mohammed
-Aghá, master of the horse, the writer of this account; besides several
-other favourites of the late grand vezír, whom he turned out of office.
-Ghází Gheráí, the ex-khán, was reinstated in the regal dignity over
-the Tátárs of the Crimea. Hasan Páshá, the son of Mohammed Páshá, who
-was lately made commander-in-chief, was deposed, and Satúrjí Mohammed
-Páshá appointed in his stead. Thus did Ibrahím Páshá compensate his
-own friends for the injuries they had sustained in consequence of
-his deposition. Even the reverend prelate Sa’d-ud-dín Effendí was
-not allowed to escape without feeling the effects of the new vezír’s
-displeasure. He was deposed from his high office, and to prevent him
-from carrying on intrigue and fraud with the learned body of which he
-was a member, he was obliged to live a recluse life, even that of a
-hermit.
-
-The services and heroism of Jaghaleh Zádeh we have already
-contemplated. We have seen how he attributed the victory gained over
-the infidels at Mehaj to his own bravery and proper management;
-how he endeavoured to throw the services of Ibrahím Páshá into the
-shade, and, in short, how he succeeded by fraud and artifice to get
-himself created grand vezír. It is said that the emperor, when he
-first petitioned to be made prime minister, demurred; and that it was
-only after he represented the great interest he possessed among the
-troops, who doubtless would create a tumult in his favour, if he was
-not raised to the dignity of the premiership, that his majesty at last
-agreed to confer the seals on him. In fact, he did not scruple even to
-assert that there were not wanting signs of this disposition in the
-soldiery at the very time he was speaking to the emperor, and thus
-urged him to a compliance with his wishes. Jaghaleh was a man of great
-intrepidity, but wrathful. His heart was unacquainted with gentleness
-and compassion. In consequence of his reckless and horrible cruelties
-towards the unfortunate fugitives, and other crimes, the hearts of all
-were turned against him, and his downfall was sought. When Ibrahím was
-again raised to the grand vezírship, new life seemed to be transfused
-throughout all ranks; and all rejoiced at Jaghaleh’s misfortunes. The
-chancellor, Alí Chelebí, who wrote a detail of the victories obtained
-in the conquest of Agria, and in the battle of Mehaj, wrote it in the
-name of Jaghaleh, as if he really were the conqueror, and praised
-him in the most extravagant manner. For this he was not only sharply
-rebuked, but also deposed. Okjí Zádeh was appointed in his stead.
-
-When his majesty reached Dávud Páshá, on his return, he was there
-met by the Káímakám Hasan Páshá, the eunuch, and the mufti, who came
-thither with a splendid escort to congratulate his majesty on his
-return, and on the successes which had attended the Moslem arms. On
-the 6th of Jemadi II. the grandees and nobles preceded the army in
-solemn procession to the imperial city, and conducted his majesty to
-his royal palace, and for three successive days and nights the whole
-exhibited nothing but demonstrations of joy. Núh Páshá was appointed
-to the government of Caramania; and as a mortification to the reverend
-prelate, so frequently mentioned in the course of this history, and
-latterly so very unfortunate, his eldest son, Mohammed Effendí, was
-deprived of his office of cazí, in Anatolia, which was given to Kúsh
-Yahiah Effendí, who had been deposed from the jurisdiction of Mecca.
-Two days after these changes and new appointments had taken place,
-the prelate’s son-in-law, the governor of Romeili, Yahiah Effendí,
-just mentioned, and the poet, Bákí Effendí, met and consulted together
-how they might succeed in again bringing Sa’d-ud-dín into notice and
-favour. They got the chancellor, Okjí Zádeh, to draw out a document in
-his favour, recommending him to the cazíship of Mecca. But the grand
-vezír, the prelate’s enemy, succeeded in getting some of the Aghás
-about the queen-mother to hinder this document finding its way to the
-royal presence, and kept it back two days.
-
-In the meantime the reverend prelate was made acquainted with what was
-going on in his favour, and sent his slaves and other property to the
-empress, supposing she would, by her interference, prevent his being
-sent to any place distant from the metropolis. He was mistaken: for an
-answer to the above document or petition was sent to the petitioner,
-which intimated that the reverend prelate, to prevent his exercising
-fraud and deceit in future, should retire to a cell, and there pass
-the remainder of his life in religious meditation. The learned body of
-the Ulemá, however, ventured to oppose the grand vezír, and therefore
-entered into consultation with the mufti, Bostán Zádeh, as to the way
-they should act.
-
-
-_Concerning Fateh Gheráí._
-
-After the conquest of Agria, and the subsequent victory gained at
-Mehaj, when Jeghala Zádeh Sínán Páshá was raised to the premiership,
-as recorded in former sections of this work, he, in his imprudence,
-caused Ghází Gheráí Khán to be removed from holding the khánship of
-the Crimea, and put his brother, Fateh Gheráí, in his place; alleging
-that Fateh Gheráí had rendered very great and important services in the
-late war, and therefore ought, as his reward, to ascend the throne of
-the Tátár kháns. Fateh Gheráí, more virtuous than the prime minister,
-strongly dissuaded the premier from his purpose, urging as a powerful
-reason, that were he to accede to the proposal, he would thereby be
-invading the rights of his brother; of one who had been to him, he
-said, not only a kind brother, but a father also. The grand vezír’s
-solicitations, however, were too powerful to be long resisted, and
-therefore he consented to be made khán. The new vezír, Ibrahím Páshá,
-however, reversed this arrangement, for he was no sooner reinstated in
-the premiership, than he meditated the re-installing of Ghází Gheráí
-in his former dignities. He therefore called a council of the vezírs
-and the other magnates of the state, and laid this subject as a matter
-of discussion before them. This council prepared papers, which stated
-that Ghází Gheráí had filled the Tátár throne with dignity, that he had
-the esteem and good will of his tribe, and that the whole of the tribe
-had paid a cheerful obedience to his sway; whereas, the papers went
-on to say, that if Fateh Gheráí were allowed to usurp his authority
-and place, a rebellion would doubtless be the consequence: besides, it
-was further stated, that to place Fateh Gheráí on the throne of the
-Tátárs would be to deprive the other, the lawful sovereign, of his just
-rights and titles without his own consent, or even without any shadow
-of reason whatever, and thus make him appear unworthy of holding the
-office of khán.
-
-Accordingly, letters were prepared in the name of both these princes
-and committed to one Khundán Aghá, a Circassian, with instructions to
-act according to circumstances. He was instructed, for instance, that
-if he perceived, on his arrival in the Crimea, that the Tátárs still
-adhered to Ghází Gheráí, he was to deliver to him the letter addressed
-to him; and on the contrary, if he saw that they were in subjection to
-Fateh Gheráí, he was in this case to deliver to him the one addressed
-to him, and invite Ghází Gheráí to come to Turkey.
-
-Khundán Aghá set out with these two royal letters and landed at Kafa,
-in the Crimea, but found on his arrival there that Ghází Gheráí had
-already embarked for the imperial dominions, though he had not yet
-sailed. The officer, forgetting his instructions, attached himself
-exclusively to the interests of the ex-khán, and without further
-inquiry delivered the packet addressed to him, and exercised, besides,
-other unwarrantable liberties. The ex-khán, on receipt of the above
-packet, disembarked and returned to Kafa, took advantage of the frauds
-exercised by the officer, showed the documents from Constantinople of
-which the officer was the bearer, and, lastly, announced himself as
-recalled by these documents to the exercise of the khánship.
-
-When Fateh Gheráí perceived what was going on to his prejudice, as now
-mentioned, he bestirred himself in order to thwart the purposes and
-endeavours of the ex-khán. He, too, produced a royal mandate, which he
-said had been sent to him, and which confirmed him in the khánship.
-Hence arose a very serious dispute between these two royal brothers
-respecting the khánship: the Tátárs became divided. Abdur-rahmán
-Effendí maintained, that as Fateh Gheráí’s document was more recent,
-it ought to be regarded as the only one which had any claim, and as
-dispossessing Ghází Gheráí for ever of the throne of the Tátárs. The
-mufti of Kafa thought otherwise. He said that all the imperial commands
-which had been received acknowledged Ghází Gheráí as the legitimate
-sovereign of the Crimea; that they confirmed him in the exercise of
-regal authority; and that the document which Fateh Gheráí had presented
-was altogether doubtful, if not an artifice to impose upon them. One
-single paper, letter, or written document, he further maintained, was
-not sufficient of itself for them to act upon; and to do so would be
-both injudicious and imprudent. There can be no doubt, continued the
-mufti, that to disobey or disregard the imperial authority, as vested
-in the person of Ghází Gheráí, will be considered as obstinacy and
-rebellion. After having delivered this speech he gave forth judgment
-in favour of Ghází Gheráí, rejecting Fateh Gheráí’s pretensions
-altogether as spurious. The whole of the tribe followed the high
-priest, and declared in favour of Ghází Gheráí, leaving Fateh Gheráí
-the victim of astonishment and surprise. Some forward persons, more
-zealous than prudent, insisted that he, Fateh Gheráí, should do homage
-to his elder brother and make an apology to him. The simple-hearted
-prince, influenced by the arguments which were employed to incline
-him to do so, went to his brother and did as he was required; but it
-proved fatal to him. On coming out from his brother’s presence he was
-met by a body of mirzás, adherents of the former, who fell upon him and
-murdered him, cutting him to pieces. Not satisfied with this, they also
-extirpated the whole of his family, leaving neither root nor branch.
-
-Ghází Gheráí having been reinstated in the regal authority, the Mirzás
-and Tátárs yielded obedience to his firmáns, and all rancour and
-dispute was at an end. Fateh Gheráí, it must be acknowledged, was an
-excellent man, a great hero, and well qualified to fill a throne. By
-Jeghala’s uncalled-for interference in his favour he eventually lost
-his life, and his whole family were rooted out from the face of the
-earth.
-
-Ghází Gheráí, now absolute and supreme, commanded a fortress to
-be erected in the heart of Circassia, which was afterwards fully
-completed. Khundán Aghá returned with great joy to Constantinople, and
-related the success of his mission to the Crimea; but the emperor was
-so very much displeased with him for the conduct he had pursued, that
-his case was deferred for future consideration.
-
-
-_New appearances of hostilities._
-
-The loss of Yanuk on a former occasion, the conquest of Agria, and
-the immense loss sustained in the valley of Mehaj this year, were
-disasters, no doubt, which must have sensibly affected the Emperor of
-Austria. He soon showed that this was really the case; for the grand
-sultán had scarcely returned to his metropolis, when the Austrian
-emperor again assembled another vast army, which was ordered to march
-on Yanuk. Satúrjí Mohammed Páshá, who was appointed commander-in-chief,
-wrote a statement of the ill condition of the troops under his command
-to the grand vezír, who again laid it before his majesty. Accordingly,
-stores of all kinds and ten thousand ducats from the imperial coffers
-were immediately voted for his use. The grand vezír himself made a
-present of his own horses and beasts of burden, and the other vezírs
-followed his example. Five regiments or legions and ten thousand
-Janissaries, under the command of Alí Aghá, the deputy of the ághá of
-the Janissaries, were appointed to take the field. Ahmed Effendí, son
-of Etmekjí, was appointed military treasurer, and one thousand yúks
-of money were put under his charge for the purpose of defraying the
-expense of the war. The troops of Romeili, of Anatolia, of Caramania,
-of Sivás, of Diárbeker, of Merœsh, and of Ruka, were all ordered on
-this expedition. Letters were also issued to the Tátár Khán, ordering
-him to be present with his troops.
-
-The serdár or commander-in-chief, after the above arrangements were
-fully attended to, commenced his march to Adrianople, reached Sofia on
-the 7th of Dhu’l hijja, and the plains of Belgrade on the 29th of the
-same, which concluded the year.
-
-
-
-
-EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1006 H.
-
-
-On the 2nd day of the new year, _i.e._ the 2nd of the month Moharrem,
-the commander-in-chief entered Belgrade with his army, and there they
-rested for the space of twenty days, during which time provisions and
-other necessaries were distributed among the various troops.
-
-The beglerbeg of Anatolia, Mohammed Páshá, joined the grand army with
-his provincial troops on the 8th of the month, on which day the whole
-camp moved forward, crossed the Save, and marched towards Serim. The
-Serdár followed on the 23rd, and joined his camp in the plains of the
-last-mentioned place. The beglerbeg of Bosnia, Háfiz Ahmed Páshá,
-joined himself and his provincials to the grand army at Zemún, and
-Murád Páshá, the válí of Diárbeker, at Usk. The beglerbeg of Romeili,
-Válí Páshá, and the beglerbeg of Buda, Mikaeljelí Ahmed Páshá, met the
-grand army at the head of the lake, near Buda.
-
-Information having been given that the enemy had laid siege to Yanuk,
-it was determined, in a council of war, to march to the relief of that
-fortress. Ten pieces of ordnance, small and great, taken from the
-fortress of Buda, were put under the charge of the troops under Válí
-Páshá and Ahmed Páshá. The grand army reached the plains of Dál on the
-20th of the month, where it encamped; and here also it was joined by
-the beglerbegs of Sivás and Ruka, with their respective troops. Here
-also they received information confirming the intelligence they had
-formerly obtained respecting the siege of Yanuk. By some prisoners
-which were brought in they were assured that Maximillian, with forty
-or fifty thousand troops, was busily engaged in the reduction of that
-place. This information induced the Moslem army to go over to the
-little island called Komran.
-
-In the meantime, however, the veterans of Yanuk having a favourable
-opportunity offered to them did not let it slip. They impetuously
-rushed out of their strong-hold, seized about one thousand prisoners,
-and slew twice that number.
-
-As soon as the pieces of ordnance were brought forward, the Moslems
-removed to Tata, placed their guns against it, and commenced firing
-them on the 26th of the month Sefer. This fortress had undergone the
-same fate with Yanuk, and was now in the hands of the enemy. It was
-therefore considered of importance to attempt its reduction.
-
-Towards the end of the month, the household troops were divided into
-two divisions. One division was stationed near Osterghún, and the
-other near Komran, as armies of observation. Mines were laid with the
-utmost diligence; but to enter the breaches which had been effected
-was found too difficult a task, owing to the steepness of the place.
-When the attempt was made, the veterans who did so were driven back by
-the bursting of shells, and by the stones which were hurled at them.
-But though they did not succeed in entering the breaches, they did not
-fail to distress the besieged by their field-pieces and mines. Such,
-in fact, was the effect this mode of operation had on the minds of the
-besieged, that they supposed that if they continued to hold out one day
-longer, they would fall victims to their own temerity and obstinacy;
-and, therefore, under cover of night, they left the fortress, fled
-through the rushes and long grass, which grew in abundance about the
-place, and made their way towards the fortress of Komran. Mohammed
-Páshá, the beglerbeg of Anatolia, having that night the charge of the
-watch, perceived their motions, pursued them with vigour, slew a number
-of them, and made others of them prisoners. But it is necessary to
-observe, that in consequence of the abundance of rushes and long grass
-which grew along the sides of the lakes and in the channel between it
-and Komran, many of these heathens escaped by hiding themselves among
-them.
-
-The place was taken on the 1st of Rabia II. after the enemy had
-abandoned it, and those of the enemy who besieged Yanuk also fled.
-The breaches made in the fortress of Yanuk were repaired in about
-eight days, and afterwards about a thousand measures or bags of flour
-were deposited in it. The garrison who had charge of it, and who
-were hired to keep possession of it, came with their officers to the
-commander-in-chief, and told him they had fulfilled their engagements,
-demanded their stipulated hire, and, at the same time, to have their
-names enrolled as worthy of promotion. They were continued in the
-garrison for another year, and their case was represented to court.
-
-On the 8th, the grand army was joined, whilst encamped at the head of
-the lake, by Núh Páshá, the beglerbeg of Caramania, and on the 10th the
-whole camp removed to Old Buda.
-
-
-_A Council held.—The army marches on Wáj._
-
-In the meantime the inhabitants of Buda sent in a representation to the
-Serdár of the danger in which they considered themselves. They stated,
-that ever since the reduction of Osterghún, Buda became, by that event,
-a frontier city, and was, therefore, more in danger from the enemy.
-They insisted that that was the only time for recovering so important a
-place. “The summer,” they said, “is nearly at an end, and the enemy are
-not so numerous as on former occasions. God willing,” they added, “the
-vanquishing of it will not be difficult. If, on the other hand,” the
-Budians still speaking, “you will not attempt what we think you should
-attempt, we will in such a case send letters of complaint against you
-to court. This is what we will do.”
-
-In consequence of this representation by the Budians a council was
-immediately held, and the subject seriously discussed. The Janissaries
-decidedly opposed the measure as altogether out of time. They alleged
-that the time of the year for making trenches and raising mounds was
-past. Osterghún, they said, was not of such importance as some other
-places, and therefore they did not think the request of the Budians
-should be complied with. The Serdár, when he perceived that the
-Budians insisted on his following their advice, turned round upon them
-and said: “if you all come forth and assist in making the trenches and
-mounds requisite in such an enterprise, and with heart and hand engage
-to labour in the undertaking, we with the whole of our Moslem army will
-return to lay siege to Osterghún.” The Budians promised to comply.
-
-It so happened, however, that, after the head of artillery had embarked
-twenty badlooshkas (a kind of ordnance) and ten pieces of large cannon
-on board the transports which lay in the river (Danube), and all were
-in a state of readiness to march, a heavy fall of snow, about a cubit
-deep, fell during the night, which at once put a stop to the whole of
-the enterprise. It was agreed on all hands to postpone the expedition
-to some future but more advantageous period.
-
-On the 12th of the month Teryákí, Hasan Páshá arrived in the camp
-and informed the Serdár that the prince of Transylvania had attacked
-Temiswar. In consequence of this intelligence, the beglerbeg of Sivás,
-Mahmúd Páshá, the beglerbeg of Ruka, Alí Páshá, and the beglerbeg of
-Adna, Mohammed Páshá, were all ordered with their respective troops to
-march to the aid of Temiswar. About the same time, also, the Moslems
-learned that a body of the enemy’s troops had passed Osterghún, and had
-gone towards Wáj. This determined the Serdár to alter his plans, and to
-march against them. In the space of five days the Moslem army passed
-through the plains of Pest; and on the 15th of the month crossed the
-bridge of the above place, when a tremendous fall of snow, the very
-next day, began to fall, and occasioned much pain and uneasiness to the
-troops. On the 18th, the army halted at a place called Armúdlí. Here
-they waited for the arrival of their ordnance, which had been embarked
-as before mentioned.
-
-In the meantime a party of Tátárs brought into the camp about twenty
-prisoners they had seized, and who informed the Serdár of the state
-of the siege carried on against Temiswar. On the 21st, they encamped
-before the fortress of Wáj. A considerable body of the enemy lay
-encamped on a narrow kind of pass a little above Wáj, on the Danube.
-On the land side they were guarded by a ridge of high mountains, and
-by an extensive ditch in front. Within this trench or ditch they had
-erected ramparts and bastions, and were every way supplied with all
-sorts of implements of war. The Moslems finding it impracticable to
-attack them in front, or on the mountain side, determined to attack
-them from behind. They, accordingly, made arrangements with this
-view. The advance guard of the Moslems, after four days’ march round
-the mountain, advanced on them in the rear within the range of their
-artillery, and were met by a few companies of Hungarian troops who
-feigned resistance, but who soon retired within their works—thus
-seeking to bring the Muselmans within the range of their artillery.
-
-The beglerbegs of Anatolia, of Caramania, of Bosnia, of Sivás, with
-their respective provincials, formed the right wing: the troops
-of Romeili and of Buda formed the left: the Janissaries, with the
-commander-in-chief at their head, formed the centre: the beglerbeg
-of Diárbeker, Murád Páshá, and the beglerbeg of Uskudár, Delí Nasúh
-Páshá, were attached to the advance guard. On the following morning
-(_i. e._ the morning of the fifth day after commencing their march
-round the mountain), and just as hostilities were about to begin, a
-celebrated Spanish captain belonging to the Spanish infantry in the
-enemy’s army submitted himself to the Osmánlís and embraced Islamism.
-In the meantime, the Moslems considered that if they could succeed
-in dispossessing the enemy’s foot soldiers of their position on the
-heights of the mountain, who were very annoying to the Moslems, they
-would be sure of gaining the victory. To accomplish this desirable
-object, some of the most daring of the Janissaries and _Atoghláns_
-rushed upon them with knives and other similar instruments in their
-hands. These were supported in their attempt by the Bosnian and Budian
-troops who were engaged with those of the enemy stationed on the out
-works. The beglerbeg of Romeili was sent forward with a detachment to
-succour those combatants, and by his dexterity succeeded in forcing a
-considerable number of the enemy into the open field, where a great
-many of them perished. This, however, only made room for more of them.
-They issued forth, troop after troop, and by their cannon and muskets,
-it must be acknowledged, committed serious mischief among the Moslems
-immediately in contact with them, and whom it was found absolutely
-necessary to aid by a body of Salihdárs. On this detachment having
-been sent forward to aid the Moslem combatants, Maximillian, the
-commander-in-chief of the infidels, came forth with his mighty hosts,
-who, along with the guns on the fortifications, very much distressed
-them; though they continued to fight manfully till night came on, when
-the drum warned them to retire.
-
-Those troops who attacked the infidels on the heights of the mountain
-were led on by Delí Nasúh Páshá, the páshá of Uskudár, and who,
-descending from his horse, fought on foot with the utmost bravery. It
-would be impossible to relate all the heroic deeds which he and his
-veteran associates achieved on that day. The day following, however,
-the Moslems offered no battle, but attended to their sick and wounded,
-and interred those martyrs who had fallen in the mortal contest. On the
-second day they again commenced their military operations. The troops
-of Romeili and Buda, supported by other divisions, presented themselves
-before the enemy’s fortifications, when another desperate struggle
-commenced, which lasted till night, as on the former day; but which,
-alas! brought no victory to the Moslem arms. The Osmánlís now thought
-it advisable, seeing they had been unable to conquer, and because the
-winter had set in, which was unfavourable for warlike operations,
-to retire and seek their safety in retreat. But lest injury should
-happen to the bridges on the Danube and the Drave should they retire
-in confusion by them, they chose another way of saving themselves;
-and accordingly sent off their heavy baggage on the 28th, and soon
-afterwards commenced their retreat, which they accomplished without
-sustaining any serious injury. Such was the result of this campaign.
-
-The orthodox troops, with their Serdár at their head, returned by
-Armúdlí and Pest, and encamped before the mills near the island of
-Koyún (or Sheep Island).
-
-Whilst the camp continued at this place, another deputation arrived
-and presented themselves before the serdár, and informed him of the
-progress of the Transylvanians against Temiswar. The beglerbeg of Sivás
-Mahmúd Páshá, with the Bosnian troops and some Romeilian chiefs, were
-appointed to march to the aid of Temiswar, which they did on the 2d of
-the second Rabia.
-
-The troops under the serdár, however, began to murmur about their pay;
-yet those of Yanuk were very active; for they erected a bridge across
-the Danube in the space of three days, which the serdár crossed on the
-5th of Rabia II., and marched to Kiris Elias, where he halted. Here he
-learned that the enemy had broken up their camp, and had returned to
-their own dominions. On the 8th he reached the plains of Hamza-beg,
-where the beglerbeg of Buda took his leave of him and departed. Here
-also the Serdár granted the whole of the troops leave to disperse, and
-went himself directly to Belgrade, which he reached towards the end of
-the month; and from that city he sent a statement of the campaign to
-the court of Constantinople. The beglerbeg of Caramania, Nasúh Páshá,
-and the beglerbeg of Bosnia, Teryákí Hasan Páshá, remained at Buda: as
-also did the válí of Merœsh. A thousand of the troops were placed
-in the garrison. The rest of the troops, after they were allowed to
-disperse, sought winter quarters, some in Romeili, some in Anatolia,
-some in Bajka, some in Súmber. The menials of the camp were also
-permitted to disperse, but their ághás remained at Belgrade.
-
-Proposals of peace with the infidels were at this time attempted, but
-without any happy result. Khoja Murád Páshá, Hábel Effendí, cazí of
-Buda, and Alí Páshá, the son-in-law of Murád Páshá, went to the plains
-of Wáj, after the retreat of the Moslems, and endeavoured to negociate
-an honourable peace: but the infidels’ noses were in the wind (_i.e._
-exercised caution), and the Moslem negociators were obliged to return
-without accomplishing the object of their mission.
-
-
-_The Grand Vezír, Ibrahím Páshá, deposed.—Khádum Hasan Páshá succeeds
-to the premiership._
-
-Satúrjí Mohammed Páshá, the commander-in-chief in the late campaign,
-in order to exonerate himself from any blame which might attach to
-him for not having been so successful in the late war as had been
-expected, represented his want of success to the failure of the Tátár
-khán’s fulfilling his injunctions to come to his assistance, and to
-the smallness of the number of troops which acted under him. This
-statement made no pleasant impression on the mind of the emperor, who
-was by this time but too much displeased with the grand vezír for the
-part he had acted towards this khán on a former occasion, as we have
-already related in a preceding chapter. On this account, therefore,
-as well as for some offence which the grand vezír had given to the
-queen-mother; and also on account of some handsome presents which
-Khádum Hasan Páshá had made: and moreover, because Ibrahím’s capacity
-for governing had become more and more disputed, the emperor, for
-these reasons, one day called the mufti into his royal presence and
-began his conversation thus: “I purpose,” said the monarch, “to make a
-change in the premiership: whom do you think worthy of being elevated
-to that station?” The reverend mufti replied, that if he meant to
-dismiss his servant Ibrahím, it must, of course, be for some crime.
-What is that crime? The emperor, having thought a little, said “that
-there was no end to his crimes,” and adverted to the part he had acted
-with regard to the two Tátár princes. “Was it, think you,” said the
-sublime monarch, “a crime of small magnitude that he should have been
-the means of the death of Fateh Gheráí, and all its consequent evils?”
-The reverend mufti, after hearkening to this apostrophe, proposed Jeráh
-Páshá, the senior vezír. The emperor demurred, and said Jeráh had no
-capacity for managing affairs; and that therefore he preferred giving
-the office to Khádum Hasan Páshá, whose superior wisdom and prudence
-was spoken of through the whole city of Constantinople. The reverend
-mufti bowed, joined in his praises, and exaggerated his endowments.
-
-On the 23d of Rabia II., after the sitting of the diván, the ketkhodá
-of the household troops, Abdullah Aghá, was deputed by his majesty to
-wait on Ibrahím and receive back the seals from him, and to present
-them to Khádum Hasan Páshá. Ibrahím Páshá went to live in his own
-garden, near the new emporium at Uskudár.
-
-Khádum Hasan Páshá, in consequence of his splendid gifts and presents
-to the queen-mother, and of his many promises of rendering service
-to the state, was raised, in the course of that passing week, to
-the dignity of grand vezír. This man, as might easily have been
-anticipated, was attentive to nothing but his own aggrandizement, and
-how to increase his own wealth. During the whole time he continued
-in office, he sold places, received immense bribes, and amassed vast
-riches. When any one asked him for a situation he used to say: “Do you
-know to whom I shall give the presents you have sent me?” and other
-similar impertinent questions. This exalted personage, however, soon
-fell under the execrations of the people, and became every day more and
-more hated and despised, but yet no one was able to oppose him.
-
-One day, when his majesty went to St. Sophia, to offer up his devotions
-in that temple, some desperate fellows approached him and requested
-permission to slay his minister. His majesty, thinking it was out of
-mere ill will they had so petitioned him, did not give his consent, and
-they immediately desisted from their purpose. The emperor, however,
-mentioned the circumstance to his mother, who let Ghaznafer Aghá into
-the secret, and with him she concerted the overthrow of the prime
-minister. He maintained that Hasan Páshá not only openly received
-bribes, but that he had also cut off the supplies of the queen-mother;
-that he had published complaints against her among all ranks of the
-community, and thus made her the subject of conversation; that by
-these and similar means he sought to rouse her servants to rebellion,
-and herself to be removed to a distance from the court, in order that
-he might obtain absolute power. All this representation, or rather
-accusation, was confirmed by the ághá of the Janissaries, Ternakjí
-Hasan. The emperor issued orders to investigate into the fact. But
-those who were appointed to do this returned a verdict similar to the
-above statement of accusation, or at least confirmatory of it.
-
-In the meantime the reverend mufti, Bostání Zádeh, died, when Hasan
-Páshá conferred the duty of expounding the law on the poet Bákí
-Effendí, in conjunction with Karah Chelebí Zádeh. But the emperor not
-approving of his choice, appointed Khoja Sa’d-ud-dín Effendí, with a
-part of whose history we are already acquainted, and whom we saw lately
-condemned to live the life of a hermit, to be mufti in room of Bostání
-Zádeh. Notwithstanding this, however, Hasan Páshá wrote three times
-officially on this subject to Bákí Effendí, and tried what he could to
-prevent Sa’d-ud-dín succeeding to the muftiship; a circumstance which
-awakened old but buried animosity and unpleasant correspondence between
-the old prelate and the grand vezír. The conduct of the latter roused
-the emperor’s anger, and without further delay he installed the old
-reverend prelate into the office of mufti.
-
-Khoja Effendí (_i.e._ Sa’d-ud-dín), the new mufti, Ghaznafer Aghá,
-and Ternakjí Aghá, all three joined in accusing Hasan Páshá. They
-represented his conduct with regard to the queen-mother, and the other
-enormities of his life, in such a clear light before the emperor, as
-showed him to be worthy of death. He was accordingly seized on the 2d
-of Ramazán, conveyed on board a vessel, and was conducted to the Seven
-Towers by Ferhád Aghá, the chief of the Bostánjís, and in five or six
-days afterwards he was strangled during the night. The ághá of the
-Janissaries, Ternakjí Hasan Aghá, sealed the doors of his palace, and
-transferred the whole of his property to the imperial coffers; but it
-did not amount to what was anticipated.
-
-
-_Jeráh Mohammed Páshá raised to the premiership._
-
-The grand vezírship having again become vacant, there was some
-disposition shown to recall Ibrahím Páshá to that important office;
-but by the dexterity of the reverend prelate, his old enemy, this was
-thwarted, and Jeráh Mohammed Páshá was appointed to fill that high
-station.
-
-
-_The enemy gains advantage at Yanuk by stratagem._
-
-The city and fortress of Yanuk about this time was put under the
-government of Mahmúd Páshá, who had formerly been ághá of the
-Janissaries, and subsequently beglerbeg of Fajir. The enemy permitted
-no grain of any kind to be brought or conveyed to Yanuk, but in order
-to corrupt and pervert the inhabitants, as well as the troops who were
-in it, they permitted great quantities of wine to be carried thither
-both in boats and waggons. In consequence of this traffic in wine, the
-people of Yanuk acquired the habit of drinking, and so very relaxed did
-they become, that their ramparts and gates were no longer watched with
-that care and vigilance which was the case before wine was introduced
-amongst them. Regardless alike of the Páshá’s warnings as of every
-other advice, they vainly confided in the natural and artificial
-strength of the place, and were no longer the active vigilant men they
-used to be.
-
-The beglerbeg of Yanuk was in the habit of receiving from the sanják of
-Petcheví an annual quantity of grain, amounting to two or three hundred
-waggons, but which, when returning, were frequently intercepted by the
-enemy, who on all such occasions carried off the oxen. In this way
-above five or six thousand of these animals had been stolen at various
-times, and driven away into the enemy’s dominions. This great loss the
-people of the sanják of Petcheví were obliged to sustain; but other
-districts fared worse, and had not even so much as one left them. In
-fact, some of the peasants were under the necessity of ploughing their
-lands by their own strength and that of their wives.
-
-About the commencement of the month of Ramazán this year, the enemy
-committed great cruelty and excess. They attacked several hundreds of
-waggons which were carrying provisions to Yanuk and Agria. The escort
-of cavalry which accompanied these waggons, on seeing the enemy,
-fled, leaving the poor drivers to shift for themselves. The number of
-these amounted to about three hundred, who were either killed or made
-prisoners. Between one and two thousand oxen and waggons were carried
-off by the enemy.
-
-The two thousand regular troops, and the two thousand Kúl-oghláns,
-which had been left to garrison Yanuk, had most of their families in
-the districts of Petcheví, Koban, and Alba Julia, and were therefore
-strongly inclined on this account to abandon Yanuk altogether. The
-fortress of Tata, which the year before had been demolished, and its
-inhabitants destroyed, was allowed to remain in its state of ruin and
-dilapidation.
-
-The people of Yanuk appeared to be bound over by some spell or
-infatuation not easily accounted for, if we except their propensity
-for wine, which brought its own punishment. A swine of the name of
-Palghi, kapúdán of Komran, sent some thousands of his foot soldiers to
-surround Yanuk, whilst he himself with a thousand or two of cavalry
-made his way towards its gate. The inhabitants and garrison were in a
-profound state of inactivity and carelessness, and knew nothing of the
-enemy’s approach. The gate was barricaded only with a single bar of fir
-wood, and their drawbridge was not let down. Some few of these apostate
-infidels who came to attack the place approached about midnight to
-the gate, and feigned an alarm. The centinel, a boy, awaking from his
-sleep, asked, “Who’s there?” They replied: “We are come from Petcheví
-with provisions, were very near meeting the enemy, and have with much
-difficulty escaped to this place. They are still in hard pursuit of
-us, and will soon have us in their power, unless you open your gate
-and let us in. Open then the gate, and let in the waggons loaded with
-provisions.” As this conversation with the watch ended, the rest came
-forward with their wooden mortars and placed them in front of the gate,
-whilst the boy said he would run and inform the kapújí, and did so.
-The treacherous enemy lost no time, for the centinel was scarcely gone
-when they attacked the gate, splintered it to pieces, and rushed in on
-the devoted people: some were lying drunk, some asleep, and all in a
-state of total negligence and unconcern. Now the work of destruction
-commenced. The troops in it saw when it was too late their danger, but
-the sight of the enemy only roused them to madness. They fought with
-the most desperate fury, and perished in the conflict. Thus did Yanuk
-fall into the hands of the execrated enemy. The stratagem succeeded.
-
-It has been said that the commander of the Janissaries of Yanuk
-was brought alive, but in a state of drunkenness, before the
-above-mentioned impious Palghi, kapúdán of Komran, and that ten or
-fifteen thousand pieces of gold were found in his possession. After
-interrogating him, the story goes on to say, as to what he meant to do
-with such a quantity of money, and asking him why he had not laid it
-out on the garrison, or if he thought that his money would watch the
-fortress, the commander caused his head to be cut off and fixed upon a
-pole. The same account also states that, notwithstanding the general
-carnage, five or six Muselmans made their escape to Buda; the rest
-were totally annihilated. The beglerbeg of Buda sent a report of this
-disastrous affair to the commander-in-chief, which reached him on the
-29th of Shabán.
-
-The wooden mortars or guns above alluded to were something in the form
-of a cannon—large mortars made of bronze, and surrounded by five or six
-iron rings on the outside. Each mortar had two ears of the same metal
-with itself, and the whole piece or apparatus was placed in a wooden
-frame or case about as large as a small mat or carpet (about the size
-of a hearthrug) and four or five fingers thick, and in which these ears
-were fixed. The point of the mortar was seen outside of the frame, and
-when it was charged with powder a circular plate was firmly fixed to
-its mouth by ropes or straps. These mortars were placed on two-wheeled
-carriages, which were provided with a long rod or pole behind them to
-prevent the wheels or carriage, when the mortars were discharged, from
-diverging from the proper line. Such were the instruments employed on
-the above occasion.
-
-
-_The Moslems determine on attacking Warad._
-
-When the winter season was nearly over, and the approach of spring at
-hand, Satúrjí Mohammed Páshá, who had taken up his winter quarters
-in Belgrade, and still retained the office of commander-in-chief,
-though in the last campaign he had accomplished nothing of importance,
-but permitted Yanuk to fall, and who seemed pleased with the apology
-which the Tátár khán thought proper to offer for his negligence,
-determined on renewing hostilities as soon as the season should permit.
-Accordingly every preparation necessary for the undertaking was seen
-to, and his camp was soon pitched in the plains of Belgrade. A great
-quantity of money and of troops were on this occasion ordered to be
-sent to him.
-
-In a council held at Constantinople it was declared, by persons well
-acquainted with the state and condition of the frontiers, that the
-fortresses of Lipa, Yanwa, Warad, and Jena, in the jurisdiction of
-Temiswar, had been seized on by the enemy, and that if active measures
-were not timely adopted, Temiswar would most assuredly be wrested also
-from the Moslem grasp.
-
-Whilst the council was employed in consulting about these matters,
-official documents were received from the commander-in-chief, which
-confirmed the statements before made. It was the opinion of the grand
-vezír, Jeráh Mohammed Páshá, that as the enemy was in possession
-of the districts about Yanuk and Osterghún, the commander-in-chief
-should direct his movements against the Transylvanians, who had, as
-before observed, invaded the jurisdiction of Temiswar. As the frontier
-fortresses in that quarter were all well furnished with men and
-provisions, he observed, it seemed most prudent on this account to make
-Transylvania the scene of the war. They all agreed that unless the
-Transylvanians were thoroughly chastised, it would be impossible to
-keep Valachia and Moldavia in a state of subjection. The royal mandate
-for commencing this war was issued and sent to the commander-in-chief,
-accompanied by a robe of honour. At the same time letters, and also
-money, according to ancient custom, were sent to the khán of the
-Tátárs, desiring him to assist the serdár with a Tátár army. The feudal
-tenantry in Turkey who held superiorities sold them, received double
-wages, and took their dependants. Five hundred yúks of money from the
-imperial coffers were sent along with the camp, and the above tenantry
-for the serdár. They departed from Constantinople for Belgrade in the
-beginning of Shabán, which happened to be his majesty’s birth-day. The
-camp of the serdár was erected on a hill called Khúnkár, in the plains
-of the last-mentioned city, on the 12th of Ramazán. On the 23rd of
-Shevál Válí Páshá, the beglerbeg of Romeili, who had wintered at Uskúb,
-joined the commander-in-chief’s camp at the above place. On the 14th of
-Dhu’l kada the serdár himself joined his army; and, after having had
-information as to the certainty of the Tátár khán’s approach, sent off
-couriers to the different cazís along the Danube, ordering them to have
-provisions in readiness.
-
-After it had been fully resolved on to carry the war into Transylvania,
-a bridge was commenced on the 9th of Dhu’l hijja at a place or
-promontory on the Danube called _Táshluk Búrún_, somewhere below
-Belgrade, and which was completed in eighteen days, though it extended
-1,850 cubits in length.
-
-On the day the army began to cross over into the country of
-Transylvania the serdár received certain information that the Tátár
-khán with his army had reached Rusjuk. The provincial troops of
-Caramania and Merœsh, with their respective chiefs, who had been
-sent to garrison Buda, passed through the plains of Belgrade and
-followed the grand army into Transylvania. Towards the end of Dhu’l
-hijja the Moslem serdár or commander-in-chief joined his army, which
-halted in the plains of Petcheva; but we must defer relating the
-history of this war till we review the events of the following year.
-
-
-_State of affairs in Bassra._
-
-It was during this year that the hidden natural corruption and
-depravity of Seyid Mobárek manifested itself, and when thousands of
-detestable and wicked wretches joined in the rebellion which he was the
-means of exciting in the jurisdiction of Bassra, who committed every
-sort of devastation in the cities, towns, and villages throughout the
-provinces of Bassra and Lahsa, killing, destroying, and plundering
-where they were able. The government of Baghdád having been conferred
-on the celebrated vezír, Hasan Páshá, about the commencement of
-Ramazán, he was also appointed commander-in-chief over all the forces
-in Baghdád, Sheherzúl, and in all the places appertaining to them.
-
-Some time before this appointment took place, however, the inhabitants,
-when they first became aware of the cruelties practised by these
-rebels, sent an embassy to the Sháh of Persia, beseeching him to
-send them succour to enable them to resist the encroachments of the
-rebels. Their request was complied with: he sent them three hundred
-Kizilbáshes under the command of three leaders, but who in fact became
-more terrible oppressors than the faction had been whom they came to
-repel. The cure was worse than the disease. A representation of this
-circumstance was communicated to the court of Constantinople, who about
-the end of Dhu’l hijja wrote expressly, and in the most peremptory
-manner, to the sháh in reference to these matters.
-
-Among the appointments to office which took place when Jeráh entered
-on the premiership, the following may be mentioned. Jeghala Zádeh
-Sinán Páshá was created kapúdán or lord high admiral; and Khezr Páshá,
-from among the vezírs, was honoured with the government of Egypt. It
-belongs to this period to mention, also, that in consequence of the
-beglerbeg of Caramania having been employed with his provincial troops
-in the Hungarian wars, the country was in a great measure left naked
-and without protection. About three thousand insurgents took advantage
-of this, and collected together in the absence of the governor and his
-troops, and committed the most horrid excesses; but the inhabitants
-uniting together opposed them and slew the greater part of these
-reptiles.
-
-But of all the remarkable events which had taken place during this
-period, the following is the most astonishing. It has been recorded
-by the pen of some one in a collection of facts, that on Friday the
-18th of Rabia II., about mid-day, the lady of Bekerbeg, the beglerbeg
-of Shám Sheríf (the noble city of Damascus), a woman of high rank,
-called Ayesha, the daughter of a respectable officer in the army, was
-delivered, after only three months pregnancy, of two male children,
-and shortly after she brought forth twelve more, fully formed, but
-not living, female children; in all two males and twelve females.
-Such a phenomenon as this was is certainly not beyond the range of
-possibility; but physicians denominate such occurrence _an error in
-nature_.
-
-
-
-
-EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1007, H.
-
-
-_Account of the late expedition continued from last year._
-
-We have already, in a former section, noticed the purport of this
-expedition, and left the grand army encamped in the plains of Petcheva.
-On the 25th of Dhu’l hijja of that year they reached Betchgarak, where
-they halted for some time.
-
-About the middle of the thousand and seventh Moharrem (_i.e._ about
-the middle of the month Moharrem, 1007 of the Hijrah), Válí Páshá,
-beglerbeg of Romeili, died; and Mohammed Páshá, beglerbeg of Anatolia,
-who had been stationed at Usk, was appointed to succeed him, and
-immediately joined the grand army. Mohammed Páshá was succeeded at Usk
-by Súfí Sinán Páshá, beglerbeg of Agria; and he again was succeeded by
-Bektásh Páshá, governor of Solnuk.
-
-At Betchgarak, a place rendered sacred by the death of the late
-beglerbeg of Romeili, the army remained full fifty-five days waiting
-for the arrival of the Tátár khán and his subsidiary troops.
-
-During the stay of the grand army at this place, it happened that
-messengers arrived from Buda who informed the commander-in-chief that
-the fortress of Tata had been taken by the enemy, and immediately after
-this other messengers brought him intelligence from Alba Julia that
-Pulata was besieged. Without loss of time, therefore, and in the utmost
-haste, he issued orders to the troops of Semendria to march to Buda and
-strengthen that garrison.
-
-In the meantime, information reached the Moslem camp that Ghází Gheráí
-Khán, with his Tátár troops had arrived in the neighbourhood; and on
-the 26th of Moharrem the khán joined the royal army with forty-five
-thousand men. The Moslem serdár, on his approach, went out with great
-pomp and shew, to meet his royal highness, and to perform the honours
-due to him, and which were usual on such occasions; he also prepared a
-splendid entertainment for him and his suite. The royal khán, in his
-turn, made a suitable acknowledgment to the serdár and to the other
-magnates of the Moslem camp. After the entertainment was over, the
-serdár conducted his royal highness to his pavilion, and returned to
-his own. He caused, however, another tent to be erected for the khán
-near his own, and one for his females; and provided them with every
-thing necessary for their accommodation and comfort. To each of one
-hundred of the khán’s mirzás a robe of honour was given: but to the
-royal auxiliary himself a splendid robe, an embroidered coat, two
-Agria horses, and a saddle and bridle richly ornamented with gold and
-precious gems were presented.
-
-On the 27th, the commander-in-chief or serdár, the princes and
-commanders of regiments went to pay their respects to his royal
-highness, when a royal mandate which had been received from
-Constantinople was read in the presence of these august personages.
-After the mandate was read, the khán, the serdár, and the other
-dignitaries present, stood up, offered up a prayer, and then
-immediately entered into consultation as to the best means for
-accomplishing the object of the expedition. The question as to the
-route they should take formed one of the topics which occupied their
-minds on this important occasion. After a good deal of conversation on
-this subject, the chiefs of the borders observed, that there were three
-roads which penetrated Transylvania. The first led to the fortress of
-Lipovah; the second, to Sibish and Loghúsh; and the third, to Warad.
-His royal highness Ghází Gheráí observed, it would be most proper to
-go by the one which could be shown to be the most eligible for the
-transporting of cannon and heavy baggage, and on which they could most
-easily defend themselves in the event of being attacked. One of the
-most distinguished of the border leaders replied by saying: “Sire, the
-roads of Sibish and Loghúsh, and of Lipovah, are both difficult and
-dangerous, and afford no means of defence against the enemy should
-they be disposed to attack us. The road leading to Warad, on the
-contrary, is broad and open, and on this account, as well as others, it
-is the most preferable one: besides, it is the only one of the three
-in which we can most efficiently as well as conveniently, accomplish
-our object—the chastising of the Transylvanians.” “But,” said the khán,
-“will the infidels of Warad not endeavour to intercept or ensnare us?
-In the event of their attempting any of these expedients, is there no
-danger, and shall we not be obliged to relinquish our object? In the
-event of our succeeding in reducing it, can we keep possession of it
-after we have taken it?” He asked further, whether the reduction of
-the place would likely occupy much time. With the view of doing honour
-to the prowess of the serdár, it was replied, though falsely, that two
-or three pieces of ordnance were quite sufficient for the purpose of
-accomplishing the reduction of Warad; and that, afterwards, they could
-advance against Zighmund (probably the prince of Transylvania). This
-representation weighed with the council. Etmekjí Zádeh, the defterdár
-of the expedition, attended to every thing necessary for the attempt,
-and provided the army with apparatus for occupying the fortress.
-
-In consequence, however, of the great length of time which had elapsed,
-since leaving Belgrade, including the fifty-five days they had to wait
-for the khán, the half of the season for carrying on hostilities was
-past, but still they were determined to do what they could. About the
-middle of the month Sefer, one Yúghen, an ághá of Temiswar, and one
-who was well acquainted with the roads, was appointed to conduct the
-Moslem army to Warad. They reached a fortress on the river Murish,
-called Jenad, before which they sat down and prepared for laying siege
-to it. After the firing of a few guns, however, its inhabitants and
-garrison became dismayed, abandoned it, and fled to the mountains and
-thickets adjacent. This fortress, of course, was immediately taken
-possession of, whilst the Tátár troops pursued the fugitives; killed
-some, and took most of the rest prisoners. One hundred and fifty of
-these vile wretches were brought to the door of the serdár’s tent, and
-there beheaded. Jenad was put under the jurisdiction of prince Ibrahím
-Shikshái, inspector of Belgrade.
-
-From Jenad the army marched to a palanka called Dilagúsh, and thence
-proceeded to Arad, of which, finding it deserted by its inhabitants,
-they took possession.
-
-Shortly after this, messengers arrived from the prince of Transylvania
-with letters to his highness, the khán of the Tátárs, requesting
-conditions of peace, or rather requesting the khán to intercede with
-the Ottoman emperor and endeavour to bring about a peace. About the
-same time also a great quantity of rain fell, which exceedingly annoyed
-the Moslem troops.
-
-On the 9th of Sefer Mustafa Páshá, the beglerbeg of Erzerúm, joined the
-grand army with his provincials. On the 11th, the whole army crossed
-the Murish, but experienced the greatest difficulty in doing so. They
-marched along its banks for several stages, and stopped at a bridge
-near a deserted palanka, called Ordúbek. At length, after experiencing
-a thousand hardships in crossing rivers and passing through extensive
-marshes, they arrived in the plains of Warad on the 24th of the month,
-where they were joined by the beglerbeg of Wán, Yúsuf Páshá having
-previously been joined, whilst at Ordúbek, by the army of Gula. Two
-badlooshkas also, the one from Gula and the other from Temiswar, were
-sent to them. The Tátár khán, on the army’s leaving Jenad, took a
-different route with the intention of distressing and annoying the
-peasantry throughout the country, and joined the grand army again at
-Warad.
-
-The fortress of Warad, before which the Moslem army took up its
-position on the 29th, was situate on the boundaries which separate
-Germany and Transylvania, was very strong, and surrounded by suburbs
-and villages. So very large and extensive a place was Warad that it
-could easily contain twenty thousand troops. Its gardens reached from
-the suburbs to Pest, and its country houses and other dwellings were no
-less extensive in number, it is conjectured, than the number which at
-that time were between Constantinople and the gardens of Dávud Páshá.
-It is impossible to describe accurately the whole of the gardens and
-orchards, and the multitude of the inhabitants of Warad. Some one or
-two years before the period we are now speaking of, a German army of
-several thousands took possession of it, and had it in subjection when
-the orthodox army, under the grand vezír and commander-in-chief Jeráh
-Mohammed Páshá, appeared before it. The suburbs and villages were
-inhabited by Hungarians.
-
-
-_Warad besieged._
-
-When the Tátár troops advanced to attack the suburbs of Warad, the
-inhabitants came boldly forth, and for a whole day and night fought
-with courage. But the Tátárs no sooner succeeded in setting fire to
-their dwellings than they retired, put their families into waggons, and
-tried to escape through their postern gates. The Tátárs pursued them
-with vigour, slew the grown-up, made the young prisoners, and returned
-with immense booty.
-
-Immediately after these things, the khán of the Tátárs, and the serdár
-of the Moslems, and other great men in the army formed themselves into
-a council of war, and took into consideration whether they should
-proceed onwards and desolate the country, or stop where they then were
-and endeavor to vanquish the fortress of Warad. The whole council were
-unanimous in thinking the latter plan the most advisable. So important
-and so strong a place, and so very near the frontiers of the Ottoman
-dominions, and which at once formed a key to Germany and Transylvania,
-they unanimously considered ought not to be allowed to remain in the
-hands of the enemy, and they therefore determined at once on reducing
-it.
-
-On the first of Rabia II., therefore, the army entered the suburbs, the
-houses of which were well-built and handsome, and instead of preparing
-themselves trenches, took possession of them. With the three pieces of
-ordnance which they had brought along with them, they began battering
-the fortress; but they found, when it was too late to rectify their
-mistake, they had commenced a work far beyond their strength, and one
-which they had not maturely considered. They discovered their rashness,
-but not in sufficient time to correct their mistake. The object of the
-expedition into the country, at the commencement of their operations,
-was to lay it waste, and therefore they did not encumber themselves
-with many cannon, that they might the more conveniently traverse the
-territories of Transylvania, and thoroughly chastise the inhabitants.
-They had no more cannon, therefore, than the three now mentioned:
-neither were they provided with any apparatus for carrying on a siege.
-This want they now began to feel when it could not be easily and
-speedily remedied; and to subdue a place of such great strength as
-Warad possessed, would require, they saw, an immense length of time.
-The serdár was most sensibly touched when he discovered his error, and
-was seriously affected by the mistake he had committed. He now began,
-though too late, to reflect, that this same fortress, in former days,
-had withstood, for the space of forty-five days, the utmost efforts of
-one of the earlier kings, without being vanquished. Seeing he had no
-chance of succeeding without a sufficient number of cannon, he wrote to
-Súfí Sinán Páshá, beglerbeg of Agria, to join his camp, and to forward
-without delay ten pieces of ordnance and other apparatus from the
-fortress of Agria. In consequence of remissness or fraud, however, this
-order was not complied with; or if complied with, was too late to be of
-any use to the besiegers. All the powder and ball which could be found
-in Gula and in the palankas round about, were expended without making
-any impression on Warad. Two mines were also sprung, but with no better
-effect.
-
-The Tátárs, at this time, requested permission to range the country,
-and commit what devastation they could, but the serdár refused to
-give his consent; saying, he hoped to God they would yet take Warad,
-and they would afterwards proceed together. It happened also, in the
-mysterious providence of God, that for the space of forty days it
-rained successively, and the rain which thus fell ran in torrents
-through the plains and valleys. The ground everywhere round Warad
-became soft, and in several places marshes were formed. The ditches
-which the Janissaries had prepared were all filled with water and clay,
-and the Janissaries themselves were forced to retire to their tents.
-The whole of the army in these adverse circumstances became completely
-discouraged, particularly the officers. The stream which issued from
-the city swelled to such a degree as to become unpassable. In fact, it
-was at last impracticable to go from one tent to another. The winds
-also rose so awfully high as to tear away the very poles of the tents
-out of the ground, and the cattle sunk to their bellies in the mud.
-The troops also were for several days without meat, but this want was
-supplied by a great number of sheep which had been driven to the plains
-of Warad. The most of these sheep were sent thither by the peasants
-of Solnuk, and nearly filled the whole country round Warad. The cursed
-prince of Transylvania, they were also informed, had secured himself in
-inaccessible mountains.
-
-The Moslem army were thus exposed to all the inclemency of the weather,
-and to every possible hardship, and distressed and annoyed by the
-water which ran in torrents through their camp. In short, all this
-accumulation of adverse circumstances completely overcame the spirit of
-the Moslem troops: they became totally heartless, and could do nothing.
-In the midst of all these indescribable distresses they were informed
-by messengers from Buda that no fewer than 80,000 of the enemy had
-attacked and destroyed Old Buda, and that at that very moment their
-large cannon were employed in battering Buda itself. They added, that
-if immediate aid were not afforded, Buda could not fail to fall into
-the enemy’s hands. They had heard at an earlier period of the same day
-on which this news was brought them, that a heavy body of the enemy had
-passed through Yanuk and Wáj, and had gone to Old Buda. The persons who
-brought the above intelligence maintained it was of no use to send one
-or two thousand men; it was absolutely necessary, they said, that the
-serdár should go in person with his whole army.
-
-These sad and unwelcome messengers astonished and confounded the
-afflicted serdár and his suffering army by the intelligence they
-brought him. But his misfortunes were only increasing. The very
-adverse circumstances in which the Moslem army were placed, and the
-advance of the enemy against Buda, afforded a favourable opportunity
-to the treacherous Michael, of cursed memory, to cross the Danube,
-to attack the vezír Háfiz in Nicopolis, causing him to seek his
-safety in flight; and to commit the most dreadful depredations. This
-information became no sooner public, and its truth confirmed, than it
-increased, of course, the embarrassments of Satúrjí Mohammed Páshá, the
-commander-in-chief. But they had still to increase: Tata, Besperim,
-and Papa also fell into the hands of the hateful infidel enemy. These
-things were more than sufficient to confound all judgment. They were
-awful, terrible, and afflictive beyond expression: nevertheless, the
-serdár still bore up under all the misfortunes of the campaign. He
-determined, notwithstanding his perilous condition, to afford what aid
-he could to the quarter above mentioned. Yet in a council afterwards
-held, and in which the khán and the other magnates of the army were
-consulted, the difficulty of sending foot soldiers became quite
-apparent. Not only the distance but the difficulty which such troops
-would have to encounter in crossing rivers like seas, the Danube, and
-the Tise (Tibiscus), was clearly discerned to be beyond the power of
-any but horsemen to accomplish. It was therefore agreed that a party of
-some thousands of the Tátár rangers should be despatched without any
-further delay as far as Pest, where they were to spread a report that
-the khán and the serdár would soon appear with their respective troops,
-and afford them effectual aid. This measure, it was conjectured, would
-have the effect of strengthening such as had not fallen into the hands
-of their enemy, and of discouraging, if possible, the latter. The Tátár
-detachment proceeded.
-
-In the meantime, the commander-in-chief was still looking in vain for
-the arrival of the cannon from Agria. But, alas! he was disappointed.
-Súfí Sinán Páshá arrived in the camp empty-handed. On being
-interrogated why he did not send the ten pieces of cannon as commanded,
-he returned for answer the senseless excuse, that no buffaloes could be
-had to transport them. It can easily be imagined what was the grief and
-affliction of the Moslem army, but it cannot be described. The whole
-of the provisions which they had been able to find in the vicinity of
-Warad was consumed, and the Tátárs were obliged to bring from a great
-distance to the camp what flour or grain they were able to find. A keil
-(measure) of barley was sold from three to five pieces of gold.
-
-The serdár, it must be acknowledged, was the cause of the long delay of
-the Moslem army before Warad, and of course, at least in some degree,
-of the evils to which they had been subjected. We have already observed
-how he refused to allow the Tátárs to go on a predatory excursion
-through the country, saying he hoped God would give him the victory in
-a day or two. He was miserably mistaken in his hopes, and accomplished
-nothing; at least nothing good, as we have seen. The weather now became
-so very cold that the men could keep neither hands nor feet warm.
-Perceiving, therefore, that Warad was not to be subdued by the means
-which he possessed, and as he had caused it to be reported about Pest
-that he had raised the siege and had gone to Solnuk with the view of
-succouring Buda, the serdár began to retreat. In consequence, however,
-of the rivulets every where having swollen into rivers from the late
-rains, the páshá of Temiswar, Ismael Páshá, was instructed to advance
-and erect bridges for the army; but he did not erect even one; the
-army had therefore, in consequence of this neglect, to do the best
-they could. They crossed no fewer than twelve rivers, three of which,
-however, had bridges over them, of the above description, by means of
-rafts, and underwent immense difficulty and danger at every one which
-they crossed. Numberless poor animals perished in these waters, and
-the troops suffered most severely from the cold. The flour which they
-carried along with them was spoiled and caused disease among the men,
-and they were therefore obliged to throw it away. Their three pieces
-of ordnance they succeeded in getting across these rivers by means of
-strong ropes, and Khoja Murád Páshá, who was beglerbeg of Diárbeker,
-Mohammed Páshá, beglerbeg of Haleb, and Súfí Sinán Páshá, in order
-to encourage the troops, put their own necks into yokes, and helped
-to drag them onwards. The distance between Warad and Gula was about
-three days’ journey, but required twelve days on this occasion to
-accomplish it, during the whole of which time they suffered a thousand
-difficulties. Hundreds of men were left on the road by reason of the
-cold or hunger, or sunk into the mud.
-
-The army was met by Iskander Beg, who was afterwards created páshá,
-and the ketkhodá of Teryákí, Hasan Páshá, in the plains of Gula, who
-confirmed the intelligence they formerly had received that Besperim,
-Polata, and Tata had fallen into the hands of the enemy, and earnestly
-requested the serdár to send off, as soon as possible, what succours
-he was able to the aid of those places which had been enabled still
-to hold out. The serdár gave him fine promises and sent him away next
-morning.
-
-The army moved from Gula (Julia) to Solnuk. At both these places they
-were obliged to pay a piece of gold for a loaf of bread. They expected
-that at the latter place, where they halted a whole day, boats with
-provisions would have been waiting for them; but in this also they
-were grievously disappointed. When the troops saw that no boats with
-provisions had arrived by the river Tise (Tibiscus), they were roused
-into rage and commenced a tumult. Some of the Janissaries rushed upon
-the serdár’s tent and pulled it down about his head. Each of them had
-taken a piece of wood in his hand, with which they so belaboured the
-poor commander-in-chief that he lay half murdered. They broke his skull
-with their bludgeons and his arm with a stone, and afterwards commenced
-the work of spoliation in his kitchen. It is certain that if some of
-the other officers had not come to his assistance, they would have cut
-him to pieces. The tent of the treasurer, Etmekjí Zádeh, shared the
-same fate: it was not only thrown down but robbed, and he himself only
-escaped with his life, which was entirely owing to the intervention of
-some of their superiors. They now abandoned the idea of proceeding to
-Buda. Towards evening the serdár was seen stepping round the tents, and
-seemed as if afraid and ashamed to enter his own.
-
-In consequence of all these disastrous events and distressing
-circumstances, the strong fortress of Buda was committed to God, and
-the Moslem army marched towards Segdin. Here they fortunately fell
-in with a number of boats loaded with provisions on the Tise, when a
-distribution of provisions immediately took place, which refreshed and
-recruited the much-weakened strength of the army, at least in some
-degree.
-
-The accounts of the burning and destroying of the city or suburbs of
-Buda, and all the evils which befell its inhabitants, must be reserved
-to a future chapter. In the mean time, however, the unfortunate serdár,
-pressed down and grieved with the misfortunes which had befallen his
-orthodox army, became quite changed in his constitution. His soul
-was vexed within him: his body became poor and lean; and in this
-broken-down condition he retired to Belgrade. His royal highness,
-the khán of the Crimea, went to Sonbúr, and his troops went into
-winter-quarters in the sanják of Segdin. The beglerbeg of Romeili was
-sent with his provincials to the sanják of Petcheví. The Janissaries and
-other troops, after having been paid their arrears, were also sent into
-winter quarters. The money necessary for paying these arrears had to be
-borrowed from the rich men and merchants of Belgrade.
-
-These arrangements were no sooner over than a very heavy fall of snow
-fell, and a most intense cold commenced.
-
-Thus ended this unfortunate campaign. No advantage was gained, but much
-loss was sustained.
-
-
-_Concerning the fall of Besperim, Polata, Tata, and the siege of Buda._
-
-At the time it was first determined to carry the war into Transylvania,
-the five thousand cavalry and the twelve thousand foot soldiers,
-sent last year from Europe to Maximilian, the commander-in-chief of
-the infidels, and an army of more than sixty thousand foot and horse
-soldiers, composed of Germans, Hungarians, and other nations, under
-Maximilian’s brother, the archduke Mathias, assembled near Yanuk, and
-resolved on aiding and supporting the prince of Transylvania. When the
-Moslem serdár, however, laid siege to Warad, as before mentioned, the
-prince of Transylvania retired to the mountains, and there fortified
-himself among inaccessible rocks. On this account the imperial troops
-were not so necessary, at least such a powerful augmentation as that
-above alluded to; therefore when the enemy perceived that Buda was
-left in a defenceless state in consequence of the expedition which had
-entered Transylvania, they immediately marched against that place.
-This was the most proper time, said they to themselves, to endeavour
-to take Buda; and though they should not happen to be successful in
-the attempt, yet they would at least effect a manœuvre in favour
-of Warad, and thus save it from the grasp of the Moslems, who had now
-commenced laying siege to it.
-
-These mighty hosts of the enemy on their way to Buda reduced the
-fortresses of Besperim, Polata, Papa, and Tata, all of them places of
-strength which belonged to the Ottoman empire; and in Rabia II. they
-encamped before Old Buda with more than forty pieces of ordnance and
-other apparatus of war. The greater number of the enemy’s troops was
-transported thence in boats on the Danube to Buda itself, to which they
-laid siege in this same month. After a few days of hostile operation
-they laid the walls of the city even with the ground. When they had
-accomplished this they commenced attacking the citadel both from the
-land and water at the same time. On the seventh day of the siege the
-bloody contest was renewed at sun-rise, and continued till the going
-down of the same. The beglerbeg of Merœsh, Sinán Páshá, and the
-ex-beglerbeg of Papa, Semender Páshá, who had come from Alba Julia to
-aid the Budians; these two heroes from among the besieged died martyrs
-on this day of unparalleled cruelty and blood. Teryákí Hasan Páshá,
-governor of Bosnia, and Mohammed Beg, beg of Semendria, were wounded;
-and many others whose days were numbered fell by the hands of these
-infidels.
-
-This numerous host of vile idolators continued their attacks
-unremittingly, and maintained a continual brisk fire, which so
-completely annoyed the besieged that they found themselves necessitated
-to give way and retire from the city, and seek shelter in the inner
-fortress. This movement they accomplished during the night season,
-but by doing so they left the city entirely naked and defenceless.
-The following morning the infidels occupied the vacant city, and with
-all imaginable speed erected their forty pieces of heavy ordnance on
-batteries against the inner fortress, and commenced directing more
-than one thousand shots per day against it, besides the springing of
-numerous mines. Night and day this machinery was employed without
-interruption, and every other effort they could devise, in trying to
-reduce the inner fortress. The besieged, however, held out manfully.
-The place had been previously strengthened and put in a condition of
-defence; but they sent off one messenger after another with letters to
-the serdár and to the khán, when lying before Warad, calling on them to
-come to their aid; and assuring them if they did not come, Buda would
-fall a prey to the enemy. But the serdár was unable to afford them
-the relief they required. With part of their forces they lay before
-Warad, and the rest had scattered themselves through the country.
-However, the khán sent them a chosen body of about seven thousand
-Tátárs under the command of Shubá Mirzá. These were soon followed by
-Bektásh Páshá, governor of Agria, with his Agrian troops; and these
-again by two Tátár sultáns, with twenty thousand Tátár troops, which
-his royal highness had succeeded in collecting for the same purpose.
-Kalkái Selámet Gheráí, the brother of the khán, who had just at that
-time returned from a plundering excursion, was likewise sent forward to
-Buda with the party under his command, and which amounted to several
-thousands. The beglerbeg of Buda, Mikaeljelí Ahmed Páshá, succeeded to
-the beglerbegship of Sinán Páshá, who perished in the siege of the city
-as before observed; and Soleimán Páshá, the beglerbeg of Temiswar, who
-was at that time in the Moslem camp along with the serdár, succeeded
-to the beglerbegship of Buda. This last, and a few hundred chosen
-veterans, besides seven Sanjak begs, set out for Buda, which, by the
-time they had reached it, had been forty days exposed to the efforts
-of the infidels. It was the opinion of the acting commander-in-chief
-in Buda, Ahmed Páshá, that it would be impossible for them to maintain
-Buda, and, at the same time, protect Pest; he recommended, therefore,
-that the garrison and people in Pest should join the besieged in Buda.
-
-Whilst this imprudent project was in contemplation, the beg of Solnuk,
-commonly called the _Earless_ Osmán Beg, a chief who had formerly
-manifested a variety of heroic deeds at Timúr-kapú, reached Buda with a
-valiant band of borderers from Solnuk in sufficient time to frustrate
-the proposed project. Taking some of the men of Pest along with him,
-he hastened towards Buda; forwarded a number of cannon; the other
-troops formerly mentioned joined him: and, on his appearing with this
-accumulated army before the citadel of Buda, the troops within it
-were encouraged to come forth and receive their deliverers. All these
-together formed a very considerable army, and were now in a condition
-to cope with their enemies. Accordingly they were not long in employing
-the force they had thus mustered, and with one consent attacked their
-bitter foe with such vigour and resolution that they soon forced them
-to raise the siege and to retire. Before they were expelled the city,
-however, they burned and destroyed its temples and mosques, large
-buildings, and public streets; and then withdrew to the valley of Wáj.
-
-Thus, God Almighty saved the fortress of Buda from the hand of malice
-and injustice.
-
-
-_Khádem Háfiz Ahmed Páshá routed at Nicopolis by the odious Michael._
-
-Háfiz Ahmed Páshá having been appointed to guard the banks of the
-Danube, made Widin his head-quarters. Ramazán Zádeh, the governor
-of Adna, who had been appointed along with him to the same service,
-removed from Widin in Rabia II. of this same year, and went along with
-a number of Sanjak begs towards Rusjuk and Selistria, places within
-the jurisdiction allotted to them, but stopped at a place not far from
-Nicopolis, called the plains of Sinadin.
-
-When the odious and hateful Michael had learned that an expedition had
-been sent into Transylvania, he feigned to have repented of all his
-wicked deeds, and retired from public view. But he no sooner heard of
-the fate of that expedition than he again began to exercise his cunning
-to the prejudice of the Osmánlís. Accordingly, he sent a messenger, a
-despicable wretch called Dimoo, to crave in the most humble and abject
-manner conditions of peace from Háfiz Páshá. The deceitful messenger
-had no sooner found access to the Páshá, and told the purport of his
-errand, than he granted permission to the odious wretch Michael to come
-and prostrate himself before him.
-
-On that same day, the Páshá was employed in fitting up and adorning
-his tents on the banks of the Danube, but ordered a boat to be held in
-readiness for conveying Michael across when he arrived. Soon after the
-deception had thus far succeeded, a number of waggons covered over with
-scarlet cloth appeared at some little distance from the Páshá’s camp,
-which the fraudulent messenger when interrogated concerning them said
-were waggons conveying presents and treasures to the Páshá.
-
-Whilst the Páshá and his men stood contemplating the loaded waggons
-as they approached nearer, and suspecting no danger, suddenly a body
-of troops made their appearance, and fell upon the astonished gazers
-without allowing them a moment’s warning for self-defence. These were
-Michael’s troops, and they amounted to more than twenty thousand,
-whilst those under the command of Háfiz did not exceed three thousand,
-and most of them, at that moment, were without any sort of defensive
-weapon whatever. The waggons which were said to have been conveying
-treasures and presents to the Páshá, turned out to be cannon which
-they carried. The Moslems finding themselves thus miserably duped, and
-seeing they were unable to resist such a force, had no alternative left
-them but either to perish by the hands of these barbarians, or to seek
-their safety in flight. This last appeared the most advisable, and they
-endeavoured to accomplish it. The Páshá, in a state of madness, mounted
-his horse, and all who were fortunate enough escaped to Maternevi.
-Alas, many of the followers of Mohammed fell martyrs on that sad day.
-The whole of their property and wealth fell into the hands of Michael
-the apostate, and of those wretches who followed him.
-
-The odious Michael, after having gained the advantage in the manner
-above described, marched on Nicopolis, and laid siege to it; but he was
-at length repelled. The struggle between the besiegers and the besieged
-lasted twenty days, but the barbarians were at last obliged to retire
-without having effected their purpose, and went towards Bekrish.
-
-The unfortunate Páshá, like the rest of his men, lost all he had. It
-has been said that some of Michael’s men brought him the garments and
-shash which Háfiz usually wore, and that in derision of the Páshá he
-put them on a decrepid old woman, whom he presented, thus dressed,
-before his men, telling them, that he had caught the Moslem Páshá, and
-thus excited their mirth at the poor Páshá’s expence.
-
-The Páshá, however, made his way to Nicopolis, and repaired the
-breaches which had been effected by Michael on that fortress. When on
-the point of going into winter-quarters at Hazargrade, he received
-information from the court of Constantinople that he was succeeded in
-the command on the banks of the Danube by the fourth vezír, Mahmúd
-Páshá. He accordingly returned to the metropolis about the middle of
-Jemadi II., and was honoured with the dignity and office of fourth
-vezír in room of Mahmúd.
-
-
-_The grand Vezírship conferred a third time on Ibrahím Páshá._
-
-When the want of that success which had attended the late campaign
-had been fully considered, and that Satúrjí Mohammed Páshá, the
-commander-in-chief, had effected no good, or had acquired no advantage
-whatever, but, on the contrary, had been the cause of much evil; that
-it was owing to his want of military skill that Buda was allowed to be
-laid siege to, and in a great measure destroyed; and, in short, that
-it was to him and to the grand vezír, Jeráh Páshá’s, mismanagement,
-conjointly, the whole of the misfortunes which befell the orthodox
-troops during the late campaign were to be attributed, it was
-considered wise to remove both from their respective offices. Ibrahím
-Páshá, though more than once deposed from the grand vezírship, was yet
-considered a man of great talent and strength of mind, fully competent
-to fulfil the duties of the premiership, and at the same time those of
-commander-in-chief. He was therefore again created grand vezír, and
-the seals were accordingly sent to him. This appointment took place on
-the 9th of Jemadi II. Jeráh Páshá was sick when this resolution passed,
-and did not of course attend the diván on that occasion. He was,
-however, carried to the palace of the chancellor, where the accusation
-against him was read to him, and he was informed, pro formâ, that he
-was deposed.
-
-Four months after Ibrahím’s appointment to the premiership, it was
-determined that he should assume the office of commander-in-chief
-also, and proceed to Hungary. Kapúdán Khalíl Páshá, the káímakám,
-and Jeghala Zádeh, Sinán Páshá, the second kapúdán, attended to the
-necessary arrangements for the new army, which the grand vezír and
-commander-in-chief was to conduct to Hungary. This new army left
-Constantinople on the 27th of Shevál. Tarnákjí Hasan Aghá, ághá of
-the Janissaries, commanded six divisions of the household troops:
-the victorious banners were unfurled, and a declaration of war was
-immediately issued.
-
-Hasan Beg Zádeh informs us in his history that the winter was
-so excessively cold when Satúrjí Mohammed Páshá, the late
-commander-in-chief, commenced his journey back, that it was with great
-difficulty he was enabled to reach Constantinople. On his arrival
-there, he found Ibrahím Páshá firmly installed in the office of grand
-vezír, and busily employed in the discharge of the duties of that
-high and important station. It was said, however, that in consequence
-of the asylum of the world having hesitated about advancing from the
-home treasury the necessary supply of money required for carrying on
-the war, the noble commander-in-chief delayed his departure for some
-time; and that, as a last resource, he had applied to the emperor’s
-spiritual guide in the most earnest manner to get his master to grant
-the supply required. The reverend effendí, in the greatest haste, and
-under the pretext of calling a council, wrote to all the great men
-to meet, and to them he made a representation of the urgency of the
-commander-in-chief’s demand. The empress-mother also lent her aid,
-and the thing at last was agreed to. Borhán Effendí was appointed
-defterdár to the army: Lám Alí Chelebí defterdár to the governor of
-Constantinople: Okjí Zádeh was made secretary: and Mudehí Chelebí was
-appointed Reïs-ul-ketáb. Other appointments also took place. The all
-potent commander-in-chief and the ághá of the Janissaries proceeded on
-their march towards the seat of war. On reaching Selivría, Abúlsa’úd
-Zádeh Effendí died, and the Muftí Effendí, through the intercession
-of the father of the emperor’s principal eunuch, was appointed to the
-presidency of Romeili; the grand vezír had, however, appointed before
-this Ma’súm Effendí to the same office. Músá Chelebí, son of Mohammed
-Effendí, was deposed from the office of high treasurer, and Borhán
-was appointed in his stead. The latter, after having provided for the
-army as far as Adrianople, returned to the metropolis. The ághá of the
-Janissaries, Tarnákjí Hasan Aghá, separated from the grand army at
-Chatalija, and marched his troops by way of Kirk Kilis to Belgrade.
-
-
-_Satúrjí Mohammed Páshá murdered. Etmekjí Zádeh imprisoned._
-
-Ibrahím Páshá, on his journey to Hungary, reached Adrianople in the
-space of twelve days after his departure from Constantinople, whither
-Etmekjí Zádeh Mohammed Páshá, who had been degraded from the office
-of treasurer, which he held during the last war, had also come, but
-who kept himself concealed. By means of Ibrahím’s lieutenant, Mohammed
-Ketkhodá, he was introduced to the serdár or commander-in-chief, and
-by means of large presents he got himself appointed high treasurer
-in room of Borhán, whom the serdár contrived to send to Uskúb. But
-this, however, was only the affair of a month; for a royal letter
-soon arrived which ordered him to be apprehended and the whole of his
-property to be confiscated. This order was issued in consequence of a
-report which had been sent to his majesty respecting his conduct and
-demerit; and the result would have been equally the same some time
-before it did take place, had it not been secretly delayed for awhile.
-
-Hasan Beg Zádeh says, that when the serdár had arrived in the plains of
-Philippopolis he received some account of some manœuvres carried on
-between his royal highness the khán of the Tátárs and his predecessor,
-Satúrjí Mohammed Páshá. They had concocted a scheme prejudicial to the
-interests of the Ottoman empire; the result of their manœuvring,
-however, was fatal to Satúrjí. The serdár passed through Philippopolis
-and arrived in the plains of Sofia, where he halted, and sent for the
-ághá of the Janissaries, who was a stage or two in advance, and held
-a consultation with him relative to some important affairs connected
-with the object of the expedition. The ághá afterwards returned to
-his troops. The commander-in-chief, it is to be observed, however,
-had received injunctions from the court of Constantinople to deprive
-Satúrjí of his life, the execution of which was committed to the ághá
-above-mentioned, who was also instructed to accomplish this commission
-on his arrival at Belgrade, where Satúrjí then was. This said ághá made
-all the haste he was able; and on the 12th of Dhu’l hijja, when he
-reached Hisárjik, near Belgrade, the serdár, Satúrjí Mohammed Páshá,
-sent some of his ághás and other officers with their troops as far as
-the plains of Belgrade to meet the ághá; unconscious all the while that
-his head was devoted. His friend, the khán, had sent him an invitation
-to come to him, and even warned him of his danger, but his mind was
-totally indifferent to all danger; in consequence, moreover, of his
-having received some friendly letters which had been sent him in the
-name of the new serdár, though the serdár neither wrote nor sent them,
-he heedlessly confided himself to the very person instructed to take
-away his life. The ághá, to accomplish the deed, prepared a feast and
-invited Satúrjí and his great men to dine with him at Hisárjik. On
-their arrival they were individually presented with a robe, and other
-tokens of respect which were conferred on them. Whilst they were thus
-cheered and elated by the kindness of their host, and harbouring no
-suspicion in their minds, this very host suddenly drew out of his
-pocket the royal document or rather death-warrant, and caused his
-soldiers, who were in readiness to obey, to slay the whole of his
-guests in cold blood. Thus ended the unfortunate and afflicted life
-of Satúrjí Mohammed Páshá. The cheerful feast became to him and his
-associates the feast of death. His lieutenant, Ibrahím, was sick, and
-did not accompany his superior; and when he learned his fate, he went
-on board a vessel with Satúrjí’s khatíb, his friend, and put himself
-under the protection of his royal highness, Ghází Gheráí, khán of the
-Crimea. He so terrified the khán with the horrible stories he related
-to him, that he resolved on setting out for his own country, and was
-only prevented from doing so by some of his own mirzás, who were not so
-easily alarmed.
-
-In the meantime the commander-in-chief continued his march towards
-Belgrade; and when he arrived at Batchina a messenger from the ághá met
-him and informed him of the fate of Satúrjí. His whole property, and
-that of his lieutenant, were seized and registered; at the same time
-orders were also given to take possession of Etmekjí Zádeh’s property,
-who was still at Belgrade, in order that that, as well as the property
-of the other two, might be examined. On the 17th of Dhu’l hijja the
-grand vezír and commander-in-chief reached the plains of Belgrade.
-
-Etmekjí Zádeh, who, we have seen, was ordered to be imprisoned and
-his property confiscated, lay without hope at this very time in
-prison at Belgrade; but some who were well acquainted with the state
-of affairs, and the necessities of the army in regard to their being
-properly supplied with every thing requisite for their expedition into
-the enemy’s country, as well as Etmekjí Zádeh’s fitness for this and
-similar objects, obtained his release, and had him reinstated in his
-former office. By the vigilance which he manifested in the discharge
-of his duty he afforded no ground of uneasiness or discontent to the
-Moslem troops, as he had done in the late campaign. He took good care
-that the treasury and other departments under his inspection and
-management were properly attended to.
-
-The grand vezír remained at Belgrade till about the end of the month
-last-mentioned (Dhu’l hijja), and saw that all the magazines and
-storehouses were well filled with all sorts of provisions: he also put
-a number of boats into a state of preparation.
-
-
-_Strange conduct of the new Grand Vezír Ibrahím Páshá._
-
-It is related by Alája Mohammed Aghá that he himself, at the time
-Satúrjí Mohammed Páshá was killed, was present with Ibrahím Páshá when
-on his way to Belgrade. His words are: “I was present in an assembly,
-called together by the Páshá, when it was announced that Satúrjí
-Mohammed Páshá was murdered. The Páshá fell into a great rage, and
-asked furiously who had brought the intelligence. ‘It is false: it is
-totally without foundation,’ said he, and then again asked the person
-who announced it: ‘whence and from whom have you received this story?’
-When the informer was about to say that he had been a witness to the
-deed, the commander-in-chief broke out again in a furious rage and
-said: ‘behold, this infidel utters falsehood in our presence; by the
-head of the emperor, if this story turns out to be false you shall be
-punished with death.’ After having thus exhausted his fury upon the
-informer, he turned to the persons who composed the assembly, and thus
-addressed them: ‘Muselmans, what an unlikely story is this! That an
-ághá of the Janissaries should be guilty of the murder of so celebrated
-a vezír as Satúrjí, without the emperor’s permission and unknown to
-me, is unworthy of a moment’s belief: it is false.’ So great, indeed,
-was the rage into which he put himself, that he actually foamed at the
-mouth like a rabid animal.” The same historian goes on to say, that at
-this time he stood before him, and on the páshá’s beckoning to him to
-approach him he obeyed. “Go,” said the grand vezír, “and whereever you
-find Etmekjí Zádeh take him to your tent and make him your prisoner.”
-The narrator adds: “I immediately went in search of him and found him
-in the tent of the ketkhodá. On asking him to accompany me he got up,
-and we talked together till we arrived at my tent, when I invited him
-to step in. He immediately appeared confused”—for this Alája Mohammed
-Aghá was the chief executioner—“and asked the reason of his inviting
-him into his tent. On informing him of the nature of the firmán which
-had been sent to me regarding him, he instantly sent a person to inform
-the ketkhodá of what had happened to him. The ketkhodá got into a
-violent passion at the conduct of the ághá, and went directly to the
-serdár and complained of him. The serdár swore he knew nothing of the
-matter, and said it was false. ‘What is the ághá of a regiment,’ said
-he, ‘that he should, without my permission, be so bold as to put a
-defterdár into confinement;’ and many more words to the same effect.
-He then called the ághá, asked him if he had done so and so, and by
-whose authority he had so acted; and turning to the members of his
-diván, said: ‘look, ye members of the diván, what times have appeared,
-that an ághá of a regiment, without right or necessity, should take
-it upon him to imprison a public functionary of so high rank as that
-of Etmekjí Zádeh! I will certainly have him slain.’ After having thus
-poured contumely on the poor ághá, he looked him in the face, and
-exclaimed: ‘you infidel;’ then pressed his thumb in the palm of his
-hand, and ordered him to be conveyed to prison: but he soon caused him
-to be released again.” The same narrator says, there was no end to
-the strange, deceitful, and injurious actions of which this ághá was
-guilty. Etmekjí Zádeh found opportunity afterwards, however, of getting
-the aforesaid ághá examined; his property, even to his bed, sold, and
-himself degraded in the public estimation.
-
-
-_Some other events of this year._
-
-By some delusion of the devil, a fellow, under the pretext that he was
-Sultán Soleimán, son of Selím II., who had been put to death, began
-to exercise royal authority in one or two cities and villages in the
-neighbourhood of Constantinople; but he was seized, his head cut off,
-and his miserable body suspended from a tree.
-
-This year, in the month of Rabia II., five French galleys, laden with
-troops and military stores, entered by mistake into the harbour of
-the island of Scio, and overpowered the garrison of that place. In
-consequence of a strong gale of wind, however, these galleys were
-driven from their moorings, and finally out to sea. Four hundred
-Frenchmen were thus left upon the island, and these the inhabitants,
-after the galleys had disappeared, slew with the edge of the sword.
-
-In the month of Ramazán the emperor of Túrán (Scythia), Abdulkhán, by
-means of his superior army took possession of the kingdom of Khorasán,
-but was soon afterwards called to visit the world of spirits, when his
-son Abdulmo’min reigned in his stead. The Usbek Tátárs not having been
-satisfied with his administration, however, murdered him, and called
-Núrud-dín Mohammed Khán, surnamed _Telún Khán_, to the government of
-Túrán and Khorasán.
-
-This same year also, the sháh of Persia, Sháh Abbás, marched his forces
-against him into Khorasán, and slew him at Herat. He subdued also the
-whole of that province, which contained twenty-four places of strength.
-Under a show of justice, and of fidelity to the Ottoman court, he sent
-an embassy to Constantinople, making an offer of them as a present to
-the emperor.
-
-
-
-
-EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1008. H.
-
-
-_Account of Ibrahím Páshá’s further operations._
-
-In the beginning of Moharrem (the first month of the Mohammedan year)
-the commander-in-chief Ibrahím Páshá, after having given orders
-respecting all the boats and vessels at Belgrade, marched forward in
-the utmost haste to the plains of Zimnún, where he encamped. On the
-18th he reached Usk, where he remained nearly a whole week. On the
-24th he crossed the bridge of that place, and reached the plains of
-Mehaj on the 27th. Here he was joined by Mohammed Páshá, the beglerbeg
-of Romeili, and by Alí Páshá, the beglerbeg of Rika. On the 29th the
-serdár reviewed his army.
-
-His royal highness, Ghází Gheráí, khán of the Crimea, having been much
-afflicted in consequence of the death of Satúrjí Mohammed Páshá, and
-having been also very much perplexed on account of the share he had had
-in his affairs, did not, on this occasion, join the grand army with his
-auxiliary Tátárs. The fear he had entertained on this score, as well
-as on account of some other parts of his conduct, strongly inclined
-him to retire to his own country, lest he should be incarcerated, and
-thus meet a fate similar to that which his late coadjutor, Satúrjí, had
-met. In this moment of perplexity and doubt his mind was completely
-relieved by the sight of handsome presents, which were brought him by
-Ahmed Páshá, of Michaelej, Mohammed Páshá, beglerbeg of Sivás, and by
-the ághá of the Salihdárs, who also, with great deference and respect,
-invited him to join the grand army.
-
-After a week’s halt at Mehaj, the grand army, on the 7th of Sefer,
-moved forward to Banús, and were there met by Bálukjí Zádeh Mustafa,
-accompanied by a messenger from Transylvania. On the 11th, the
-army encamped at the head of a lake near the banks of the Danube,
-where the commander-in-chief was apprized by letters from his royal
-highness Ghází Gheráí, that the court of Vienna had sent him proposals
-of peace. On the 21st he encamped in the plains of Ján Kúturán.
-On this day (about the 19th of August) commenced the season of
-autumn. On the fourth day after the above date, his royal highness
-reached the opposite shores of the Danube, when his excellency the
-commander-in-chief stepped into a boat and crossed over to pay him his
-respects. At this stage, two pieces of cannon, which had been abandoned
-by the enemy, were brought to the royal camp by the warriors of Alba
-Julia. On the 27th, the army encamped with great eclat in the plains of
-Kiris Elias, near Buda, and the Tátár army went to Pest, which lies on
-the other side of the Danube. The navy which was ordered from Belgrade
-also arrived. The inhabitants of Buda were inspired with courage and
-joy at the sight of such an army and fleet as those which now presented
-themselves before them. The beglerbeg of Buda having also arrived
-with provisions from Kupán, orders were issued that same day for
-commencing a bridge across the Danube. For accomplishing this object,
-a considerable body of men were sent to Kizil-hisár to cut down trees.
-Orders were also issued to put the grain and flour which had arrived
-into granaries in Buda. The bridge above-mentioned was finished in
-four days, and the grand army passed over to Pest. The serdár crossed
-over on the 7th of Rabia II., having previously formed the resolution
-of attacking the contemptible infidels, who happened to be posted at
-Jegirdilin, opposite to Osterghún. On the same day, a beautiful horse,
-with rich furniture, a splendidly ornamented dagger, and a number of
-other costly presents, were sent to his royal highness, Ghází Gheráí,
-khán of the Crimea. On the same day also, Jánbúlád Zádeh Hasan Páshá
-joined the royal camp with the troops under his command. On the 10th of
-the month, the grand army reached Amrúdlí. But the infidels of Wáj set
-fire to this place during the night, and fled. On the 21st, whilst the
-grand army remained encamped in the vicinity of Wáj, messengers arrived
-from the enemy’s camp, proposing that the Moslem grand army should
-postpone any further movement for the space of three days, in order to
-bring about, if possible, a pacification. When the third day arrived,
-the messenger waited first on the khán, and afterwards on the serdár,
-when Murád Páshá, Ahmed Aghá, belonging to his royal highness the
-khán, and Mohammed Ketkhodá were appointed commissioners, and ordered
-to proceed to the enemy’s camp or tábúr, and negociate a peace. They
-returned, however, in two days afterwards without having accomplished
-any thing; and the Moslem army, without any further delay, put
-themselves again in motion, passed under Novograde, situate on a hill,
-without having sustained the least injury from the cannon of that
-fortress; and arriving at a new palanka near Waragil, on the banks of
-the Danube, opposite Vishégrade, they found it deserted by the enemy’s
-troops who had held it in possession. The inhabitants endeavoured to
-escape, but were all either killed or made prisoners. This palanka
-was surrounded on three sides with a morass: the whole of its cannon
-and powder fell into the hands of the Moslems, who set fire to the
-place and burned it to the ground. Waragil, on the following day, was
-evacuated, in like manner, and burned: nothing but the badness of the
-roads saved the infidels of Waragil from experiencing the fate of those
-of the palanka.
-
-By this time, the infidel army discovered, as they thought, that the
-Moslems meditated an attack on them about the 20th, and conjecturing
-they would endeavour to cross by the two bridges which they had erected
-below Osterghún, they stationed some of their bravest men in that
-quarter, in order to resist them. The serdár, however, pursued the
-plan he had first formed, and without a moment of unnecessary delay,
-made towards Jegirdilin, where a considerable number of the enemy was
-concentrated. Mohammed Khetkhodá thought it would be more advisable
-to postpone any attack on the enemy for a day or so, and the khán
-was of a similar opinion. The serdár, therefore, delayed; but on the
-22nd he entered with his grand army the plains of Jegirdilin, which
-so terrified the infidels that they quickly crossed the river and
-concentrated themselves somewhere below Jegirdilin, but found that the
-two bridges which had been erected there had been cut down. A number of
-sick men whom they had left behind were all put to the sword: the grand
-army advanced upon Osterghún.
-
-In order to deceive the Moslems, and to retard their progress, the
-project of negociating a peace was again had recourse to. The serdár
-having received letters to this effect, he appointed Murád Páshá,
-Mohammed Khetkhodá, and Ahmed Aghá to proceed to the head-quarters of
-the enemy and negociate with the Archduke Matthias, the Palfi, and
-the Groof. The Moslem commissioners laboured to get Agria exchanged
-for Osterghún, but their proposals were received with coldness, and
-insurmountable objections started, so that the Moslem commissioners
-had to return without accomplishing any thing. Both parties, indeed,
-withdrew from the conference, and the enemy retired to Komran.
-
-The commander-in-chief, in a council of the khán’s omerá, determined,
-in consequence of the royal firmán for carrying on the war this year
-having restricted him to a depredatory mode of warfare, on putting this
-method into execution. Accordingly, he sent off a number of warlike
-troops along with a Tátár army into the enemy’s territories, to destroy
-and seize what they could.
-
-On the 2nd of Rabia II. the army crossed the rivers Abyúl and Warad,
-and on the 5th reached the lake of Segmehal, near Uiwar. The predatory
-army before-mentioned succeeded in making a number of captives, and
-seizing some cattle, but by no means to the extent so powerful an army
-was expected to have done. Whilst the serdár remained at Segmehal, the
-beglerbegs went to Uiwar, and there learned for certain that the enemy
-had retired to Komran.
-
-As the winter was setting in, the ághás of the regiments were put
-in mind of this, and instructed to return home. In the Nokhbeh
-Tarikh it is said, the grand army returned on the 28th of Rabia II.
-to Jegirdilin, passed by Filk and Khutván, and arrived at Pest on
-the 6th of Rabia II., when each hired soldier received, in lieu of
-provisions, two pieces of gold. On the 14th they reached Buda, when
-his royal highness, Ghází Gheráí, khán of the Tátárs of the Crimea,
-took his leave, and set out for his own dominions. The exalted
-commander-in-chief did all he could to dissuade him, but in vain. His
-royal highness was certainly not well pleased, and when he was urged
-to remain he replied, that the time for the Tátár army to retire had
-arrived; and accordingly he set off. It does not appear that there was
-any particular intimacy between the khán and the serdár, though the
-latter was not wanting either in politeness or attention. The fact
-is (for what reason does not appear), that the khán was never once
-pleasant, nor even showed an agreeable countenance. He never once
-entered the serdár’s tent, and their intercourse, for the most part,
-was on horseback.
-
-The grand army, after passing through Geshgæmida, Sonbúr, and Baj,
-arrived on the 22nd at a place opposite to Fúidwar, where they were met
-by kapújís from Constantinople, who brought the serdár intelligence of
-the death of the learned and reverend prelate, Sa’d-ud-dín Effendí,
-and of the appointment of Sinán Effendí in his stead; also that Yúsuf
-Páshá, whilst conducting back the boats and vessels to Belgrade, had
-been attacked by a party of the enemy, in which struggle Yúsuf Páshá
-fell to rise no more. On the 25th the army reached Agria, of deceitful
-name,[6] where they halted a few days to thwart any further mischievous
-purpose which the enemy might have against their boats. It began to be
-reported that the odious Michael had subdued the whole of Transylvania.
-On the 29th letters were brought to the serdár which confirmed this
-report. On the 3rd of Jemadi II. the serdár crossed the bridge of
-Waradin, at which place he caused the household troops to be paid their
-wages. On the 7th he reached the plains of Belgrade. Here the ághá of
-the janissaries, Tarnákjí Hasan Aghá, took his leave of the serdár and
-departed for the metropolis. The troops of Anatolia and the rest of the
-army were allowed to go into winter quarters at Belgrade.
-
-By the good providence of God the army, notwithstanding the great
-heat and droughts, returned without having sustained any particular
-hardships in this campaign.
-
-
-_The French soldiers stationed at Papa join the Osmánlís._
-
-About three thousand of the French troops who had been sent to assist
-the Germans against the Osmánlís, were appointed to garrison the
-fortress of Papa. Having been in this fortress for about a whole year,
-and having received no wages for the service which they had rendered,
-they quarrelled with the Hungarian soldiers of that place, had frequent
-sharp skirmishes with them, and at last slew them. On this account
-they applied to Mohammed Páshá, beglerbeg of Romeili, who was at Buda,
-and offered to deliver up Papa to him if he would agree to pay them
-the wages which were due to them. They made a similar application to
-Dervísh Páshá, beglerbeg of Bosnia, and who was stationed at Alba
-Julia. Mohammed Páshá complied with the request of these Frenchmen,
-and sent his lieutenant, Abdí Aghá, with four hundred men, and also
-the beg of Alba Julia, Arnáúd Hasan Páshá, with his troops to support
-the above renegadoes against all who came against them, and to avenge
-the death of their brethren. The Moslem aid which was thus sent them
-did it effectually; for they slew all who came to oppose them, carried
-away with them all their wives and children, and distributed them for
-slaves among those of the troops who had been most active. Three of the
-most respectable and most honourable of these captives they sent, under
-the charge of Hasan Páshá, to Belgrade. In the meantime a statement of
-the amount of wages due to the Frenchmen by the Austrian government,
-and which amounted to fifty thousand pieces of gold, and for which
-they had stipulated to deliver up Papa to the Osmánlís, was sent
-off to Constantinople without any unnecessary delay. The government
-readily agreed to the proposal; but before the money could be sent to
-them, the Germans surrounded Papa with cannon and soldiers, so that,
-in fact, neither the money nor any thing else could be sent to them.
-The poor Franks remained more than a month in this besieged condition,
-and thinking it hopeless to wait any time longer in this state of
-suspense and danger, they, under covert of the night, secretly left the
-fortress, and tried to escape to the mountains near Alba Julia, about
-six leagues distant. Not being acquainted with the road, they were
-soon overtaken by German and Hungarian soldiers, who slew the greater
-part of them. Nevertheless, five or six hundred of them, who escaped
-falling into the hands of their pursuers, eventually found their way
-to Alba Julia in a very weak and wounded condition. Five hundred of
-them remained at Alba Julia, and the remainder went or were sent to the
-serdár or commander-in-chief. This account of the Frenchmen of Papa is
-taken from the Fezliké, but Hasan Beg Zádeh and Abdulkádír relate the
-story somewhat differently.
-
-From their account of the fact it appears, that the French who had
-garrisoned Papa had written to Dervísh Páshá, proposing to deliver up
-that fortress on the condition of receiving a sum equal to what was due
-to them by the Austrian government; also of being received into regular
-pay, and that pay to be regularly paid to them at the end of every
-three months. Their number amounted, they stated, to two thousand,
-and they promised to be every way serviceable to their new masters,
-provided their offer was accepted. Sixty thousand ducats was the sum
-they demanded, which the exalted serdár agreed should be advanced
-to them, and immediately sent an account of the whole affair to the
-court of Constantinople. The money required, and ten thousand ducats
-in addition, for paying travelling expenses, were sent to Dervísh
-Páshá, who sent it to the Franks. To the principal or leading man among
-these Franks, who was a cardinal, a gold chain was sent along with the
-sixty thousand ducats. As soon as the money and the gold chain were
-delivered to the Franks, they put the Osmánlís in possession of Papa
-and immediately joined Dervísh Páshá. They were afterwards escorted by
-one of the ághás to Belgrade, where they entered into the service of
-the Turks. The exalted serdár some time afterwards showed them very
-great respect in the siege of Kaniza, they being the very first who
-entered the trenches on that occasion. The same night on which they
-entered into these trenches, the serdár gave them fifty thousand ducats
-over and above the pay which was due to them. This race was found most
-active and useful in the following campaigns, and were always preferred
-to other infidels. Several hundreds of them afterwards accompanied
-Sultán Osmán Khán in his wars, and were most serviceable to him whilst
-engaged against the northern nations. These French or Franks did not
-kill in the ordinary way. Such of the Russians and Cossacks as fell
-into the hands of the Moslems were delivered over to these Franks, who
-first fixed them alive on spits, and then roasted them before a fire,
-turning them round and round till they perished by the process.
-
-
-_Laudable qualities of Ibrahím Páshá._
-
-Petchoghli says that Ibrahím Páshá, the commander-in-chief, was a man
-of exemplary humility, possessing great benignity of nature and extreme
-meekness. So great was his compassion and commiseration when any one
-was brought before him for any crime, that he not unfrequently betrayed
-weakness. On a certain occasion, when some peasants were brought into
-his presence for rising up against the cazí of Púzgha and murdering
-him, he took the blame to himself, and gave them a certificate which
-signified that he had given them permission to perpetrate the crime
-of killing the cazí. The reason he alleged for having acted thus was,
-that if the peasants of the borders were too strictly dealt with, they
-would, to escape the process of examination, go over to the enemy. He
-manifested on several occasions similar compassion and forbearance
-towards many of the enemy when they were brought before him.
-
-It belongs to this part of our history to observe, that in Rabia II. of
-this year, the janissaries of Shám (Syria) having exercised excessive
-oppression towards the poor inhabitants of the province of Haleb
-under the pretext of raising taxes, the governor, Hájí Ibrahím Páshá,
-beglerbeg of Haleb, in order to suppress this mode of oppression,
-caused seventeen of these Syrian janissaries to be seized and put to
-death. This circumstance, however, gave rise to very serious commotions
-afterwards, and was the cause of the shedding of much innocent blood.
-
-The Georgian nation also revolted this year. Simon, the Hákim or
-governor of this province, a faithless infidel, raised the standard of
-rebellion and suddenly attacked Gúri, which he soon obliged to submit
-to him; and afterwards razed part of the city to its foundation. By
-the assistance of God, however, the governor-general of Tabríz and
-Ván, Ja’fer Páshá, succeeded in getting him into his power, put him in
-irons, cut off the head of Alexander, another of the Georgian princes,
-seized upon his sons, and sent them along with Simon to Constantinople.
-Simon was confined in the Seven Towers, but soon afterwards embraced
-the Moslem faith. He died during the reign of Sultán Ahmed Khán.
-
-Among the events which took place during this period, the following
-is worthy of being remarked. There lived in Constantinople a certain
-Jewess, who by means of an unlawful traffic acquired notoriety, and
-was the means of seducing and corrupting several individuals of some
-note. Her corrupt practices awakened the displeasure of the spáhís,
-who raised a tumult, and prevailed upon the governor of the city,
-Khalíl Páshá, to deliver her up, in order that the evil of which they
-complained might be removed. The governor, who seemed to have some fear
-of this wretch’s wickedness, and thinking it probable the queen-mother
-might hear of her, ordered Kazánjí Zádeh, a Chávush báshí, to go and
-demolish her dwelling. He did so; and not only caused her children to
-be seized, but also hurried them and her away to the governor. They had
-no sooner reached the stairs of the senate-house than the spáhís lost
-all patience, drew their weapons, and murdered every one of them. Their
-odious carcases were thrown out into the Meidán. But the perpetrators
-did not stop here. They cut off the Jewess’ hands, the instruments of
-bribery and corruption, and nailed them to the door of some of those
-who had been involved in her crimes. The emperor, however, was much
-offended at the shameless violence which the spáhís had exhibited,
-and therefore removed Khalíl Páshá from his office for not having
-restrained them. He appointed the eunuch Háfiz Páshá in his stead.
-
-
-_Concerning Abulhelím._
-
-This person, commonly called Karah Yázijí, or Scrivano, was one of the
-principal actors in the rebellion which began to rage in the east.
-
-Whilst the Moslem army was necessarily employed in repelling the
-aggressions of the Hungarians and protecting its frontiers from the
-inroads of these and other infidels, several insurrections broke out in
-the east. Karah Yázijí, known by the name of Abdulhelím, the commander
-of a cohort, headed a band of lawless and disaffected peasants, and
-unfurled the standard of rebellion in the district of Rohá.
-
-This same Yázijí was formerly beglerbeg of Ethiopia. Towards the close
-of 1007, when Hasan Páshá was called on by the court of Constantinople
-to give an account of his maladministration in Anatolia, the deputy of
-Caramania, Mohammed Chávush, went with a thousand men to chastise him;
-and after an hour or two’s fighting, dispersed Yázijí and his band of
-rebels. Yázijí fled to Iconium.
-
-When the government of Constantinople heard of these things, it
-appointed Mohammed Páshá, the son of Sinán Páshá, and third vezír, to
-the office of commander-in-chief of all the Asiatic troops; and he
-immediately sailed for Alexandria.
-
-When the new commander-in-chief arrived in the vicinity of Iconium,
-he found that Hasan Páshá was two stages in advance of him, and had
-joined himself to Karah Yázijí, who had subverted the fortress of
-Rohá. Mohammed Páshá soon surrounded Rohá, and was not long in forcing
-Yazijí to terms of accommodation. Yázijí was promised permission to
-return to his own sanják on condition of his first delivering up Hasan
-Páshá, which he accordingly did by letting him down by the wall of the
-fortress: thus sacrificing his friend to save himself. Yazijí, without
-any further ceremony or security, set off for Amasiah (a city in
-Cappadocia), that being the sanják assigned to him.
-
-It has been said of Karah Yazijí, that on finding that all his lead was
-expended during the siege, he caused dollars to be melted down and made
-into balls; and that it was only after these had been also expended he
-was necessitated to sue for peace. Hasan Páshá was carried in chains
-to Constantinople, had his hands and feet cut off in the diván, was
-afterwards mounted on a beast of burden and exposed through the streets
-of the city, and lastly, was empaled at the Woodgate as a public
-spectacle.
-
-Karah Yazijí not thinking himself secure, and fearing Mohammed Páshá
-might be disposed to take vengeance upon him for his former practices,
-again commenced to exercise cruelty and to excite rebellion; and it
-was only after Mohammed Páshá’s lieutenant and several other ághás had
-perished by his hands, that he was at last overpowered by the serdár,
-Mohammed Páshá, himself. He now fled into the district of Sivás, and
-fortified himself in the mountains which border on that district. The
-winter season having arrived, Mohammed Páshá went into winter-quarters
-at Diárbeker, determining that as soon as the winter was over he would
-pursue the fugitive into his strong-holds.
-
-In the meantime, however, Mahmúd Páshá, beglerbeg of Sivás, went to
-Constantinople, and not only succeeded in obtaining a suspension of
-hostilities against the wicked rebel, Karah Yazijí, but was himself, in
-consequence of his representation, again received into favour. He made
-it appear that his rebellion was owing to Mohammed Páshá’s tyranny,
-and that it was on this account he had gone into the mountains. He, in
-fact, represented him as a man worthy of important trust. The mufti
-and the káímakám were so thoroughly persuaded of the truth of this
-representation, that he was not only forgiven, but advanced to the
-sanják of Chorum. When Mahmúd returned to Sivás, he and Karah Yazijí
-were both employed in quelling the turbulence and insubordination which
-existed throughout the country. The commander-in-chief, Mohammed Páshá,
-was recalled. Hasan Beg Zádeh says that Chelebí Kází, the son of Siná
-allah Effendí’s brother, had received large sums of money from Karah
-Yazijí, and that he eagerly laboured by his representations, not only
-to procure a pardon for Yazijí, but also obtained the sanják of Chorum
-for him. He used his utmost efforts also to get Mohammed Páshá removed
-from office.
-
-
-_The state of Yemen._ (Arabia-felix.)
-
-After the beglerbeg of Yemen, Hasan Páshá, had completely subdued, in
-a series of battles, the rebels of that country who had raised the
-standard of rebellion against the Ottoman government, the chief amongst
-them, who appeared in the name of Imám Mehdí, and several other Arabs,
-suffered death by decapitation; and the whole of his followers were
-visited by retributive justice. The governor of Kokbán, Mohammed,
-and the governor of Haja, Abd ur rahmán, having returned to their
-obedience, afforded their aid to Sinán, the deputy, who was there left
-to quell all disturbance, and things soon became quiet and settled.
-
-
-_Ibrahím Páshá’s movements against Kaniza._
-
-About the return of spring, and after the celebration of a religious
-fast, which was about that time observed at Belgrade, the exalted
-serdár, or commander-in-chief, pitched his camp in the plains of that
-city, where he remained for the space of a month, making all the
-necessary preparations for commencing a new campaign, and also to
-afford time to the other troops to join the royal camp. Tarnákjí Aghá,
-the ághá of the janissaries, the ághás of other regiments, and officers
-of artillery, left the metropolis for Belgrade, about the commencement
-of Dhu’l hijja of the last year, and reached the royal camp towards the
-end of the same month. In consequence also of royal letters which had
-been transmitted to his highness the khán of the Crimea, he furnished
-a considerable supply of Tátár troops; and it was not long before
-the serdár was informed that the troops which his royal highness
-Ghází Gheráí, khán of the Crimea, had supplied, and which amounted to
-several thousands, had arrived, under the command of a sultán, in the
-neighbourhood of Belgrade.
-
-
-
-
-EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1009, H.
-
-
-All things being now in readiness, the grand army removed from the
-plains of Belgrade, crossed the Save towards the end of Moharrem, and
-encamped in the plains of Zimnún; whence boats loaded with provisions
-were forthwith sent to Buda. On the grand army’s arrival at the seventh
-stage of its journey, it was determined to march upon Usk, with the
-view of reducing Osterghún.
-
-It is necessary to observe, that the infidels of Kaniza (Canischa,
-in Hungary) were in the habit of perpetrating murders and committing
-robberies on both sides of the Drave and of the Danube, and, in short,
-had become very proud and exceedingly troublesome. Persons either going
-to, or coming from, the mills of Belgrade, were frequently attacked
-or carried off. About this time, or a little before it, they burned
-down to the ground a palanka called Púrnawar, not far from the bridge
-on the Save, by which the Moslem grand army had crossed that river,
-and committed some other devastations besides. Tarnákjí Hasan Páshá,
-who had been removed from Buda, and who at this time lived at Petcheví,
-no sooner heard of these cruelties than he immediately set out with a
-party of his followers in pursuit of the incendiaries, and on coming
-up to them on the banks of the Drave, they fled across a bridge, and
-afterwards destroyed it. This did not save them; for Hasan Páshá and
-his men crossed the river on rafts, again pursued the fugitives,
-killed some of them, made others of them prisoners, and the remainder
-of the vile incendiaries perished in the Drave, and so went to hell.
-The páshá and his men, after having performed these praiseworthy
-exploits, repaired with flying colours to the camp of the grand army,
-carrying their prisoners along with them, and for which service the
-serdár immediately granted the páshá his due meed of praise. He made
-some enquiry of the captives relative to the condition and strength of
-the enemy, to attack which the Moslem army had so far advanced.
-The exalted serdár, in a council of his great officers, when the
-subject concerning the reduction of Osterghún was adverted to, said:
-“Behold, great preparations have been made, many difficulties have
-been overcome, and just as we were on the eve of entering the enemy’s
-territories, these infidels of Kaniza have destroyed the bridge by
-which the Moslem army was to pass on its return. I am much concerned
-on this account, and therefore think it of the utmost importance that
-Búbofché, which is not far off, should be first reduced. This effected,
-we shall be able to command the whole of this quarter by placing a
-garrison in it, and, at the same time, keep the road to Buda open.” All
-the military chiefs, princes, and ághás approved of this proposal, and
-the serdár’s mind was bent on vanquishing Kaniza. Accordingly, Hasan
-Páshá, after the above consultation, set his men in order, crossed the
-bridge at Usk, and sent his heroes towards Búbofché.
-
-At this juncture of affairs, Dimoo, the odious Michael’s messenger,
-arrived in the camp with letters and presents for the court of
-Constantinople, (for Michael had submitted himself before this to the
-Osmánlís,) and along with the reïs effendí, Hamza Effendí, set out for
-that city on the 16th of Sefer, the day on which the army crossed the
-bridge of Usk on its way to Shuklúshka, where they took among other
-things an eighteen wakáyat cannon.[7] From Shuklúshka, a considerable
-number of troops under the command of the beglerbeg of Diárbeker, Murád
-Páshá, and Ketkhodá Mohammed, were ordered to advance upon Búbofché
-and lay siege to it. On the arrival of the army before Búbofché, the
-infidels made some little display of courage, by impetuously rushing
-forth upon the Moslems, who had just commenced the siege. In this
-sortie, one of the Mohammedan leaders fell a martyr, _viz._ the beg
-of Sigetwar, Delí Nasúh Beg. After they were repulsed, the Moslems
-commenced filling up the ditch which surrounded it, and in three days
-afterwards the serdár appeared with the grand army before Sigetwar.
-The contemptible enemy within this fortress, when they heard that the
-serdár was coming to attack them, were so powerfully overcome by terror
-that they yielded it up without resistance. Mohammed Ketkhodá conducted
-them all to Novograde, on the lake Platten. In the meantime, the serdár
-passed through Petcheví from Shuklúshka, and halted at Sigetwar. From
-each of these fortresses he took some pieces of cannon, and on arriving
-before Búbofché he found it occupied by his own troops.
-
-In a council held at Búbofché some concern was expressed regarding
-Buda, when Hasan Páshá said: “Thank God, Búbofché has been conquered
-on very easy terms. It was the key, on this side, to Mekumúriah, and the
-places of strength on the sea of Platten. Kaniza is the strong-hold
-of the infidels in that quarter. If it can be easily reduced, a
-great advantage in such a case will be obtained. Let us, therefore,
-whilst the enemy in that quarter has no suspicion of our movements,
-advance and take it at once.” The rest of the chiefs concurred in
-these sentiments of Hasan: but the serdár again expressed some doubts
-respecting the safety of Buda and the country adjacent. The chiefs,
-however, were decided. “Let Hasan Páshá,” said they, “be sent to
-Buda and attend to its safety: we are determined on marching against
-Kaniza.” Hasan Páshá, accordingly, set out that very day for Buda. Lála
-Mohammed Páshá, the beglerbeg of Romeili, and who had occupied Buda,
-was ordered to join the royal camp with the troops under his command.
-Taking five large pieces of cannon from Buda, and a party of those
-Frenchmen formerly mentioned, he marched by way of Kopan to join the
-grand army. On his way thither, he came upon a palanka, which after
-two days’ fighting he took, and destroyed every soul he found within
-it: for those who occupied this palanka were peasants who had thrown
-off their allegiance to the Ottomans. The palanka called Lawah they
-found deserted, took possession of it, and soon afterwards joined the
-royal camp, which had now arrived before Kaniza. The serdár, on leaving
-Búbofché, and arriving in the plains of the palanka of Perezancha,
-issued orders to the Tátár troops to commence their depredatory mode of
-warfare, and on the 1st of Rabia II. appeared with his grand army in
-the plains of Kaniza, where he was joined by Lála Mohammed Páshá and
-his provincials, as before observed.
-
-This Kaniza (or Chanisca) was a very strong place, situate in an
-island in the river Brak, which issues from the lake Platten, and
-unites itself with the Drave. It was most difficult of access, being
-surrounded on two sides by wood and marsh, which reached to both
-branches of the river. Cannon could have no effect upon it, on account
-of the earthen mounds which served as out-works for its protection:
-neither was it found possible to make any impression upon it by the
-springing of mines. Nevertheless, the serdár, putting his confidence
-of success in God, gave orders to form the siege. Every day four or
-five hundred balls were directed against it, but without any advantage
-whatever. Seventeen days were spent in battering it at the gate
-which opens towards Sigetwar with no better success. At length they
-constructed, by means of branches of trees, a path across the river
-sufficiently strong and broad to bear a waggon, but it stood only one
-day. This temporary path or bridge was called Lassa, and was a second
-time renewed.
-
-On the 15th day of the month, about mid-day, the Moslems were put into
-a state of consternation and surprize by a most tremendous report,
-and the sight of huge pieces of rock and earth, as large as the human
-body, flying through the air, and for the space of two hours Kaniza
-was enveloped in smoke and dust. After the smoke and dust had cleared
-away, they perceived that one of its two mighty towers had been carried
-away. It would appear that the preceding evening, when some of the
-Moslem prisoners who had been there confined, had been sent to fill
-up some breaches which by this time had been effected, they saw the
-door of the powder-magazine standing open, when one of them conveyed a
-lighted match into this magazine, and so placed it that it might, in
-the course of some hours, reach the powder. This then was the cause
-of the Moslems’ surprise. More than one thousand kantars[8] were thus
-ignited, and produced the explosion described, carrying off by its
-irresistible force the tower already mentioned, the prison in which
-lay one hundred and seventy Moslem captives, women and children, the
-arsenal, and the palace of the prince or governor, and himself along
-with it. For several days after this catastrophe no guns were fired
-from the fortress, but they continued the use of their musketry.
-
-In their distress and great amazement they sent word to the king (of
-Hungary), informing him of what had befallen them, and beseeching him
-to render them his aid.
-
-Ferdinand, emperor of Germany, who had collected his troops with the
-view of visiting Buda, heard that Hasan Páshá was there, and therefore
-came with his whole army, which amounted to forty thousand foot and
-horse, to the aid of Kaniza. His advance guard appeared on the 28th,
-and the whole army took up its position in the neighbourhood of Kaniza.
-The Moslem cavalry, eager to meet these infidels, advanced upon them;
-but such was the briskness of the enemy’s musketry, that they were
-obliged to retire. The janissaries now left their trenches, though the
-Frenchmen remained in theirs, and advanced in their turn, but were soon
-forced to retrace their steps and fly. The courage of the Moslem camp
-was supported by the unfurled banners of the begs and governors at the
-head of their respective troops. The enemy took good care, however,
-not to play the same game they had played at Mehaj after the fall of
-Agria, _i. e._ by rushing on the Moslem camp. They so placed their
-guns as to make them tell more effectually upon the orthodox army; but
-fortunately the balls passed over their heads. A whole day was spent in
-hard skirmishing, when, towards night, the enemy retired within their
-fortifications, and spent the whole of that night in strengthening
-their position by means of ditches, mounds, &c. Next morning, the
-infidel foot soldiery, with their cannon in front of them, advanced
-to the charge. The Moslem commander-in-chief mounted on horseback,
-arranged a body of his men behind a marsh: the janissaries and the
-beglerbegs with their respective troops stood ready in their places.
-The enemy continued to advance. The begs and páshás fell back upon
-the janissaries, who also retreated. The standard-bearers and brave
-commanders maintained their ground, but afterwards took shelter in the
-woods. A fog coming on prevented them from discovering the movement of
-the enemy, and they had nearly fallen victims when they returned from
-the wood. Night coming on, the sound of drum recalled the enemy to
-their fortifications. The following morning, the 1st of Rabia II., the
-Moslems determined on a general battle. The beglerbegs mounted their
-horses, and the foot and horse soldiers advanced; but the enemy had
-placed before daybreak a number of men in various parts of the wood,
-who showered so plentifully on the Moslems as they advanced to the
-assault, that they were fairly staggered. Many of these orthodox men
-fell martyrs on this occasion, and were thus hurled out of time.
-
-When the Moslem army had thus advanced to give battle to these pagans
-they supposed the Moslem camp was wholly deserted, and therefore
-endeavoured to throw provisions and gunpowder into Kaniza; but they
-were completely hindered from doing so by the exalted serdár, who
-appeared with a party of cavalry and a body of Janissaries ready
-to intercept them. The Janissaries, however, as on the two former
-occasions, fled like a flock of sheep put in terror by a wolf, and
-hastened back to the camp. The serdár endeavoured to rally them, and
-to recall their courage by calling out to them, “My brave fellows,
-why do you act thus cowardly?” but all in vain. The serdár, seeing he
-could make nothing of his janissaries, turned about with those around
-him, and entered into personal engagement with the hateful enemy, whose
-sharp-shooters were only hindered from reaching the Moslem camp by a
-marsh which intervened. The exalted serdár had only about three or four
-hundred spáhís and salihdárs around his person when he entered the
-place of general conflict: many of them fell at his side. The serdár
-himself went behind a rising ground and stood there. Shortly afterwards
-the ághá of the janissaries came running up to him, and letting down
-his sword exclaimed, that all was lost. The exalted serdár, without
-even looking at him, ordered the beglerbegs of Romeili and Anatolia,
-and the commander of the artillery to advance with four divisions and
-relieve those troops which had been engaged. The serdár, when he saw
-that the greater part of his men were in active operation, and that few
-had remained around his own person, was sorely grieved, and actually
-became bent with pain. The troops, however, rallied again, and once
-more made a vigorous attack on the enemy, in which the horse of the
-commander of the artillery fell, but he was soon supplied with another.
-The janissaries were very saving of themselves; not above forty or
-fifty of them showed their heads beyond their tents. Some of the
-cannoneers brought forward five falconets and two large field-pieces,
-and commenced firing them in front of the serdár with such effect upon
-the enemy as to cause them to draw together, and thus prevented them
-from entering into the Moslem camp. The approach of night, however,
-warned both armies to retire from the contest. Very many of the enemy
-perished in this day’s struggle for conquest. The infidels, it may be
-observed, never again ventured from their strong-hold. On the following
-day, the 3rd of the month, the Moslem foot and cavalry advanced again
-to meet the foe, and attacked them even in their own fortifications:
-at night they returned to their camp. On the fourth the Moslems held a
-consultation as to making a general assault on the fortifications of
-the enemy. Two thousand Tátárs, who had been reserved in the camp,
-were sent out to make what reprisals they could, and seized a number
-of waggons laden with provisions for the enemy’s camp. When the enemy
-saw that their provisions were cut off; that every road to their camp
-was watched by these Tátárs; and that they could find no means by
-which they might get Kaniza supplied with gunpowder; they on the 5th
-abandoned their fortifications altogether, and made off with themselves
-about the middle of the night of that date, leaving only a small
-quantity of spoil behind them.
-
-
-_Kaniza taken._
-
-The Moslem army returned to the siege of Kaniza, and continued it seven
-days after the enemy’s troops had fled. The besieged, finding that the
-army which had purposely come to their assistance had been obliged to
-fly in disgrace, as just now related, and being much weakened by the
-incessant efforts of the besiegers, as well as by the efforts they were
-continually called on to make in their own defence, became discouraged.
-
-Yánush Towán Beg, who had succeeded the late prince that was killed
-by the explosion formerly mentioned, went along with one Muklúsh, a
-cavalry officer, to a certain place of the fortress, from which they
-saw but too clearly that the host which had come to their aid had
-fled. “All hope of safety is now gone,” they said: “our gunpowder is
-expended, and these Turks will take Kaniza by force if we do not yield
-in time. It is far more advisable to deliver it, and save our lives
-before they do so, and give us no quarter.” The Hungarian part of the
-garrison were willing to adopt this counsel, but the Austrian part of
-it continued obstinate for awhile, yet soon afterwards concurred with
-the rest. Such was the way they consulted among themselves.
-
-On the evening of the 13th, which was the evening of the Sabbath, a
-tremendous rain fell; yet the Moslems continued their hostilities till
-daybreak next morning, when it was announced that they were, on the
-following day, to commence a general assault. Every preparation for
-this mighty effort was made; but when the besieged saw the conquering
-Moslems moving on to the assault they hesitated no longer; they
-immediately hoisted a flag of truce over their gate, and the sound of
-their voices, imploring for mercy, reached the skies. They requested
-that Khoja Sinán, of Petcheví, a trustworthy man, should be sent to
-them as a pledge of their security. This was accordingly acceded to,
-when immediately two or three of their chiefs, German and Hungarian
-princes, wearing gold chains about their necks, came forth to meet
-the exalted serdár, who presented them with robes, and granted them
-passports at their own request. These princes observed, that it was
-because they had no gunpowder they had submitted; “otherwise,” said
-they, “you would not have reduced Kaniza. But,” added they, “are the
-conditions on which you allow us to depart to resemble those promises
-you made to us at the taking of Yanuk and Agria, when you sent an army
-after us to murder us?” The exalted serdár gave them his solemn oath
-that, with the exception of their cannon and other arms, which now
-belonged to the emperor of the Ottomans, every thing else they were
-at full liberty to take along with them, and to depart in peace. They
-again, in consequence of this grace which the serdár had shown to them,
-said, “We have two hundred horsemen and one thousand five hundred foot
-soldiers in the garrison, besides women and children, who require
-the means of conveyance.” The exalted serdár immediately ordered two
-hundred camels to be provided for them for the purpose of conveying
-their property and wives and children. On the following day they
-evacuated Kaniza, delivered over the keys of the city to the serdár,
-loaded the camels which the serdár had provided for them with their
-families, goods and chattels, even to their geese and hens, plates and
-cradles, and set out on their journey; and halted at a small distance.
-
-In the meantime the head of the arsenal, and the commander of the
-artillery, Mohammed Ketkhodá, entered into the fortress of Kaniza,
-and took possession of it. Fifty-one pieces of large and twenty-five
-of small cannon were found in it. The churches were converted into
-mosques. The victorious troops entered into a friendly intercourse
-with the men who had lately evacuated Kaniza, and made some purchases
-of provisions and of such other articles as they had to dispose of.
-Mohammed Páshá, governor of Romeili, and Mohammed Ketkhodá conducted
-them as far as the fortress of Kapernak, about three days’ journey,
-when they were met by a party of their own kind from that fortress,
-and who made some splendid presents to the two chiefs, besides giving
-cloth to the other officers of the party who conducted them sufficient
-for one hundred garments, and as much as would make one for each of the
-camel-drivers.
-
-Hasan Beg Zádeh, who was present in this campaign, and who published an
-account of it, was appointed to write an account of the victory, and
-to send it by couriers to all parts of the empire. By the reduction
-of Kaniza, many other districts and towns, besides Kish, Komar, and
-Perzencha, were added to the Ottoman dominions, and were properly and
-regularly supplied with rulers, judges, and garrisons.
-
-When the secretary of customs, Abdí Effendí, who had been appointed
-to carry the news of the victory which had attended the Moslem arms
-to Constantinople, arrived there, three days and three nights were
-dedicated by appointment to public rejoicings. Orders were also sent
-to all the other great cities to follow the example of the metropolis.
-A robe, a sash, and a richly-ornamented sword and dagger, a splendid
-tent, besides other valuable presents, were ordered to be sent to the
-serdár or commander-in-chief, Ibrahím Páshá, along with a royal letter
-expressive of his majesty’s approbation. Splendid swords and daggers,
-and also robes, were at the same time sent to all the beglerbegs in the
-royal camp. To the historian of this campaign, Hasan Beg Zádeh, a robe
-and a sword were also sent.
-
-It is but just to observe, what the warriors who were present in
-the late wars knew to be true, that the orthodox armies were on two
-occasions in very great straits, and had suffered much, _viz._ at Agria
-(at Mehaj near Agria) and at Kaniza. On the first of these occasions
-the orthodox troops had to contend with an army composed of soldiers
-belonging to the seven kings (_i.e._ to all the European powers). The
-second was at Kaniza, and which we have endeavoured to describe; but
-which was much more disastrous to the orthodox troops, on the whole,
-than the former. Seven successive days’ hard fighting, from morning
-till evening, and in which the enemy maintained the superiority till
-God himself inspired their powerful enemy with terror, when they all
-fled, was of itself no easy task. Forty-three days, from first to last,
-were also spent in the arduous undertaking of reducing Kaniza, which
-was forced to capitulate only in consequence of the misfortune which
-had happened to its powder magazine, and which left the place almost
-a naked rock in the midst of a marsh. The troops also suffered greatly
-from the want of provisions, and which could not be obtained even for
-money. A wakáyet of salt could not be had for a dollar: so great was
-the scarcity of all sorts of provisions on this memorable occasion.
-The janissaries (who certainly do not appear to have deserved any
-praise) were on the point of retiring altogether, and would not, most
-assuredly, have remained in the camp another day, had not the fortunate
-events which we have described above, taken place. Such were the
-difficulties which the orthodox Moslem army had to encounter in these
-wars.
-
-Kaniza, after having been put into a state of thorough defence, was,
-with its dependencies, put under the command of the beg of Kústandil,
-Alája Eili Hasan Páshá, and its spiritual jurisdiction was conferred
-on Kádurí Effendí. Twenty odás, with their officers, under the command
-of Sefer Aghá, a Segbán báshí, were left to garrison it; besides three
-thousand more who were to act in the capacity of spáhís. Sigetwar,
-Petcheví, Shuklúsh, Usk, and Kaniza, were all put under the supreme
-jurisdiction of the above-mentioned Hasan Páshá. To each of the plebian
-troops two pieces of money were given, and they were all registered
-among the troops of Buda and Agria. The serdár, on his return from
-Kaniza, halted near Perzencha, where he ordered a new apalanka to be
-erected. Having crossed the Drave near Yakúah, he passed on towards
-Usk, where he permitted his army to disperse. The beglerbeg of Romeili,
-with his provincials, was sent into winter-quarters at Perizrin; and
-the beglerbeg of Anatolia, with his troops, were sent for a similar
-purpose to Banialúka. The ághá of the janissaries was allowed to return
-to Constantinople, and the victorious serdár himself returned to
-Belgrade.
-
-
-_Hájí Ibrahím Páshá defeated by Kara Yazijí_ (Scrivano).
-
-We have already had occasion to notice the conduct of the notorious
-rebel, Kara Yazijí, and how in consequence of intrigue and false
-representation, he was appointed to the sanják of Chorum. In
-consequence of this odious rebel’s having returned to his former
-doings, Ibrahím Páshá was sent from Constantinople with communications
-to Hájí Ibrahím Páshá, a vezír of the sixth rank, who was to
-conduct an army against the rebel, and who also had been appointed
-commander-in-chief in room of Hasan Páshá, who had been removed from
-the government of Baghdád. In the event of Hasan Páshá’s prolonging
-his stay at Baghdád, he was further instructed to proceed with the
-Anatolian troops, and endeavour by every effort he could employ to
-get the above-mentioned rebel and his brother, Delí Husein, into his
-power. Hájí Ibrahím Páshá, accordingly, went with his army in search
-of these men, and fell in with them at Cæsarea, at the head of twenty
-thousand insurgents, where he offered them battle, and which they did
-not decline accepting. The contest was severe and bloody, and Ibrahím
-was finally obliged to seek his safety in retreat. The victorious
-insurgents pursued him with an ardour worthy of a better cause, slew
-fifteen officers, and more than one thousand janissaries in the
-pursuit. It was with much difficulty that Ibrahím escaped into Cæsarea,
-and those of his followers who had not been so successful, fell victims
-to the fury of the insurgent army.
-
-This event which we have here recorded is said, in some histories, to
-have occurred in 1008 of the Hijrah; but most of them place it among
-the events of the year we are now noticing, _i.e._ 1009. Besides, the
-orders which government had issued respecting this infidel, and which
-were sent to the inhabitants of Cæsarea, are dated on one of the first
-ten days of Rabia II., 1009 of Hijrah.
-
-The story concerning Gira, the Jewess and her children, before noticed,
-is mentioned in the Fezliké of Hájí Khalífeh as having taken place last
-year, but the author of the history we have followed in relating the
-account, and Kara Chelebí Zádeh Azíz Effendí, place it where we have
-placed it. One of the sons of this infamous Gira, however, embraced the
-Moslem faith, and thus escaped the death which the whole of the rest
-of his family suffered. He went under the name of Iksák (lame) Mustafa
-Chávush. He died in the khán or inn of Devlet Sultání Ibrahím. The
-whole of the effects of Gira were confiscated by the government, and it
-is said they amounted to a very great sum. Her wares, independent of
-her jewels and estates, were sold for more than five hundred _yúks_ of
-money.
-
-The káímakám, or governor of Constantinople, Khalíl Páshá, on account
-of some connivance he had with the Jewess whose tragic end we have
-related, met with strong opposition from the spáhí tribe, and was
-therefore removed from his high office, and was succeeded in it by
-Khádem Háfiz Páshá, in the month of Shevál of this year; but who ten
-days after was succeeded by Yemishjí Hasan Páshá. The reason for this
-last change must now be explained.
-
-During the time the Moslem army lay before Kaniza, Dimoo, the messenger
-of the odious Michael, arrived at the Moslem camp with proposals to the
-Ottoman government respecting the fortresses of Yanwah and Lipovah,
-and was forwarded by the commander-in-chief to Constantinople; the
-reïs-effendí was also sent along with him, bearing communications from
-the commander in-chief.
-
-The káímakám, Khádem Háfiz Páshá, remembering the stratagem which
-Michael had practised on Háfiz Ahmed Páshá at Nicopolis, by means of
-this said Dimoo, as before related, the anger of the Páshá was raised
-to a high degree when he saw this messenger of deceit, and consulted
-the mufti concerning him. The mufti gave it as his judgment that no
-proposals whatever ought to be received from the odious Michael, nor
-any agreement entered into with so infamous a wretch, who, along with
-his deceitful ambassador, ought to suffer death. The káímakám, after
-hearing the judgment of the high priest, and without further ceremony,
-took summary vengeance on this satellite of mischief, by binding him to
-a tree and punishing him according to the nature of his crimes. Besides
-this act of summary justice exercised upon the person of Michael’s
-messenger, and which was construed into an act of contempt manifested
-towards the grand vezír and commander-in-chief, Ibrahím Páshá, who
-had forwarded Dimoo to Constantinople, the káímakám, at the very time
-Ibrahím was carrying on the siege of Kaniza, sent off a chávush with
-orders to make inquiry about matters on the frontiers, without once
-manifesting any regard to the authority of the commander-in-chief,
-to whom all these affairs properly belonged. This instance of open
-contempt awakened the displeasure of the grand vezír, which, no doubt,
-was heightened by the conduct of the káímakám towards Dimoo, whom he
-had sent to court, led him to seek revenge. The chávush he confined in
-prison at Belgrade, and immediately wrote to the queen-mother, and to
-the ághá of the sublime court, a statement of the káímakám’s conduct,
-pointing out to them the evils that would result from the plan
-pursued by Khádem Háfiz Páshá, both as it respected themselves and the
-enemy. No messenger, he maintained, if such a method as the one above
-described was to be pursued, would either come from the enemy to them,
-or go from them to the enemy. In short, no consultation whatever, he
-insisted, could be entered into, if the persons of messengers were not
-to be respected. It was as much as to say, at least in the instance
-adverted to, that no confidence whatever was to be placed in either
-the sayings or doings of the commander-in-chief, or any trust in his
-majesty’s minister-and much more to the same purpose. His statement was
-laid before the throne, when immediately Khádem Háfiz Páshá was turned
-out of office, and Yemishjí Hasan Páshá appointed in his stead.
-
-The new káímakám was no sooner installed in office, than a royal
-letter, no less fitted to embalm the heart than it was to console the
-mind, was sent to the exalted serdár, Ibrahím Páshá, in return.
-
-
-_The odious Michael’s troops defeated._
-
-Forasmuch as the countries of Valachia, Transylvania, and Moldavia
-having been, for several years past, disposed to rebellious
-out-breakings, and as the injurious and odious Michael had been the
-means of fostering and prolonging this spirit of insubordination among
-these different nations, it was necessary to try to put a stop to
-this mischievous wretch. Accordingly vezír Mahmúd Páshá, who had been
-sent to these quarters, and Shabán Páshá, the beglerbeg of Cyprus,
-who had been appointed to guard the banks of the Danube with his
-galleys, passed over, with their respective men, into the country of
-Valachia and repaired the fortress of Yerkok, and rebuilt its bridge
-over the Danube. Whilst employed in carrying forward these works,
-they sent their troops upon a depredatory excursion into the country
-of Valachia, and who not only committed great devastation throughout
-the country, but also completely robbed and laid desolate the mansion
-and premises which belonged to Michael himself. When the Moslem army
-were advancing towards the cities of Bekrish and Terghúshta, Michael,
-his vezír, and the commander of his army, the bán of Karah Chewah,
-met them with a very considerable force; but the Moslems soon gained
-a complete victory over these infidels, and slew the greater part of
-them. The heads of his commanders, his gilded banners, his drums and
-kettle-drums, were all sent to the royal diván. Michael was defeated
-in two other battles; his followers were either killed or dispersed;
-all his ammunition and guns were seized, and he himself, despairing of
-escaping with his life, perished by his own hands.
-
-In consequence of some confusion which had arisen with respect to
-the value of the coin, the new species, prepared by Yemishjí Hasan
-Páshá, appeared on the 5th of Rabia II. of this year. The ducat, which
-formerly went for two hundred akchas, now circulated for one hundred
-and twenty; and the dollar for eighty akchas.
-
-Information reached the capital in the month of Rajab that Ja’fer
-Páshá, the governor of Tabríz, had departed this life.
-
-By a prohibition of the emperor, in the month of Shevál, the hidden and
-shameful practice of using fermented liquor was suppressed.
-
-Simon, the governor of Georgia, according to the Fezliké, was brought
-this year, (not last year, as elsewhere stated,) to Constantinople, and
-confined in the Seven Towers.
-
-
-
-
-EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1010, H.
-
-
-_The grand vezír, Ibrahím Páshá’s death.—Yemishjí Hasan Páshá succeeds
-him in the premiership._
-
-We now begin to detail the events of another year; but before doing so
-we have to mention that the grand vezír and commander-in-chief, Ibrahím
-Páshá, having formed the project towards the end of the last year of
-concluding a peace with the enemies of his country, deputed Murád Páshá
-and Mohammed Ketkhodá to proceed to Osterghún, and there treat with
-Ferdinand’s commissioners. A thousand Segbán troops, with coloured
-feathers in their bonnets, under the command of the beg of Semendria,
-accompanied the embassy.
-
-Towards the end of Dhu’l hijja (the last month of the Mohammedan year),
-the commander-in-chief pitched his tent in the plains of Zimrún,
-opposite Belgrade, and watched with anxiety for the arrival of Alí
-Aghá, brother-in-law to Ghaznafer, who succeeded to the ágháship of the
-janissaries. Tarnákjí Hasan Páshá was appointed to the government of
-Kaniza. It is said that Murád Páshá and Mohammed Ketkhodá went to Usk.
-
-The Commander-in-chief’s strength was now weakened by disease, and the
-signs of his mortality became quite apparent. In this condition he sent
-for his uncle’s son, Morteza Páshá, and delivered over to him his most
-important earthly concerns; and on the 9th of Moharrem (the first month
-of the Mohammedan year) he departed this life, and his soul fled to the
-Paradise above. Morteza Páshá and Etmekjí Zádeh, the defterdár, sealed
-up the whole of his effects. The beglerbeg of Romeili, Mohammed Páshá,
-by this time had left his winter-quarters and had come to Alája Hisár,
-where he heard of the death of the commander-in-chief. This message was
-brought to him in great haste, because the late serdár had appointed
-him to take the command of the army in the event of his death. The
-following day, after the usual washings were over, and the funeral
-service performed, Mohammed Páshá consigned the remains of Ibrahím to
-a tomb adjoining the mosque of Bairám Beg. The account of Ibrahím’s
-death, and a statement of the affairs of the borders, were forthwith
-dispatched to Constantinople, and laid before the foot of the throne
-and before the members of the diván.
-
-In the meantime Murád Páshá and Mohammed Ketkhodá, who had been
-appointed to proceed to Osterghún with the view of negotiating a peace,
-finished the building of a palanka at one end of the bridge of Usk,
-which the late serdár had authorized to erect. They afterwards received
-an order of government to remain at this palanka.
-
-Some few days after the decease of the late serdár, the ághá of the
-janissaries arrived at Belgrade, and immediately removed the remains of
-Ibrahím to Constantinople, where they were interred in the temple of
-Sháh Zádeh.
-
-According to one account, the news of Ibrahím’s death first reached
-Constantinople about the 20th of Moharrem, when the seals were sent
-to the káímakám, Yemishjí Hasan Páshá. After his advancement to the
-premiership, he spent twenty days in preparing for his journey to
-Belgrade. By some means or other he was allowed the tents, pavilions,
-the equipage, the military arms, and, in short, the beasts of burden
-which had belonged to his predecessor. He even married his relict, the
-princess Ayesha.
-
-The new grand vezír still postponed his journey to Belgrade, and at
-length pretended it was too late in the season to proceed to that
-quarter. “Nothing of importance,” he said, “could, by the time he
-could arrive there, be accomplished.” He maintained, that no warlike
-operation was immediately called for in the present circumstances
-of the frontiers, or from the aspect presented by the enemy. Lála
-Mohammed Páshá, who succeeded in the command after the death of
-the late commander-in-chief, he further said, should be confirmed
-in the serdárship, proceed, if necessary, with the force under his
-command, and open the campaign. Thus did the new grand vezír excuse
-his own tardiness, and try to dispense with the necessity of his
-own departure. The Sheikh-ul-Islám, Siná-allah Effendí, thought
-otherwise. He maintained it to be absolutely requisite that the new
-grand vezír should proceed without a moment’s delay to Belgrade, and
-urged this sentiment with great warmth even before the emperor. The
-new grand vezír had no alternative left him but to proceed: but for
-this interference of the high priest the grand vezír never ceased
-to employ every stratagem he could against him, and at length had
-him deposed. In the military and ecclesiastical departments he made
-what changes he pleased: particularly in the first, and that too as
-far as Adrianople; though this department properly belonged to the
-Sheikh-ul-Islám Effendí. He advanced some, deposed others, as his
-fancy directed, and some he degraded. The Sheikh-ul-Islám Effendí,
-the high priest of the religion of Mohammed, felt his displeasure, as
-well he might have anticipated, after having expressed himself in the
-manner he did. Khoja Zádeh Mohammed Effendí was created mufti in the
-room of Siná-allah Effendí. Bostán Zádeh Effendí and Shemish Effendí
-were succeeded by Abdulhelím Effendí and by Isaád Effendí. The cazí
-of Constantinople, Ketkhodá Mustafa Effendí, was replaced by Mustafa
-Effendí of Adrianople, who was succeeded by Yahiah Effendí. The seventh
-vezír, Khalíl Páshá, was made káímakám, and Háfiz Ahmed Páshá was made
-third vezír. Tarnákjí, who had been deprived of his ágháship, but
-afterwards appointed to the government of Baghdád, had to resign his
-situation to Mohammed Páshá, son of Sinán Páshá, and Hasan Páshá was
-made vezír at Constantinople. Hamza Effendí was made chancellor in room
-of Okjí Zádeh. All these changes were effected by the new grand vezír.
-
-On the ninth day of the month Sefer, the grand vezír and
-commander-in-chief, Yemishjí Hasan Páshá, left Constantinople with
-great pomp and show, but did not encumber himself with tents or any
-heavy baggage. Persons were previously appointed to proceed in advance
-and have booths of branches of trees prepared at every station for his
-army. By this mode of quick travelling he was enabled to reach Belgrade
-by the 27th of the month, when he took possession of his predecessor’s
-tents which had been erected in the plains of Zimún by the late grand
-vezír himself. This was the first time he had entered a tent from the
-day he left Constantinople till his arrival at Zimún.
-
-The new grand vezír lost no time in attending to the duties of his
-station and office. Provisions were distributed amongst the troops,
-and full fifteen days were spent in arranging matters for commencing
-another campaign. Before detailing the events of that campaign, we must
-first advert to the success which the enemy had obtained at Alba Julia,
-and some other affairs, but which properly belong to the events of the
-preceding year.
-
-The fall of Kaniza was a heavy loss to the enemy, and afflicted them
-very much and universally.
-
-Towards the end of winter the Duke Mathias, with his Austrian and
-Hungarian commanders, came to the plains of Yanuk, where he assembled
-an army of forty or fifty thousand men, composed of Germans,
-Hungarians, Bohemians, and Polish troops. Twenty pieces of ordnance
-and ten sháhí (royal guns) were attached to this mighty host, which
-marched upon Alba Julia. Information having reached Belgrade, a short
-time after the spring commenced, that the enemy had laid siege to
-Alba Julia, the commander sent off, to the aid of the above place,
-the beglerbegs of Romeili and Anatolia with the Bosnian army; but
-before these auxiliary troops had time to cross the bridge of Usk,
-Alba Julia was taken by the enemy, after a siege of nine days. Alba
-Julia was no sooner taken than the enemy supplied it with a sufficient
-garrison, and afterwards concentrated its whole force at a place in its
-neighbourhood.
-
-
-_Concerning Tarnákjí Hasan Páshá’s going to Kaniza._
-
-Some time after the reduction of Kaniza, Tarnákjí Hasan Páshá having
-arranged matters at Buda, left the care of that fortress to the
-defterdár, Munker Kúshí Mohammed Effendí, and set out, towards the end
-of winter, to Belgrade, to pay a visit to the serdár, Ibrahím Páshá.
-This visit was not made in vain; for he succeeded with Ibrahím to have
-himself appointed to the government of Kaniza, and the defterdár,
-Munker Kúshí, to retain his charge at Buda. After his appointment he
-left Belgrade and went to take charge of his new government, but was
-not long at Kaniza before he heard of the death of his benefactor,
-Ibrahím Páshá. In a state of grief, occasioned by this intelligence, he
-left Kaniza and pitched his camp at a place called Ghurizghár, not far
-from Sigetwar. A wonderful event happened on the day on which he made
-the transition alluded to. It was excessively hot and sultry: suddenly,
-in a moment, an unusual loud sound was heard in the air, and so
-terrible as to frighten the horses. Everywhere they perceived immense
-companies of crows in the air, above the tents, fighting with each
-other, and which, after having fought their battle, as described, set
-out directly towards Kaniza. About an hour after this wonderful scene
-another of equal wonder presented itself. A host of eagles, similar to
-that of the crows, made their appearance above the tents, performed the
-same sort of manœuvres as their predecessors had done, and followed
-the same direction which they had taken. Those who witnessed these
-strange phenomena were, as may well be imagined, awfully surprised and
-confounded: but Hasan Páshá was a man of great prudence and caution.
-“It is a warning and a sign from God,” said he, in a solemn tone of
-voice; “it is an intimation of two engagements with the enemies of our
-religion.” After having repeated these words he called his deputy,
-who, at that time, was Iskender Páshá, and desired him to proceed
-to Belgrade and send him word who had been, or was to be, appointed
-commander-in-chief; and also to request him, whoever he might be, to
-send a reinforcement of troops to Kaniza. After having dispatched
-this messenger, he himself returned to Kaniza, and paid all due care
-and attention to put it into a state of defence and security. He sent
-persons, also, to the sanjáks of Sigetwar, Petcheví, and Púzgha, to
-collect provisions for the garrison; also others to spy out the
-condition and strength of the enemy. These latter messengers brought
-him the intelligence that the enemy had assembled an immense army at
-Yanuk, and that eighty thousand Franks were expected to join them from
-Frangistan. The páshá sent out other spies, and waited with anxiety for
-their return.
-
-
-_The enemy return to lay siege to Kaniza._
-
-It is to be observed that before this, an augmentation of troops,
-amounting to sixty thousand, foot and horse, supplied by Austria,
-Spain, and France, had been shipped at a port belonging to Venice, and
-disembarked on the shores of Croatia. The brother of the Roman pontiff
-commanded the Italian troops (the troops supplied by Spain, probably).
-Zerín Oghlí Majar, the beglerbegs of Aslobin, of the Black Herzog, with
-King Ferdinand at their head, met the above-mentioned European troops
-at Warashdin, in the country of Mekomúriah, and brought forty pieces of
-large ordnance along with them.
-
-In a council of war held on this occasion at Warashdin, they were all
-nearly unanimous in thinking it most advantageous to lay siege to
-Kaniza. Zerín Oghlí replied, in opposition to general opinion, that
-first of all, the fortresses of Perzencha and of Búbofché should be
-reduced; the ruined fortress of Sekish rebuilt and garrisoned: then to
-go and take the fortress of Kushwar, which would have the effect of
-dispersing the inhabitants of Koban and of its vicinity, _viz._ those
-of Barcan. “That appears to me,” said he, “to be the plan we ought to
-adopt. After we have accomplished these, let us support the German and
-Hungarian army stationed near Alba Julia. If the Moslem serdár should
-venture to attack them, we shall, in such a case, be ready to assist
-them; if he should attack us, then they will be ready to come to our
-assistance.” This counsel of Zerín Oghlí was rejected and the first
-opinion adhered to. They determined on reducing Kaniza.
-
-All this various information was carried to Hasan Páshá by his spies,
-and he was immediately induced, without divulging a syllable of what
-he had heard to any one, to issue orders to his begs and commanders
-to prepare for entering the country of Mekomúriah on a depredatory
-excursion on the shortest notice; and to have their arms and provisions
-in readiness. These begs and commanders throughout his government
-obeyed, and assembled with their troops in the fortress of Sigetwar.
-This order to his begs and commanders was given under the pretext that
-the enemy was marching towards Buda.
-
-In the meantime the enemy’s troops advanced within one stage of Kaniza,
-where they halted three days for the arrival of their artillery. They
-thought, from the movements which they had perceived among Hasan
-Páshá’s troops, that they had actually gone towards Buda, and that,
-therefore, Kaniza would be obliged to yield without much resistance.
-“Never mind; let the Turks go to Buda,” said they among themselves; “we
-shall see what state Kaniza is in.” Thus saying, they sent out some
-spies, who when they returned confirmed them in their blindness. “The
-Turks,” said the spies, “have not the least idea of our approach; but
-Hasan Páshá, the governor of Kaniza, says, our army has marched on to
-Buda; and that he is therefore preparing to enter into the country of
-Mekomúriah on a predatory excursion.” Such was the import of the report
-of the spies; and it had the effect of filling the infidels with joy.
-After considering all these appearances, apparently in their favour,
-they advanced to the siege.
-
-
-_The grand vezír and commander-in-chief, Yemishjí Hasan Páshá, marches
-against the enemy._
-
-After the grand vezír had reached Belgrade he learned that Alba Julia
-was besieged by the enemy’s troops, and therefore sent off a body
-of men to its assistance. This auxiliary army had scarcely reached
-the bridge of Usk, when information reached him that Alba Julia was
-taken by the enemy. Immediately after this the news of Kaniza’s being
-besieged was also communicated to him.
-
-The experienced páshás at Usk entered into consultations as to the
-plan they ought to adopt in the present circumstances. Some of them
-proposed to go to Kaniza; others of them thought this unnecessary.
-Every one had his own opinion: they were fairly divided. After much and
-long disputation, it was at length observed, that if they should go to
-Kaniza, it was more than probable the enemy’s army at Alba Julia would
-pursue them. They would thus be exposed to two armies at once, each of
-which was very powerful. In this case (said the speaker), it would not
-be an easy thing to give an answer. Better that we march to Alba Julia;
-and after we have defeated our enemies there, continued the speaker,
-we, on our return, will march to the aid of Kaniza.
-
-This counsel was agreed to; and, accordingly, letters were issued,
-giving information of the resolution the páshás had come to. They
-commenced their march towards Alba Julia, and on reaching Jankúterán
-they were joined by the division which the grand vezír had formerly
-sent forward to the aid of the Alba Julians, and also Munker Kúshí
-Mohammed Páshá with the troops of Buda. In another council held at this
-place they unanimously agreed to attack the enemy at once and with
-vigour. Having taken eight badalooshkas and four large cannon from
-Buda, they advanced in the greatest haste, and reached the plains of
-Alba Julia on the first of Rabia II.
-
-The enemy lay between two mountains, and had an immense ditch in front.
-The Moslem army advanced, threw a bridge over the river which issued
-from a lake, crossed this river on the following day, and attacked
-the enemy in their tabúr or fortifications. The great and small guns
-were put into immediate requisition. On the following morning, at
-daybreak, the combatants on both sides were in motion, and the work of
-destruction was again renewed and carried on till the darkness of the
-night made it necessary for both parties to retire.
-
-According to Hasan Beg Zádeh’s account of this battle, it would appear
-that the janissaries, on the last of the days above-mentioned, when led
-on to the attack by the commander, had fled before the opposing foe,
-and were on the very point of making the commander their prisoner. God
-protected him.
-
-Petcheví says, that Mohammed Ketkhodá having secured an advantageous
-position, slew immense numbers of the enemy. The enemy now advanced in
-four columns, each column five hundred strong, and drove the Moslem
-cavalry off the field. The salihdárs were ordered to advance to oppose
-their progress, but were unable to effect any thing: night, however,
-came on, when both parties retired from the conflict for a few hours,
-but it was soon after renewed with double fury. In this day’s work of
-death, towards evening, Mohammed Ketkhodá and Mohammed Munker Kúshí
-Páshá, the governor of Buda, whilst advancing with their divisions to
-an attack, fell in the field of battle.
-
-According to Hasan Beg Zádeh and Abdulkádír’s accounts of this battle,
-it appears that the Romeilian troops had been ordered to support the
-attack in which the two chiefs now mentioned met their death, but that,
-in consequence of some rancour which their commander, Mohammed Páshá,
-entertained against Khetkhodá, they had failed: neither did any of
-the other troops, they say, offer to do it. Petcheví says, however,
-that he himself was present and an eye-witness: his words are, “I was
-standing beside the páshá and looking at the contest. The páshá (_i.e._
-the beglerbeg of Romeili) was not aware when this attack was made, and
-therefore could not have rendered them any aid. After the return of the
-divisions which they had led on to the attack, the martyrdom of these
-heroes was announced to him, and he was excessively grieved that they
-had advanced to that attack without having given him notice of it. Any
-account of the matter differing from this is false.”
-
-On the night of the last battle the enemy altered their position; for
-when the Moslems, next day, moved slowly to meet their antagonists,
-they found them closely concentrated in a narrow pass in the road
-which led to the fortress of Polatah. Finding them thus situated, and
-seeing they had succeeded, during the night, in casting a deep trench,
-the Moslem army did not again offer to attack them. Under pretence of
-winter having set in they retired altogether from the scene of contest
-and battle.
-
-The government of Buda was conferred on the beglerbeg of Romeili,
-Mohammed Páshá. Four thousand janissaries, under the command of a
-túrnají báshí, were ordered to accompany Mohammed Páshá to Buda. On
-their return to that fortress they passed through the country of
-Segdin. Winter having come on, preparations for assisting Kaniza were
-immediately commenced.
-
-
-_Kaniza is besieged._
-
-We have already mentioned the manœuvre practised by Hasan Páshá,
-governor of Kaniza, and the arrival of the infidel army within a stage
-or one day’s journey of the above city and fortress.
-
-On the 8th of Rabia II., five thousand of the above army appeared in
-the vicinity of Kaniza, on the road which led to Vienna. The governor
-gave the strictest orders to the head of the artillery not to fire on
-them, and forbade any of the cavalry to venture out: for the object of
-this hostile party, he observed, was to seize prisoners where and how
-they could. Let the foot soldiers, continued he, meet them with their
-fire-arms and contend with them; and he immediately placed a number
-of effective men at each of the gates. The order of the governor was
-obeyed. The heroes who went to dispute the progress of the enemy,
-manfully maintained the bloody contest till mid-day, when the enemy
-retired to their tábúr, leaving many of their men, as well as of their
-horses, on the field of battle. Ferdinand was informed of the result;
-but, it would seem, knew nothing of the attempt they had made, and
-strongly reproved them for it.
-
-Next day (the 9th), Ferdinand himself called one of his princes,
-ordered him to advance with a party, and by all means endeavour to
-seize some prisoners. This was the very object the party, the day
-before, had in view. This second party advanced till they were under
-the very guns of the fortress, and contended with the heroes formerly
-mentioned till the hour of afternoon prayers, when they, instead
-of retiring as on the previous day, stopped and cried out: “by the
-religion of Mohammed, if you have only one gun fire it.” The heroes,
-in compliance with the instructions of their governor, replied, that
-though they might have such, yet that they had till then refrained
-from using them, and had spared their lives. The enemy believed this,
-and rejoicingly went and told it to Ferdinand the king. The king
-immediately called a council of his great men, and communicated this
-intelligence to them. On the following day (the 10th), he sent forth a
-party a third time, who fought more desperately than on either of the
-preceding days. On this occasion they again requested the Moslems to
-fire a gun, that their king might hear its report in his camp or tábúr.
-The former answer was returned to them, with this addition: “We are
-here but for a few days, like strangers. Would a man live in a desolate
-island-like place as this? Our emperor has many thousand palankas like
-this Kaniza.”
-
-It is to be observed, however, that when Hasan Páshá desired it to
-be said that there were no cannon in Kaniza, his ághás opposed it by
-saying, it was improper to mention it to the enemy; “for,” said they,
-“if the enemy should happen to be either unwilling or afraid to attack
-us, this saying will most assuredly have the effect of inducing them to
-do so.” The Páshá replied: “attend you to my orders; there is something
-that you do not yet know: I know when to employ the cannon: I reserve
-them till then.” But to return. The infidels returned, as on the former
-occasions, and informed Ferdinand what they had heard from the Moslems
-about there being no cannon in the fortress of Kaniza. Ferdinand,
-elated by this intelligence, called a council of his great men. “Let
-us,” said he, “send out spies, and if the intelligence which they bring
-us correspond to what we have just learned, then we will certainly root
-them out. We will, afterwards, order our movements according to any
-method which Prince Mathias, now below Yanuk, may see fit to adopt.”
-So much for Ferdinand. Some of his counsellors, however, ventured to
-think differently. “Let us first,” said they, “lay siege to Sigetwar
-and take it: let us, in fact, take every one of the fortresses as far
-as Usk, and root out the Turks from everyone of them.” Zerín Oghlí, who
-was present in this sage assembly of warriors, was asked to give his
-opinion. He did so. It was as follows: “In the reign of Sultán Soleimán
-Khán I was shut up in this fortress (Sigetwar). The out-works of the
-fortress can be easily taken, but the citadel is peculiarly strong.
-It will require forty pieces of cannon for each one of its batteries
-before any impression can be made upon it. It was after having thrown
-a hundred thousand loads of earth into the lake, by which it is
-surrounded, and as much again above its surface, that Sultán Soleimán
-was enabled to surround the fortress and take it by force. If your
-strength is sufficient for an exploit of that kind, and if the Turkish
-troops do not turn upon you, then you may perhaps succeed. One thing
-I know, that if you are able this year to deliver Kaniza out of the
-hands of the Turks, you will accomplish a feat which will be without
-a parallel: for, you must know, there is shut up in it an enchanter
-whose artifices elude all detection. For twenty years past we have been
-obliged to drink his poisonous draughts. Every time they announce that
-he is either sick or dead, he is sure to appear in one or other of
-our provinces and perpetrates immense evil. Hitherto no one has been
-able to withstand him. He has completely vanquished, by his artifices,
-every one who has opposed him.” Zerín Oghlí having finished his long
-speech, one of the Frank princes, who had hearkened to it, said: “This
-man (Zerín Oghlí) is not acquainted with our method of war, or he is
-an ally of the Turks, and tries to intimidate us.” Zerín’s speech
-was henceforth disregarded by the council, and Ferdinand said “that
-next day, at all events, they would advance upon Kaniza: if the Turks
-abandoned it, good and well; if not, we will lay siege to it. Let these
-treacherous Hungarians (the inhabitants of Kaniza) see what will be the
-fate of the fortress of Kaniza. After Kaniza is once disposed of, then
-we shall take vengeance on them. They have every where instigated the
-sword of the Ottoman to deeds of blood.”
-
-On the 11th of Rabia II., about mid-day, this vile army of infidels,
-with the beating of drums, sounding of cymbals, blowing of trumpets,
-and ringing of bells, approached with great pomp, and with inverted
-arms, the devoted city and fortress, and took up its position on the
-banks of the river Berk, on the road which led to Vienna. A short time
-after they had thus taken up their position, they perceived a number
-of waggons which happened to be conveying provisions from Perzentcha
-to Kaniza, but which the infatuated infidels thought were waggons come
-to carry off the population of that city, and therefore gave orders
-not to meddle with them in going in; determining to pursue them when
-they again came out, and murder the whole of the people they might
-find in them. They were, however, completely deceived. It is a curious
-fact, but true, that the men who had escorted these waggons went to
-the governor, after having safely entered Kaniza, and asked him what
-was the meaning of the mighty army they had observed on the banks of
-the Berk—for surely, said they, they are not enemies. The governor
-pleasantly replied, that they had come on a visit: “but now that you
-have all safely got into the fortress,” said he, “they shall be served
-with a feast of red-hot melons without delay.”
-
-The wisdom of the páshá in giving orders not to fire on the enemy, as
-before observed, appeared most conspicuously to every one: for had he
-ordered his guns to be fired at the enemy when they urged him to do so,
-it is clear the waggons with provisions would certainly not have been
-allowed to enter into Kaniza, but would in all probability have fallen
-into the hands of the enemy, as well as the troops which escorted them.
-But to return. The páshá called the heads of the artillery, and asked
-them how many cannon there were in the place. Nearly one hundred, small
-and great, was the answer. “Well then,” said the governor, “let them
-all be charged, and as soon as you hear _Allah! Allah!_ discharge the
-largest, and immediately afterwards, and at once, let the others be
-discharged in the midst of the enemy.” The guns were accordingly loaded,
-and the well-known signal waited for.
-
-In the meantime the páshá bowed the knee twice in humble prayer. The
-signal was at length given: the largest, and immediately after it
-the rest, were fired, the roaring thundering noise of which made the
-earth to quake. The enemy, as might well be imagined, were struck with
-terror, and perceived when it was too late their mistake. Ferdinand was
-standing, at the moment a volley of shot from the batteries of Kaniza
-was poured in amongst his army, talking with four of his princes, three
-of whom were shot dead on the spot. Many thousands besides perished.
-This feast of red-hot melons made the enemy think of retiring across
-the river; and whilst in the act of doing so they were hotly pursued
-by the Moslem heroes, who fought with them till the night closed upon
-them. The enemy having again encamped in the direction of Sigetwar, the
-princes came forward and said to King Ferdinand, “Behold, sire, the
-stratagem the Turks have laid for us! Let there be no quarter shown to
-them: let us destroy them root and branch, and make them a spectacle
-to the world.” The king replied, that he would see how they themselves
-should act: it was the day of vengeance.
-
-They now put their cannon in order, entered into the trenches, and
-from this moment the siege of Kaniza may be said to have been properly
-begun. Their first act of hostility, after commencing the siege, was
-the discharging of three cannon, none of which did much injury. The
-first passed harmlessly over the fortress: the second was not quite so
-harmless, for it passed through the páshá’s palace, killed one of his
-relations, and then rebounded towards Sigetwar: the third touched the
-odá of the ághá of the janissaries, but did no injury. They afterwards,
-at once, and from six different places, discharged forty large pieces
-of cannon, the noise of which seemed to indicate the total annihilation
-of the place.
-
-When the enemy had laid siege to Kaniza, or at least when they first
-appeared before it, Hasan Páshá called a council of his grandees, to
-whom he observed: that though there was no scarcity of gunpowder,
-or any want of water, and though they had abundance of provisions,
-yet it was proper, he said, the commander-in-chief, Yemishjí Páshá,
-before he removed from Belgrade, should be made acquainted with their
-circumstances. Two heads of odás, one called Ahmed and the other
-Mohammed, were appointed to accompany Karah Punjeh, a veteran of the
-borders, and one who was well acquainted with all languages, with this
-intelligence to the commander-in-chief. They left Kaniza by night,
-passed through Sigetwar and Shukulwish, and arrived on the fourth day
-after leaving the above city at Belgrade, when they laid the passport
-of their mission before the commander-in-chief. The latter, after
-holding a council, wrote letters to Hasan Páshá, assuring him that
-he was on the point of coming to his assistance, and dismissed the
-messengers. On the return of these messengers to Kaniza, they found
-it so closely besieged that not even a bird could wing its way into
-it without being discovered. The two odá báshís remained at Sigetwar
-whilst Punjeh disguised himself, and by this means conveyed his
-despatches into Kaniza, which had the effect of animating the hopes
-of the besieged. But to return. The enemy having commenced, as before
-observed, a regular siege, their efforts became unremitting. Every day
-witnessed more than a thousand balls directed against the walls of
-Kaniza; but the brave veterans within filled up during the night the
-gaps which these horrible cannon effected in the day-time, with their
-bed-clothes, and such other things as they could find. The heroic páshá
-went about every where, and stimulated and encouraged the besieged.
-For the space of a whole week they had not shut their gates, and the
-foot veterans continued to make regular sorties against the besieging
-foe. Their cattle also went in and out regularly, and the enemy did not
-succeed in taking even so much as one of them, much less any prisoners.
-
-The enemy having made no speed in their method of operations, thought
-proper to change it. They recrossed at a place called the ford of
-Mohammed Khetkhodá, and in the direction of Sigetwar effected mounds
-and ditches to the number of fourteen, leaving, in the direction to
-Vienna, where they had first taken up their position, five pieces of
-ordnance and six thousand troops. After having accomplished these
-manœuvres, they now began to throw vast quantities of rushes into
-the Berk, over which a covering of wicker-work was placed. Over this
-again they finally, though it took them more than forty days to
-accomplish, made a kind of road or bridge corresponding in breadth to
-one of their ditches, with which it communicated. They carried their
-materials by means of light barrels made of fir, which were easily
-dragged by two men. After having extended this road or bridge to the
-walls of Kaniza, to which they firmly fixed it by means of iron rods,
-and when all things were nearly in a state of readiness for commencing
-an assault, Hasan Páshá, who was no careless observer of their
-manœuvres, and who knew when and how to baffle the enemy, sent a few
-heroes, who had volunteered their services, in a boat by night, when
-the infidels were drowned in sleep, to set fire to their huge labour,
-and which they punctually did. The bridge, and every living infidel who
-happened to remain on it, perished in the flames.
-
-Some time before this event in the history of this memorable siege,
-Hasan Páshá wrote again to the commander-in-chief by the aforesaid
-Punjeh. In these communications he urged Yemishjí Páshá to come at
-least to Sigetwar, that by doing so he might encourage the spirits of
-the besieged. “If this fortress should happen to be taken out of our
-hands,” said he, “it will not easily again be retaken, and you will
-find some difficulty in exonerating yourself.” Karah Punjeh proceeded
-with this message, taking his two former companions along with him from
-Sigetwar, where they had stopped, and met the serdár at Usk. Instead of
-complying with the earnest request of Hasan, and fulfilling his former
-promise, the serdár only sent him an encouraging letter, telling him he
-was on his march to Alba Julia, but would, on his return, afford him
-the aid he demanded. Karah Punjeh returned to Kaniza, and delivered,
-secretly, his dispatches to Hasan Páshá, who, on reading them,
-immediately had them copied, and added, as if from the serdár, that
-he would soon arrive to the aid of the garrison. Next day he called a
-council, made this copy, or rather forged letter, to be read in their
-hearing, which produced all the effect the sagacious páshá wished. The
-people were overjoyed, and resolved, every man of them, to hold out, at
-the expense of life and all that was dear to them, to the very last;
-but they anxiously looked for the arrival of the serdár.
-
-The enemy, after the burning of their bridge, tried to repair their
-loss by building another, in which labour they spent another twenty
-days; but it also met with the fate of the former. Finding themselves
-thus a second time foiled in their attempts, they commenced building
-boats of fir-wood at the head of the Berk, which they covered over
-with boards, over which they again placed cow-hides, with the view of
-preventing the small arms of the besieged injuring those on board of
-them. After having launched this flotilla, each of which carried one
-hundred men, the infidels, on the night on which this took place, began
-to make great rejoicings. Hasan Páshá, in the meantime, and on the same
-night, sent out a party to try and seize some prisoners, who returned
-with two. On their being presented before the páshá, he asked one of
-them, privately, the cause of the enemy’s rejoicing; and was answered
-that it was owing to the great success which had attended their arms
-at Alba Julia. “How comes it to pass,” asked the páshá, “that all the
-prisoners which we have hitherto taken belong to your nation (Germany)?
-Are there no Hungarians and Croatians among you?” “Why,” answered the
-prisoner, “the Hungarians are favourable to the Turks, and therefore
-none of them are allowed to straggle from the camp.” The páshá again
-asked him what number of Hungarians there might be in the army? He was
-told, that besides Croatians, there were about thirty thousand in it.
-After having thus questioned the first prisoner, he called the other
-and questioned him in the same way, and he returned similar answers to
-those given a little before by his fellow prisoner. The páshá, with
-a stern voice, ordered the prisoners to be led forth, and to have
-their heads struck off; secretly intimating, however, to Karah Omar,
-to whom this order was given, to take the prisoners and show them the
-one hundred and fifty pandúrs and the five hundred Hungarian horsemen
-who had accompanied the waggons of provisions which had entered Kaniza
-about the time the siege was begun, and whom the páshá had retained.
-“Tell them,” said the páshá to Karah Omar Aghá, “that they are all
-Hungarians, and that we expect a thousand volunteers of the same race
-to join us in two or three days more. Say to them,” continued the
-sagacious páshá, “that you yourself are one of their nation (Germany),
-but that you have been in the service of the páshá since your youth;
-that you have a thousand men under your command; that you have got so
-much property that you cannot think of relinquishing it: that you will
-be extremely happy if the German army succeed in taking Kaniza, but
-that there are many amongst them who wish for no such thing; that there
-is provision in the garrison of Kaniza sufficient for a whole year
-to supply the number of inhabitants within it, who amount to thirty
-thousand Turks alone; that there is abundance of gunpowder in it also:
-then invite them to wait till the ice is formed, when you will let them
-away. Our páshá, you will say to them, desired to have your heads,
-but I have interceded with him in your behalf: I now release you, and
-you may go when you please; but be sure to tell your superiors, when
-you reach your own camp, of the kindness I have shown to you.” Karah
-Aghá acted his part most masterly, gave them some pieces of white
-bread, and sent them away, secretly, as it were, in a boat to their
-own army. These two men had no sooner reached their companions, than
-they went to inform Ferdinand of the history of their captivity, which
-very much grieved him. The intelligence which the two captives seemed
-to have in their power to communicate was any thing but pleasing to
-King Ferdinand; and it was no less astonishing, when compared with his
-former information, than it was unwelcome and distressing.
-
-One morning, about this time of the siege, a voice was heard as if
-coming from the enemy’s camp, which said, “Do not fire any of your
-guns; we (there were more than one) have something to tell you.” “What
-is it?” was the reply. “Why,” said these early visitors, “be it known
-unto you that your commander-in-chief, Yemishjí Hasan Páshá, has been
-completely defeated and routed at Alba Julia. The heads of Mohammed
-Ketkhodá and of Mohammed Páshá, the governor of Buda, have been sent
-to our commander-in-chief, thanks be to God. Behold, here they are!”
-and then held them up to the view of the besieged Moslems at the end
-of long poles. “To-morrow,” continued the early vagrants, “tomorrow
-our whole force will be brought to bear upon you. In whom is it that
-you place your reliance? Your commander-in-chief has been defeated
-and has fled. Deliver up this city and fortress, which belongs to our
-king, and save yourselves from certain and inevitable destruction. Your
-governor, Hasan Páshá, is a vain man, and seeks to ruin you: pay no
-further regard to him. Save yourselves and your property; for the king
-promises to secure both if you hearken to our advice. To-morrow, when
-Duke Mathias returns to us from Alba Julia, no mercy will be shown to
-you. If you stand in doubt with respect to the two heads now exposed to
-your view, let any one of your number, who was acquainted with their
-possessors, come forth and examine them, and satisfy himself. He shall
-sustain no injury: on the contrary, our king will confer favours upon
-him.”
-
-These tidings greatly alarmed the inhabitants. “The serdár has been
-defeated; our provisions and our gunpowder will fail us if that mighty
-army should come against us,” said the frightened inhabitants to Hasan
-Páshá, the intrepid governor, who had a mind ready to act in every
-emergency. “My brave veterans, you all know,” said he, “that the
-accursed enemy has promised us nothing. Do not let the sight of the
-heads of the infidels, or their threatenings, by any means terrify you.
-I have a few things to say to you—hear me, therefore, patiently. Renew
-your engagements with me. Whether the heads which the infidels have
-shown you be really the heads of the persons they have said they are,
-is yet to be discovered. To ascertain this, let us send Karah Punjeh,
-who will bring us correct information on this point. And should it even
-turn out that they are the very heads of the two men above-mentioned,
-that is no reason why we should be any way discouraged. It is not
-on their account we have shut ourselves up in Kaniza. Long live the
-emperor! If the meanest slave were desired to sacrifice his life, he
-would willingly give his head, as those men gave theirs. We are here
-for the defence of our religion, though now cooped up within the narrow
-limits of this place. But I have some reason to think that this city
-and fortress, God willing, will not fall into the hands of the enemy.
-One of my reasons is as follows. When Ibrahím Páshá was, on a former
-occasion, employed for the same length of time we have been besieged
-in reducing a fortress, he would never have gained the victory, had he
-not said: ‘if God will prosper my undertaking, I shall devote this
-place to the illuminated city, Medina;’ when shortly afterwards it fell
-into his hands. It is hoped that he who has devoted himself to the
-Sultán of the prophets will not fall before the infidel. Another reason
-is: the enemy commenced the siege on the night of the 12th Rabia I.,
-which is the birth-night of our prophet. There is, therefore, hope to
-his followers, who have been besieged on the very night which is held
-sacred to the memory of him who came into the world on that night to
-bless it, and is the rejoicing of all the prophets. Again: you, every
-evening, sound the Mohammedan signal or watch-word, _Allah! Allah!_ and
-though the enemy were at once to discharge his forty pieces of cannon,
-yet God will manifest his care over those who trust in his name. I
-pray God, that as he has not permitted us to fall into the hands of
-the enemy, so this hateful army may never get away in safety.” This
-speech of the páshá had a powerful effect on the minds of the besieged,
-who were not only animated by it, but also prognosticated important
-good from it. He again counselled them to pay no regard to the words
-of their morning visitors, who had no other object, he said, but that
-of deceiving them. “Show them your swords,” cried he again, “and these
-dastardly fellows will see what metal you are of.”
-
-The páshá, after having delivered the animated speech which we have
-here recorded, proposed sinking the two heads into the river, on the
-banks of which they were still exposed. He had scarcely spoken, when
-a cherí báshí came forward and proposed to direct a cannon against
-them. “Do so,” said the páshá, “and God prosper you.” The cherí báshí
-immediately pointed the cannon called Bulbul at them, and in a moment
-the two heads were at the bottom of the river. The infidels to whom
-the charge of the heads had been given, and who spoke in the ears of
-the besieged the speech on the occasion of their being first presented
-to them, returned to their camp vexed and disgraced. The successful
-cannoneer was honoured by the páshá with an annual pension.
-
-When Ferdinand was informed of the result of his messengers’ embassy,
-he became enraged, and said he would present ten villages to any one
-who would bring him a prisoner from Kaniza. None of the infidels,
-however, though they did all they could to accomplish the king’s
-wishes, were able to succeed. God prevented them.
-
-
-_Arrival of the Archduke Mathias._
-
-Early in the morning of the day the events of which we have just
-described, a movement was discovered among the enemy’s troops, and
-soon after their foot and horse moved in the direction of Komran.
-About mid-day the archduke, with his army and heavy baggage, made his
-appearance, and soon encamped. His army, one division after another,
-took up its position, and displayed immense pomp; no doubt with the
-view of inspiring the besieged with an idea of their might, and thus of
-dispiriting them.
-
-These manœuvres and movements being over, the duke called a general
-council of his great men, in which a variety of matters were discussed.
-No one, however, could give him anything like a correct account of
-Kaniza. Ferdinand declared, weeping, that in all his life he had
-never met nor seen people like the Kanizians. “Whenever we speak in a
-friendly manner to them,” said the indignant Ferdinand, “they brandish
-their swords.” The duke replied in very harsh terms: accused him of
-having acted himself some way or other treacherously, or “you are not,”
-said the noble duke, “acquainted with the operations of war. I have
-been up the country, and have reduced a city like Alba Julia, and have
-contended all this while with Turkish armies. Several of their chief
-men I have beheaded. It is now three months since you commenced your
-operations, and you have not been able to take so much as one palanka.”
-Such were some of the subjects which occupied the noble duke’s great
-council. Ferdinand and his officers were indignant at the treatment
-they had received from the archduke, and proposed, as they had
-nothing, to leave him and his troops to carry on the siege which they
-had so inauspiciously begun.
-
-After the dismissal of the above-mentioned diván, the archduke tried
-his own skill in manœuvring. He sent a message to the besieged,
-the purport of which was: that their commander-in-chief, Yemishjí
-Hasan Páshá, after having been defeated by him (the duke), had gone to
-Sigetwar; that there were now two mighty armies ready to co-operate
-against them; that the seven (European) kings were present, and sent
-them their salam (salutations); that if they were determined to
-maintain their integrity to their own sovereign, they might do so, and
-yet deliver up Kaniza to its legitimate sovereign; that the winter
-had arrived, when they would have no chance whatever of being supplied
-with provisions. “Leave, then Kaniza,” continued the duke’s messengers,
-“in peace and safety; not a hair of your head will we injure;” and
-much more in the same strain, and requested a favourable answer. The
-besieged, however, appeared to be firm and fearless. They brandished
-their swords in token of defiance, which so provoked the messengers
-that they cocked their pieces, but afterwards retired expressing their
-contempt. It is certainly true, however, that when the Turks in Kaniza
-saw the immense number of the enemy’s army they became afraid, and
-seemed disposed, through fear, to yield to the enemy. They dreaded
-that as soon as the messengers returned to Mathias, he would become so
-enraged as never to stop till he reduced the city and fortress, and
-killed them all.
-
-From the continued effect of the cannon on the walls of Kaniza, in
-several places they were, at length, laid even with the ground. The
-enemy found means of secretly preparing a kind of bridge and other
-apparatus. The boats which they had built were launched, and all
-throughout the camp were ordered to stand to their arms. Three persons
-were deputed by the enemy to go and endeavour, by offering money,
-to get one or more of the besieged to desert. These persons made a
-display of their ducats, and said that they expected that a Turk or two
-would come and take them into the place, because they meant to become
-Muselmans. Hasan Páshá, who saw through their design, said their object
-was to try to get some one or more to desert to them, and ordered a
-cannon to be pointed towards them. The signal for discharging it was
-given, when, in a moment, the men were carried off by the shot, and
-both fell in one place. The archduke was excessively chagrined when
-he heard the result of this third mission. Two thousand eight hundred
-chosen men, all volunteers, were put into a state of readiness for
-scaling the walls. To encourage them he promised to give ten villages
-to the first who should succeed in climbing the ramparts, and forty
-villages to the man who would bring him Hasan Páshá. The following day
-was appointed for attempting this heroic plan.
-
-Hasan Páshá was not idle. His plans were deeply and wisely laid. As
-soon as the enemy had set their boats afloat, he caused openings to be
-made in the mound which surrounded Kaniza, exactly opposite the place
-at which this fleet of boats was to touch, and placed large cannon, all
-charged, in these openings, but in such a way as not to be discovered.
-
-After the Páshá had seen all this accomplished, he called his principal
-soldiers to him, offered up a short prayer, and afterwards addressed
-them thus: “My brave fellows, let not the greatness of the multitude
-of the enemy any way terrify you. God willing, we shall be revenged on
-them. Every time the enemy has lighted the torch of war, God, in his
-goodness, has invariably extinguished it again in their discomfiture.
-Let me see you, therefore, act your part with bravery and true heroism:
-let us all, in faithfulness to our religion, be firm, and oppose them
-with courage. If we perish in the conflict, we shall be saints in
-heaven. Our heroes, both in this world and at the day of judgment, are
-truly honourable and worthy of esteem. Be then united and firm in your
-efforts in your own defence, and exercise with boldness the weapons
-in your hands. Let your activity manifest itself in boldly resisting
-and repelling the efforts of the hateful enemy to make you slaves. I
-have the utmost confidence the enemy’s machinations will be completely
-frustrated.” In this way did Hasan Páshá encourage and animate his
-troops and followers. These brave men and their companions in arms
-entered into solemn compact, bade each other adieu, attended to all
-their various duties of friendship and domestic affairs, as well as
-those of eternity, and every thing seemed to bid defiance to the utmost
-effort of the foe in trying to reduce Kaniza. After all things were
-fully and properly attended to, they all, with firm and courageous
-hearts, returned to their respective stations, and, like envious lions,
-stood ready to grasp at their invading foe.
-
-Meantime the enemy was busy. During the night season they accoutred
-themselves in their various arms, and one division after another took
-up its position in the trenches formerly prepared, till they were
-completely filled; the boats were all manned with volunteers, and at
-daylight the signal-gun was fired, the sound of which seemed to awaken
-heaven and earth; and the ball passed over the wall at the gate leading
-to Sigetwar, which was forty feet high, and was stopped by the odá
-of Mahmúd Chorbájí. The enemy, immediately on this signal-gun being
-fired, commenced an assault from five different places at once. When
-their fleet of boats had sailed down opposite the fortress, the cannons
-which had secretly been placed in hollows in the mound which surrounded
-Kaniza, opened upon them, and soon sent them, with all on board of
-them, to the bottom of the river. This powerful, but unexpected
-reception, astonished the infidels completely, but it had also the
-effect of rousing their fury to a greater height.
-
-When the besieged Moslems first perceived the tumultuous assault of the
-enemy, they were a little staggered and disheartened; but Hasan Páshá,
-the heroic vezír, stepped in before them and stimulated their courage.
-“My brave lions,” said he, “this day is a day of peculiar effort and
-exertion: turn not away your faces from the contest, but be firm and
-inflexible for one hour longer, and this impoverished straggling host
-will be vanquished.” This speech, like all his former speeches, had
-its desired effect upon the minds of the besieged, who became more
-determined than ever to sell their lives as dearly as possible; and
-they resolved to fall victims for the sake of their religion, rather
-than yield up the city and fortress of Kaniza. Every assault of the
-enemy was, therefore, resisted with such desperate bravery and courage
-as to outmatch every thing. The commander of the janissaries and chief
-of the cavalry, Sefer Aghá, performed the most astonishing feats of
-bravery. He was, at that time, only a segbán báshí, but was afterwards
-raised to the dignity of a páshá.
-
-In the meantime, the artillery of the garrison committed the most
-tremendous havoc among the infidels; but they were no sooner hewn down
-than their places were filled up by others sent forward to maintain the
-struggle. The awful sound which proceeded from the combatants on both
-sides is indescribable. The confused noise of drums and trumpets, the
-clash of arms, the thunder of cannon and musketry, and the bursts of
-mortars, baffle all description. Heaven and earth trembled. The carnage
-of that day was so awfully terrible that the compassionate angels in
-the seventh heaven looked down on the scene with astonishment and
-wonder, and entreated God to scatter and confound the associates of
-idolatry.
-
-The awful conflict we have just now endeavoured to delineate continued
-with unremitting fury till midnight, when it pleased God to vouchsafe
-his omnipotent aid to the besieged orthodox. At this moment the enemy
-retreated to their fortifications, as if panic-struck, leaving behind
-them eighteen thousand of their fellows, undistinguished and without
-name. Among the wounded lay the brother of his holiness the Pope.
-He was struck by a musket-ball, and soon afterwards perished. This
-execrated wretch commanded thirty thousand troops.
-
-After this remarkable success which had attended the Moslem arms, the
-veterans approached the páshá, kissed his hand, and pronounced their
-benedictions on his head. The wonderful páshá, on the other hand, was
-all kindness, in return, for the honour shewn to him; and a thousand
-expressions of praise and good wishes were uttered on this memorable
-occasion.
-
-When the eyes of the Moslems were opened to a clear view of the
-advantages which God had afforded them, their hearts rejoiced. The awe
-and terror with which the sight of so immense and desperate a host as
-that which the enemy presented to their view sometimes inspired them,
-now vanished completely from their minds. The heart of each of them
-became firm and strong, like the tower of Alexander, and all of them
-demanded to be allowed to assault the enemy in their turn.
-
-After the victory had declared itself in favour of the orthodox
-Moslems, as above described, Mathias and Ferdinand called their
-princes, and held a council of war. “Although Kaniza was well supplied
-with water,” it was said in the council, “the want of provisions,
-however, would soon so press upon both its inhabitants and its garrison
-as to force them to yield. If Turkish troops should happen to come to
-their aid in their present circumstances, and we are able to beat them
-off, then Kaniza would doubtless yield without further resistance. Let
-us winter here,” continued the speaker, “but before the winter season
-breaks let us send away our cannon.” The governor of Malta, Don Juan,
-observed, “that if the cannon be removed, the Turks will rush forth,
-and leave not a man of us alive upon the earth. Besides,” continued
-he, “though those Turks stationed at Sigetwar may at present have no
-intention of attacking us, they will, most assuredly, come and do
-so, when they hear we have sent away our cannon. Without cannon, we
-shall not be able to stand any time before them, and as to handling
-the sword, we can have no chance whatever with them.” Such was the
-manner in which this council of Austrian officers reasoned. They agreed
-to continue the siege; they increased the number of their guns; they
-erected a mound round Kaniza, and commenced firing at the rate of two
-thousand balls per day. These did immense evil. The outer walls were
-totally demolished. The houses were made level with the ground. But
-the enthusiastic Moslems, such was their zeal, built up by night the
-gaps and openings which these heavy cannon effected by day. From the
-incessant fire which the enemy thus kept up, very many of the Moslems
-fell martyrs during this period of the siege, in consequence of their
-unsubdued zeal.
-
-The garrison now began to experience a scarcity of powder. The páshá
-called his artillery officers and the governor of the castle, and
-conversed with them concerning this matter. The latter informed him,
-that the enemy, on their lately retiring, had left an immense quantity
-of sulphur and saltpetre behind them, which they had carefully removed
-into Kaniza. It was very easy, he added, to make gunpowder out of these
-materials. Uzun Ahmed, belonging to the fifth division of janissaries,
-a Persian youth, and who had been accustomed to make this article, came
-forward and informed the páshá of his skill in gunpowder, saying, at
-the same time, it could easily be made by mixing the above-mentioned
-materials with fine charcoal made of the nut-tree. Charcoal made of
-the willow, however, would answer the purpose, he said. With this
-last-mentioned sort of wood Kaniza was surrounded, and, accordingly,
-orders were immediately issued to cut down for this purpose a
-sufficient quantity, which was burned, and afterwards powdered in
-a mortar. A sufficient number of persons were appointed to this
-department of labour, and every day they delivered new-made gunpowder
-in such quantities as was required.
-
-But before proceeding any farther, we have to mention the desertion of
-two of Hasan Páshá’s domestics, which bears on this part of our history.
-
-One night, after the enemy had fully resolved on continuing the siege,
-two of the páshá’s under-servants, both of them Hungarians by birth,
-set off secretly to join their countrymen in the enemy’s army. This
-circumstance very much distressed the besieged, for they had every
-reason to fear these deserters would inform the besiegers as to the
-state of the place. Hasan Páshá, always ready to take those advantages
-which his own fertile mind was ever sure to point out to him, quieted
-the fears of his followers, and gave them the most pointed instructions
-to do what they could in trying to seize one or two prisoners. They
-brought him several, to whom the páshá addressed himself thus: “I
-have lately sent two confidential servants to your prince, do you
-think they have met with his highness?” “Yes,” was the answer; and
-then added: “that the karal (the king) asked them as to the number of
-troops in Kaniza, when they said they did not know, but that they were
-exceedingly numerous, and that provisions were becoming very scarce
-in it. Keep up your fire,” said the two deserters, “for you have
-every chance of succeeding.” Hasan Páshá again asked them what they
-supposed might have been the number of Turks which had lately routed
-them? Some said twenty, some thirty thousand, answered the prisoners.
-The páshá then gave orders to have their hands and heads cut off, and
-delivered them over to Karah Omar Aghá, but previously instructed him
-to act towards the prisoners as he had done on a former occasion. Omar
-knew how to act his part. He practised the same kind of deception on
-these prisoners as he had done on those mentioned before, and, after
-giving each of them a piece of white bread, sent them off in the same
-way, telling them that the Hungarian troops had entered secretly into
-friendly engagements with the troops of Sigetwar; that the páshá was
-on the eve of attacking them by night with the troops of Kaniza,
-whilst those of Sigetwar would attack them from behind at the same
-moment. “Give my compliments,” said Omar, “to the karal, and let him be
-attentive. In this place we have provisions and gunpowder for a whole
-year. Let the king direct his movements accordingly.” The prisoners
-returned and related to the karal what they had seen and heard, which
-displeased him very much.
-
-In the meantime Hasan Páshá called one of his scribes and dictated
-the following letter to the commander-in-chief, Yemishjí Hasan Páshá,
-wherein he said, after giving him all his high titles, “I have already
-informed you of the state of our affairs. Thank God, our troops are
-sufficient in number and in courage, and we have now abundance of
-gunpowder, though at one time we had reason to fear we should run short
-of that important article. The enemy, when they lately retired from
-our walls, left an immense quantity of sulphur and saltpetre, of which
-we prepare every day no less a quantity than two talents of gunpowder.
-Our provisions are in abundance, at least for three months to come. We
-have, moreover, entered into a friendly intercourse with the Hungarians
-in the enemy’s army. I have just now sent out two of my domestics,
-Kina’án and Khundán, two Hungarian youths who were brought up in my
-service, to converse privately with the Hungarians in the enemy’s
-army, and to tell the karal that both the gunpowder and provisions in
-Kaniza are about finished; they are also instructed to return as soon
-as they accomplish this business, or at least as soon as they can find
-a fit opportunity of so doing. These two young men will tell the enemy
-they have become renegadoes, and the infidels, I have no doubt, will
-believe them. Be you ready to assist us if we should need your aid, and
-as soon as the two men return I shall give you due notice: farewell.”
-This letter was sealed, put into a satin bag or case, this was again
-covered over with a skin, and the whole parcel put into a coarse cloth,
-and was given to Karah Punjeh, with orders to convey it secretly into
-the enemy’s camp, and lay it down where it might soon be discovered by
-some of the enemy, who, no doubt, would carry it to their karal as some
-valuable treasure. Karah Punjeh was ordered, at the same time, to make
-his way, so soon as he had laid down his packet within the precincts of
-the enemy’s camp, to the commander-in-chief, and request him to come
-with his troops to the aid of Kaniza. Punjeh proceeded with his secret
-despatches, dabbed the outside with some mud, found means of throwing
-it, without being observed, into the enemy’s camp, and set off for
-Sigetwar.
-
-The stratagem succeeded to all the extent the contriver wished it;
-for the packet was no sooner discovered than it was opened, and the
-writing within it carried forthwith to the karal. The discoverers told
-him where they had found it, but could give no account whatever as to
-the way it had been brought into the camp. The contents of the letter
-were no sooner read, than suspicion began to be entertained respecting
-the two deserters from Hasan Páshá. They were actual spies, it was
-said, and were therefore called to be examined. On being summoned they
-were asked what situations they had held under the Moslem Páshá, and
-what were their names. One of us, said they, is called Kina’án, and
-the other Khundán; we were brought up in the páshá’s service, were
-circumcised, and we became Muselmans; but now we have embraced the
-religion of our fathers. Was it true, they were asked, that Kaniza had
-nearly run short of gunpowder, but that that had been supplied? They
-said it was true. Why, then, said the interrogators, did you say, when
-you came to us, that they had little or no gunpowder? The object you
-had in coming to us is too evident; and without any further enquiry
-they delivered over the two unfortunate deserters to the executioner,
-who immediately cut off their heads. These two heads were presented
-before the walls of Kaniza, and the persons who had thus presented them
-called out, at the same time, that the whole of Hasan Páshá’s stratagem
-had been discovered. The people of Kaniza were no sooner made aware
-whose the heads had been than they burst out in a fit of laughter, and
-highly eulogized the wisdom of their páshá.
-
-There is a different version of this story; it is as follows: The páshá
-one day called together his officers, and desired them to have every
-gun and musket in the place charged with powder, and to be ready to
-fire them when a signal was given. This was to be done in token, as
-it were, of rejoicing. About midnight, accordingly, when the signal
-_Allah! Allah!_ was three times given, all the guns and muskets were
-fired off, and the voice of rejoicing commenced. The intoxicated
-infidels, hearing these demonstrations of joy, ran every where in order
-to discover the cause of it. Hasan Páshá, in the mean time, called the
-defterdár of Kaniza, Shabán Effendí, a very learned man, and after
-consulting with him for some time in private, desired him to draw out
-a letter for the commander-in-chief, which was as follows:—“You have
-at last come to Sigetwar: may your arrival be propitious! The three
-hundred and fifty janissaries, under the command of an ághá; the one
-hundred thousand ducats; the one hundred talents of gunpowder; the
-eighty talents of lead; and the one hundred talents of biscuits, came
-all, without the least knowledge of the enemy, safe to hand about the
-middle of the night of last Monday. You have been very generous; but
-we were not in actual want of any of the things you have sent us. We
-had provisions for a whole year; our gunpowder was abundant; and we had
-thirty thousand heroic troops. At the same time, however, we have to
-request you to send with our lieutenant, Iskender, fifteen thousand
-chosen volunteers, to be here early on the morning of Sunday; but do
-not you take the trouble of coming yourself. The Hungarian princes in
-the enemy’s camp are our old friends and allies. Thousands of their
-subjects come over to us every night, and they inform us of what
-is going on without. We have also entered into compact with thirty
-thousand Hungarian soldiers in the camp of the enemy, who are under
-the command of the above princes. On Sunday morning, at daybreak,
-when Iskender arrives from Sigetwar, we in the garrison of Kaniza and
-the Hungarians in the camp will all at once commence an assault on
-the hateful enemy within their strong-holds. We hope we shall not be
-forgotten in your best wishes.”
-
-Before this, however, two men had been sent into the enemy’s camp
-with the view of seeking a fit opportunity of assassinating the karal
-Ferdinand; but by the providence of God these poor fellows fell martyrs
-to their zeal. Two other men were sent with a similar purpose; and
-one Samúskú was hired to convey a letter, similar also to the one
-before-mentioned, into the enemy’s camp. Great promises of reward
-were made to this man if he accomplished the undertaking committed to
-him; but when he was about half way he threw down the letter on the
-road, and set off for Perzencha; next day, however, one of the enemy’s
-cavalry happened to pass that way and found the letter. After looking
-at it, he perceived it to be written in Turkish, brought it immediately
-to the karal, and told him he had taken it by force from a Turk he had
-met on the road; but that whilst looking at the writing, in order to
-discover what it might be, the Turk had escaped. An interpreter was
-called to decypher the contents of the letter. The interpreter said
-it was a letter from Hasan Páshá to the commander-in-chief, and that
-it contained some things which it would be improper to make public;
-he therefore went aside and explained to the karal the whole of the
-secrets in it, which absolutely astonished and counfounded him to such
-a degree, that he did not know what to say or do. He called his vezír,
-and consulted with him on the subject of the letter. The vezír said,
-“our trusty friend, Karah Omar, among our enemies, sent us information,
-you well remember, before this, of the defection of the Hungarians.
-What he said is clearly verified. What steps shall we take?” “The very
-first thing to be done,” said Ferdinand, “is to collect the whole
-of our tents into one place, surround them with a ditch, then hold
-a general council, and afterwards slay every one of these Hungarian
-princes; and if the Turks should offer to attack us, we will give them
-battle.” Thus saying, he rewarded the bearer of the letter with great
-honours and said, “that had it not been for this letter, so opportunely
-brought him, he must have fallen into very great difficulties. Christ
-has had compassion on us,” said he; and then ordered the tents to be
-collected into one place, and a mound to be thrown up around them, as
-before stated.
-
-Hasan Páshá, perceiving the motions of the enemy, sent out a party
-by night in order to seize one or two prisoners: they returned with
-two, and presented them before the illustrious páshá. The páshá spoke
-kindly to them, and then inquired of them as to the state of affairs
-in their camp. The prisoners related what they knew: they informed him
-concerning the impression the letter which had fallen into the karal’s
-hand, as above described, had had on his mind, and that the whole of
-the Hungarians had fled, leaving all their tents and baggage behind
-them. This news had such an effect on Hasan’s mind that he clasped his
-hands together. But it was only in appearance. He wet his eyes, and
-appeared to weep. He asked again and again, whether the account they
-had given was true. The prisoners affirmed it as frequently; and added,
-that they themselves had seen the Hungarian tents taken possession of
-by the rest of the army. Hasan caused a black cloth, moistened with
-the juice of onions, to be brought to him, with which he occasionally
-wiped his eyes. This at once gave him, in the sight of the prisoners,
-the appearance of one weeping and mourning, but it was no more than
-appearance. After having satisfied himself with questioning the
-prisoners, he ordered their heads to be cut off, delivered them over
-to Karah Omar, and instructed him how to act. Omar played his part
-to perfection. After dealing with them in the same manner as he had
-done, in similar cases, on two former occasions, which the reader will
-remember, he sent them away secretly; telling them, at the same time,
-of the páshá’s intended plan of attacking them on the morning of the
-following Sunday. “There can be no doubt, now that the Hungarians have
-fled,” said the artful Omar, “but the páshá will pay you a visit in the
-way I have said. Go your ways.”
-
-The prisoners returned to their own camp, informed Ferdinand of
-their history, and what Karah Omar had said to them. Ferdinand was
-particularly grateful to this man, Karah Omar, who had so frequently
-duped him; ordered bastions to be every where erected along his
-ditches; promised each of his artillery-men a reward of a hundred
-ducats, by way of stimulating their zeal; in short, the enemy began to
-fire double the number of shots they had formerly done.
-
-We have already related the enemy’s determination of wintering at
-Kaniza, and what preparations they had made for this purpose: also, how
-Karah Punjeh had deposited the deceptive letter in the enemy’s camp,
-and his subsequent journey to the commander-in-chief to obtain aid for
-the Kanaizians. The serdár made many promises; ordered the troops under
-his command to be paid their wages, and said he would set out next
-morning for Kaniza. His officers, however, remonstrated against his
-resolution, by alleging that the weather being so very bad the thing
-could not be even attempted. The serdár appeared determined, and swore
-to the messengers, Karah Punjeh and his two companions, that though the
-army to a man should refuse to go to the aid of Kaniza, he and his own
-suite would most assuredly go. The messengers returned with this answer.
-
-The enemy, as before observed, had surrounded their camp with a
-ditch. The Austrian and other European troops were separated from
-the Hungarian army, and the former were determined to reduce Kaniza,
-whatever it might cost them. The Italian and French soldiers had become
-so very inveterate, that they said they had come from their own country
-to die, and that, therefore, they would not remove one step from Kaniza
-before they had taken it.
-
-On the seventy-fifth day of the siege, about mid-day, the heavens
-became black with clouds, the wind blew from the south, and soft
-showers of rain began to fall. Previously to this not a drop had fallen
-for the space of three months. The rain now increased, and a most
-bitterly cold wind began to blow, which made the surface of the waters
-to freeze. Towards evening the rain became mixed with flakes of snow,
-and about midnight the rain ceased, but the snow continued to fall.
-This storm continued for three successive days and nights, and the fall
-of snow was so deep as to reach a man’s waist. The enemy was now in
-a very sad plight; but they were infatuated, and in their infatuation
-ceased not from their hostilities.
-
-At length, however, a report spread that the commander-in-chief had
-come to Sigetwar. The enemy now thought of the contents of the letter
-which had fallen into their hands, as before related, which were
-confirmed by the information which the two discharged prisoners brought
-them from Karah Omar. All was confusion and alarm, and every one became
-concerned about his own personal safety. One company after another took
-to their heels. Ferdinand tried to stop the fugitives, but without
-effect. The condition of the enemy was desperate. The cattle they had
-for transporting their ordnance had all fled towards Hungary during
-the storm, and their ordnance remained in the ditches, and could not,
-of course, be removed. Hasan Páshá knew all this, and determined on
-attacking them next day. The snow ceased, and the sky became clear and
-serene; but the sharp wind increased to such a degree as to freeze the
-river into thick ice. In these circumstances, Hasan Páshá called the
-famous Karah Omar Aghá, and ordered him to proceed with three hundred
-chosen men to the enemy’s camp, supposing they had all fled. He gave
-him his own standard. The Berk having been completely frozen over,
-this detachment found no difficulty in crossing the river, which was
-scarcely done when they were met by an infidel chief, who earnestly
-entreated to be taken into Kaniza. He said he wished to embrace
-Islamism, and stood before them in this imploring attitude with his
-cap in his hand. Karah Omar conducted him forthwith to the páshá, who
-perceiving his prisoner to have a richly ornamented head-dress on his
-head, gave him a chair to sit upon. “I am,” said the supplicant, and
-in answer to the páshá, “a Genoese captain, and commanded in this war
-a thousand men. Forty thousand pieces of gold, besides other property,
-I have left behind in my tent, and have come to embrace the Moslem
-faith.” Thus saying, he wept. The páshá immediately placed one of his
-extra turbans on his convert’s head, explained to him the Mohammedan
-faith, then called his warriors together, and presented the convert
-in his new dress. To Karah Omar he promised the sanják of Petcheví.
-All the cannons and arms in the fortress were now put into a state of
-readiness for commencing a pursuit after the enemy; and the whole of
-the garrison had their eyes turned towards the enemy’s quarters. When
-Karah Omar and his men were within a short distance of the enemy’s
-ditches, all the guns and muskets in the fortress of Kaniza were
-discharged at one instant. This explosion, along with the sound of drum
-which accompanied it, as well as the cry of _Allah! Allah!_ from every
-mouth in the garrison, made the poor devils in the enemy’s camp creep
-together with absolute terror. What firmness had remained with them,
-entirely vanished; they fled in all directions. Ferdinand and Mathias
-issued from their tents, and endeavoured to rally their troops on the
-road which led to Sigetwar. Karah Omar, on reaching their advanced
-trenches, slew nine hundred of them before they had time to escape, and
-took one hundred and fifty prisoners, whom he sent into the fortress.
-In these trenches he seized twelve pieces of ordnance, besides other
-arms and ammunition.
-
-Hasan Páshá despatched other five hundred men to the aid of Karah Omar,
-who, after having received this augmentation of force, conveyed the
-whole of the cannon and ammunition which fell into his hands into the
-fortress.
-
-Next morning Hasan Páshá, after having offered up his devotions, sat
-down on the gate opposite to Sigetwar, took out two purses, the one
-containing ducats, the other dollars, and scattered these pieces of
-money among those of his men who had been the active agents in seizing
-prisoners, or who had brought in several heads. Eighteen thousand
-heads, it was conjectured, had thus been brought to him. The páshá,
-without any unnecessary delay, sent off an account of their wonderful
-good fortune to the commander-in-chief, and immediately mounting his
-horse, rode to the enemy’s forsaken trenches, and encouraged and
-praised his men. Only about six hundred remained in the fortress: the
-rest were all employed either pursuing the fugitive army, or taking
-possession of their trenches. Four times did Ferdinand try to rally his
-forces and retake them; but Hasan Páshá, who was now master of them,
-turned his own guns (about forty in number) against him. Those of the
-enemy who had kept together made their way to Perzencha, where they
-found some little time to reflect on what had befallen them. It was
-now they perceived with some clearness the stratagem which the Turks
-had so effectually laid for them. Again Ferdinand rallied his men,
-and again attempted to retake his trenches; but Hasan Páshá directed
-the guns of the fortress, as well as their own, which had been left
-on the trenches, against them with such effect as again to repulse
-them with immense slaughter. The field was literally covered with dead
-bodies. More than thirty thousand heads were again collected, and laid
-before the páshá. He desired his troops to carry on the pursuit with
-vigour, and not to lose time in searching the enemy’s tents, as they
-should find time enough for that afterwards. “The enemy, you see,” said
-he, “are abandoning their tents as fast as they are able, but let us
-try and surprize Ferdinand before he leaves his own.” Accordingly, a
-field-piece was directed against it, but the ball, though it shattered
-his tent to pieces, and killed a number who were near it, did himself
-no injury. Ferdinand had now no alternative left him but flight.
-Accordingly, he, and those who still remained faithful to him, mounted
-their horses, but were every moment in terror lest the Turks should
-intercept them and cut them off. In this terror they made to the ford
-of Paulet, where Ferdinand experienced great difficulty in crossing
-it, and where a hundred of his few remaining troops perished. Thus did
-Ferdinand leave the whole of his camp, his ordnance, his treasures, his
-splendid furniture, and his glory behind him.
-
-Hasan Páshá, after performing his afternoon’s devotions, called Meseli
-Beg and Omar Beg, and ordered them to pursue the fugitives wherever
-they could find traces of them, but prohibited their taking spoil till
-the infidels were wholly rooted out, or completely dispersed. After
-writing out a statement of the successes which had attended the Moslem
-arms, he sent it off to the commander-in-chief, and then returned to
-Kaniza.
-
-On the following morning, after offering up his devotions as usual,
-the páshá mounted his horse, rode to the camp, where he was cheered,
-saluted, and had his hands kissed by his victorious troops, whom he,
-in his turn, praised for their heroism and bravery. On entering into
-Ferdinand’s tent, he perceived a lofty throne standing in the midst
-of it, every where ornamented with silver and gold: its feet and top
-were garnished and variegated with precious stones and other jewels;
-a diamond was fixed in each of its supporters, each one of which was
-equal in value to the revenue of Rúm (Europe or the Roman empire). On
-each side of this throne were twelve chairs decked with crimson silk,
-the borders of which were ornamented with pearls and other jewels. In
-front of the throne was a table about six cubits in length, ornamented
-and decorated like the former. In this pavilion of grandeur did the
-pious Hasan Páshá perform his devotions, and returned thanks to God
-for the victory with which their efforts had been crowned. With tears
-in his eyes he acknowledged it as a favour from God, and as a sign of
-their prophet’s benevolence, miraculously interposed in their behalf.
-After having ended this oration, he drew his sword and split the throne
-into pieces, sat down upon one of these, and his grandees and ághás,
-according to their rank, sat down on the chairs which surrounded him.
-He now again pronounced a long oration, and then wrote out a third
-statement, giving an account of the patience, firmness, union, and
-other excellent qualities of his men to the commander-in-chief. After
-having finished his discourse, and had sent away the report to the
-serdár, he asked who were the first who had entered into Ferdinand’s
-pavilion. Three janissaries and four borderers presented themselves,
-and said they were the first who had entered it. “Well then,” said
-the noble-minded páshá, “with the exception of the tent itself, and
-the arms that are in it, all the rest belongs to you.” As to the
-rest of the tents, whether they belonged to Ferdinand or to others,
-none of them were touched, but were strictly watched till such time
-as the decision of the commander-in-chief could be obtained. The
-forty-two pieces of cannon and five falconets which had been taken in
-the trenches, were most beautifully ornamented by art, each being of
-considerable value. They had the appearance of ingots of gold, and bore
-the image of the emperor and of the pope, figures, which one who saw
-them would have supposed had been executed or contrived by a skilful
-artist who had studied the Seher Sámrí.[9] Besides this number of
-cannon, fourteen thousand muskets, and as many spades and mattocks were
-found in the enemy’s camp. Also several gold basins and plates: ten
-thousand tents besides those which belonged to the superior officers;
-weapons of all sorts and sizes; large and small drums, trumpets, bells,
-chests, waggons, and carriages fell into the hands of the victorious
-Moslems; but the number of all these things together is only known to
-the Creator of men and angels. A vast quantity of articles of less
-value fell also a prey to the conquerors, but it is not possible to
-describe them all. As to articles of provision, which the enemy had
-left behind them, it was quite wonderful. Viands and wine were found
-preserved in silver and Chinese vessels; medicaments cherished by
-caranfil (cloves), sweetmeats, other kinds of eatables mixed with
-ferment, ginger, electuaries, and many other sorts, as much as would
-supply the garrison of Kaniza for a whole year. The whole of the cannon
-and arms were transported by order of the páshá into the fortress.
-
-We have already noticed that Karah Omar Aghá, after the páshá had
-augmented his party, was ordered to pursue the fugitive enemy. He did
-so. As many of the enemy as had succeeded in reaching the ford of
-Paulet were totally panic-struck, when they perceived Karah Omar with
-his party of men pressing towards them. They threw away what heavy
-baggage had yet remained to them, crossed the ford in the utmost hurry
-and confusion, and took with them what they esteemed most valuable.
-The Moslem pursuers slackened not their pace, crossed the ford after
-them, and coming up to them, slew many of them. The fugitives were
-now obliged, in order to escape with their lives, to throw away every
-thing by which they had been encumbered, and even their arms, and took
-to their heels as fast as they were able. It was not known how many of
-them had perished, but about six thousand of the better sort of them
-fell by the hands of their valiant pursuers. Several of their captains
-were conveyed back to the páshá; but as the number of the prisoners
-which were thus brought were too many to be retained, the páshá gave
-orders to cut off the heads of all who were afterwards brought in on
-the ditches, and to throw their bodies into the river. Some of the
-prisoners, when they were asked the cause of their signal defeat and
-dispersion, attributed it to the effect which the letters that had been
-conveyed into their camp had had on their minds. A fearful terror, said
-they, seized us, and we began to imagine we saw nothing but troops
-of Turks with green turbans coming to your aid, and attacking us in
-conjunction with you.
-
-In this memorable retreat, Don Juan, Hersog of Malta, finding it
-impossible to escape the danger of being taken prisoner, stripped off
-his clothes, wrapped himself up in a shabby coverlet, and lay four days
-in a ditch, pretending he was wounded. On the fifth day of the retreat,
-some men belonging to Zerín Oghlí, who had come from Mekomúriah to
-inquire into the state of matters, chanced to pass the ditch where this
-helpless Hersog lay. He implored them to extricate him, which they did,
-and carried him to Zerín Oghlí, who, when he learned who he was, showed
-him great respect, and sent him away to his own country.
-
-The loss sustained by the enemy in this campaign was truly great:
-seventy or eighty thousand infidels, at the very least, must have
-perished. Those Italian and German foot soldiers who escaped the sword
-of the victorious Moslems, fell down on the roads benumbed with cold,
-and remained there. The few naked and weeping wretches who had been so
-fortunate as to reach their own countries, did so only with their lives.
-
-Karah Omar Aghá of Petcheví relates the following story: “When we were
-in pursuit of the infidels, flying before us, we sometimes came up to
-ten or fifteen of them sitting and warming themselves before fires
-which they had made; but, when they saw us approaching, they started
-up upon their legs, took off their hats, and made obeisance to us. The
-fact is, we were weary of cutting and slashing the poor wretches, and
-therefore did not think it manly to kill men who were thus vanquished
-and suffering like those just now mentioned. The like of these
-creatures we passed, and went on slaughtering and hewing down all such
-as still had the hardihood to carry arms. The vast quantity of articles
-of value, as well as of arms, which the fugitives threw away, in their
-hurry to escape, strewed the roads every where, and it required two
-months’ time before they could be all collected and brought to Kaniza.”
-
-Karah Omar Aghá was rewarded for his services in this campaign with the
-sanják of Petcheví.
-
-
-_Some further account of the affairs relative to Kaniza.—The arrival of
-the Commander-in-chief at Sigetwar._
-
-The commander-in-chief, Yemishjí Hasan Páshá, notwithstanding the
-opposition which had been manifested against his marching towards
-Kaniza, during the cold season, forced his way as far as Sigetwar.
-After the weather had become more intensely cold, a spirit of envy
-and insubordination began to manifest itself among his troops.
-They assembled together in a tumultuous manner, and attacked the
-Commander-in-chief’s tent with stones; and three days afterwards,
-when order seemed to have been restored, they broke loose and set off
-for Belgrade. This took place on the 12th of Jemadi II. However, the
-commander-in-chief received a letter from Hasan which announced to him
-the success which had been obtained over the enemy in their expulsion
-from Kaniza, and which gave him great joy. On the same day, towards
-evening, he received another from the same quarter, intimating the
-complete dispersion and defeat of the whole of the enemy’s army, a copy
-of which he immediately transmitted to Constantinople. He afterwards
-issued orders to the various troops to go into winter-quarters. He
-himself remained at Shuklúshka. On the 15th of the above month, one
-division of the troops, on its return, reached the bridge of Usk,
-and passed over in safety; but the next division was not quite so
-fortunate. Owing to the great and severe frost which had commenced, the
-river Drave was frozen over, and on the 20th, when the next division
-was crossing this bridge, it fell. All that were on it, at the time,
-perished. It was repaired, however, in two or three days afterwards.
-
-Hasan Páshá, the celebrated governor of Kaniza, went to Shuklúshka
-to pay his respects to the commander-in-chief, who, in return, showed
-to the heroic Páshá every mark of esteem, and granted a favourable
-reception to every request he made to him. The government of Kústandil
-was conferred on Meseli Beg, and Korah Omar Aghá was confirmed in the
-sanjakship of Petcheví. To each of the veteran soldiers who sustained
-the siege along with him five pieces of money were allowed, besides
-the provisions which were due. Hasan Páshá dispatched his lieutenant,
-Iskender Páshá, to court, whose arrival there gave the emperor the
-sincerest joy. He approved of the distribution and appointments
-which had been made, and raised Hasan to be one of his favourite
-vezírs. Three robes of honour, a richly ornamented sword, and three
-beautiful horses, were sent as presents to the celebrated páshá. The
-commander-in-chief, in like manner, conferred marks of esteem upon him,
-and sent his lieutenant, Mustafa Khetkodá, to Petcheví, to furnish
-provisions for Kaniza, and then set out for Belgrade.
-
-In consequence, however, of the violence of the mountain-like masses
-of ice which drifted down the Save, the bridges on that river were
-broken down, and the returning troops had to cross it in boats.
-In this journey they suffered great hardship, and had to overcome
-many difficulties before they reached Belgrade. About this time
-the ághá of the janissaries, Alí Aghá, was sent to Constantinople
-in order to negotiate a marriage between Yemishjí Hasan Páshá, the
-commander-in-chief and prime minister to the Ottoman emperor, and the
-sultana, the widow of the late prime minister, Ibrahím Páshá.
-
-The following is a copy of a letter from the grand sultán to Hasan
-Páshá in reference to his brave and wise conduct during the siege of
-Kaniza. After having referred to the great glory which had accrued
-this year, by his instrumentality, to the Ottoman empire, he says,
-that the celebrated name of his choice servant, his prudent vezír, the
-beglerbeg of Kaniza, Hasan Páshá, was to be inserted among the other
-great and celebrated names recorded in the annals of the empire. He
-then proceeds: “I have appointed you a vezír; and may my servants who
-were with you in the siege of Kaniza, and who, in a peculiar sense,
-are my children, receive a benediction; who, beyond all conception,
-exemplified the most strenuous courage, not regarding their own lives
-in their faithfulness to their religion and to us; who in the most
-arduous struggle of human exertion never once flinched from the dangers
-of either fire or water; who manfully and heroically maintained their
-ground on the batteries of Kaniza; who in open battle, on the field
-of blood, discomfited, routed the hateful enemy, and hewed them down
-whenever they attempted to rally; who caused the iron-cased host to
-fly, leaving all their valuables a prey to their pursuers; and, in
-one word, who acquired peculiar glory by their unexampled heroism.
-We therefore request that in every thing they continue to manifest
-towards you the most implicit obedience, which will secure to them our
-approbation. You will read this letter, which contains the expression
-of our will, in the presence of our brave veterans, and cause them to
-understand it. We sanction, by our royal authority, the distribution
-of money, &c. to be made to our servants at Kaniza under your command.
-We commend you all to the true God.”
-
-The day on which this letter was read in Hasan Páshá’s diván there was
-not one in it who did not weep; and many a kind and benevolent wish was
-offered up for the happiness of the emperor of the Moslems. This solemn
-scene was afterwards changed into that of joy, the demonstrations of
-which were every where manifested. Three full months were spent in
-collecting and bringing into Kaniza the cannon, arms, ammunition,
-tents, &c. which the enemy had left behind them.
-
-Many of the illustrious European young men who were employed in this
-war lost their hands and feet by reason of the severe frost; and
-several of them were killed in order to relieve them from pain and
-sufferings. The Franks formerly mentioned purchased, at a low price,
-about two hundred of the Spanish and Italian prisoners.
-
-Before the spring of the following year commenced, about three thousand
-villages put themselves under the protection of the Ottomans; and more
-than two thousand peasants came from Usk, from Púzgha, from Petcheví,
-from Shuklúwish, and from Bosnia, to repair the fortress of Kaniza.
-Its outer works these labourers greatly enlarged and strengthened with
-trees cut down for the purpose. They surrounded the whole with a line
-of fortifications; erected minarets on its walls; built a mosque, a
-palace, and an arsenal within the citadel; erected sheds over the guns,
-and made a new bath. The successful warriors, however, never ceased to
-make excursions into the enemy’s territories, almost as far as Vienna,
-and uniformly returned with much booty and many captives.
-
-
-_State of matters in the East.—Concerning Scrivano._
-
-It had been determined by the court of Constantinople that Hájí
-Ibrahím Páshá should go and have an interview with the late governor
-of Baghdád, Hasan Páshá, the commander-in-chief in the east, and,
-along with him, attack Karah Yázijí (Scrivano). Instead of paying
-regard to these injunctions, however, he marched directly to Cæsarea,
-where he gave the rebels battle, was routed, and at last obliged to
-take refuge in the fortress of Cæsarea. When Hasan Páshá heard of this
-terrible disaster, he, without loss of time, removed to Elbastan on
-the 12th of Sefer of this year, met the rebel army at a place called
-Sepetlú, where he arranged his troops in order of battle. The enemy did
-not decline the combat. Early next morning at sun-rise the two armies
-commenced a bloody contest, which continued without intermission till
-after mid-day, when victory declared itself in favour of Hasan Páshá.
-The rebels were routed with great slaughter, leaving one third of their
-number, which had amounted to 30,000, lifeless on the field of battle,
-besides the whole of their tents and baggage. Karah Yázijí fled with
-the remnant of his broken forces into the Jánbeg mountains, where he
-fortified himself. The victorious páshá pursued the rebels as far as
-Tokat.
-
-
-_Some other events of this year.—Karah Yázijí dies in the mountains of
-Jánbeg._
-
-Towards the end of Jemadi II. information was brought to the Moslem
-authorities by some of the rebel chiefs, that Karah Yázijí had died in
-the mountains, whither he had fled, in the month of Ramazán, but that
-his brother, Delí Hasan, had succeeded him in the command of the rebels.
-
-Háfiz Ahmed Páshá, third vezír and the governor of Anatolia, passed
-over to Uskadár (Scutari) and proceeded to Kutahia. On the 12th of
-Shevál the káímakám, Khalíl Páshá, was removed from office, and was
-succeeded by Hasan Páshá, who at that time was the third vezír.
-
-On the same day, _i.e._ on the 12th of Shevál, Yemishjí Hasan Páshá’s
-commissioner, Alí Aghá, ághá of the janissaries, who had been sent to
-Constantinople to contract a marriage between the commander-in-chief
-and Ayesha Sultáná, the relict of the late grand vezír, Ibrahím Páshá,
-met along with Yemenlí Hasan Aghá, the vezír’s own deputy, and Abdí
-Chelebí, secretary of the customs, and fixed the dowry at four thousand
-ducats. After the contract was settled and sealed, one Nesúh Aghá was
-sent to Belgrade with the marriage documents to the serdár. Nesúh, who
-had lost his commission among the spáhís, expected, on this occasion,
-either to be raised to the ágháship of the janissaries, or to be made
-chief master of the horse, what he was before; but neither of these
-offices could be conferred on him at that time: he was, however, made
-a kapújí báshí. This same Nesúh Aghá afterwards attained the rank of
-páshá, and became, in the end, prime minister; but we shall have to
-speak of him in the sequel.
-
-On the 20th of Dhu’l kadah Alí Aghá left the Sublime Porte with his
-troops and marched for Belgrade.
-
-
-_Concerning the rebel Delí Hasan, the brother of Karah Yázijí.—Hasan
-Páshá, the commander-in-chief, falls a martyr._
-
-It is recorded by Sháh Verdí, who had been deputy or lieutenant to
-Karah Yázijí, that when Karah Yázijí died, as already observed, his
-followers took his body, and cutting it into pieces, afterwards buried
-it in separate and distinct places, in order that the Osmánlís might
-not have it in their power to burn it.
-
-This same Verdí, Yolar Kapdí, and one Túyel, all three noted rebels,
-joined the insurgent Delí Hasan, after the death of his brother, when
-they left the mountains of Jánbeg with an insurgent army of several
-thousand men, with the view of intercepting and seizing Hasan Páshá’s
-heavy baggage whilst on its way from Diárbeker. The páshá not having
-many troops along with him at this time, did not venture to give battle
-to these desperate mountaineers, but fortified himself as well as he
-was able in the fortress of Tokat. The city and suburbs, however, were
-subjected to the cruelty of these barbarians, who not only robbed and
-plundered wherever they were able, but also destroyed the páshá’s
-beautiful flower-garden. Not satisfied with all these excesses, they
-determined to attack the citadel and seize the páshá himself. For this
-purpose they encamped on the outside of the city. Information of the
-insurgent army having determined to lay siege to the fortress of Tokat
-having reached the court of Constantinople, the governor of Diárbeker,
-Khosrú Páshá, was created a vezír, and ordered to proceed with the army
-of Kúrdistán and oppose the progress of the insurgents. No person,
-however, had sufficient courage to inform Hasan Páshá that his office
-was conferred on Khosrú Páshá.
-
-In the meantime the insurgents, after continuing the siege for about
-a month, had every prospect of succeeding in their attempts. Hasan
-Páshá was in the habit of going every morning and sitting on a seat
-in a certain place opposite the gate of the fortress, a circumstance
-which was some way or other made known to the rebels. They accordingly
-watched him, when one of them aimed his piece at him and shot him dead
-on the spot. Delí Hasan wished no more, raised the siege, and set out
-on a predatory excursion into Anatolia. The property of Hasan Páshá
-which had fallen into the hands of the rebels they distributed amongst
-them; and their power soon waxed so very considerable, that for the
-space of seven or eight years they ruled the country with a rod of iron.
-
-Yávuz Alí Aghá was made válí of Egypt this year. This same year, also,
-a letter from the king of France was received, in which complaint
-was made of the injuries which some of his subjects had sustained
-from pirates belonging to some of the Turkish islands. The Turkish
-government immediately issued the strongest prohibitions against
-this traffic, and threatened to punish with rigour every instance of
-transgression of this kind which should happen to come to its knowledge.
-
-We have still to observe one other circumstance before commencing to
-relate the events of the following year. During the time that Khalíl
-Páshá was governor or deputy of Constantinople, the ulemá assembled
-together, waited on his excellency, and demanded justice against the
-spáhís for the disturbance and tumult which they had been the means
-of raising in the metropolis lately. A report of the whole of their
-proceedings was laid before his majesty, who issued a royal letter
-relative to this meeting.
-
-Ibrahím Khán, the valas pádisháh, was this year subdued by Sháh
-Abbás.[10]
-
-
-
-
-EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1011, H.
-
-
-_Hasan Páshá recovers Alba Julia._
-
-Towards the end of the preceding year the páshá made every preparation
-for commencing a new campaign in the beginning of this year. A new
-bridge was erected on the Save: he was joined by the ághá of the
-janissaries from Constantinople about the commencement of Moharrem,
-and troops from all quarters poured into his camp. The troops that
-accompanied the ághá from the metropolis received double wages:
-provisions were distributed, and vessels laden with the same article
-were sent off for Buda. The royal camp, in the greatest haste,
-removed from Belgrade and arrived at Serim on the 15th of the month.
-Badalooshka cannon were transported from Buda to the camp, and on the
-22nd Alba Julia was put under siege. Lála Mohammed Páshá, from Buda,
-encamped on the south side, in front of the city; the grand vezír
-(_i.e._ the commander-in-chief, Yemishjí Hasan Páshá) took up his
-position on one side, and the ághá of the janissaries, with nine pieces
-of ordnance, presented himself before the gate. Mohammed Páshá, with
-the army of Romeili and five pieces of ordnance, and Dervísh Páshá, the
-beglerbeg of Bosnia, with the army of Buda, entered into entrenchments,
-and immediately erected mounds. Three thousand chosen men and four
-thousand pioneers were under the immediate eye of the grand vezír.
-After a few days of constant battering, the besieging army sprung four
-mines, which had some considerable effect, and soon afterwards they
-took possession of the large tower, but were obliged to relinquish it.
-The enemy, besides, had formed a kind of wall or mound within their
-ramparts, which served to protect them against the besieging army’s
-artillery. No great progress had hitherto been made.
-
-On the 17th of the month Sefer, about the hour of dinner, and the hot
-part of the day, a servant of Mohammed Páshá started suddenly upon his
-feet, seized a standard, ran in the greatest haste to the tower, and
-fixed it on its top. The janissaries and others no sooner saw this,
-than they immediately went and took possession of it, causing the few
-men who watched it to fly. The enemy, however, continued to trust to
-their strong bulwarks, and thought themselves safe. They were miserably
-mistaken. The Moslem and orthodox warriors opened upon them a brisk
-fire of musketry, which drove them from their position. Mohammed Páshá
-succeeded in getting into the city and took it. When the serdár heard
-that his troops had taken the tower before-mentioned, he ordered his
-tent to be immediately erected near it.
-
-The enemy perceiving the progress of the besiegers, and that they were
-assaulting them, in fact, from every quarter, fled into the inner
-fortress. This last refuge of theirs was attacked in its turn. By means
-of mounds which they soon raised for their own protection, they were
-enabled to effect some mines, which they had no sooner ignited than one
-of the towers was blown into the air and a sufficient breach made.
-The courage of the poor devils when they saw this gave way, and they
-offered to yield up the place. A certain number of their chief officers
-came out and received, as on former occasions, garments and were sent
-off with the rest of the military of Alba Julia to their own countries.
-The victorious Moslems, after taking possession of this important
-place, placed a sufficient garrison in it, and the rest of their troops
-returned to Buda about the end of the month last mentioned.
-
-
-_The Commander-in-chief conducts an expedition into Transylvania._
-
-In consequence of the woiwoda of Transylvania having, contrary to all
-law and justice, entered by violence into a fortress belonging to Sekul
-Murish, one of the independent princes of Transylvania, where he seized
-on its treasures and arms, and slew the men who were in it, the above
-prince, during the winter season, came to the serdár and solicited his
-aid, promising he would, if thus supplied with sufficient means, subdue
-the whole of the region of Transylvania under the Mohammedan yoke. The
-serdár placed confidence in his promises, and therefore determined to
-aid him in person. All this had taken place before the reduction of
-Alba Julia, for which, however, the serdár was preparing when the above
-prince came to him.
-
-The serdár, or commander-in-chief, having fully achieved what he was
-at that time preparing for, as related in the preceding section, and
-having no reason to expect danger from any quarter, passed over from
-Buda to the plains of Pest. The infidels’ camp was at a place called
-Jegirdelin, opposite to Osterghún.
-
-As the orthodox Moslems used to call out every evening, _Allah! Allah!_
-so also the infidels cried out from one certain place, every morning
-and evening, the word _Yesú_, and immediately after this discharged
-their large cannon. _Yesú_ is a corruption of _Isa_ (Jesus) in the
-gospel. The sound of the guns fired by the infidels was heard at Pest.
-
-Súfí Sinán Páshá was appointed commandant of Buda, for Kází Zádeh Alí
-Páshá, the beglerbeg of Buda, who had been present at the siege of
-Alba Julia, was there wounded by a musket-ball, and carried off the
-field in a litter or sledge. This Alí Páshá came along with Hábel
-Effendí, the cazí of Buda, to the serdár, and remonstrated against
-leaving Buda defenceless. You will not be two stages distant, said
-they, before the infidels will come and surround us. The danger of this
-circumstance seemed to press very much upon their imagination, and
-they did not fail to paint it in lively colours to the serdár. “Though
-it be perfectly true,” said the serdár in return, “that we hear the
-sound of the enemy’s cannon, yet it would be very unwise to leave Ardil
-Oghlí (_i.e._ the prince of Transylvania) in possession of Lipovah
-and Yanovah in the jurisdiction of Temiswar. There are only about six
-or seven thousand troops in the enemy’s camp, and their object is
-to terrify the Moslem army from entering Transylvania. They are not
-sufficiently strong to offer to attack you. You have no reason whatever
-to fear they will do so; be therefore easy in your minds on this
-score.” Thus did the serdár endeavour to soothe their terrors; but Alí
-Páshá replied: “My lord, allow me to inform you that some spies sent
-out by me returned last night, and informed me that there are more than
-eighty thousand soldiers and forty pieces of ordnance in the enemy’s
-camp, and that their object is to attack Buda. Let Hábel Effendí note
-down what I have now said, and if it turns out to be false, then you
-may take what vengeance you please on me.” Yemishjí Páshá himself, a
-proud obstinate Albanian, remained immoveable in maintaining his own
-assertions, _viz._ that the enemy had no other view than merely to
-frighten them from entering Transylvania, and that they had neither
-strength nor intention to attack Buda. In the meantime, when Mohammed
-Páshá, beglerbeg of Romeili, perceived the serdár’s obstinacy, he asked
-to be permitted to make an excursion as far as Filk and Sitchan, and
-carry thence what plunder he might be able to take. His request was not
-acceded to; and the following day, the first of Rabia II., the serdár
-marched off for Solnuk, which he reached in four days, carrying along
-with him five pieces of cannon and one hundred sháhs (a kind of smaller
-ordnance). In four days more he crossed the Tise, and on the 11th of
-the same month reached the palanka of Sarwash. The troops of Julia and
-Temiswar joined his camp at this place; but he had scarcely time to
-hold a council of his great men, when, behold! messengers with evil
-intelligence from Buda waited upon him.
-
-
-_Pest taken.—Buda is besieged._
-
-The enemy had no sooner heard of the commander-in-chiefs movements than
-they began to put their cannon in order for marching. King Ferdinand
-ordered his Hungarian, Croatian, and Frank army, and various captains
-to advance before him. On arriving at Old Buda, they crossed over to
-the island of Kislar, by means of a bridge of boats, thence proceeded
-in boats to Pest, destroyed its bridge, and entered it on the side next
-the river, where there happened to be no wall. On the land side they
-planted their artillery. With the exception of a company of Moslems
-who had occupied a large tower on the banks of the Danube, and who
-had escaped by means of boats, the whole of the rest, men, women, and
-children, fell into the hands of the invaders. About five thousand of
-these hateful infidels were left in possession of Pest, whilst the
-rest of their army returned and encamped before Old Buda, and took
-possession of a palanka called Kiris Elias which belonged to it. At
-Gul Bábá, opposite the great earthen tower, they placed ten pieces of
-cannon, and opened entrenchments before the gates which open towards
-Vienna and Awa, and thus commenced the siege of Buda.
-
-The messengers who, post haste, brought intelligence of the enemy’s
-movements to the serdár, found him, as before mentioned, engaged
-in holding a council of his great men at Sarwash. The serdár, as
-may easily be imagined, became absolutely frantic with rage when he
-learned from the messenger the state of things at Buda. Without a
-moment’s delay, however, he ordered off two thousand chosen men under
-the command of Núh Páshá, the beglerbeg of Anatolia, to the aid of
-Buda, whilst he himself followed the body of his army. In four days
-he reached Pest, and encamped in its neighbourhood. Here he was soon
-made to perceive that the enemy was hotly engaged in endeavouring to
-reduce Buda, battering its walls with no less than twenty-eight pieces
-of ordnance; nor were they in the least degree alarmed by the approach
-of the Moslem forces. Pest, too, was filled with the enemy’s troops,
-and therefore, at that time, not easily taken. They also erected a kind
-of bridge between Kizlar áta and the last-mentioned place; and thus
-effectually hindered all communications between the Moslem army and
-Buda.
-
-The obstinate Albanian (the commander-in-chief) now found more than
-sufficient reason to repent his having left Buda. To no good purpose
-whatever he opened ten pieces of artillery in one or two places against
-Pest. He disposed his line of entrenchments in such a way as that the
-people of Buda could easily salute their brethren near Pest. The one
-besieged, the other besieging. The Moslems, however, contrived to erect
-four badalooshkas, by means of which they broke down the bridge the
-enemy had erected at Pest, and thus prevented any further intercourse
-with it; but it was the cause of a greater increase of the enemy’s
-number at Buda.
-
-During the space of fifteen days the Moslem camp before Pest
-experienced the most dreadful hardships for want of provisions. One
-kíleh (a measure) of flour sold for twenty pieces of gold, and one
-of barley for fifteen, and when no more could be had for any price,
-the troops were obliged to be supplied, though at the utmost risk,
-from Buda. This was secretly accomplished by boats, which were sent
-over from under the water-gate. The Budians, however, began to murmur,
-and remonstrated against supplying them with an article which they
-themselves might soon be in need of. All further supply of this kind
-was, therefore, prohibited; but this prohibition was, notwithstanding,
-found ineffectual. Some for the love of money sold provisions, and
-others there were who sent a supply to their friends.
-
-At length, Alí Páshá, the same who counselled the commander-in-chief
-against leaving Buda when he went on his fruitless expedition into
-Transylvania, Hábel Effendí, Alí Páshá’s coadjutor, and the ághá of the
-janissaries, went to the serdár and told him plainly they would not
-afford any further supply of provisions. “If you,” said they, “continue
-ten days longer, all the provisions in Buda will be exhausted: send us,
-therefore, Mohammed Páshá with a certain number of troops, and do you
-go away altogether.” Mohammed Páshá seemed at first inclined to decline
-this proposal, but afterwards said, that he had been two years already
-in Buda, but that if he was ordered to remain another year in it he
-would endeavour to do his duty. The Budians fell upon their knees and
-begged him to accept of the office; they also petitioned the serdár
-himself, and kissed his beard; so earnest were they that Mohammed Páshá
-should remain with them. The serdár condescended to grant them their
-request. One thousand men whose pay had been advanced, and one thousand
-feudatory troops were appointed to Buda, besides military stores and
-money. He also sent a robe of honour to Mohammed Páshá. After the hour
-of the afternoon prayers, Yemishjí Hasan Páshá turned his face towards
-his barks, moved away on foot, bidding adieu to scenes which reflected
-no honour on his military skill, prudence, or courage.
-
-Mohammed Páshá was a man of grave deportment, chaste manners, and an
-officer of inflexible firmness and of great courage. When in the siege,
-if any of his troops raised a commotion on account of the scarcity of
-provisions, he used to beat them most soundly, and then reprove them
-for their rashness. Not one, in fact, ever ventured to show him any
-resistance, such was the influence he maintained amongst his troops.
-
-After the serdár took his leave, the troops destined for Buda entered
-that place at the water-gate under covert of the night: their ordnance
-was also conveyed during the same period.
-
-Next day, the 1st of Rabia II., the commander-in-chief, Yemishjí Hasan
-Páshá, passed through Keshkemet, and arrived at Waradin. Four large
-cannon which he took with him were dragged along by his soldiers;
-but he left two of them at Sonbúr, and the remaining two at Batchka.
-Passing over the bridge at Waradin he pursued his journey towards
-Belgrade.
-
-In the meantime, Mohammed Páshá, after entering Buda, held a council
-of his officers, to whom he delivered a comforting and encouraging
-speech, and then dismissed them by telling them to go, every man, to
-his respective post. Next morning, at daybreak, five hundred horsemen
-were selected and sent out towards Awa, near which they dispersed two
-pickets belonging to the enemy. Some of them they killed, and others
-of them they made prisoners. The enemy, as before observed, had placed
-a number of their cannon at Kiris Elias, and for the space of ten
-successive days battered the walls and made several assaults, but they
-were uniformly met and repulsed by showers of musketry, and the hurling
-of bombs from the besieged. One day, when they thought they would carry
-every thing before them by one general assault, the brave and orthodox
-Moslems, as related in the Memoirs of Soleimán Páshá, rolled amongst
-them a number of bombs charged with pieces of iron, which, when they
-exploded, destroyed several thousands of the assailants, and completely
-repulsed them. After this last, but very effectual check had been
-given to them, they began to dig beneath the gate which looked towards
-Vienna, with the view of laying mines, and in the most desperate manner
-and with the utmost fury directed no less than two thousand cannon-shot
-against the walls, by which means they at last effected a large
-breach. The situation of the besieged was now truly perilous. But the
-brave, heroic, and orthodox Moslems were determined to maintain their
-resistance, or die in making that resistance. With this view, and in
-the solemn hour of night, they entered into a sacred compact with each
-other to devote themselves to death in defending Buda.
-
-On the 10th of Rabia II., and in conformity to the counsel of
-their brave commander, Mohammed Páshá, all the foot and horse that
-were in the garrison at daybreak, rushed out of Buda with the
-utmost impetuosity, and attacked the enemy unawares in their own
-entrenchments, with such heroic bravery as absolutely confounded them.
-The enemy’s camp or tábúr having been at some distance, it was not easy
-for those in the entrenchments to get aid from thence, and before any
-did arrive, the orthodox Moslems, for the space of two hours, committed
-such tremendous havoc amongst them as to clear the entrenchments
-of these intruders. Their cannon they spiked, and carried off the
-greater part of their gunpowder to Buda, to which they had retreated,
-exploding what they could not conveniently carry along with them. The
-cazí of Buda, Hábel Effendí, an old man about eighty years of age, in
-order to encourage the orthodox believers, such was his zeal, slew an
-infidel with his own hands, a circumstance, no doubt, that made a deep
-impression on the minds of the Musselmans, and which had a powerful
-effect in urging them on to the work of destruction.
-
-A shower of rain coming on about this time, and the season having been
-far advanced, the infidels, in rage and despair, raised the siege and
-set off for Osterghún, dragging their cannon along with them through
-the mud which had been occasioned by the rain. The heroic Moslems,
-perceiving their advantages, pursued the fugitive host, captured a
-number of their cannon, which in their hurry they had been obliged to
-leave sticking in the mud, and brought them back to Buda. Mohammed
-Páshá rewarded each of his brave men with tokens of his esteem and
-approbation, and sent a representation of the whole exploit to the
-commander-in-chief, Yemishjí Hasan Páshá.
-
-Mohammed Páshá was about this time promoted to the government of
-Romeili.
-
-
-_Ghází Gheráí Khán arrives with a Tátár army._
-
-The grand vezír, Hasan Páshá, (_i. e._ Yemishjí Hasan Páshá, the
-commander-in-chief,) after passing through Waradin, arrived in the
-plains of Zimrún, where he learned that Ghází Gheráí Khán, who
-for a good while past had not attended the wars, had arrived. It
-would appear that in consequence of his malicious brothers, Salámet
-Gheráí, Mohammed Gheráí, and Sháhín Gheráí, who had excited rebellion
-and insubordination among the Tátárs, one party of whom had gone
-into Romeili, and another to Anatolia, where they joined the rebel
-Delí Hasan, the brother of Scrivano, the khán had found sufficient
-employment at home. He was much afraid also that his brother, who had
-joined Delí Hasan, would succeed with the latter in endeavouring to
-deprive him of the khánship. On these accounts his highness, the khán
-of the Crimea, had found it impracticable for the last two years to
-render any service to the Ottomans, and thinking there was some reason
-to suspect the emperor might be displeased with him, and therefore
-depose him, he, to avert those evils, came forward with an army on this
-occasion, had an interview with the serdár in the above plains, and
-accompanied him to Belgrade.
-
-His royal highness the Tátár khán lodged in the mansion belonging
-to Etmekjí Zádeh, the treasurer. For two successive days the serdár
-and he entertained each other in the most splendid manner. Petcheví
-was pointed out to the khán for his winter-quarters; and Sigetwar,
-Kopan, Mehaj, and other cantons beyond the Drave, were appointed for
-a similar purpose to his men. The khán departed for Petcheví, and his
-men were distributed in the above-mentioned towns and villages. His
-royal highness the khán passed his time in every sort of indulgence
-and pleasure, amusing himself occasionally in reading the good and bad
-poets of Baghdád. Here he composed an epistle in verse on the evils
-of coffee and wine. He was still haunted, however, by the fear of his
-brother Salámet Gheráí, who, he was aware, meditated his downfall.
-
-After the grand vezír had reached Belgrade, as already mentioned,
-he ordered the troops to be paid their wages. The household troops
-received their usual allowance; the feudatory troops received each
-man two pieces of money, and the foot soldiers one. The ághá of
-the janissaries was permitted to return to Constantinople, and the
-feudatory troops were also allowed to retire.
-
-
-
-
-EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1012, H.
-
-
-_Advantage gained by the rebel Delí Hasan.—Mahmúd Páshá is appointed in
-the room of Khosrú Páshá._
-
-We have before mentioned how the rebel Delí Hasan, towards the
-conclusion of the preceding year, murdered Hasan Páshá in the city of
-Tokat, and we have also related his subsequent march into Anatolia. The
-beglerbeg of Diárbeker, vezír Khosrú Páshá, who had been sent with the
-troops of Haleb and Meræsh, to chastise this notorious rebel, failed in
-the attempt. Some of the above troops having refused obedience to his
-authority, left him, and went to Sivás. The rest, on seeing this, under
-the pretence that winter had arrived, dispersed themselves also, and
-left him without a man.
-
-An account of these disastrous events having found its way to Angora
-(Ancyra), where the rebel then was, he hastened forward with the utmost
-boldness to attack Háfiz Páshá, who commanded in Anatolia. When Háfiz,
-who was by no means in a condition to face this formidable enemy, heard
-of his movements, he shut himself up in Kutahia. The rebel advanced and
-laid siege to the city: but after three days’ effort, in consequence of
-cold and rain, was obliged to raise the siege; but he set fire to the
-place, and set off for Karah Hisár, where he went into winter-quarters.
-
-As soon as the Ottoman court had heard of these inauspicious affairs,
-it appointed Gúzelcheh Mahmúd Páshá to succeed Khosrú Páshá in the chief
-command. This appointment took place in the month of Rajab.
-
-
-_Several changes take place._
-
-In consequence of some malicious instigation of the soldiery, Sáa’tjí
-Hasan Páshá was removed from the káímakámship, and Gúzelcheh Mahmúd
-Páshá was appointed in his stead. These changes took place on the 20th
-of Rajab. Alí Aghá, ághá of the janissaries, was also deposed, and his
-office conferred on Delí Ferhád Aghá, a bostánjí báshí. Sáa’tjí Páshá
-was conducted to the Seven Towers. On the night of the 22d, the mufti,
-Mohammed Effendí, was deprived of his high office, which was conferred
-on Siná-allah Effendí. This is the second time this reverend prelate
-held this highest office of the priesthood. On this same occasion also
-the cazí of Constantinople, Abdulmíámin Mustafa Effendí, was appointed
-to succeed the cazí of Anatolia, Abdul Waháb, who had been in Egypt,
-and who now became cazí of Constantinople in room of the former.
-
-
-_Concerning Ghaznafer Aghá and Osmán Aghá, ághá of the palace._
-
-On the 23d of Rajab the spáhí legion requested his majesty, the
-emperor, to call a general diván for the purpose of taking into
-consideration the state of the empire, every where torn and afflicted
-with rebellion and insubordination. His majesty complied with this
-requisition. Accordingly, the mufti, Siná-allah Effendí, the káímakám,
-Mohammed Páshá, Siderín Akhí Zádeh, Abdul Míámin Mustafa Effendí,
-and the ulemá, of all ranks, in all about thirty in number, met in
-council. On the part of the spáhís, Hasan Khalífeh, Poiráz Osmán, and
-the secretary Iksámí presented themselves before the royal diván and
-spoke thus: “Sire, in consequence of the war which you find necessary
-to carry on at a distance, the glory of the royal house is impaired,
-and its dignity is diminished. The empire, from one end to the other,
-is trampled upon. The government of Erzerúm is subjected to Gusah Nefer
-Páshá’s soldiery and levends (a kind of volunteers); the government
-of Sivás is under the oppressive rule of Ahmed Páshá; Caramania is in
-the power of Delí Hasan; the sanjáks of Merzefún, of Kostamúní, and of
-Kankarí, in like manner, are in the hands of the rebels Tevíl and Karah
-Seyed. The insurgents and rebels have seized the whole world. Five or
-six times a commander-in-chief has been appointed, but no good result
-has followed; nothing has been accomplished.” After talking a great
-deal in this manner, and pointing out the injustice and corruption
-which had crept into the administration, they adverted to one or two
-flagrant instances as proofs of their assertions. It was with great
-difficulty that Sáa’tjí Hasan Páshá, who had been confined in the Seven
-Towers, escaped undergoing the extreme sentence of the law on this
-occasion. The fourth vezír, Tarnákjí Páshá, was also brought forth,
-and would have undergone the sentence of death; but in consequence of
-the intercession of the janissaries he was pardoned. The kapú ághá,
-Ghaznafer Aghá, who had been the means of raising Khosrú Páshá and
-Osmán Aghá, the ághá of the palace, who were afterwards presented,
-were not so fortunate. The emperor, when all these transactions were
-over, returned to the haram or seraglio, whilst the exclamations of the
-people ascended to the very heavens in his behalf. The populace soon
-after dispersed themselves.
-
-
-_Yemishjí Hasan Páshá returns to Constantinople._
-
-Soon after the grand vezír, Yemishjí Hasan Páshá, had dismissed
-the khán of the Tátárs, to go into winter-quarters at Petcheví, he
-delivered over to Lála Mohammed Páshá the whole of the affairs of the
-frontiers. The magazines of provisions and other stores in Belgrade he
-committed to Etmekjí Zádeh, the treasurer, and to Mohammed Páshá; and
-appointed his own lieutenant, Mustafa Aghá, to collect provisions in
-the districts of Bosnia and Buda.
-
-Having heard of the late transactions in Constantinople which had
-been occasioned by the spáhís, he imagined, and not without good
-reasons, that he was in danger of losing his own life; he therefore
-took a company of unemployed servants along with him, and set out for
-Constantinople. On reaching Yaghodina he was met by Hasan Aghá, a
-kapújí báshí, who informed him that Siná-allah Effendí, in compliance
-with the wishes of the spáhís, had been created mufti. Another
-messenger, called Yemenlí Hasan Aghá, a khetkhodá of the court, brought
-him a letter, which stated that if he wished his own existence to be
-continued, to make all the haste he possibly could. He recommenced his
-journey immediately, but was considerably impeded in crossing the river
-Múrov, owing to the masses of ice which floated upon its surface.
-However, he got safely over it, and when he arrived at Nisa he met
-another messenger, who brought him a letter apprizing him of the fate
-of Ghaznafer, who suffered death along with Osmán. At a place called
-Khurmán he was met by two other kapújí báshís, who brought him a royal
-letter, and another from the queen-mother, both of which invited him
-to court, and which also were sufficient tokens of their good-will. He
-immediately returned a humble answer to these communications by the two
-persons who brought them to him. On his reaching Adrianople he took up
-his lodgings for a few hours in the house of Etmekjí Zádeh, his own
-treasurer, who was then at Belgrade. Yahiah Effendí, who was afterwards
-raised to the office of high priest, happening to be disengaged when
-the grand vezír arrived, waited on him, and both together, about
-seven o’clock in the evening, set out for the metropolis. On reaching
-Selivría they were met by Yemenlí Hasan Aghá, a kapú ketkhodá, and Sárí
-Alí Aghá, superintendant of the Soleimáníyeh, who strongly charged
-them not to delay entering the palace that night, for if they did,
-the messengers assured them the spáhís would next morning completely
-prevent their doing so. The grand vezír immediately descended from
-his chariot, mounted a swift charger, and reached the royal palace
-about four o’clock in the afternoon on the 25th of the month Shabán.
-The emperor received him most graciously, and welcomed his arrival in
-the kindest manner. After the grand vezír had delivered a statement
-to the emperor, of the affairs on the frontiers, he received a visit
-from the káímakám, Mahmúd Páshá, who no sooner departed, than the two
-military judges came to pay their respects to him also. When these
-exalted prelates were about retiring, he desired them to go to the
-mufti and give him his compliments; “Tell him,” said the grand vezír,
-“that had it not been the night-season, I would have called on him
-to pay him my respects in person at his own fortunate mansion; that
-as I did not wish to disturb him at so unseasonable an hour of the
-night, I have preferred waiting till tomorrow, when I shall not fail
-to visit him. But be sure,” continued he, “to come back and tell me
-how he received your message.” The reverend prelates, however, did
-not return. The morning arrived, and no word whatever from the mufti,
-nor any account of the prelates. This presaged no good. He, however,
-ascertained by some other means, that the principal actors in the late
-tumult had gone that morning to the mufti, and complained to him in
-the most violent manner against him. “This vezír,” said they, “has, by
-his bad management, and want of skill in the command of the troops on
-the frontiers, allowed the infidels to gain some important advantages
-over the orthodox Moslems, and has thus tarnished the glory and pride
-of the Osmánlís.” Having preferred this complaint, they insisted on the
-mufti’s giving them a decree to take away his life. The mufti complied.
-These accusers, after succeeding with the head of their religion,
-hastened away to the governor, Mahmúd Páshá, to show it to him. In some
-histories it is said that this decree was delivered to the soldiery by
-Mahmúd when the grand vezír was about entering the city on his return
-from Belgrade. However, to make the thing as sure as the accusers
-could, they went to the two military judges, and asked them to tell
-them if the instrument which the mufti had issued was legal, and if so,
-to sign it; which after some little importunity they did.
-
-
-_Mahmúd Páshá reports these proceedings to the Emperor, who refuses to
-sanction the deed of the Muftí._
-
-Mahmúd Páshá, the governor of Constantinople, wrote out a report of the
-proceedings which were carrying on against the life of the grand vezír,
-Yemishjí Hasan Páshá, enclosed in it the decree of the high-priest,
-which had been confirmed by the signatures of the two military judges,
-and sent it to the emperor. In this report the cunning governor assured
-the grand sultán, that if he did interpose in behalf of his vezír
-serious mischief would inevitably be the result. The emperor, after
-receiving this document and its enclosures, caused it to be published
-that Mahmúd Páshá had stipulated with the heads of the disaffected to
-give them thirty thousand ducats, and that he, in the event of grace
-being shown to Yemishjí, had instructed them to raise a tremendous
-tumult. This was a sufficient answer to Mahmúd’s report. The emperor,
-moreover, declared that he had perfect knowledge of the whole of
-his vezír’s conduct, and that if it had appeared that he had acted
-unworthily of his high station, he, the emperor, knew how to punish
-him. He was much displeased with the interference which had been made.
-
-After having sent this answer to the proper quarter, he called an
-officer of the court, and instructed him in the necessity there existed
-of his going that very night and taking summary vengeance on Mahmúd
-Páshá, and which he conceived would have the effect of intimidating
-the disaffected soldiery. This commission was no sooner delivered than
-the emperor sent the whole of the papers which had been sent to him
-by Mahmúd to his grand vezír. The person to whom this business had
-been entrusted was Kásim Aghá, who on delivering the above papers to
-the grand vezír, informed him that he was on his way to murder Mahmúd
-Páshá. Mahmúd Páshá, however, had got scent of the purpose which had
-been formed against him, and either hid himself or absconded. The grand
-vezír, on examining the documents which had been put into his hand,
-was, no doubt, greatly astonished to find amongst them an official
-decree of the highest spiritual authority for the taking away of his
-own life.
-
-After the grand vezír had fully weighed Mahmúd’s statement and the
-decree of the mufti, confirmed, as it was, by the authority of the
-military judges, was not only astonished and confounded, as might
-easily be imagined, but also greatly afflicted. The soldiery who had
-been anxiously looking for the emperor’s consent to his execution, no
-sooner heard of the kind reception the grand vezír had met with at
-court, than they began to vociferate loudly that they would proceed to
-his palace and there murder him forthwith. They, accordingly, rushed
-into the At-maidán, where they began to concert how they might be able
-to effect their bloody deed. The grand vezír was no sooner apprized,
-on the other hand, of the menacing of the mob, than he, in terror of
-his life no doubt, ordered his gate to be firmly barricaded, and ran
-to hide himself in the apartment next to that in which the sultana his
-bride lived; for the marriage was not yet consummated.
-
-When the spáhí mob, in conformity to their plan, had reached the gate
-of the grand vezír’s palace, they found the gate firmly shut against
-them, but which, had it not been that the night was setting in, they
-would have burst open. This circumstance, it would appear, caused them
-to change their mind, and agreeing to defer their purpose till the
-following morning, they immediately dispersed.
-
-The poor grand vezír and commander-in-chief felt the insecurity of
-their situation, and being haunted by the horrors of a cruel and
-untimely death, which his imagination pictured to him, he, at the
-hour when every true Muselman was offering up his nightly devotions,
-issued from his palace in disguised garments, accompanied by only two
-faithful servants, and proceeded to the palace of the ághá of the
-janissaries, called “the Palace of delight.” Here he was visited by
-Yemenlí Aghá and Sárí Alí Aghá who desired him to take his ink-stand
-and a few sheets of paper and to proceed without delay to the ághá
-of the palace. The unfortunate vezír mounted a horse and went as he
-was directed. On reaching the palace and entering into the hall of
-audience, he there saw Hasan Páshá and the ághá of the janissaries with
-his suite busily engaged in some affairs. The latter called the vezír
-to advance, and directed him to draw out the following statement:—“That
-the present acting mufti, Siná-allah Effendí, had been guilty of
-affording countenance and protection to some of the insurgents; that
-his brother’s son, Chelebí Kází, had, in a most unrighteous manner,
-accepted of thirty thousand dollars from the rebel Scrivano; that he
-had caused Mohammed Páshá, son of Sinán Páshá, to be deposed; that he
-had joined with the multitude of spáhís in intimidating the diván;
-that he had caused the ághá of the palace and the kizlar ághá (or ághá
-of the seraglio) to be beheaded; that he had thrown the whole of the
-community into a state of excitement by his murderous persecution of
-the grand vezír; in short, that he was the moving cause of all the
-disturbance, insubordination, rebellion and violence, which had lately
-taken place in the city. Further: that the whole of the janissaries
-were thoroughly convinced that this high-priest should be turned out of
-his office, as a preliminary to the settling of those commotions which
-agitated the public mind; that he should be banished to the island of
-Rhodes, and his place filled by a man possessed of piety and orthodox
-principles; that Mustafa Effendí, military judge of Anatolia, should
-be the person to succeed him in his high office, because he was a man
-possessed of piety and religion, and was, moreover, continent and
-abstemious.”
-
-Such were the contents of the statement above alluded to, and which the
-grand vezír, when written out, wrapped up in a cloth and kept till the
-proper moment for presenting it should arrive. His friends also sent
-intimation, similar to what the statement contained, to the vezírs,
-ulemá, armour-bearers, heads of the artillery, and to all the principal
-persons in the community who were able to read; and all the faithful
-subjects of his majesty were called upon to assemble under arms at
-the mosque of Soleimán, and there wait to hear a declaration of his
-majesty’s will and pleasure.
-
-The paper containing the accusations against the mufti was sent by
-night, by a trustworthy person, to the sultán in his own private
-apartments. The morning arrived, and the multitude began to assemble in
-the vicinity of the Soleimáníyeh. The whole of the janissaries stood
-fully accoutred under arms at the foot of the stairs opposite their
-own barracks, and all strangers were ordered to withdraw. Hasan Páshá
-and Ferhád Aghá, the ághá of the janissaries, stood forward on the top
-of the stairs above-mentioned, produced a royal letter which one of
-them read in the hearing of the janissaries. This royal letter assured
-them of his majesty’s good opinion of them, and said that they did and
-ever should participate of his grace and favour. “From the days of my
-august and noble ancestors until this day,” it was more particularly
-stated in this royal document, “you have always conducted yourselves
-with propriety, and have never been guilty of any irregularity or
-insubordination. You have uniformly obeyed my royal injunctions with
-the utmost zeal and precision; and now I request you to aid my grand
-vezír in chastising those unruly persons who have been the cause of
-exciting turbulence and commotion in our royal city.”
-
-The janissaries who had been instructed how to act their part in
-this matter replied, after having pronounced many blessings on their
-sovereign’s head, that they had some certain reasonable things to
-advance, and begged they might be laid before the august throne. “The
-muftis of former days,” they said, “used to be very much attached to
-the royal house, but the present one, Siná-allah Effendí, was a traitor
-to the true interests of the Ottomans. He has been bribed by Scrivano,
-through his nephew, Chelebí Kází, with a sum of thirty thousand
-dollars; he has deposed Mohammed Páshá, son of Sinán Páshá; he joined
-the turbulent multitude who lately intimidated the diván, causing
-some of its principal members to be executed; and at this moment he
-is exciting the mob to be satisfied with nothing less than the grand
-vezír’s life, having even issued a decree for this purpose. It is
-our opinion,” continued the janissaries, “that he should be forthwith
-chastised, and that Mahmúd Páshá, his chief coadjutor in this tumult,
-should be executed without delay; that the turbulent and seditious
-among the spáhí mob should be delivered up, and in the event of this
-being declined, to visit the whole tribe with summary vengeance. If
-they show a disposition to resist, then let them stand prepared for
-combat, for we are ready to meet them.”
-
-The grand vezír expressed his satisfaction, came forward along with
-the ághá to their view, and sat down. The vezírs ulemá, and other
-dignitaries and nobles also assembled. Sinán Páshá, son of Jeghala,
-declined attending, but a messenger who was sent after him forced him
-to comply whether he would or not.
-
-After these magnates had assembled in council, the names of the
-principal conspirators were all registered, their persons proscribed,
-and a list of them was sent to their chief commanders.
-
-Next morning, however, the discontented spáhís assembled under arms
-before the menagerie. The grand vezír ordered some ághás to go to the
-spáhí troops and demand the persons whose names had been noted down.
-If they deliver them up to you, said he, bring them hither; if not,
-tell them they must abide by the consequence. The ághás did as they
-were commanded. On their appearing before the spáhís they showed their
-credentials and demanded the persons whose names had been taken down,
-but the spáhís declared they would not give one of them up, supposing,
-no doubt, the emperor would not proceed to extremities. These ághás
-sent back these lieutenants with the ungracious answer of the spáhís.
-In the meantime, two kapújís arrived from the palace, who delivered
-a packet to the grand vezír which announced to him that the change
-he had proposed in the muftiship was most graciously acceded to. He
-turned about to Abdulmíámin Mustafa Effendí and informed him that his
-majesty had most kindly appointed him mufti. The new mufti made a
-suitable reply, and the grand vezír, after considering the whole of the
-contents of the royal communication, took Mustafa Effendí by the arm
-and introduced him, as such, to all the vezírs and magistrates present,
-when they all paid him the homage due to his elevated rank.
-
-After all these ceremonies were concluded, the new mufti was requested
-to wait on his majesty, who entered into conversation with him
-respecting the conduct of the insurgents, who still maintained their
-obstinacy, and asked him what punishment, he thought ought to be
-inflicted on them. The mufti replied, “that the law ought to take its
-course; that all who continued to manifest disobedience to his high
-injunctions were rebels; and that the spáhís ought to deliver up, for
-condign punishment, the chief actors in the tumult and rebellion which
-then reigned to so terrible a degree throughout the city.”
-
-The grand vezír again addressed the lieutenants of the ághás who had
-brought him the resolution of the turbulent spáhís, and desired them to
-return and inform them of the judgment of the new mufti; then to come
-back to him, bringing along with them the proscribed persons, provided
-they gave them up. “If they do not deliver them up,” said he, “then
-inform them that the whole tribe of spáhís shall be entirely cut off
-from serving any longer in the state, and their privileges be done away
-with.” They were, moreover, to be informed, that the emperor expected
-immediate obedience; that if they did not at once show signs of regret
-by availing themselves of the overture made to them, he had determined
-to take summary vengeance on them all; that their heads would be cut
-off at the bottom of the stairs on which he, the grand vezír, stood.
-The officers proceeded with their message, and delivered it in due form.
-
-In the meantime, however, the grand vezír called one Devlet Aghá, a
-kapújí báshí (who was in an after reign grand vezír), and desired him
-to take forty of the household troops and proceed to the house of
-Siná-allah, the mufti effendí, seize his person, put him on board a
-vessel, and banish him to the island of Rhodes. Devlet Aghá proceeded
-with his party to seize the person of the high priest, as directed, but
-before he had reached his house the reverend father had fled and hid
-himself.
-
-Devlet Aghá not finding the object of his pursuit, called Hamza Aghá,
-a kapújí báshí, and Murád Effendí, the second recorder, and desired
-them to proceed and seal up the palace of the fugitive, Mahmúd Páshá,
-sometimes called Gúzelcheh Mahmúd Páshá. At the same time persons were
-sent to shut the gates of Constantinople, and to watch them. These
-proceedings were announced in the At-maidán to the assembled spáhís,
-who became so terrified that they all dispersed in the greatest dismay.
-The ághá of the janissaries mounted his horse, and conducting his
-troops through the streets of the city, soon restored peace and order
-in all quarters of Constantinople. The great men and vezírs returned
-to their respective mansions. Ferhád, the ághá of the janissaries,
-no sooner restored order in the city than he went in pursuit of the
-rebels. The grand vezír spent the remainder of that day in the house
-of the ághá of the palace; and Ferhád, on proceeding to a barrack
-belonging to the spáhís situate near the arsenal, immediately ransacked
-it of every thing valuable, and slew a number of this turbulent
-tribe. This circumstance laid a foundation of enmity between these
-two powerful bodies, _viz._ the janissaries and spáhís. The barring
-and locking of the gates of Constantinople proved also a great
-inconvenience to the inhabitants, inasmuch as they were prevented from
-burying their dead in the usual way.
-
-Such, for a whole day and night, was the agitated state of the city,
-occasioned by the events we have related.
-
-
-_Poiráz Osmán and other rebels executed._
-
-The following day, at an early hour, the mufti, the vezírs, the
-grandees, the ulemá, and others, met for consultation in the house of
-the ághá of the palace, and continued their deliberations in reference
-to the interests of religion and the benefit of the state till the
-hour of prayer. The grand vezír then mounted his horse and went to
-pay a visit to his august majesty, accompanied by the new mufti and
-the military judge of Anatolia, Mustafa Effendí, who, it will be
-remembered, was recommended by the janissaries to fill the office of
-the high priest. The grand vezír was preceded by a body of armed foot
-soldiers to the imperial palace, and after having had the honour of
-kissing his sovereign’s hand, the emperor entered into conversation
-with him and the other august persons that accompanied him about
-the state of public affairs. The serdár, after the above interview,
-returned in great pomp to the At-maidán, where the janissaries, who
-had met there by appointment, fired several rounds, and the cavalry
-went through their evolutions in token of joy for the success which had
-attended the grand vezír.
-
-The mufti and the military judge, after having conversed some little
-while with the grand vezír, retired to their own homes.
-
-Now that peace and good order had been established, the inhabitants
-came forward in multitudes to congratulate the grand vezír on his
-escape from the snares which had been laid for him, and to express
-their gratitude for his having quenched the fury of the spáhís. On
-this same day, in the afternoon, two messengers, one after the other,
-arrived, and informed the vezír that Poiráz Osmán and Ohgúz Mohammed,
-two of the principal leaders in the late disturbance, had been seized,
-and that Mustafa Aghá, the ághá of the spáhís, was conducting these
-two culprits into his presence. In a short time they appeared bound in
-chains before him: the vezír addressed them thus: “Osmán Beg, I showed
-you much respect and attention in the late war on the frontiers; I
-conferred on you offices of trust and profit, and have heaped favours
-upon you. Is this, then, the return you make? Is this according to
-your solemn promises? What can be the reason that you have acted thus?
-Why have you joined yourself to my enemies?” Poiráz Osmán replied;
-“O, exalted páshá, why do you force me to speak? I certainly did not
-commit the evil you impute to me in order that I should afterwards
-offer an apology. What has happened to me has been my lot. I have not
-trampled on your goodness so as to banish from my view all thoughts of
-providence. I feel that I am every way worthy of punishment; at the
-same time I humbly request you, in the exercise of your consummate
-benevolence, not to allow me, a guilty man, to be strangled like a
-woman, but kill me yourself with your sword.” “God forbid,” said the
-vezír in return, “that we should kill a heroic man of your stamp,
-especially as we know you must have been disadvantageously placed.
-But what,” continued the páshá, “induced you to adopt the course you
-have taken? I wish you to give me an explanation;” and then urged
-him to do so. Osmán Beg replied, “When I came to Constantinople, I
-perceived the spáhís going on with their mischievous purposes, but
-at first declined taking any share in them. Kátib Jezámí and others
-came running about me; and when I tried to escape them they followed
-me, urging me to join them. They used to tell me this and that; that
-the mufti, all the vezírs, the military judge, and other great men
-were in the plot; that they should without doubt accomplish their
-purpose; ‘your making yourself singular,’ they said, ‘will not retard
-the execution of our plan, and your obstinacy will only serve to bring
-evil upon yourself.’ They took me one day to the mufti’s deputy, who
-invited me to a splendid feast; I assembled that day with the rebels,
-but did not, for a while, mix with them; I was afterwards invited by
-Mahmúd Páshá to wait on him. I did so, and he constrained me to declare
-my sentiments; to say on what side I was. ‘Osmán,’ said Mahmúd, ‘we
-have concocted this great measure, and your not taking a decided share
-in it is not wise; and to oppose the general voice, you know, is not
-safe, especially as the conspirators have thirty thousand ducats at
-their disposal. Do not, my friend, make yourself obnoxious;’ and much
-more to the same purpose. From Mahmúd’s I was conducted to the mufti
-effendí, Siná-allah himself, and thence to the military judge. Each of
-the spiritual dignitaries employed many arguments to induce me to join
-them. I was at last, from what I had seen and heard, persuaded that
-all the men of name and power had espoused this unfortunate party’s
-interest, and were united in carrying it forward to a conclusion. The
-thirty thousand ducats were every now and then referred to. To make
-the story short, the devil tempted me; I became one of their number,
-and was one of the most active in the whole of the disturbance and
-insubordination which have lately manifested themselves.” This seems a
-very candid confession, but it helped the unfortunate culprit nothing.
-The grand vezír looked in the poor devil’s face with astonishment,
-and wondered at his statement. He ordered Aghá Mustafa to conduct the
-culprits into the royal presence, where the whole of the above facts
-were again elicited, and the result was, that the emperor ordered
-their heads to be severed from their bodies, which was immediately
-complied with. A day or two afterwards the insurgent Dipa kiz Rizván
-met with a similar fate; so did also Ghuzáz Alí and Burnáz Mohammed;
-but the infamous and wicked Kátib Jezámí could nowhere be found.
-Strict search for him it must, however, be confessed, was not made. It
-appears that he had collected a great quantity of gold together, had
-himself put into a coffin, and was carried over from Constantinople to
-Uskudár (Scutari), whence, with a few servants, he fled on horseback.
-His servants, falling in love with his money, however, took the
-opportunity, when they reached a mountainous part of the country, to
-murder him, and took the whole of his gold to themselves. Whilst these
-wretches were disputing and maliciously contending as to the mode of
-dividing their spoil, one of their number fled from them; and thus the
-story of Kátib Jezámí was made known.
-
-Hasan Khalífeh, another of the heads of the insurgents who had been
-previously involved in other desperate acts, thinking himself perfectly
-secure, entered into coffee-houses, and spent part of the nights of
-the month of Ramazán in gay conversation, and in the participation of
-good cheer along with some of his friends in the above houses; but on
-the 11th night of that month, whilst enjoying his pleasure in one of
-these cafés, he was seized and hurried away into the presence of the
-emperor, when he was without mercy instantly sent to the mansions of
-the dead. In this way the whole of the ringleaders of the insurgents
-were disposed of: the world was thus delivered from their mischievous
-existence.
-
-As to Gúzelcheh Mohammed Páshá, the deputy-governor of Constantinople,
-he fled and hid himself at the very commencement of the tumult, as
-before observed; but he was afterwards discovered in the habit of a
-súfí, near the mosque built by Hájí Khosrú, a rich man, on the outside
-of Constantinople. He threw himself on the mercy of the sublime Sultán,
-and thus escaped with his life.
-
-New troubles, however, arose. A foundation for enmity between the
-spáhís and the janissaries was laid by the proceedings of the grand
-vezír, as before hinted. Peace and order had scarcely begun to be
-felt, when a dispute arose between these two powerful military bodies,
-and was carried on with the utmost asperity. Whenever any of the one
-party met any of the other, a battle uniformly took place. But it
-was beyond the walls of Constantinople that this hostility was most
-fiercely manifested. The proud vezír’s passion for murder and bloodshed
-continued unabated: his thirst for vengeance against the remaining
-objects of his hatred he never failed to satiate whenever he found an
-opportunity of doing so. He thought that the measure he had employed
-in crushing the rebellion which had been raised against himself had
-been completely effectual. He was proud of his own doings, and began
-to publish abroad in the palace of the emperor Alexander (the court
-of Constantinople) his own mighty deeds; and supposed he was every
-way such a favourite with the emperor that nothing he could ask would
-be refused. In this exalted state of his imagination, he passed five
-successive inglorious fast days in the greatest transports and joy.
-Having fully acquired the victory and glory which he thought necessary
-for himself, he began to increase his own abstemiousness and piety in
-a corresponding measure; but his fury and malignity for promoting the
-purposes of his own heart were in proportion to the good qualities he
-had formerly manifested. In short, he exercised violence and cruelty
-without restraint. He shed blood, and punished to excess; any one who
-was so unhappy as to displease him, however trifling the offence might
-have been, was certain of feeling his vengeance, and that was generally
-death. Without even the shadow of any rational pretext whatever, he
-caused one Alí Aghá, the brother-in-law of the ághá of the palace, to
-be strangled. The very day after this deed was committed, he went to
-the diván, and caused Tarnákjí Hasan Páshá to be singled out from among
-the senators in the diván, and ordered his head to be struck off even
-under the sacred roof; but for what crime he suffered death no one
-knew. The grand vezír, in fact, was absolute and supreme, and therefore
-irresistible.
-
-Hasan Páshá, formerly mentioned, was about this time appointed to the
-government of Baghdád, to which he repaired.
-
-Azím Zádeh Effendí relates, what is not at all to be wondered at in
-those days of mourning, that this same grand vezír had formed the
-design also of numbering among the slain Sáa’tjí Hasan Páshá, who had
-been formerly governor of Constantinople, but that he had the good
-fortune to make his escape to Trebisond. Háfiz Páshá, the eunuch, who
-formerly had been káímakám of the Sublime Porte, was sent by him to
-the Seven Towers, and he lay there without the hope of escape. Others
-besides these now mentioned felt his resentment, and that too for mere
-trifles: for neglecting to shew him the respect he conceived to be due
-to him, or if he had any suspicion of their acting contrary to his
-views of such things.
-
-About this same time also he began to lay his hand upon the merchants,
-and to extort money from them. By the advice of Yázijí Zádeh, he
-got the ulemá to extend his powers and privileges, by which means
-he exercised oppression and tyranny, cruelty and rapine, in every
-direction.
-
-
-_Other affairs of this period._
-
-On the 11th of Ramazán, Jeráh Mohammed Páshá was appointed to take
-the command of the troops who had been ordered to act against the
-insurgents; but this appointment was again rescinded on the 25th
-following, and Jeghala Zádeh was fixed upon. Khosrú Páshá, who had
-been removed from the government of Egypt, was appointed vezír over
-the emperor’s private property, and was ordered to take his seat in
-the diván; and on the 1st of Dhu’l Kadah, he was appointed to take
-the command of the troops who served on the banks of the Danube.
-Ferhád Aghá having been deposed from the command of the janissaries,
-Kásim Aghá, deputy of the Kapújís, was appointed in his stead. Delí
-Hasan, the rebel-chief, who had gone to winter at Karah-hísár, sent
-his deputy, Sháh Verdí, to Constantinople, to solicit pardon for all
-his past offences, and promising obedience in future. Through the
-good offices of the túrnají báshí, who had recommended to employ him
-on the frontiers of Romeili, where he might have an opportunity of
-manifesting his courage, he was too suddenly received back into favour,
-and the country of Bosnia was rashly conferred on him. This same
-túrnají báshí accompanied Hasan’s deputy back, and carried with him for
-the reconciled chief a drum, a flag, and a robe of honour, which the
-government thought proper to send him. After having dispersed his rebel
-troops, he passed over to Romeili about the beginning of Dhu’l Kadah,
-and got the command of about four hundred men. The above-mentioned
-túrnají báshí was also sent with a body of janissaries to the camp of
-Mohammed Páshá at Belgrade, who had succeeded to the grand vezír in the
-command of the army on the frontiers, and having left Buda, had come to
-Belgrade. Here he collected his troops, and waited with some anxiety
-for the arrival of the janissaries, whom he expected the túrnají
-báshí would bring with him; and also for Delí Hasan. In the month of
-Dhu’l Kadah, Núh Páshá, the beglerbeg of Anatolia, who had succeeded
-Jeghala Zádeh in the east, and who had been appointed to the government
-of Caramania, Sivás, Merœsh, Haleb, and Adna, was appointed to
-conduct the war against those rebel chiefs who had continued their
-hostility, after Delí Hasan had reconciled himself. But when these
-rebels, however, did make peace, the sons of the khán of the Crimea,
-Salámet Gheráí, Mohammed Gheráí, and Shaher Gheráí, who had gone over
-to them, returned to the court of their brother, the ruling khán, when
-their unnatural conduct was pardoned. This took place towards the
-end of Dhu’l Hijja. On the 27th of the same month, the emperor was
-exceedingly enraged against the royal prince called Mahmúd Sultán,
-for some vicious conduct which had manifested itself in him. The true
-reason seems to have been this. One of the mesháiekh, or doctors,
-entered into a correspondence with Sultán Mahmúd, which flattered him
-with the prospect of mounting the Ottoman throne. This correspondence
-fell into the hands of the Kizlar Aghá, who informed the emperor of
-what was going on. The prince was first seized, then his mother, the
-sheikh or doctor, and all the other persons who were any away connected
-with the secret. This conduct, on the part of the persons concerned,
-awakened, as well it might, the suspicion of the emperor, who deemed
-it of so serious nature, that at the end of one month after they had
-been apprehended they were made to feel what they had every reason to
-dread. Mahmúd was a youth of great bravery and heroism. When at any
-time he saw his father in a thoughtful mood about the issue of the
-rebellion, which we have lately described, he used to say to him: “Make
-me commander-in-chief, and I will soon bring these rebels to submit,
-either by the sword or by acts of kindness: the thing is by no means
-difficult.” The emperor, however, did not like to hear him express
-himself in that way, and therefore prohibited the use of such language.
-
-Among the strange events of this year is the following. Abd-ur-rahmán,
-sometimes called Nedázlí, a teacher in an academy in Constantinople,
-was apprehended on the 10th Jamadi II., and put to death in the
-royal diván on a charge of impiety and atheism. Akhí Zádeh Effendí
-the chief-priest of Romeili, and Asa’d Effendí the chief-priest
-of Anatolia, were the two judges who condemned the unhappy man.
-Asa’d Effendí, in a letter he sent to Tarnákjí Hasan Páshá, says
-“he had never met in all his life such another Zendik (sadducee) as
-Abd-ur-rahmán. He avowed most thoroughly,” continues Asa’d Effendí,
-“his disbelief of the resurrection, heaven and hell, reward and
-punishment. I asked him to reply to several texts, and employed many
-strong and perspicuous arguments with the view of rescuing him from his
-unbelief and depravity, but he would not recant. So great an unbeliever
-was he, in his perverted judgment on points on which there can be no
-doubt! But neither was he to be considered as an insane person, for
-he argued strongly for his own views and mode of belief. There is
-no hope whatever of convincing a madman; and this sadducee, when he
-was not brought to repentance, deserved to die, and to this doom he
-was subjected. If your excellency had been here you would, with your
-own hands, have slain him. The world is delivered from his corrupt
-opinions, Muselmans from his influence, and the orthodox faith from the
-slanders of his tongue.”
-
-
-_Concerning the operations of the new Commander-in-chief Mohammed
-Páshá._
-
-Soon after the grand vezír’s return to Constantinople last year, Lálá
-Mohammed Páshá, whom he had left in the supreme command at Buda, was
-appointed serdár in his room, or commander-in-chief of the whole of the
-Turkish forces on the frontiers.
-
-Lálá Mohammed Páshá, as before hinted, left Buda and came to Belgrade,
-whence he issued orders to all the troops to assemble at his
-head-quarters. After these orders had been attended to, and the various
-troops had accordingly assembled at Belgrade, he found it would be
-too late in the year to wait for the arrival of the janissaries, whom
-the túrnají báshí was conducting to him from Constantinople, or for
-Delí Hasan (lately a powerful and mischievous rebel). In short, the
-season had already been far advanced, and therefore Mohammed Páshá
-returned towards Buda with the whole of his army. After crossing the
-bridge of Usk he encamped at a place called Kúrwah, where he received
-a visit from Delí Hasan Páshá, now the beglerbeg of Bosnia. When this
-man first came over to Romeili, under the semblance of having returned
-to obedience, he still cherished in his heart, notwithstanding this
-appearance, his old sentiments of disaffection. For some small offence
-which the master of the vessel in which he sailed from Anatolia had
-given him, he got into a rage and shot him dead. His conduct at
-Adrianople was still more flagrant. He collected there, by violence,
-an immense quantity of spoil; robbed the saddler of that place of
-all the furniture he had in his premises; laid a heavy contribution
-on the inhabitants, and did not leave the place till a certain number
-of _yúks_ of money had been given to him. He acted in this tyrannical
-way at Philippopolis, Sofia, and other cities through which he passed
-with his troops, amounting to ten thousand foot and horse, on his
-way to join the commander-in-chief. These troops had a most strange
-appearance. Many of them were naked-looking wretches, wearing amulets
-and chains about their necks; others of them had camel-bells fixed to
-their stirrups, and also wore amulets and chains on their backs; others
-were without caps or bonnets, and wore long hair like women, divided
-into tresses; others again had no covering for their legs. Each man of
-this motley crew carried a sort of spear, having a white flag about two
-spans long at the top. Thus arranged and accoutred, they surrounded the
-serdár’s tent with their matches burning in their hands, and crooked
-daggers stuck in their girdles. After having arranged themselves
-properly and being put in right order, the serdár sent one hundred and
-forty garments for the better sort amongst them, and cloth for as many
-more. Four hundred of them offered to enter the ranks of the serdár;
-but he replied he would see about it, and afterwards dismissed this
-savage-looking multitude.
-
-His royal highness Ghází Gheráí, khán of the Crimea, who had wintered
-at Petcheví, made an excursion into the enemy’s dominions, but had not
-been so successful in the enterprize as he at first anticipated. When
-the commander-in-chief[11] was on his way from Buda to Belgrade he paid
-his royal highness a visit; but on account of some misunderstanding or
-other, the khán returned to his own dominions without offering, in any
-way, to assist the besieged in Buda, which we lately left under the
-command of Mohammed Páshá, afterwards appointed commander-in-chief. The
-enemy’s camp, below Pest, was about fifty thousand strong. They had
-constructed a bridge across to the island of Chíl, and occupied that
-island with the view of preventing boats passing with provisions to
-Buda.
-
-When the army under Mohammed Páshá, the commander-in-chief, had taken
-up its position in the neighbourhood of the enemy’s camp, the whole
-of the enemy’s guns were directed against the Moslems, who, from the
-necessity they were under of preparing themselves trenches, were not
-in a condition to act on the offensive, or even on the defensive.
-The Moslems appeared, even to themselves, to have been in a dilemma
-at this time, and did not seem to know how to conduct their military
-manœuvres. They were aware, at least some of their leaders were so,
-that if they had sent out detachments to harass the country around
-Pest, the enemy would not fail to take advantage of this, and come
-and attack them when less able to offer them effectual resistance. As
-the recovering of Buda was their chief object, they were unwilling to
-retire before they had at least supplied it with a sufficient quantity
-of provisions, and thus encourage the Budians to maintain their heroic
-resistance. The opinions of the warriors, however, were various and
-conflictive: one party proposed one thing, another opposed this, and a
-third had a new plan altogether. At length, however, now that Yemishjí
-Páshá was no more at their head, they resolved on constructing bridges,
-and attacking the enemy that had taken possession of the Chíl. This
-was talked over and considered. Kúchuk Osmán Aghá, Fedái Beg, ághá of
-the salihdárs, some emírs well acquainted with the use of small-arms,
-and three thousand segbáns, with ten pieces of cannon, were ordered to
-effect a landing on the island during the night, and raise bastions,
-mounds, &c. The commander of the segbáns, who acted in the room of the
-ághá of the janissaries, came forward, and said that he had ordered
-three or four thousand of the common soldiers to this service, as it
-was unnecessary, and even improper, he said, to employ the janissaries
-in a species of labour which was beneath their rank in the army. These
-sentiments did not sound well in the ears of those veterans who thought
-otherwise; they said that the success of the undertaking depended
-on the janissaries being employed in it. A warm discussion ensued,
-and every one gave his own opinion. One party proposed that Serkhúsh
-Ibrahím Páshá, cousin to the commander-in-chief, should conduct this
-expedition. This was opposed by another party, who proposed that Murád
-Páshá, beglerbeg of Romeili, with his provincial troops, should be
-sent. This was also rejected; and it is no wonder if the conflicting
-opinions which prevailed in the Moslem camp on this occasion should
-have proved the means of its utter ruin and destruction. From this very
-terrible result, however, they were saved, though at the expense of
-many lives.
-
-Dervísh Páshá, who had been deposed from the government of Bosnia, was
-finally fixed on to conduct the expedition. On his reaching a bridge
-which the Moslems had just constructed for his use, he broke out
-into a rage when he saw it, and declared it altogether defective and
-dangerous. Mohammed Páshá, when the fact was explained to him, smoothed
-him down by telling him it should be, without delay, put into a proper
-state. “I need only tell you,” said the serdár, “in order to secure
-your services, that the janissaries in Constantinople, in consequence
-of their having met with the emperor’s countenance, and that of the
-prime minister, have become excessively tyrannical and turbulent. When
-you reflect on this, and when you consider that those of the same body
-of men amongst us here have manifested a similar spirit, you will not,
-I am sure, flinch from the duty assigned you.” This speech had the
-desired effect. Dervísh swore that he regarded his own life no more
-than he did a draught of water. “My reflection forbids me,” answered
-he, with no small degree of generous warmth, “to feel concern about
-self, but it demands of me, on the other hand, to be every way alive
-to the interests of my government, and to the glory of my religion.
-No sacrifice can be too great for either of these.” Thus saying, he
-proceeded. By means of boats four or five thousand horse and ten
-thousand foot were conveyed across to the above island under covert of
-the night.
-
-It is very singular, as well as very remarkable, that at this time
-Mohammed Páshá was visited by a sort of deep lethargy, which seemed
-extremely alarming; so much so, in fact, that he could not raise his
-head, and when he opened his eyes he spoke nonsense. In the meantime
-midnight had passed away, and the troops, which had effected a descent
-on the island of Chíl, had made no trenches nor erected any bastions.
-The segbáns who formed part of the expedition obstinately refused to
-open trenches. “We fought on the other side,” said they, “without the
-use of trenches, and we will not use them here.” The other janissaries,
-however, dug trenches for themselves.
-
-On the morning of the 4th of the month Sefer these unruly troops stood
-forth without order, and without any preconcerted plan, just like an
-army of locusts; and instead of acting in concert, and under regular
-authority, they spread out into small parties, and began to harass and
-plunder the country round Pest. They killed a few in these excursions,
-and seized a handful of others, with whom they returned to their camp.
-The bridge above referred to, though immense labour had been used
-in getting it ready, was not as yet fully finished. The enemy, who
-had been watching the movements of the Moslems, now put themselves
-in motion. They resembled a horde of swine following each other. The
-Hungarian cavalry attacked with fury those of the Moslems, and the
-bloody contest continued for several hours. It was very awful to see
-so many thousands of men in battle-array, some dying on the field and
-others drowning in the Danube. An auxiliary force of some hundreds of
-Moslems was conveyed over to the aid of their brethren in the island,
-whilst the cannon in the camp were made to play on the enemy with some
-effect. Dervísh Páshá, who commanded the expedition, was left with
-only ten pages around him; but he maintained his ground with matchless
-heroism. He tried, though in vain, to rally around him his troops, who
-were flying in all directions. Seeing himself abandoned by his men, and
-having no hope of succour from any quarter, he rushed in among a body
-of the enemy with the few who had remained faithful to him, and died
-sword in hand.
-
-In this very disastrous attempt no less than six thousand of the
-turbulent segbáns perished. The enemy, on perceiving the advantage
-they had gained, advanced their guns to the edge of the river, and
-destroyed the bridge which had cost the Moslems so much trouble in
-constructing. This was not all. They soon after sent over in boats a
-host of troops to the Moslem side of the river, and during the night
-effected a number of trenches. They also commenced constructing a
-bridge, and every thing seemed to pronounce in favour of the enemy. The
-Moslems had met with a severe check, and the enemy was advancing upon
-them. For three successive days they remained (_i.e._ the Moslem army)
-in a state of apparent inactivity, and the enemy had nearly finished
-their new bridge, when, on the fourth day, Delí Hasan Páshá, by order
-of the serdár, advanced with his troops to the very edge of the enemy’s
-new trenches; but finding it impracticable, from their great depth, to
-penetrate them, he returned. He contrived, however, a more effectual
-method; this was, to divide his men into two bodies, and cause them
-to enter in at the two ends of the trenches. Never was any thing more
-decisive. Out of ten thousand of the very best part of the enemy’s
-troops, and which had occupied these trenches, only about two hundred
-of them escaped the edge of the sword: all the rest perished. The two
-hundred who did escape, made towards their boats; but had scarcely
-reached the middle of the river, on their return to the Chíl, when
-their boats upset and all on board sunk to the bottom.
-
-After these wonderful and auspicious events, the serdár, Mohammed
-Páshá, raised his camp and directed his steps towards Buda; but the
-enemy, not in the least awed by the heavy loss they had just sustained,
-sent another body of several thousands to attack him in the rear. Few
-of these returned to their camp. Mohammed Páshá, who had fortunately
-received an augmentation of two thousand men from Buda, attacked the
-pursuing army from two points, and utterly defeated them. On the 12th
-of the month, when engaged in throwing provisions into Buda, the enemy
-again advanced, in the hope of thwarting the páshá’s purpose; but they
-were met with such vigour, that they were obliged to retrace their
-steps as fast as they were able. The enemy now retired upon Pest,
-removing, as they advanced on that place, the bridges which they had
-constructed on the Danube.
-
-The winter season having set in, the serdár directed his thoughts
-towards making arrangements for the better protection of Alba Julia
-and Buda. With this view, Hasan Aghá, the túrnají báshí, was left with
-a number of troops to watch the movements of the enemy. The válí of
-Romeili, Murád Páshá, with his provincials, was left to garrison Buda
-itself; and Delí Hasan Páshá, beglerbeg of Bosnia, was sent to Usk. On
-the 14th of Rabia II. the commander-in-chief, with the remainder of
-his army, returned to Belgrade, which he reached about the end of the
-month. The troops were allowed to retire into winter-quarters, and a
-report of the whole of the campaign was sent off to Constantinople.
-
-In the month of Moharrem of this year, Súfí Sinán Páshá was recalled
-to Constantinople, and raised to the dignity of vezír. The government
-of Shám (Syria) was conferred on Ferhád Aghá, who had been deposed
-from the ágháship of the janissaries. Núh Páshá was appointed
-commander-in-chief in Anatolia, and Háfiz Ahmed Páshá was recalled from
-Kutahia to Constantinople. He arrived there on the 24th of Sefer, and
-brought fifteen thousand ducats along with him, which were all seized
-by the government. The day after his arrival he went and took his seat
-in the diván; but towards the evening of the same day, Kásim Aghá, the
-ághá of the janissaries, seized him in his own palace, sealed up his
-effects, and conducted him to the Seven Towers, whence, after eighteen
-days’ confinement, he was set at liberty, and sent off to his own villa
-in the neighbourhood of Mikhalij (Moalich). The whole of his property
-in Constantinople was taken possession of in the name of the emperor.
-Had it not been for the interposition of the vezír, Hasan Páshá, and
-others, he certainly would have been put to death. In the month of
-Moharrem, also, Sáa’tjí Hasan Páshá was appointed to the government of
-Erzerúm, and was sent away during the severity of the winter by sea
-to Tribazond. Núh Páshá, who had been appointed commander-in-chief in
-Anatolia over the troops who were to act against the insurgents in
-that quarter, was displaced by the grand vezír, Yemishjí Hasan Páshá,
-in consequence of an old grudge which he still continued to cherish
-against him, and Nesúh Páshá, beglerbeg of Haleb, was appointed in his
-room. Nesúh Páshá was a man of great worth, probity, and experience. He
-was ordered to go to Larenda, in his native country.
-
-
-_The grand vezír Yemishjí Hasan Páshá is deposed.—Dies by a violent
-death._
-
-The grand vezír, Yemishjí Hasan Páshá, took care to appoint skilful
-commanders every where on the Turkish frontiers; succeeded in crushing
-the sedition which had broken out in the city, and in restoring
-tranquillity; tamed the spirit of his factious and turbulent troops,
-and took ample vengeance on all his enemies. In short, Hasan Páshá,
-the prime minister, was without a rival, and acted with absolute
-authority. His success was his ruin. His insolent vapouring pride and
-vanity grew to such a height, that even the friendship of those who
-were most attached to him was turned into hatred and enmity, and their
-esteem into disgust. The reverend mufti, Mustafa Effendí, Mustafa son
-of Rázieh, the ághá of the janissaries, Kásim Aghá, besides other
-persons of note, began now to cherish an utter aversion towards this
-unsufferably proud and haughty vezír. These great men, and others of
-their order and rank, ventured, at last, to make a communication of his
-tyranny and misrule to the emperor; who, on receiving it, immediately
-wrote to the mufti, and others learned in the law, with regard to the
-nature of the misconduct charged against his vezír, and requested their
-opinion. These great and wise men acted their own part, and the result
-was, that both secret and open hostility began to be exercised against
-the grand vezír. It was alleged that he had the settled intention of
-banishing the queen-mother; that to accomplish this he had secured
-the concurrence of the janissaries, by promising to break open the
-treasury-chest of St. Sophia, and distributing the money in it amongst
-them. Kásim Aghá, to give this story the appearance of veracity,
-pretended he was able to substantiate the whole by credible witnesses.
-In short, the emperor and his mother were thoroughly persuaded of the
-truth of these allegations, and the following assertion had the effect
-of strengthening his majesty’s convictions: “If your majesty,” said
-his accusers, “were just now to send for the seals of office, he would
-refuse to deliver them up.”
-
-One day, when the grand vezír, without entertaining the least suspicion
-of what was going on against him, went to Dávud Páshá on a visit to
-the emperor, and not finding the ághá of the palace, felt some concern
-as to how he might be introduced to his majesty, and therefore sent
-in a note intimating he had important communications to make to his
-royal ear; instead of having been graciously invited to enter, as he
-expected, he was coolly told, he would have an opportunity of laying
-his communications before the diván. This cold reception, as well as
-the answer which was returned him, he was at no loss to interpret:
-he perceived at once a change had taken place in his majesty’s mind
-towards him. He waited, therefore, with anxiety for the meeting of
-the diván, which took place on the Saturday following. Prior to the
-meeting of the diván, however, the ághá of the janissaries wrote a
-note to his majesty, which insinuated that there was great danger to
-be apprehended from the grand vezír, and that if prompt measures were
-not immediately taken with him, a serious tumult would most certainly
-ensue. In the diván, he stated the same things at great length, and
-concluded by saying, “that if instant precaution was not taken to
-thwart the purposes of the proud vezír, the seditious doctrines he had
-sown among the janissaries would soon, he was afraid, be felt in all
-their mischievous consequences. Try,” continued the ághá, “and require
-him to deliver up the seals of his vezírship, and I am willing to
-forfeit your majesty’s good-will if the janissaries do not rise to a
-man in resistance.” This speech excited his majesty’s anger.
-
-In the meantime, the ketkhodá of the kapújís went to the grand vezír,
-and informed him how matters stood, and of the part Kásim Aghá had
-acted; and also that the military judges demanded his presence in the
-diván. The grand vezír, however, did not think proper to appear in
-the diván; but this ághá, bent on ruining him, did not leave a stone
-unturned in trying to accomplish his purpose. Towards evening, one
-Turk Ahmed Aghá, a kapújí báshí, brought the vezír a written message,
-which purported to be from his majesty. On reading this document, he
-set off in a sorrowful mood towards the imperial gardens, but contrived
-at the same time to send word to those ághás who were his friends, of
-the emperor’s purpose to deprive him of his office; and who immediately
-went to stir up the janissaries to offer resistance. They assembled
-themselves together in a tumultuous manner, hastened to Kásim Aghá’s
-gate, and charged him with being the cause of the emperor’s change
-of mind towards the grand vezír, shut him up in one of his rooms,
-and made his gate fast with locks and bars: thence they proceeded to
-the mufti and military judges, and threatened that if they did not
-immediately induce the emperor to restore Yemishjí Hasan Páshá to the
-premiership they would burn down their dwellings, and shed the blood
-of any who should venture to oppose them. They also wrote out their
-own sentiments, in order to present them to his majesty, but which
-they delayed sending till the following day. After having menaced the
-reverend and learned gentleman above-mentioned, they returned to pay
-Kásim Aghá a second visit; but he had effected his escape, and had gone
-to Jeráh Mohammed Páshá. On not finding Kásim Aghá a prisoner in his
-own house as they had left him, the enraged janissaries took the seals
-of his ágháship, and conferred them on Turk Ahmed Aghá. The vezírship
-they conferred on Sárukjí Mustafa Páshá, who had been governor of Wán;
-but the seals of the premiership they meant to confer on Yávuz Alí
-Páshá, who was expected from Egypt.
-
-Such were the transactions which took place on the above occasion, and
-such the result. The diván, as a matter of prudence, was forbidden to
-meet for a week.
-
-On the following morning the infuriated janissaries, with one accord,
-proceeded to the emperor’s palace, and demanded with a loud voice that
-Yemishjí Hasan Páshá should be reinstated in the premiership. This
-demand, however, was only made to the officers and servants of the
-palace, but no doubt with the view of their communicating the desire of
-the janissaries to the royal ear.
-
-It happened that on that day the reverend mufti, and other spiritual
-dignitaries, had gone with their retinue to the royal palace, where
-they met the new-made ághá of the janissaries, Turk Ahmed, and whom
-they earnestly exhorted to retrace his steps, and not follow irregular
-courses. In short, this mode of address made an impression on the
-mind of Turk Ahmed, and it seems to have communicated itself to the
-rest of the mutineers; for we find the janissaries suddenly changed
-their minds, and said, “It is no matter of ours who is at the helm of
-affairs: the emperor may appoint whom he pleases.” The unfortunate
-grand vezír’s friends among the ketkhodás and chief chávushes, and some
-others, still maintained his cause, and continued for a while longer
-to persevere in his behalf; but they, too, when they saw that their
-perseverance would end in no good in his behalf, followed the example
-of the others.
-
-This unsettled state of things continued for the space of ten days,
-when ten eunuchs, under the command of the bostán báshí, by supreme
-authority suddenly seized on Yemishjí Hasan Páshá in the royal mint,
-dragged him forth into the garden of Khundán Aghá, and there despatched
-him, leaving his friends and followers to lament over him. Thus ended
-the life and activities of Yemishjí Hasan Páshá.
-
-It may not be improper briefly to advert here to the cause of that
-enmity which excited Kásim Aghá against the grand vezír, and which had
-its origin in the following circumstance.
-
-When Háfiz Ahmed Páshá was sent to the Seven Towers, and his property
-seized, that part of it which was not considered fit to be appropriated
-to his majesty’s own use was ordered to be sold. Kásim Aghá was the
-person appointed to execute this business in the first instance; but
-the grand vezír, on the part of the diván, associated with Kásim
-the son Poghacha, the third treasurer. The latter, perceiving some
-disposition to purloin in the former, withstood him. Kásim, fired with
-indignation, said that the emperor had committed to him the sale of the
-confiscated property, and asked him, with an air of disdain, by whose
-authority he had ventured to mix in matters that did not belong to him.
-The other defended himself, and maintained that it was the special
-duty of the defterdárs to attend to matters of that kind, and not to
-ághás. “Why,” said Kásim, in wrath, “I hope it will be my lot one day
-to dispose in this very way of your property, and of the property of
-him who sent you hither.” The treasurer, who was not possessed of
-superabundant meekness, communicated these unguarded sayings to the
-grand vezír, and of course displeased him exceedingly. When Kásim, some
-time afterwards, appeared before him, he reproved him for his conduct,
-and threatened to be revenged on him. This, then, was the cause of that
-hostility and ill will manifested by Kásim Aghá, as above related, and
-which also led him to other actions not less vindictive and cruel.
-After the murder of the grand vezír had been perpetrated, he not only
-got the treasurer, Altí Poghacha’s son deposed, but succeeded also in
-keeping him confined in the Seven Towers for a considerable time, and
-caused the whole of his property to be confiscated—thus verifying, in
-part at least, the truth of his own prediction. Yemishjí Hasan Páshá’s
-secretary he caused to be arrested, and made him advance security for
-his future conduct. Yáishá Zádeh Hamzah Effendí, the _reïs-ul-ketáb_,
-or _reïs-effendí_, was by his means sent to prison, and the whole of
-his property would also have been confiscated, had it not been for
-the good offices of the ághá of the salihdárs, who interfered in his
-behalf. Kátibmim, the secretary to Jeráh Mohammed Páshá, was made
-reïs-effendí in room of Hamza Effendí.
-
-This Kásim, though only an ághá, seems to have acted with as much
-authority and controul, in fact, as if he had been possessed of
-absolute and supreme dominion over the lives and fortunes of men. We
-shall hear more of him just now, and still more afterwards.
-
-
-_Kásim Páshá is made Governor of Constantinople._
-
-In consequence of the káímakám having been afflicted with the gout, he
-found himself unable to attend his duty in the diván, and therefore did
-not appear there, except on the days on which petitions were presented
-to his majesty. Hamza Páshá, the lord high chancellor, acted for him,
-and gave him a detail of all such matters as usually came before that
-assembly.
-
-One day, however, Kásim Páshá (very lately only an ághá) invented
-some means or other of getting the reverend mufti, Mustafa Effendí,
-invited to the royal palace, where the emperor conversed with him on
-topics of a general nature, and afterwards suddenly adverted to the
-case of the afflicted Jeráh Páshá; spoke of the excellent fitness
-of Kásim Páshá for the despatch of public affairs, and so forth. It
-now began to be circulated abroad that the mufti had said that Jeráh
-Páshá, the most laborious and active of all the emperor’s servants,
-and the most beloved among the list of vezírs, was, in consequence of
-disease, unable to attend to the arduous services which his responsible
-situation demanded, or even to be present in the diván. The part which
-Hamza Páshá, the lord high chancellor, had acted in the diván, was
-mentioned with approbation, and, in words, encouraged; but the affairs
-of government, it was said, had become so very great and numerous,
-that it was absolutely impossible for him, however willing he might
-be, to fulfil the duties of the governor or deputy of Constantinople;
-and therefore it was considered more advantageous to the state to
-allow Jeráh Páshá to retire, and appoint another able person to the
-deputyship. It was urged that Kásim Páshá was a man every way qualified
-for the high situation, and on the 8th of Jemadi II. Jeráh was informed
-that his further continuance in office was dispensed with, and that
-Kásim Páshá was appointed to succeed him.
-
-Kásim Páshá entered on the duties of his high station with zeal and
-alacrity, and, along with the mufti, attended incessantly to all the
-variety of business which came before him, with the most consummate
-skill and prudence. Mustafa Páshá, one of the vezírs, on account of
-some impropriety which appeared in his conduct, was sent to Anatolia,
-and Kúrd Páshá was appointed to fill his situation in the diván.
-
-The mufti and the new deputy took care, however, to get their own
-friends and favourites into comfortable and snug places, by turning
-others out.
-
-Yemishjí Hasan Páshá was deposed in the month of Rabia II. and
-assassinated in Jemadi II. following of this current year. In
-consequence of there having been no vezír in the diván at the death of
-the late grand vezír, who was considered worthy of wearing the robes of
-the premier, the seals were deposited, in the meantime, in the treasury
-of the Soleimáníyeh. Jeráh Páshá, the deputy of Constantinople, and his
-successor Kásim Páshá, attended to the duties peculiar to the premier’s
-office till a new one was appointed, which was not long after. Yávuz
-Alí Páshá having been recalled from the government of Egypt, he
-appointed the oldest of the emírs of that province to act as his
-deputy, and immediately commenced his journey towards Constantinople.
-His near approach to that city was no sooner ascertained, than the
-seals of the grand vezírship were sent him by the hands of Kúlí Dilsiz,
-a relation of his own. This took place in Jemadi II., about the time
-the late grand vezír was assassinated.
-
-
-_The commencement of a rupture with Persia._
-
-This year, one thousand and twelve, is recognized in the history of the
-empire as a year of defection and rebellion. It was this year that the
-ungracious Sháh Abbás, the king of Persia, violated his engagements
-with the Sublime Porte, by stirring up rebellion and exercising tyranny
-and oppression on her frontiers. The governors and commanders on the
-frontier provinces had hitherto manifested the strictest obedience
-and good government, but now became tyrants through the influence of
-Persia. Neglecting the law of God and despising the commands of the
-emperor, they began to exercise their tyranny and oppression not only
-on the peasantry but even on those in power. In short, the Persians
-succeeded amazingly in perverting and corrupting the hitherto faithful
-Moslems on the frontiers.
-
-Amongst those who had been thus gained over by one means or other to
-the side of the heretical Persians was one Ghází Beg, a descendant of
-Sháh Kúlí of Kúrdistán, and governor of Silmás. He and some of his
-followers dreading the resentment of the Sublime Porte, wrote letters
-to the Persian sháh to take them under his protection, and requested
-him to send them aid. The fox-like sháh, however, cunningly put off
-granting them their request for some little time, thinking it too early
-for bringing about the base designs he had formed against the Osmánlís.
-He, however, sent to Ghází Beg, by a hypocritical impure wretch of the
-name of Jemshíd, a cap, a sword, and a shawl, flattering him with every
-sort of promise of support from the sháh. Ghází Beg, thinking he had
-got all he wanted, began to force the people of his government to wear
-caps similar to the heretical one which was sent to him, instead of
-those they usually wore. In short, Ghází Beg and his associates became
-complete heretics and did not scruple to show it.
-
-The people of Tabríz were thrown into a state of great rage and
-indignation at this conduct, and determined on making Ghází Beg and
-his followers to feel it. They accordingly resolved on calling to
-their aid the people of Nakhcheván, a city not far from Tabríz, in
-the view of bringing the people of Silmás to an account for their
-infidelity and heresy. This mission was committed to the care of the
-válí of the province of Tabríz, Alí Páshá, who, along with others who
-had accompanied him, no sooner reached Nakhcheván, than they made
-known to the citizens the purport of their embassy. Adherence to the
-emperor of the Muselmans, on the one hand, and the chastisement of the
-apostate sháh, on the other, was the burden of their message and the
-subject of consultation. The enlightened vezír, Sheríf Páshá, válí
-of Reván (Erivan), in the view of suppressing the rising rebellion
-and corruption, wrote to all quarters, exhorting every one to lend
-his aid to this good work; but without any good effect. Finding his
-exhortations had not been attended to, he ordered his deputy, Osmán
-Aghá, to march with a general army against the heretics; but carefully
-warned them to show the heretics, in the first instance, forbearance
-and compassion. “If they,” said the mild páshá, “abjure their heresy
-and return to the bosom of Islamism again, well; if not, then you
-must commence a regular war against them.” The troops from Nakhcheván
-and those of Tabríz met at a place which had been previously fixed
-on; but before proceeding to extremities they, in conformity to the
-orders received from the páshá, first despatched a messenger to
-recall the heretics in question to their ancient faith. The proud
-and haughty apostates, however, were not to be gained over in that
-way. They had taken refuge in the fortress called Karní Yáruk, and
-from their batteries answered the Moslem messenger with the sound of
-cannon and musketry, as a token of defiance. This was enough: the
-means of recalling them to the true faith had been employed, but
-were contemptuously rejected; it was therefore proper to attempt
-their reduction by force. The Moslem and orthodox army accordingly
-advanced and environed Karní Yáruk with the view of laying siege to
-it, notwithstanding its immense elevation and great strength. With the
-utmost care, and avoiding, as well as possible, the showers of bullets
-and arrows which were discharged from the ramparts of the garrison,
-they succeeded in mounting so far as to place their standard on its
-walls. After employing a whole week in scattering fire and death
-among the besieged, the author of the evil began to perceive that all
-further resistance would be vain, and, therefore, leaving his wife
-and child, threw himself over the wall of the garrison, and made the
-best of his way to the sháh. His sons and followers maintained their
-resistance for a day or two longer, and then proposed to capitulate.
-The orthodox permitted them to retire to any place they chose, and
-to take the whole of their property along with them; every Osmánlí
-having been prohibited, in the strongest manner, laying a finger on
-them, or on their goods, which they were allowed to take along with
-them. After this fortress and a few others had been reduced under the
-Ottoman power, the troops of Nakhcheván and of Tabríz returned to their
-respective homes.
-
-
-_The Sháh of Persia marches upon Tabríz._
-
-After the Kúrd, Ghází Beg, had made his escape from Karní Yáruk, as
-above related, he made his way to the court of Persia, at Ispahan,
-where he related the dangers he had undergone and escaped, the success
-of the Osmánlís, and earnestly and vehemently urged the Persian
-monarch to instant and open hostility against the Turks. He represented
-the country of the fire-worshippers, especially the principal city in
-it, Tabríz, as abounding with wealth, and that the treasury of it at
-that moment was full of money. He said, moreover, that the troops were
-very few, if any, and that that was a proper time for pillaging it.
-
-This representation of the Kúrd was all that was necessary for
-awakening the cupidity of the perverted sháh, who at once resolved
-on reducing the whole of that country under his own authority. This
-avaricious sháh, regardless of treaty and common faith, thought of
-nothing else but how he might succeed in the attempt. Two or three
-thousand of his best troops, Mamlúks, were pushed forward from Ispahan
-to Tabríz, by means of caravans, a journey of twenty days, but which
-these caravans accomplished in nine, such was the mighty haste they had
-made. On the 19th of Rabia II. they erected the standard of hostility
-in the plains of Tabríz.
-
-A day or two after the appearance of these invaders the treacherous
-Zulfekár Khán, and a number of other rebels, to the number of fifteen
-thousand, collected together at a village belonging to some súfís, with
-the view of intercepting the Tabrízian army returning from Nakhcheván;
-and there they proposed to give them battle as soon as they arrived.
-
-The Tabrízian warriors, after having parted with the Nakhchevánís,
-began to retrace their steps homewards, and had reached within a
-short distance of the very place where their enemies lay encamped,
-with the view of intercepting them and cutting them off. Their
-commander-in-chief, Alí Páshá, was made aware by letters of the state
-of matters, and of the defection which the presence of the Mamlúks had
-occasioned. These letters were sent him from some of the emírs on the
-frontiers; but to prevent discouragement arising in the minds of the
-Tabrízian warriors, and in order to keep them together, he kept the
-information he had received to himself, determined to meet the Persian
-heretics with his little orthodox band, only fifteen hundred, whatever
-might be the number that should oppose him.
-
-On the morning of the 22d of the month last-mentioned, at sun-rise,
-the enemy presented themselves in battle array, their unfurled
-banners streaming in the air; and such was the majestic but terrific
-appearance which this host of heretics showed, that it completely awed
-the little band of Tabrízian troops into something like terror. The
-sháh of the _red heads_ (_i.e._ of the Persians) put his host, numerous
-as ants, into order, and his trumpets began to be sounded. This sight
-increased the terror of the Moslems; but they were determined to meet
-them, whatever might be the result. They did so, and fought the infidel
-host with a bravery altogether unparalleled; the skill and management
-they manifested was extraordinary. They scattered death and fury amidst
-the odious heretics. By their immense ardour, their hearts burning
-bright with the purest zeal, they successfully repulsed the successive
-assaults of the cold-hearted heretics, and fairly despoiled them of
-their vain-glorious appearance of valour. A noted rebel of the name of
-Gholám Alí Oghlí, who had acted in the capacity of a cherkají báshí to
-the enemy, and who had manifested great bravery among the heretics,
-fell by the hands of the heroic Karah Hasan. When this circumstance
-happened, the cowardly and heartless heretics began to give way; they
-were evidently disheartened. It so happened, however, that at this time
-one Timúrjí Oghlí, a well-known person, but whose principles were more
-detestable than even those of the heretics, though he pretended every
-thing valorous, went over, nevertheless, to the enemy with a hundred
-of his followers; a circumstance, it must be acknowledged, which had a
-powerful effect in depressing the hearts of the faithful few.
-
-But soon a fire broke out within them, which not only destroyed every
-thorn of doubt, but also burned up all the rubbish of their suspicious
-speculations, with regard to the point to be gained, when again,
-with redoubled valour, they set their faces firmly to the contest,
-and fought with such desperate courage as can hardly be described.
-The contest, however, was most unequal: a few hundreds against many
-thousands; but yet a most bloody one. Many a sultán’s head remained
-bonnetless on the field of battle; many a khán’s family was left
-unprotected in this most desperate struggle, which lasted from sun-rise
-till mid-day. True it is that the Tabrízians are a most bold, fierce,
-and heroic tribe; and yet, notwithstanding these qualities which shone
-in them so conspicuously on the above occasion, their caution and
-acuteness was such, that only ten or fifteen of them tasted the cup of
-martyrdom, a circumstance which seems truly wonderful. It is recorded,
-that a man of immense strength, belonging to the Tabrízians, vanquished
-by his sword about sixty of the enemy, the greater part of whom he made
-thorns and briars for the fire of hell.
-
-The result of the bloody contest we have to record was fatal to the
-Tabrízians. The hateful heretics, like a multitude of ants, ran upon
-their antagonists and overcame them by dint of numbers. On that
-lamentable day, Mohammed Páshá, who had formerly been governor of
-Nakhcheván, and the beglerbeg of Akhiska, Khalíl Páshá, after having
-blotted out of the book of life many of the red heads, fell martyrs on
-the field. Alí Páshá, himself a Tabrízian, the válí of the province,
-performed, on the above day, the most incredible acts of bravery
-recorded in history. The sháh himself could not help admiring the
-heroism which inspired Alí Páshá, and spoke with approbation of the
-wonderful feats he performed before him. In short, the sháh himself
-declared that had there not been treachery somewhere, the victory would
-not have been so easily won. Such of the brave Tabrízians as had not
-the good fortune of falling in battle contending with these hateful
-heretics were, of course, subjected to a fate which they esteem truly
-vile and abject. They were made prisoners.
-
-The city and fortress of Tabríz, about the middle of the first Jemadi,
-after a siege of twenty-two days, yielded, on the conditions of their
-persons and property being respected. These the heretics promised,
-but failed most shamefully in fulfilling them. As soon as they got
-possession of Tabríz, they began to plunder and rob the inhabitants
-without mercy, made their persons slaves, and furthermore began to
-annoy them with the delirium of their heresy. The cazí effendí of
-the city, not choosing to submit to heretics, fled the city, and
-endeavoured to make his way to Wán, but he was pursued by some of the
-red heads, who cruelly murdered him on the road.
-
-The heretical sháh, in addition to all the other enormities he and
-his despicable soldiery committed, violated also the chastity of the
-females of Tabríz, without ceremony and without compunction.
-
-After Tabríz had fallen into the hands of these heretics, its
-inhabitants robbed and made slaves, and the women ravished, the sháh
-turned his thoughts towards vanquishing other cities, and accordingly
-sent off troops in all directions. The sháh himself determined on the
-reduction of Nakhcheván, and therefore made every preparation for
-the attempt. Two days were spent in the plains of Tabríz in making
-them, during which time the heretics enjoyed themselves in eating and
-drinking.
-
-One of those detachments sent out by the sháh was headed by a vile
-person of the name of Kesáb Hájí, a noted heretic of Urdúbád, his
-native city, and famous from ancient times for its heresy and atheism.
-When the Osmánlís first conquered this city, for it was at the time we
-are speaking of under the Ottoman dominion, it was wonderfully raised
-and exalted by means of the self-evident and convincing doctrines of
-the Koran, which were introduced amongst its inhabitants; but the
-wicked people, notwithstanding, turned again to their beloved heresy.
-Kesáb Hájí, with the troops committed to his charge, marched upon this
-city. His thorough acquaintance with the people, and his knowledge of
-the country round about, pointed him out as the most fit person for
-the undertaking. When this corrupted fellow, and his no less corrupted
-soldiery had crossed the river near Urdúbád, and appeared before the
-walls of the city, the hypocritical and disaffected inhabitants came
-forth to meet them with demonstrations of joy, and hastened to show
-them all the honour and respect they were able. As a proof of the
-sincerity of their joy they garnished their houses and streets, shaved
-their under-beard, and changed the make of their garments. In this way,
-and by these means, the city of Urdúbád, or otherwise called Sawed
-Kallah, was taken.
-
-For a day or two the Ottoman garrison in the fortress showed some
-disposition to maintain the place and respect the honour of the sultán;
-but the inhabitants of the country came forward to the aid of the
-invaders, and with their assistance the walls were thrown down, the
-arms of the garrison and also their property, whatever it was, the
-conquerors distributed among themselves, and afterwards gave themselves
-up to eating and drinking.
-
-Another, of the name of Cherak Sultán, commanded a second of those
-companies or cohorts sent out by the heretical sháh, and was ordered to
-attack a village called Gelha, which, with the aid of its inhabitants,
-he took without opposition. Mustafa Aghá, who had been sent thither by
-the court of Constantinople for the purpose of collecting and managing
-grain and fruit, with difficulty escaped with his head.
-
-Several other places were subjected in a similar manner, and the
-heretics spared no means whatever in accomplishing their purposes
-against the Osmánlís. Information reached Nakhcheván of the success
-which had attended the enemy every where, and of the tyranny and
-oppression they exercised over the lives and fortunes of those who
-had been so unhappy as to fall into their hands. The Nakhchevánís
-were greatly distressed, and fear seized them. However, a reverse of
-fortune seemed to be awaiting the orthodox believers. Kesáb Hájí,
-who had subdued Urdúbád, remained in it as governor and commander in
-the name of the sháh of Persia, but his exaltation was not of long
-duration. The válí of Reván, Sheríf Páshá, an aged and experienced
-general, perceiving the general defection, and that there was no end
-to it, was roused to indignation, and determined on endeavouring to
-stop the torrent that seemed to threaten the whole of the Osmánlí
-dominions in that quarter. He accordingly deputed Mohammed Páshá, son
-of Khezer Páshá, to march against Urdúbád with five or six hundred
-veterans and surprise its new governor. These veterans, with the speed
-of messengers of death, arrived one morning before daylight at the
-place of their destination, and, as a visitation from heaven, fell upon
-the wretched heretics with such sudden fury and effect, that only a few
-of them escaped the edge of the sword. Those of them who did escape
-the vengeance of the orthodox Moslems, fled into holes and caves in
-the mountains and in the fields and hid themselves. Kesáb Hájí, who
-by some means or other had been deprived of his horse, scampered off
-from the scene of carnage, and, like a fox, secreted himself in a den,
-leaving his associates to struggle the best way they could: but it was
-to no purpose; he did not save himself; for one of the veteran Moslems
-having perceived him, followed him into his hole, and seized him. His
-associate in the government of Urdúbád, one Beyendur, suffered the
-death due to his villany and crimes; but Kesáb Hájí himself, though he
-was afterwards put to death, had the honour of having a crown of infamy
-placed on his head, was dragged by Mohammed Páshá to the residence
-of the válí, and along with the whole of the severed heads of the
-infidels of Urdúbád, was presented in his presence. The judicious and
-experienced válí failed not to pay all due respect to the hero of the
-victorious Moslems.
-
-It is worthy of remark, however, that the enemy no sooner came to know
-of the movements of the Moslems, in reference to Urdúbád, than they
-sent off a considerable force in the view of succouring the heretics in
-it, in the event of the Moslems offering to subdue that city. They were
-too late, however, to gain their object, and when they heard of its
-fate they retraced their steps.
-
-
-_The capture of Nakhcheván._
-
-The fortress or city of Nakhcheván was a place of no great strength,
-having been built of weak materials. Most of its buildings were
-made of clay and mortar; its walls low; and ever since the time the
-greater part of them were thrown down, provisions have not been very
-plentiful in it. But it was near to Reván, and if it happened at any
-time to be deprived of the aid of the military, and was in danger from
-enemies, Reván formed a near and accessible asylum for their families
-and property, and whence they might easily annoy their enemies. Reván
-itself was exceedingly strong and well fortified, having abundance of
-cannon and provisions within it. A river, like Kokjeh-sú, ran under its
-walls, and the country every where around it was fertile. Such at least
-was the account of it which its rulers, at that time, sent to the sháh
-when they had reason to expect the place was likely to be subjected to
-difficulties, and which was conveyed to him by one Mohammed Aghá, an
-officer of the páshá.
-
-The heretics, notwithstanding the several checks which they had
-received, continued, nevertheless, to make encroachments on the Moslem
-frontiers. Nakhcheván fell into their hands, and some other places
-also; but though they struggled hard, for three successive days, to
-reduce Reván, they were, in the end, obliged to retreat, leaving nearly
-two hundred of their number on the field, whilst only six or seven of
-the Moslems met their death in the contest.
-
-When the news of the sháh’s perfidious breach of the peace, and of
-the disastrous events which followed thereon, reached the court of
-Constantinople, the emperor and his ministers were plunged into a
-state of the greatest surprise and consternation. The communications
-which had announced this unwelcome intelligence were despatched by
-Sáa’tjí Hasan Páshá, who had been sent to the government of Erzerúm,
-and by Sheríf Páshá, governor of Nakhcheván and Reván. The intelligence
-referred to, not only spoke, in particular, of the conquests which the
-sháh had gained on the frontiers, and of his having put Alí Páshá,
-beglerbeg of Tabríz, in irons; but also depicted, in the strongest and
-most explicit manner, that unless a speedy and efficient reinforcement
-were afforded the Moslems in Asia, not only Reván but other important
-cities would, unquestionably, fall into the hands of the heretics.
-
-Such were the alarming accounts which, at this period, troubled the
-Sublime Porte; but they were no sooner received than the káímakám, the
-civil and military governor of Constantinople, immediately despatched
-an officer to assemble together the mufti, the vezírs and the military
-judges, in order to lay these important matters before them. This
-council, after having fully considered the various topics which had
-been submitted to them, sent a report of their deliberations to his
-august majesty, who was pleased to express his approbation of their
-resolutions. Sáa’tjí Hasan Páshá was, accordingly, appointed to the
-chief command in the east: and whatever number of troops and apparatus
-of war he might require for effectually repelling the heretics, were
-likewise ordered to be sent to him forthwith. An imperial edict, in
-conformity with these resolutions, was immediately issued to the
-various commanders in the eastern provinces; but in consequence of the
-emperor’s translation to another world, an event which took place soon
-after the issuing of the above edict, the preparations in favour of
-Sáa’tjí Hasan Páshá were necessarily postponed for awhile.
-
-
-_Death of Sultán Mohammed Khán, son of Murád Khán._
-
-On the 22d of Jemadi II., as the emperor, Sultán Mohammed Khán, was
-returning to his royal palace from some place where he had been, he was
-met by an inspired person, at the head of the street which conducted
-to his royal mansion, who cried out, that in fifty-six days a very
-important event would happen, and then warned his majesty to take care
-of himself. This extraordinary and unexpected mode of salutation not
-only surprised his august majesty, as well it might, but also the
-whole of the citizens. It so happened, that on the 14th of Rajab the
-emperor’s constitution became so very much altered and weakened as
-altogether to baffle the skill and advice of his medical advisers.
-Nothing that they could devise had the least effect in affording him
-any relief, and in four days afterwards, on the 18th of the above
-month, his triumphant spirit, in the thirty-seventh year and eighth
-month of his age, took its flight to the upper world; having reigned
-nine years and two months.
-
-Sultán Ahmed Khán, the heir apparent, was declared his father’s
-successor, and early on the following morning, the whole of the vezírs,
-emírs, and other magnates of the state, assembled in the royal diván to
-express their allegiance to the new emperor, and to do him the honours
-peculiar on such an occasion. The royal coffin for the deceased monarch
-was brought into the court of the palace, where an immense multitude
-had collected to hear the funeral service performed by the reverend
-mufti, Mustafa Effendí. This ceremony being over, the royal remains
-were removed and deposited in a tomb in St. Sophia, near that of Sultán
-Selím.
-
-Sultán Mohammed Khán was a prince who possessed rare talents and
-acquirements. His manners were grave, and his deportment polite and
-dignified, though it had something of severity in it. He was kind,
-generous and benevolent, and most attentive to the duties of religion,
-but at the same time most strict in the administration of justice. He
-uniformly maintained a punctual regard to the appointed or canonical
-hours of devotion; and, in short, was a bright example of religion and
-piety to the whole of the community. The fame of his virtues, like
-those of his exalted progenitors, have all been embalmed in the poetry
-of his people.
-
-Of his noble and exalted sons, Sultán Selím entered Paradise on the
-3d of Ramazán 1005. The cup of martyrdom was administered to Sultán
-Mahmúd on the 27th of Dhúl hijja 1011. _Note._ It has been recorded
-that a certain sheikh had announced to Sultán Mohammed Khán, that this
-young prince had formed the design of ascending the Ottoman throne,
-for which reason his father, as soon as he was made acquainted with
-the fact, employed the above sheikh to deprive him of his life. The
-prince, however, was innocent of the charge laid against him. He was
-buried in the mausoleum allotted to the princes of the blood. Ahmed had
-the good fortune of succeeding his father, as we have already noticed,
-and Sultán Mustafa chose a retired life, though in the course of his
-eventful life he twice became emperor. Sultán Jehángír died in infancy.
-
-
-_Of learned men._
-
-Ja’fer Effendí died in 982 of the Hijrah; Haider Effendí in 988; Azemí
-Effendí in 990; Nováí Effendí in 1003.
-
-
-_Concerning Grand Vezírs, and other great men._
-
-Sinán Páshá was three times grand vezír, and commander-in-chief of
-the troops which had been employed against Yanuk. When returning to
-Constantinople he was ordered into exile; and Ferhád Páshá, who was
-at that time káímakám, was created grand vezír a second time, and
-also commander-in-chief. He was, however, deposed at the time he was
-employed in erecting a bridge on the Danube when on his march to
-Valachia, and was murdered in 1004. Sinán Páshá was again created grand
-vezír in 1003. He went in great haste to chastise the rebel Michael,
-but after having surmounted great difficulties in the mud, in which he
-was very nearly lost, he returned in disgrace to Rusjuk. Lálá Mohammed
-Páshá succeeded Sinán in 1004, but died ten days after his exaltation
-to the premiership. Sinán Páshá succeeded a fifth time to the dignity
-of grand vezír. It was he who had induced the late emperor to take a
-personal share in the war with the infidels of the north. In Shabán
-of that same year he took his journey into the eternal world. Sinán
-was a native of Arnáúd, or Albania. He was, at the commencement of his
-career, a cup-bearer in the court of Selím II., and became successively
-military commander in the sanjáks of Malatiyeh, Kostamúní, Gaza, and
-Tripoli. He was afterwards made beglerbeg of Erzerúm, then of Haleb,
-and then again of Egypt. In consequence of some disturbance which had
-taken place in Yemen he was sent thither, though in the seventy-seventh
-year of his age, to quell it, which he did most successfully. He was
-again sent to Egypt, but was recalled to Constantinople, where he at
-once became vezír and head of the admiralty. In 980 he conquered Tunis,
-and returned at the time Sultán Murád Khán mounted the throne, and
-became one of his vezírs. In his eighty-eighth year he was appointed
-to conduct the war against the Persians, and succeeded Ahmed Páshá in
-the grand vezírship. In 994 he was governor of Syria. In 997 he was
-again in the vezírship. In 999 he was deposed. In 1001 he was a third
-time created grand vezír. In 1003-4 he was out, and again in the same
-office. He was now very far advanced in age, being beyond ninety, when
-he fell ill of a very severe cold he had caught, and died of it on the
-5th of Shabán 1004, and was buried near Tevekil Cheshmeh (the fountain
-of hope) in his own tomb. He was five times grand vezír and as often
-commander-in-chief. One hundred orations were pronounced throughout the
-empire in praise of this extraordinary man, who was considered third in
-rank to Raslim Páshá and Mohammed Páshá of former days.
-
-Ibrahím Páshá, being second vezír, was raised to the premiership,
-and went out to the war. At the taking of Agria in 1005, Jeghala
-Zádeh Sinán Páshá was created grand vezír in Ibrahím’s room; but
-forty-five days afterwards the latter was made grand vezír a second
-time. Khádem Hasan Páshá was created grand vezír in 1006, but was
-soon afterwards deposed and murdered. Jeráh Páshá succeeded him in
-office. Ibrahím Páshá was called a third time to adorn the office of
-premier, and died a short time after the taking of Kaniza. Yemishjí
-Hasan Páshá, who had arrived at the lofty preeminence of filling the
-offices of grand vezír and commander-in-chief, was, for his obstinacy
-and inhumanity, assassinated. Yávuz Alí Páshá, who had been recalled
-from the government of Egypt, was, in 1012, raised to the premiership.
-Khalíl Páshá was by birth a Bosnian. On his leaving the royal harem
-he advanced by degrees to various honours and places of trust, and
-at last became grand vezír, and son-in-law to his majesty. He was
-succeeded in the deputyship of Constantinople by Ibrahím Páshá, who
-was also created second vezír. He died on the 19th of Rajab, and was
-buried near Tekelí Tásh, opposite Alí Páshá’s mosque. The eunuch, Háfiz
-Ahmed Páshá, was also governor or deputy of Constantinople; and so was
-Sáa’tjí Hasan Páshá, but was afterwards degraded. Gúzelcheh Mahmúd
-Páshá succeeded to the same high office, but having been implicated in
-one of the late tumults, he fled and remained concealed for a while.
-He rose again, however, to the dignity of vezír. Hasan Páshá, son of
-Sokollí Mohammed Páshá, was shot by a musket-ball at Tokat. He was
-válí of Baghdád, and having marched to quell the rebellions which began
-to assume a formidable appearance in that quarter, he fell a martyr
-by their rebellious hands. The reader may easily recall to his memory
-this part of his history as recorded in a former part of this work.
-Satúrjí Mohammed Páshá, who had conducted the unsuccessful war against
-Warad, was assassinated at Belgrade. Mustafa Páshá was the son of
-the honourable Rázieh (a lady), and became a vezír of the kubba.[12]
-Hájí Ibrahím Páshá having been routed by the rebels in the east, was
-deposed, and afterwards died a martyr in Egypt. Tarnákjí Hasan Páshá,
-who had been appointed governor of the province of Baghdád, on coming
-out from the royal palace after he had paid his respects to the emperor
-for the honour he had conferred on him, killed Yemishjí Hasan Páshá,
-the late grand vezír.
-
-
-_Concerning the ulemá, or higher order of ecclesiastics._
-
-Sa’d-ud-dín Effendí Ben Hasanján, tutor or domestic chaplain to the
-late emperor, a very reverend judge in all ecclesiastical affairs,
-counsellor of state and privy counsellor to his majesty, was raised
-to all these high offices during the reign of the late monarch, and
-died on the 12th of Rabia II., 1008, whilst employed in celebrating,
-in St. Sophia, the service peculiar to his majesty’s nativity. His
-remains were conveyed to the mosque erected by Sultán Mohammed, and
-were afterwards interred in a select spot in Abúaiyúb. Siná-allah
-Effendí performed the funeral ceremony, and his four sons, all of them
-ulemá and pillars of religion and of the state, conveyed their father’s
-remains to the place of interment. The very reverend Mohammedan father,
-Bostán, filled, on two occasions, the office of high priest: he died in
-1007. Abdulmomín Mustafa Effendí succeeded Siná-allah Effendí during
-the disturbance which had taken place in the affair of Yemishjí Hasan
-Páshá, which we have already recorded. He was judge in Anatolia, and
-was raised by Yemishjí to the muftiship, but he became afterwards
-the cause of his benefactor’s death. Abdulbákí, the famous Turkish
-poet, was repeatedly chief judge in Greece, but died whilst out of
-office in 1008. Hesám-ud-dín, the son of Karah Chelebí Effendí, was
-repeatedly chief judge in Romeili, but died out of office in 1008.
-Ahmed-ul-nasárí was descended from Abdullah: he was one of the most
-excellent of men. Ibrahím Chelebí has given a very full and complete
-exposition of his Multeka al Bahrín.[13] He was more than once chief
-judge in Greece; was thence translated into Egypt, and thence again
-to the Ka’ba, where he died. Muselleh-ud-dín Bostán Zádeh died after
-he had retired from the cazíship of Greece. The very reverend and
-learned Bostán Chelebí Zádeh died during his incumbency in Turkey.
-The dignified Mustafa Ebn Abú-as-sa’úd-al-omádí was successor to the
-last-mentioned, and died in 1008. The respectable Abdul helím died out
-of office. Kúsh Yahia Effendí retired from office in 1006, and died the
-following year at sea, on his way to Egypt. Many more names might be
-added to this list of learned and excellent men, but there would be no
-end of them, they are so numerous.
-
-
-_Of the Mesháiekh, or priests._
-
-Sheikh Muhad ul hamíd wrote a commentary during the time he was
-preacher or lecturer in St. Sophia: he was a learned divine. Sheikh
-Khezer, the son of a distinguished officer, was a very learned man,
-and translated some excellent works. He fell a martyr in the battle of
-Agria. Sheikh Shems-ud-dín was a man of such uncommon abstemiousness,
-piety, sympathy, and fine feeling, as were not to be imitated. He
-exerted himself in the battle of Agria. He translated Imám A’zím’s
-system of ethics into Turkish. He is the author of several other
-works. Sheikh Mírmírán was very conspicuous for his great temperance
-and piety. He was one of those authors who embellished their writings
-with drawings. He fell a martyr at the battle of Agria in company with
-Beyabáshí Zádeh, and his pure body was not afterwards found. Sheikh
-Mahmúd Effendí is noticed in the register of the reign of Murád: he was
-a man of great eminence, and was much esteemed by the reigning monarch
-in consequence of his political abilities. Sheikh Hasan Effendí was
-sheikh in Ibrahím Páshá’s religious establishment: he went on a journey
-to Yemen, where he died. Sheikh Váa’z was a man of the first-rate
-talents: he was preacher in the mosque of Soleimán; on the days of
-assembly he expounded the doctrines of religion to the people, and
-immediately after answered and explained difficult questions. He was
-strongly opposed to every thing inconsistent with religion, and laid
-the severest prohibitions on those who were guilty of transgressing the
-precepts of the true faith. Some of the nobles, on account of this very
-great strictness, spoke reproachfully of him, and once or twice got him
-banished the city; but by the gracious assistance of God he overcame
-his enemies, and was again allowed to return to the metropolis.
-Sheikh Ismáíl employed himself in the chapel or monastery of Galata
-in translating poetry. He left behind him a beautiful paraphrase or
-commentary on the Mesnevi, or book of moral doctrines. His seven
-published volumes have not escaped the censure of some of the learned;
-but it must be acknowledged that he was a man of charming and excellent
-qualities. He died in 1012.
-
-Sultán Ahmed Khán ascended the throne of the Ottomans on the 18th of
-Rajab, and began his regal authority by a written message to Kásim
-Páshá, the káímakám. This written message was folded in a napkin, and
-handed to a certain officer, who was desired to deliver it into Kásim’s
-own hand. The officer being informed that the message committed to his
-charge was a royal one, hastened with all speed, and delivered it to
-his excellency the deputy. The deputy, however, found himself unable
-to read the communication, and therefore applied to the officer for
-information as to the person who sent it. The officer replied that the
-ághá of the palace had delivered it to him, and had told him at the
-same time it was a royal message. Kásim appeared exceedingly surprised,
-and said, the writing wanted the points, and was, therefore, unlike
-his majesty’s manner of writing. The letters, continued he, cannot
-be deciphered, and of course the meaning cannot be discovered. He
-appeared as it were perplexed and confounded at this unaccountable
-circumstance, and called Hasan Beg Zádeh to read it to him. Hasan drew
-near to the páshá, and read and explained the mysterious document,
-which ran thus: “Thou art Kásim Páshá. My father, in the providence
-of God, is now no more, and I have ascended the throne of power. You
-shall maintain order and good government in the city. If any villany
-or wickedness should happen, I shall cut off your head. The conclusion
-of the sultán’s words.” Kásim had no sooner heard and understood the
-import of the _khati sheríf_, than he became absorbed in grief and
-astonishment: so much so, indeed, that many of his friends were led to
-think his health was affected; for none, except those in the palace,
-knew as yet any thing of the decease of Sultán Mohammed Khán, which
-had happened only a few hours before the message had been sent to
-Kásim. Kásim, however, thought of a contrivance by which he might know
-the utmost of a matter which he had reason to fear presaged no good
-to him. Accordingly, he wrote to the ághá of the palace, and stated,
-that he, a poor insignificant creature, had just received an imperial
-note, the meaning of which, however, he was incapable of discovering.
-“Perhaps,” continued the sly and cunning deputy, “it may have been
-intended to try us, or it is an intimation that our services are no
-longer necessary. In either case, we hope you will have the goodness
-to remove our doubts upon the subject.” This note was sent by the same
-person who had been the bearer of the imperial edict to himself; and it
-was not long before he was called into the chamber of audience, where
-he beheld Sultán Ahmed Khán sitting in great splendour on the chair of
-state, and who explained to him the meaning of the document which had
-alarmed him so much. Kásim Páshá kissed the ground and retired, and the
-sultán proceeded to the diván and took his seat on the royal chair. A
-messenger was immediately afterwards sent with a note to the mufti,
-informing him of what had happened at the palace, and orders were
-issued also to the ághá of the artificers to get a royal bier prepared;
-the nobles and grandees of the state were invited to assemble. The
-servants of the diván, when they saw the preparations that were going
-forward, supposed Sultán Mohammed Khán was coming forth, and that all
-the arrangements which had been made, and were making, were on his
-account. It was no such thing. A throne was erected, but it was not for
-him. Their eyes, however, were soon opened to the whole secret. The
-mufti, Mustafa Effendí, arrived, and proceeded along under the golden
-arch, accompanied by all the vezírs, until he and they reached the foot
-of a throne, which had purposely been erected for the occasion. The
-young prince, dressed in mourning, advanced towards them and saluted
-them; then approached the throne, and desired he might be inaugurated
-thereon. The Chávushes immediately raised their voices, and sounded
-his praises to the third heaven. Silence being again obtained, the
-reverend mufti, the vezírs, and all the other dignitaries, approached
-him and congratulated the new emperor. This ceremony ended, the emperor
-made his saláms and retired; the throne which had been erected was
-removed, and shortly afterwards all the vezírs, ulemá, and great men,
-were supplied with black crape for their turbans; but such as were
-not furnished with this emblem of sorrow and respect for the deceased
-monarch, put black bands on their arms. All now waited without at the
-gate of the mansion of felicity for the appearance of the remains of
-Sultán Mohammed Khán.
-
-At this time, notwithstanding the delicacy, as well as solemnity, of
-the occasion, Kásim Páshá could not hide the ambition which filled his
-breast. His eye and heart were on the grand vezírship, and without
-incurring the risk of delay, he tried to persuade the reverend mufti to
-sound his majesty on this point. The project, however, did not succeed.
-
-The royal remains, after having been put into a coffin, were brought
-forth, and the reverend mufti performed the funeral ceremonies,
-according to custom. Ahmed, the new emperor, retired within the palace;
-and the vezírs and great men accompanied the royal bier to St. Sophia,
-where the corpse was interred in the royal sepulchre. Provisions were
-distributed amongst the poor and orphans in the city, for the benefit
-of the soul of the deceased, and other acts of charity were performed
-with the same view.
-
-The ambitious Kásim Páshá sought to ingratiate himself into the favour
-of the new emperor, and desired to be called into his presence. His
-efforts, however, not only failed, but terminated in a prohibition of
-his approaching his sacred majesty on any account whatever. Once more
-despair became his companion; he however found courage and confidence
-to try his fortune once more. Having neglected or forgotten on the
-day of inauguration to show respect to Mustafa Effendí, the emperor’s
-spiritual guide, and hearing that he was held in great estimation
-by his master, he sent a deputation to him with splendid gifts and
-presents, with the view of gaining his good offices in his behalf; but
-he was again thwarted. Alí Páshá, _i. e._ Yávuz Alí Páshá, the grand
-vezír, who was now in power, and possessed great influence in his
-majesty’s counsels, was the person who caused Kásim Páshá’s removal and
-banishment from court altogether.
-
-
-_The arrival of the fleet.—Concerning the grand vezír, Yávuz Alí Páshá._
-
-It so happened that the very day on which his majesty’s inauguration
-was performed the royal fleet arrived from the Mediterranean, and the
-admiral, Jeghala Zádeh Sinán Páshá, had the honour of kissing the new
-emperor’s hand. The admiral, by that imperial command, was decorated
-with a robe of honour.
-
-Yávuz Alí Páshá had been recalled from Egypt with the view of being
-raised to the premiership; and though the seals of office had been
-actually sent to him when it was known that he had arrived in Turkey,
-yet he did not reach Constantinople till the 25th of Rajab. On arriving
-there he waited on his royal master, and afterwards went to the royal
-diván where he took his seat in it. The vezírs and the military
-judges also attended, and sat in their respective places. To the new
-minister was committed the distribution of the emperor’s munificence
-on his exaltation to the throne of his fathers, and he, it must be
-observed, brought with him from Egypt two years’ arrears of taxes;
-a circumstance, no doubt, which rendered it more easy for him to be
-liberal than perhaps he otherwise could have been. Seven hundred
-thousand pieces of gold were accordingly taken from the royal treasury,
-and sent to the various troops throughout the empire. This fact alone
-was a sufficient indication of the wide extent of the pecuniary
-resources of the Ottoman government, and may well excite surprise:
-but the fact is certain, and Alí Páshá, by whose means this handsome,
-but vast sum, was allotted for the use of the military and naval
-services, had no sooner made the necessary arrangements respecting its
-distribution, than he dressed himself in his ministerial robes, and
-went to the palace of Siávush Páshá to hold a council. Hereupon Kásim
-Páshá, the káímakám and second vezír, and Kúrd Páshá, third vezír,
-by virtue of their offices, entered and took their seats. The result
-of the deliberations of the council (at which Alí Páshá, the grand
-vezír, presided), was in the passing of some wholesome regulations with
-respect to just and equitable government, which materially affected
-the iron hand of oppression and tyranny in some quarters. The council,
-after having fixed the tariff or tax to be paid to the government, and
-settled other points of importance to the due administration of law and
-justice, the people were regularly warned to take care not to trespass
-on these and similar regulations.
-
-In the beginning of Shabán, the orthodox emperor went in solemn
-procession to the tomb of his fathers, and there performed the duty and
-showed the respect due to their memory. On the second day of the month
-the money which Alí Páshá brought with him from Egypt was transferred
-to the imperial treasury. On the same day Mustafa Aghá, the ághá of
-the kapú, who was very old and infirm, was removed from office, and
-Kor Mohammed Aghá, the ághá of the seraglio, was appointed in his
-stead. On the 6th, the mother of the deceased emperor was removed to
-the old palace. Abdulrezák Aghá, ághá of the royal palace, was removed
-from office, and replaced by Mustafa Aghá. On the 20th his majesty
-attended divine service and performed his devotions in the mosque
-of Soleimáníyeh; and at night a convivial meeting was held in the
-royal palace in honour of the founder of the Moslem faith, with every
-demonstration of joy. The same religious ceremony was also observed
-throughout other cities. But on the festival day, which soon followed,
-the fear of increasing a disorder with which the emperor was afflicted,
-prevented his showing himself to the people, a circumstance which
-turned their joy into sorrow. He was confined the whole of the day to
-his palace, owing to the great pain he suffered, which, however, soon
-abated; and he speedily recovered.
-
-
-_Alí Páshá, grand vezír, is appointed Commander-in-chief over the
-troops employed against Hungary, and Jeghala Zádeh is appointed to the
-command in the East._
-
-The emperor of Austria continuing to carry on his hostilities in
-the north, and Sháh Abbás having unfurled the standard of rebellion
-against the Ottoman empire in the east, it was considered absolutely
-necessary, in order to support the glory of the empire, to aid in the
-most vigorous manner the troops which had been sent to both these
-quarters. Accordingly, on the 1st of Ramazán, the grand vezír, Alí
-Páshá, was appointed to command the troops employed against the
-perverse and wicked Hungarians; and, in three days afterwards, he
-relinquished for a while the premiership. The actual kapúdán, or
-admiral, Jeghala Zádeh Sinán Páshá, was appointed at the same time to
-conduct the Moslem armies against the mixed horde of red-heads (_i.
-e._ the Persians). These two military heroes made all due preparations
-for their respective expeditions. Jeghala, with the troops appointed
-to accompany him from Constantinople, passed over to Scutari on the
-15th of Dhu’l hijja. The grand vezír, however, put off his departure
-till the commencement of the following year. Hasan Beg Zádeh says
-in his history, that it was in a council held in the grand vezír’s
-palace that Jeghala Zádeh was appointed to the command of the eastern
-troops; but that the grand vezír himself, preferring to remain at the
-helm of affairs, wished some one of the other vezírs to be appointed
-general against the infidels in the north. He proposed this himself,
-and added that he would attend to what was necessary for both armies,
-and send them such a supply of men and arms as they might require. This
-proposal was not opposed by those who were present on the occasion; but
-the mufti hearing of it, declared it to be absolutely necessary that
-the grand vezír himself should take the command; and in a subsequent
-council, where he was present, maintained that unless the grand vezír
-took the command nothing would be done. “Therefore,” said he to his
-face, “you must be the person to take the command of the troops in the
-north, and setting aside all excuse, you must prepare to set out.” Such
-was the bold and intrepid way the mufti addressed him, and at length
-persuaded the emperor to issue his firmán accordingly. The grand vezír,
-however, tried several methods to rid himself of the appointment; but
-finding his efforts unsuccessful, he commenced making arrangements for
-the journey which lay before him.
-
-
-_A variety of changes in the ecclesiastical and military
-establishments._
-
-Asa’d Effendí succeeded to the spiritual jurisdiction of Romeili in the
-room of the mufti’s son-in-law. On the 22d of Dhu’l hijja, the cazí
-of Constantinople, Káfzádeh Feizallah, was degraded, and his office
-conferred on Yehiá Effendí. Hasan Páshá, beglerbeg of Yemen, was
-appointed, towards the end of Rajab, to the government of Egypt; and
-his deputy, Sinán Ketkhodá, was made beglerbeg of Yemen in his room.
-
-Kásim Páshá, lately deputy or governor of the Sublime Porte, who,
-as we have seen, had been anxious to be made grand vezír, was sadly
-disappointed in his views. The grand vezírship had been conferred
-by his late majesty on Alí Páshá; and however fit Kásim might have
-been for holding that high office, yet it could not, without a breach
-of faith and the most palpable injustice, be conferred on him. His
-conduct, in fact, showed him, in every point of view to have been
-wholly unworthy of the high distinction he so ambitiously and so
-perseveringly sought. He was, however, appointed to hold some office
-in the city of Baghdád, but neglecting to set off for that city he
-awakened the displeasure of the grand vezír, who ordered him forthwith
-to set out for Scutari. Here again he loitered away his time, and
-it was not till the expiration of several months that he was again
-forced to proceed. On reaching Yenísheher, he soon began to oppress
-and tyrannize over the inhabitants in the most shameful manner, but
-this he expiated with his life. We shall have to advert to this man’s
-conduct and death when we come to relate the events of the following
-year. About the end of Shevál, Mohammed Páshá, son of Sinán Páshá, who
-had been removed from the government of Shám (Syria), but had become a
-vezír, was created beglerbeg of Caramania. Hájí Ibrahím Páshá, who had
-risen from a defterdár to the rank of beglerbeg, was appointed to the
-government of Mesir (Egypt); and Mustafa Páshá, son of Rázieh Khán,
-was raised to the government of Shám. Ferhád Páshá, who at first had
-been only a bostánjí báshí, but was at this time commandant in Shám,
-was raised to the beglerbegship of Haleb (Aleppo), and the válí of
-Haleb to that of Sivás. All these appointments were effected by the
-instrumentality of Alí Páshá, the grand vezír. Evils resulted from some
-of those appointments, and there were not wanting a class of persons
-who were much dissatisfied. Murád Páshá, the heroic commander in Buda,
-was appointed to a special vezírship; and he, with the vezír Hasan
-Páshá, who had been válí of Yemen, were recalled to the Sublime Porte.
-Súfí Sinán Páshá, on whom the dignity of vezír had been conferred, but
-who had not hitherto had the honour of taking his seat in the diván,
-was now called on to do so. On the 6th of Dhu’l Kadah, Khoja Ahmed
-Aghá, ághá of the janissaries, was degraded, and the second kapújí
-báshí, Nukásh Hasan Aghá, was appointed in his stead.
-
-
-_Some further account of Delí Hasan (brother of Scrivano)._
-
-To a considerable part of this man’s life and conduct we have already
-adverted. We have related how he succeeded to the command of the
-insurgents whom his brother, Karah Yázijí (Scrivano, literally the
-Black Writer) had headed: how he defeated and slew Hasan Páshá at
-Tokat. These things are well known; and it is not to be denied, that
-it was only when it was found impracticable to overcome him by arms
-that the tempting offer of the government of Bosnia made him at least
-feign submission. Many were the enormities which this man committed,
-and his success was wonderful. When he went to Belgrade, as observed
-in a former section of this work, he sent his lieutenant to Bosna
-Serái. This deputy, whose name was Kúrd Ketkhodá, had imbibed the
-spirit of his superior; for he perpetrated the most dreadful acts of
-tyranny and savage oppression throughout the country of Bosnia. So
-terrible and so numerous were the base deeds of this execrable fellow,
-that the inhabitants determined on resistance. It was not long ere an
-opportunity offered for putting their determination into practice.
-Having one day seized on a servant belonging to some tanners he put him
-in chains, and this so roused the resentment of the inhabitants that
-they all rushed towards his palace and set fire to it. One Khulpil, an
-apprentice, slew Kúrd Ketkhodá himself, and the whole of his mansion
-perished with him. The people of Banialúka also, with one consent,
-drove out of their city such of his creatures as were in it.
-
-As to Delí Hasan himself, he appeared at one time worthy of confidence,
-and at another the very reverse. Most of the men who had accompanied
-him from Asia perished in the late war, and those of them who returned
-with him to Bosnia met with no kind reception there. The inhabitants
-could not endure the sight of them, and therefore appointed to
-themselves a leader from among their own emírs, whose name was Sefer.
-They also wrote to the commander-in-chief, Mohammed Páshá, declaring
-they were resolved to oppose the tyrants who had come among them; and
-they kept their word; but in their first attack on Delí Hasan and his
-barbarians they were worsted. However, gaining experience by their
-disaster, they were better prepared for a second attempt, in which they
-were completely triumphant. They not only defeated the barbarians, but
-seized on the whole of Delí Hasan’s baggage. Delí Hasan escaped with
-his life with great difficulty by swimming across the deep river which
-passes Izvernik, and sent Sháh-verdí, his acting lieutenant, to the
-commander-in-chief at Belgrade with a complaint against the Bosnians.
-Sháh-verdí, however, never once thought of returning to tell him what
-success he had met with. The commander-in-chief, more generous than
-his ambassador, sent him an officer to console him, and afterwards
-succeeded in persuading the government of Constantinople to appoint him
-to the jurisdiction of Temisvar in lieu of that of Bosnia.
-
-
-_Continuation of the account of the war carried on against the
-heretics.—The Sháh reduces Reván._
-
-We come now to relate, that though the sháh’s troops had been repulsed
-before Reván in their first attempts against that city, they at last
-prevailed. The sháh having again resumed his operations against Reván,
-pressed the besieged exceedingly, and afterwards sent a messenger to
-the inhabitants, calling upon them to capitulate. The Revánís, however,
-were not so disposed, and in their zeal slew the messenger, in order to
-convince the sháh how determined they were. The sháh was exasperated at
-this, collected his whole force against their city, and redoubled his
-efforts; and in consequence of his having succeeded in destroying the
-aqueducts which conveyed water under-ground into the city, he by this
-means subjected them to a famine of water, a most dreadful privation.
-They, however, managed to collect so much of this necessary element
-in wells and ditches within the city, as in some measure to assuage
-their thirst, and were thus enabled to maintain their defiance of the
-enemy. Finding, however, that continued resistance only augmented
-their danger; that their resources were daily becoming less, and
-that they were wholly cut off from receiving any succour whatever
-from the Moslem army, they became totally dispirited. Exertion and
-deaths weakened them so much that the enemy at length, by one vigorous
-assault, took the city. Many of the Sunnís were made prisoners by the
-conquerors, but the greater part of them perished by their swords. Thus
-fell Reván, after a siege of seven weeks. At the commencement of the
-siege the number of the inhabitants amounted to five or six thousand.
-One thousand five hundred of this number died in defence of their city,
-and about five hundred were carried off by death. About one half of the
-whole became traitors, so that, in fact, only five hundred, at most,
-was the whole strength of Reván when it fell into the hands of the
-red-heads.
-
-
-_The Sháh conquers Shirwán._
-
-According to the celebrated historian, Hasan Beg Zádeh, Ketábjí Omar
-Páshá succeeded Khádem Hasan Páshá as governor of Shirwán; but he
-having been deposed, the government was conferred on Mahmúd Páshá,
-son of Jeghala Zádeh Sinán Páshá. Alája Atlú Hasan Páshá, who had
-distinguished himself by his bravery and heroism in the wars in
-Hungary, being appointed to the government of Erzerúm, sent thither
-one Mustafa Chávush, a relation of his wife, a most extraordinary
-man, as his deputy, but this man from the severity of his conduct
-excited the people of Erzerúm, proverbial for their ferocity, to acts
-of violence. They stoned and banished the poor deputy out of the
-city, and grasped the whole of his property. The governor himself, on
-hearing of these outrages, went to Shirwán, but the inhabitants were
-determined that neither he nor his deputy should enter their city; they
-however delivered back the things they had seized. Hasan Páshá had no
-alternative left him but to send a representation of the case to the
-court of Constantinople, whence he received a letter, appointing him
-to the government of Shirwán. This new appointment, it would seem, was
-made before Mahmúd Páshá, also a vezír’s son, and governor of Shirwán,
-was apprized of his having been superseded by Hasan Páshá. Hasan Páshá,
-however, having spent about a month before he thought of proceeding to
-his new government, died ere he commenced the journey, and Mahmúd was
-confirmed in his superiority of Shirwán. It has been said been said
-that his death had been occasioned by a poisonous draught administered
-to him at a feast at which he had been present.
-
-The Kuzil báshes at this time advanced on Shumakhai and took it, and
-shortly afterwards Shirwán met with the same fate. Mohammed Effendí,
-who was academical lecturer of Karah Bágh, relates that Sháh Abbás
-spared neither young nor old, but subjected all to a general slaughter
-with a recklessness not to be described. Mahmúd Páshá happened to be at
-Shumakhai when it was attacked, but made his escape to Greece.
-
-
-_Kars is besieged.—Other acts of hostility by the red-heads._
-
-Hasan Beg Zádeh relates, that when Sháh Abbás had laid siege to Reván,
-or shortly after, Sheríf Mohammed Páshá, having obtained the promise of
-personal security, went to wait on the sháh, who in the most cowardly
-and barbarous manner slew him. It was during the time the sháh was
-engaged in reducing the above-mentioned city, that a division of the
-Persian army, under the command of Emír Gunah Khán, was sent to reduce
-the fortress of Akcha Kalla. Emír Gunah Khán having succeeded in the
-taking of Akcha Kalla without fighting a single battle, drove the whole
-of the Armenian peasantry in that quarter to Ispahan. The country
-around Reván, having fallen into the hands of the enemy, was conferred
-on this heretical chief.
-
-After the sháh had accomplished the reduction of Reván, he led his
-forces against Kars, and laid siege to it. The warriors of Kars, and
-about four hundred Osmánlís, who had escaped thither from Reván, the
-greater part of whom were wounded, were animated by such a spirit of
-valour as vigorously to resist the invading host. The perverted sháh
-was completely enraged; and sent them word, that when he took the place
-he would not spare one of them.
-
-Kurus, another place, but of less note, also fell into the hands of the
-enemy, but the poor Musselmans who had escaped were surrounded by Gusah
-Sefer Páshá, emír of Erzerúm. About this same time also, the enemy
-attempted the taking of Akhiska, at least they manifested a disposition
-to do so; but God protected it. Karah Kásh Páshá was, at that time,
-hákim or governor of Akhiska, and was present in it when this hostile
-disposition was manifested. Three hundred Persians, who had advanced
-with full purpose of attacking the above place, took up their quarters
-in a large dwelling not far from it, in which they gave themselves up
-to most shameful actions. Thither they collected the females belonging
-to the Armenian peasantry, and carried on with them the most obscene
-courses. Their husbands, of course, were enraged at seeing their wives
-thus used; and, therefore, secretly sent word to Sefer Sheríf Páshá;
-who, without loss of time, attacked them with the few men who had
-escaped from Reván. The mode of attack was rather singular: they made
-a hole in the roof of the house wherein these voluptuous wretches had
-taken up their quarters, and after they had fairly entered it, they
-rose up and slew every one of these drunken revellers, who never once
-dreamt of the destruction that awaited them. Their heads were severed
-from their bodies and sent to Constantinople.
-
-Sheríf Páshá, and also Karah Kásh Páshá, to whom we have been
-referring, perished in a defeat which Jeghala Zádeh afterwards
-sustained. It is said in the Fezliké, however, that the sháh, after he
-had conquered Reván, shewed very great respect to Sheríf Páshá, and
-conferred on him the superintendence of the mosques and other religious
-establishments; and also that Sheríf Páshá spent the remainder of his
-life at Meshhed. About four hundred families who had accepted of offers
-which the sháh had made them, were all sent off to Kurus under the
-charge of Mohammed Páshá, son of Khezer Páshá.
-
-About this period, Sáa’tjí Hasan Páshá, the beglerbeg of Erzerúm, and
-the commander-in-chief of the Turkish forces in the east, died, and
-the troops became dispersed; but before we can attend further to the
-relation of the affairs of the east, we have to commence the events of
-the following year.
-
-
-
-
-EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1013, H.
-
-
-On the 20th of Moharrem, a tremendous earthquake, which happened at
-Bassra, effected the demolition of the greater number of houses, both
-inside and outside of the city, and under their ruins many thousand
-individuals perished.
-
-
-_The grand vezír, Alí Páshá, sets put for Belgrade._
-
-We have noticed in a former section of this work the great reluctance
-the grand vezír, Alí Páshá, had evinced against going to the Hungarian
-wars, and how strenuously he had endeavoured to get his appointment as
-commander-in-chief over the forces employed on the Hungarian frontiers
-countermanded, but to no purpose. All he could do or say had no effect
-in altering the determination of the emperor. He was obliged to
-proceed. The Bosnian and Romeilian troops, the ághá of the janissaries,
-six legions of spáhís, and other divisions of troops were appointed to
-accompany the grand vezír. The lord high treasurer, Etmekjí Zádeh, was
-also ordered to join the expedition.
-
-The grand vezír, previous to his departure, appointed Súfí Sinán Páshá
-his deputy, in room of Háfiz Ahmed Páshá, whom he intended to send to
-the government of Bosnia. Háfiz Ahmed Páshá retired into a garden on
-the outside of the city, and there remained five or ten days, under the
-pretence of waiting for the arrival of camels and mules to enable him
-to commence his journey to Bosnia. When the prime minister learned,
-however, that Háfiz Ahmed Páshá delayed in the manner he did, he sent
-him the most peremptory orders to set out without any further delay.
-He intimated, moreover, in a note which he afterwards sent him, that
-his obstinacy would force him to be guilty of shedding blood. “If you
-will not obey,” said the haughty premier, “I shall come in person
-and terminate your existence upon earth.” This intimation was enough
-to convince Háfiz that his life was in actual danger, and he now did
-all he could to show that he was earnest in obeying the injunctions
-which had been laid upon him, though he secretly, at the same time,
-endeavoured to thwart the views of the premier.
-
-The grand vezír, Alí Páshá, at length left Constantinople, and with
-great pomp and show proceeded to Dávud Páshá, where his tent had been
-erected for him. The grandees and nobles of every rank accompanied
-the illustrious commander, and showed him every mark of esteem and
-respect; and it is certainly true that no vezír ever met with more
-honour from any emperor than did Alí Páshá from the reigning monarch.
-On the fifth day of the above month his imperial majesty accompanied
-the heroic army as far as Halkalú, where he took a view of them from
-his lofty palace, and admired the splendid appearance they presented.
-The grand vezír, on this occasion, requested his majesty to order the
-funds necessary for conducting his army and carrying on the war to be
-sent him; but whilst waiting at the above place for the anticipated
-ducats, he received a most threatening royal letter, which intimated
-to him in the plainest terms, that, if he wished to keep his head on
-his shoulders, he must not delay his march one single day longer.
-The grand vezír, compelled to activity, was making arrangements the
-following day for complying with the threatening intimation which had
-been sent him, when it began to be rumoured that the bostánjí báshí
-had been sent by royal orders to call Háfiz Ahmed Páshá to court,
-and that he was appointed by royal commission to the káímakámship of
-Constantinople. Súfí Sinán Páshá, who had been appointed to this high
-office by the grand vezír, as before observed, had actually entered on
-the duties of the deputyship, and had done the customary obeisance to
-the emperor after his appointment: such, indeed, was the fact. On the
-Friday of that week, as Háfiz Ahmed Páshá was performing his devotions,
-the royal commission appointing him to the deputyship of Constantinople
-reached him. He accordingly without delay repaired to his own palace,
-and ordered the diván to meet on the following day. He also sent his
-saláms (compliments) to Súfí Sinán Páshá, and with the view of making
-him acquainted with the change his majesty had thought proper to
-make, desired him likewise to attend. Súfí Sinán, when he saw Háfiz’s
-messenger, thought, at first, he was come from Alí Páshá, and asked him
-if the grand vezír had sent him. “No,” said the officer, “it was Háfiz
-Ahmed Páshá.” “Am I to understand by this message,” asked Súfí Sinán,
-with some degree of surprise, “that Háfiz is appointed káímakám?” The
-officer answered in the affirmative. Súfí Sinán, on having his doubts
-solved, rose up and went to congratulate Háfiz on his appointment, as
-if he had been altogether a neutral person, and in no way affected by
-the change.
-
-Early next morning, Háfiz Ahmed Páshá went to the diván, where he
-caused several propositions to be drawn up in reference to the two holy
-cities, Mecca and Medina, which were afterwards read in the presence of
-his majesty. Before the members of the diván had dismissed, however,
-he caused another paper to be drawn out, wherein he asked permission
-to go and see the grand vezír. This paper he folded up with the other
-papers relative to Mecca and Medina, and laid them before the throne;
-returned to his own palace, he ordered his horse to be in readiness,
-as he meant, he said, to set out on a journey to Chatálijeh, a
-considerable distance from Constantinople. The distance however, on the
-one hand, and the heat of the weather on the other, he considered were
-so great that he should be unable to be back in time for the meeting
-of the diván on the following day; he therefore gave up all idea of
-proceeding, and entering into a secret chamber, commenced talking of
-visiting his majesty and the grand vezír. Whilst his domestics were
-wondering in themselves what he would next take into his head, an
-officer from the emperor’s chaplain arrived, and advised the páshá not
-to go to the vezír. “There was no need for it,” he said; “besides the
-grand vezír was a furious man, and might offer him some disrespect.”
-Such was the import of the officer’s advice, which he had been desired
-to communicate by his master to Háfiz. However, Háfiz was successful in
-another way, which was this: One Kullili Dilsiz soon afterwards called
-on Háfiz, and told him that he was carrying letters to the grand vezír
-from the emperor, which had some reference to him, and advised him
-to take an opportunity of following him. He did so; had an interview
-with the grand vezír at Chatálijeh; and returned in time sufficient to
-attend the diván the following morning.
-
-It has been conjectured that the grand vezír (now called the serdár
-or commander-in-chief), on his arrival at Adrianople, had removed
-Abulmeymín Mustafa Effendí from the office of the high priesthood, and
-had appointed Siná allah Effendí in his stead. His removal was entirely
-owing to the enmity and preconcerted measures of the late Kásim Páshá,
-and the emperor’s chaplain.
-
-Alí Páshá, the serdár or commander-in-chief, continued his march
-towards Belgrade; but a disease with which he had been afflicted was
-so very much increased by the late unhappy events which had distressed
-him, that his health declined considerably. The vexation he endured in
-consequence of the instalment of Háfiz Ahmed Páshá into the deputyship,
-preyed so much on his spirits that by the time he reached Sophia, he
-was unable to take food or nourishment of any kind. He became worse and
-worse at every succeeding stage, and had scarcely reached Belgrade,
-and saluted Mohammed Páshá, the acting commander-in-chief, when he
-gave up the ghost. His death took place on the 28th of the month
-Sefer. Such is the history and end of Alí Yávuz Páshá grand vezír and
-commander-in-chief.
-
-We must now advert to the history of the other commander-in-chief,
-Jeghala Zádeh Sinán Páshá, who was appointed to conduct the Moslem army
-against the Persians.
-
-Jeghala Sinán Páshá was the oldest of all the beglerbegs when he
-was appointed to the chief command in the east: he was once, for a
-short time, grand vezír; afterwards válí of Syria; and lastly lord
-high admiral of the Ottoman fleet. This office he held at the moment
-when the government had fixed on him for taking the command of the
-forces employed against the Persians. He was, therefore, a person who
-was acquainted with the art of war, both by sea and land. It was in
-consequence of the high reputation which he had acquired, and of the
-knowledge which he possessed of the countries of the east, and in which
-he himself had served, that the late grand vezír had requested his
-appointment.
-
-On the 16th of Dhu’l hijja he passed over to Scutari, as we have
-already observed; and on the 17th he commenced his march with such
-troops as were there waiting for him, and which were composed of
-various kinds. On reaching Nicomedia (in Bythinia) the feudatory troops
-which composed his right wing began to represent that they belonged,
-properly, to the army of Romeili, and asked if they were to be paid
-wages if they continued in conjunction with the army of Anatolia. A
-firmán was immediately issued which assured them that they should. On
-arriving on the confines of Erzerúm, he was joined by the followers
-of the late Delí Hasan, along with their leader Karah Kásh Ahmed, who
-all swore fealty to the Ottoman government, pretending at least to
-have repented of their misconduct and rebellion. In a few days more
-he was joined by several others, particularly by the beglerbeg of
-Erzerúm, Gusháh Sefer (a very brave man, and remarkably well skilled
-in horsemanship, who was raised to dignity and honour from the humble
-situation of serving in the imperial kitchen) with four thousand men,
-well armed, whom he had collected in the greatest haste. The active
-Ahmed Páshá, beglerbeg of Wán, with three or four thousand veterans,
-met the grand army in the plains of Pas. On the 15th of Jemadi II., the
-whole of the Moslem army reached Kurus, when they halted for ten days,
-in order to give time for other troops to join the royal standard,
-and for the return of Karah Kásh Ahmed, who had been sent out on a
-depredatory excursion.
-
-Sháh Abbás, when he heard of the advance of the Osmánlís, removed his
-troops from Reván and from Akcha Kalla, where they had been posted, and
-retreated. This information had no sooner reached the Moslem camp, than
-Sefer Páshá addressed the commander-in-chief for permission to advance
-with a party of veterans and intercept the sháh in his retreat. “His
-army was comparatively small,” said Sefer, “and if you advance with the
-grand army in the ordinary way, to my support, I am not without hopes,
-if you agree to my proposal, of being able to bring the sháh bound in
-fetters before you.” Such was the heroic language of Sefer Páshá, but
-the serdár was deaf to all his entreaties. He pretended to be waiting
-for the arrival of Karah Kásh; and even when Karah Kásh did arrive, he
-was as far as ever from complying with Sefer Páshá’s proposal. Thus,
-by delay and hesitation, the enemy was not only allowed to withdraw to
-a greater distance, but had time afforded them for preparing to offer
-a more formidable resistance; whilst the grand army by this procedure,
-was exposed to greater danger, to more difficulties, and to a less
-chance of success.
-
-The commander-in-chief was indeed at length roused to some activity;
-but it was only when he perceived the season for warlike operations
-fast passing away, without his having gained one single advantage,
-that he was thus roused. Without paying any regard to the councils of
-Sefer Páshá, which might have been attended with glorious results,
-had he allowed himself to be swayed by them, he again commenced his
-march in pursuit of the retreating enemy, and even sent letters to
-the sháh offering him battle, but the wary sháh paid no regard to
-his invitations. By the time the grand army reached Nakhcheván, the
-sháh and his army had safely got into the jurisdiction of Tabríz.
-The commander-in-chief now saw his error, but it was too late to
-correct it; and he was destined, in consequence of his own tardiness
-and want of skill, to become more pre-eminently the sport of fortune.
-The country round Nakhcheván had been, a little before, the theatre
-of rebellion and of devastation; and in consequence of this, the
-cities and villages were enduring the greatest calamity from famine,
-at the time the Moslem army arrived in Nakhcheván. The serdár, when
-he perceived the dismal condition he and his army were in, proposed
-marching towards Shirván, where his son, Mahmúd Páshá, was beglerbeg.
-The chiefs of the army appeared before the serdár, and told him
-he might do what he liked, and take what journey he pleased, but
-the heretics were not to be overtaken. It was quite impracticable,
-they said, to follow them with a large army; nor would it prove any
-advantage, they further observed, to march against Tabríz and lay
-siege to it. The season for retiring into winter-quarters was just at
-hand, and they therefore thought it would be more prudent to return
-to their own country. The serdár was totally averse to this proposal,
-and endeavoured to dissuade them from urging this measure. He did so
-by representing to them how desirable it was to terminate the campaign
-honourably; that there still remained a chance of their succeeding;
-and that it would be much more wise, under all circumstances, to take
-up their winter-quarters in Gunjah and in Karabágh, than to return to
-Turkey before they had accomplished something worthy of their name.
-This speech had the desired effect: the troops struck their tents, and
-marched forward towards Tabríz. After having passed the river Ars,
-and accomplished a few stages, they learned that they were within a
-stage or two of coming up with the sháh, who was retreating with all
-his might before them. Sefer Páshá, Ahmed Páshá, beglerbeg of Sivás,
-and Alasha Atlí Hasan Páshá, earnestly implored the commander-in-chief
-to be allowed to proceed with a body of light troops and overtake the
-sháh, but he again refused to grant them their request, and maintained
-his usual obstinacy. On reaching Wán, he distributed his troops into
-different cantonments, but he himself remained at Wán for the winter.
-The more discerning of the troops, it must be observed, however,
-opposed the serdár, and endeavoured to dissuade him from disbanding
-his army, but their efforts were all in vain. They represented to him
-that the steps he was about to take were altogether inconsistent
-with the general safety; and for a commander-in-chief to winter on
-the frontiers, without any army, might be very aptly compared, they
-said, “to a head without hands or feet.” Moreover, they maintained
-that the thing was altogether unprecedented. The serdár, as we have
-already observed, continued inflexible; took up his quarters in Wán,
-and conferred the government of the country on Ahmed Páshá. Ahmed Páshá
-being indisposed when this appointment took place, the serdár sent his
-chief physician to perform the duties of the new governor, and finally
-conferred the situation on Alí Páshá.
-
-In the meantime, however, the serdár found means to conciliate the
-Kúrdistán chiefs, and called them together to the city of Wán, with the
-view of consulting them about his affairs and the state of things in
-general. But the sháh no sooner learned that the serdár had dispersed
-his army than he collected together his detestable and diabolical
-heretics, with the intention of attacking Wán. He accordingly
-despatched a division of these atheists towards Wán, whilst he himself,
-under cover of the night, followed that division with the whole of his
-disposable forces, and took up his position before Wán, but at such a
-distance that no cannon could reach him. At daylight on the following
-morning the unfortunate and infatuated serdár had his eyes opened to
-the very critical and hazardous situation into which his obstinacy had
-brought him. He tried to make the best of it he could. He assembled
-all the Kurds and others that were in Wán together, and deputed one
-Rázieh Zádeh Mustafa to take the command of them. Mustafa and his
-troops made a sortie, but they found the heretics too numerous for them
-and returned. Khundán Aghá and his two sons were unfortunately taken
-prisoners by the Kuzil báshes on the above occasion.
-
-The serdár was now heartily sorry, and well he might, for the steps he
-had taken. He repented most sincerely that he had remained at Wán, but
-his repentance was too late to avail him. After deeply considering what
-method he should take to save his own life, he resolved on trying to
-make his escape to Erzerúm. He accordingly took ship at Wán, and landed
-at a place called Adaljuwaz. Losing no time at this place, he hastened
-with all the speed he could make towards Erzerúm, having been furnished
-with horses for his journey by Emír Sháh, the governor and other
-officers at Adaljuwaz. On arriving within a short distance of Erzerúm,
-the beglerbeg of Erzerúm, Gusah Sefer Páshá, went out to meet him,
-taking along with him an equipage more suitable to the dignity of the
-commander-in-chief than that with which he had travelled from Adaljuwaz.
-
-The sháh, even after he had heard of the sudden departure of the
-serdár, ceased not in his endeavours to reduce the city and fortress of
-Wán for the space of forty days, but was at last obliged to raise the
-siege, and then marched towards Tabríz and Nakhcheván. On this march,
-however, he surrounded an Osmánlí place of strength called Makú; but
-all he gained by laying siege to this fortress was only disgrace.
-
-Before concluding this long section it is necessary to observe, in
-connection with what we have related with regard to Jeghala Zádeh
-Sinán Páshá, the commander-in-chief, that at the time the command of
-the forces in the east devolved upon him, or at least not long after
-it, Ja’fer Páshá was appointed lord high admiral in room of Jeghala;
-and that he sailed for the Mediterranean with sixty galleys. In some
-histories it is said, that it was the admiral Kehyah Páshá Zádeh
-Mustafa Páshá who was appointed to the deputyship of Constantinople at
-the time Alí Páshá and Jeghala Zádeh were made commanders-in-chief.
-
-
-_Lálá Mohammed Páshá succeeds Alí Páshá in all his offices._
-
-After the death of the grand vezír, Alí Páshá, which event had taken
-place at Belgrade almost immediately after his arrival there, as we
-have already noticed, a kapújí báshí of the name of Kúrd Mustafa
-Páshá, brought accounts, in a sealed packet, to the government of
-Constantinople that Alí Páshá was no more. The officer presented them
-to the káímakám, Háfiz Páshá, who, however, declined receiving them.
-Hereupon the emperor’s chaplain called the officer to the royal palace,
-in order that it might be ascertained to whom it belonged to receive
-the packet. He complained that Háfiz Páshá refused to have any thing
-to do with the packet, though he knew it was an official despatch,
-whilst at the same time it was evident that the forces employed against
-the Hungarians were in the utmost need of having a commanding general
-appointed over them. It would appear, however, that before the accounts
-referred to had arrived, Lálá Mohammed Páshá had been raised by royal
-appointment to the chief command of the army, but that the commission
-had not reached him in sufficient time. He was now raised to the
-dignity of grand vezír.
-
-Lálá Mohammed Páshá no sooner found himself raised to the highest
-offices which could be conferred on him, than he began with all
-imaginable speed to make arrangements for renewing hostilities,
-succeeded in taking several Hungarian towns, and afterwards returned
-with the body of his army to Buda.
-
-Having formed the design of recovering Osterghún, in order to secure
-success as much as possible, he conferred on Bektásh Páshá, of Usk, the
-jurisdiction of Buda, appointed him to the advanced guard, which was
-composed of three thousand chosen men, and ordered him to march towards
-the last-mentioned place.
-
-
-_The infidels abandon Pest._
-
-A report having been circulated that Lálá Mohammed Páshá, the
-celebrated commander of the Moslem army, was advancing on his march
-from Belgrade, the infidels who garrisoned Pest, which they had wrested
-from the Moslems in consequence of the weakness and pusillanimity of
-Yemishjí Hasan Páshá, the former commander-in-chief, fled in the utmost
-precipitation, leaving, in fact, the whole of their arms of all kinds
-behind them. Such was the panic into which they were thrown by the fame
-of Lálá Mohammed Páshá, of whose heroism they had some knowledge. Their
-flight was a sufficient proof of the estimation in which they held his
-military talents.
-
-When the new serdár, Lálá Mohammed Páshá, heard that the enemy had
-abandoned Pest, he crossed the Danube and took possession of it.
-The hateful infidels, with the view of totally destroying it, it is
-necessary to observe, had left the place exposed to the destructive
-effect of several mines which they had prepared for that purpose, and
-which, had they not been discovered in sufficient time, would certainly
-have buried the whole place, and all that was in it, in ruins.
-Fortunately for the inhabitants, as well as for the Moslem troops who
-had entered it, a sick soldier, who had been left behind in Pest, had
-given a hint to the conquerors of the mines referred to, which were
-almost on the point of ignition at the moment they were discovered.
-This very remarkable deliverance from so very terrible and inevitable
-a ruin was properly and religiously improved by the orthodox faithful
-from the highest to the lowest.
-
-The commander-in-chief made arrangements for repairing and fortifying
-Pest; also for rebuilding the tower of Ján Kúrturán, and supplied both
-places with a sufficient number of troops and a proper quantity of
-provisions. The victorious troops of Lálá Mohammed Páshá entered Buda a
-little after the commencement of Rabia II., and immediately afterwards
-the bridge which had extended between Pest and Buda, but which had
-been cut down by the hatchets of the infidels, was again ordered to be
-rebuilt according to its former model.
-
-The Moslem veterans were also agreeably surprised to learn that a
-similar terror with that which had seized the infidels at Pest, had
-also overtaken the infidels at Khutván, and had produced a similar
-result. The injuries which the houses of the faithful had sustained
-in both places, either by burning or otherwise, were ordered to be
-repaired.
-
-
-_The fortress of Wáj conquered._
-
-The celebrated serdár, Lálá Mohammed Páshá, now proceeded to reduce
-Wáj, which for the space of two years had been under the complete sway
-of the infidels, and encamped at Eskí Buda (Old Buda), immediately
-opposite to Wáj. By means of boats he conveyed across the Danube
-his troops, and on the 21st of Jemadi II. Wáj was besieged on all
-sides. The infidels in this fortress thinking, however, that they
-were about to be visited by retributive justice, put on an appearance
-of fortitude, though, as will appear, they were totally overcome by
-terror. On the very first night of the siege they contrived secretly
-to set fire to a tower and a palanka in the island opposite to Wáj,
-took to their boats, and set off, about the middle of the night, for
-Osterghún. The Moslems, of course, took possession of Wáj.
-
-
-_Osterghún is laid siege to._
-
-The victorious Moslems, the terror of whose arms spread dismay among
-the infidels, marched upon Osterghún, and on the 23d of Jemadi II.
-formed the siege of that place. Every gun and musket throughout the
-whole army were put in requisition, and every arrangement was made for
-commencing hostilities; but, alas, the constant fall of snow and rain,
-the winter season having commenced, rendered it impracticable for the
-troops to make any use of trenches, or at least they found it difficult
-to stand in them. The truth seems to be, that too much time had been
-taken up in repairing and attending to the lately retaken fortresses,
-Pest, Khutwán, and Wáj, and also with the rebuilding of the bridge
-formerly mentioned, to be able, at so late a period of the year, to
-carry on the siege of Osterghún with any great prospect of success.
-
-In consequence of the length of time the Moslems spent unnecessarily
-with the fortresses they had retaken, as just observed, the infidels
-found ample opportunity to erect tabúrs or fortifications on the
-opposite bank of the river, and to extend a bridge from Osterghún
-to these fortifications. The whole line of these tabúrs were also
-protected by a range of field-pieces, and every thing, in fact,
-presented a most formidable appearance. For several successive nights
-the enemy rushed forth upon the Moslems, attacked them with the utmost
-celerity, and succeeded in killing many of their bravest heroes.
-
-When it was resolved to augment the number of Moslems who were
-actually engaged in endeavouring to reduce Osterghún (_i.e._ those
-who were immediately engaged in active operations against it), the
-janissaries refused to comply, and urgently demanded that the siege
-should be raised. The commander-in-chief perceiving himself involved
-in difficulties of no ordinary kind, ordered Toktamish Gheráí, the son
-of his royal highness Ghází Gheráí, who had that year joined the royal
-camp instead of his royal father, to go, with a few thousands of his
-Tátárs, along with Hasan Páshá, beglerbeg of Romeili, and some of his
-troops, and scour the country round about, commit all the damage to the
-enemy they could, and take what spoil they could find.
-
-The commander-in-chief, after a period of thirty-one days uselessly
-spent in endeavouring to reconquer Osterghún, was obliged to raise
-the siege and return to Buda. Having made the necessary arrangements
-with regard to the garrisons on the frontiers, for protecting the
-Ottoman dominions in that quarter, the commander-in-chief set out for
-Belgrade, and arrived there on the 3d of Rajab.
-
-The stipulated period of the old pretorian band in Buda for serving
-having expired, one thousand of them were again hired, and divided into
-four companies.
-
-We have still to add, by way of appendix, what Petcheví says in
-reference to the siege of Osterghún, which we have been describing.
-“Nukásh Hasan Páshá acted at the above siege,” he says, “as ághá of
-the janissaries, but he was so cowardly that he never once showed his
-face where he anticipated danger. For this dereliction of duty and
-disgraceful pusillanimity, the commander-in-chief deprived him of his
-office, and degraded him. He afterwards, however, sent a petition to
-the court of Constantinople, requesting to have the judgment of the
-serdár reversed, but his petition was regarded with contempt.”
-
-The same historian observes, “that formerly, when Ibrahím Páshá was
-commander-in-chief, the Tátárs, emírs, and other great men under his
-command, had proposed to exchange Osterghún for Agria; because the
-latter was much more distant from Buda than the former, and therefore
-not of such importance to the Ottomans.” When Mohammed Ketkhodá, vezír
-Murád Páshá, Ahmed Aghá, the khán’s vezír, and Hábel Effendí, the
-cazí of Buda, went to the enemy’s camp, as the reader may remember,
-with the view of endeavouring to negotiate a peace between the two
-belligerent powers, the proposals above-mentioned were the principal
-subjects submitted to the consideration of the negotiators; but no
-settlement of any kind at that time was agreed to, and things remained
-as they had been until this period, when the infidels began to show
-a disposition favourable to a cessation of hostilities. Accordingly,
-ten counts, ornamented with golden chains, and the great ministers of
-state, arrived (probably at Belgrade), and gave their consent to the
-propositions above alluded to, and Petcheví Ibrahím Effendí, whose
-sentiments we are here quoting, was sent to the Sublime Porte as the
-bearer of the propositions for a general pacification. Petcheví, on
-arriving at Constantinople, presented his dispatches to the káímakám,
-and to the reverend mufti, the venerable Siná-allah Effendí. Siná-allah
-Effendí appeared greatly surprised at the nature and import of the
-propositions which had been thus submitted; and exclaimed, “that they
-were such as could never be agreed to; that they were altogether unfit
-to be expressed in words; that they were unworthy of ever having been
-thought of,” he therefore rejected them with scorn, and ordered the
-officer who had brought them to retrace his steps, and deliver this
-answer. The messenger obeyed, and met the commander-in-chief in the
-plains of Serim; who having anticipated the result of his mission, and
-without allowing him time to tell the message wherewith he was charged,
-replied abruptly, “we must bear the disgrace;” and, immediately,
-without any further reference to the subject, began to call the
-messenger’s attention to the recent appearance of Botchkai, one of the
-Transylvanian princes, to whose exploits our attention must now be
-turned.
-
-
-_Concerning Botchkai._
-
-The Germans are of the race of infidels or unbelievers, and a distinct
-and peculiar sect of Christians, who are divided among themselves.
-The principal chief or head of these different tribes of Christians,
-as they may be denominated, has the titles of emperor and Cæsar. The
-dukes of Austria and of Hungary are of the race of the emperor. The
-Nemcheh, or German nation, having acquired a superiority over the
-rest, subverted the whole or most of the fortresses belonging to Ardil
-(Transylvania) and Mejár (Hungary), and have all along, ever since,
-exercised towards these two tribes every species of oppression and
-tyranny. The Hungarian and Transylvanian natives, as well as their
-nobles, in consequence of the humiliating and degrading subjection to
-which the German tribe had reduced them, were obliged, of course, to
-feign submission to their oppressors; but cherished in their minds,
-nevertheless, the most unquenchable hatred and enmity. The Germans,
-ever since the time they had acquired dominion over these two nations,
-manifested the utmost contempt towards them, but especially towards the
-former. To the princes and nobles of Mejár (Hungary) they showed less
-courtesy and respect than they did to even the vilest and lowest among
-themselves, and made them the objects of many indignities and of low
-reproach: yet the ancient Hungarians, unlike their degenerate sons,
-often repelled the aggressions of their German neighbours with evident
-advantages, and maintained many a bloody battle with them.
-
-Things continued much in the same way as we have endeavoured to
-describe, till Botchkai, one of the Hungarian princes, a brave and
-heroic infidel, called together the branches of his family, to whom
-he addressed himself thus: “How long are we patiently to submit to
-the reproach, as well as oppression and tyranny, resulting from a
-disgraceful subjection to these Germans? Thank God, the Ottoman
-emperors have always proved our generous friends. King John took refuge
-under the wings of the emperor Soleimán, and the royal dignity was
-maintained so long as one of his children and grandchildren remained
-to fill the throne of Hungary. Let us follow the heroic example of
-our ancestor; and when we are once supported by the strong arm of
-the Turks, we shall then be able to take ample vengeance on our
-oppressors.” This sentiment Botchkai urged with all the warmth and
-zeal he was able to put forth, and his speech had the desired effect.
-They unanimously agreed to put themselves under the sheltering power
-of the Ottomans; elected Botchkai to the dignity and prerogatives of
-a king, and appointed him their commander-in-chief. Immediately, or
-at least as soon as they found it convenient, and that was about the
-middle of this present year, they wrote letters to the Moslem general,
-wherein they made a formal offer to put themselves under the protection
-of the Moslem government; that they would be friends to those who
-were friendly to it, and enemies to those who were its enemies; that
-they agreed to serve the emperor of the Ottomans; and that they were
-ready to draw their swords against their German oppressors at his
-bidding; and requested, moreover, the serdár, as soon as he knew
-their sentiments, to make them known to the Moslem government at
-Constantinople.
-
-The court of Constantinople, on being put in possession of the
-documents relative to the earnest wishes of the Hungarians, not only
-acquiesced in their solicitations, but also sent the most positive
-instructions to the commanding general to enter into an immediate
-engagement with the petitioners, and to assure them of the aid and
-protection of his government. The commanding general lost no time in
-communicating to Botchkai and his associates the views of the Sublime
-Porte, which had the effect not only of confirming them in their
-hatred and enmity towards the Germans, but also of increasing, day
-after day, the number of their followers.
-
-
-_A battle fought between the Germans and the Hungarians._
-
-On the 27th of Jemadi II. these two sorts of infidels (_i.e._ the
-Germans and Hungarians) met, and fought a tremendous battle, in which
-Botchkai, supported by Ottoman arms, was completely victorious. More
-than ten thousand Germans fell on the field of battle, and their heads,
-besides a number of prisoners and several standards, he transmitted to
-the Moslem royal camp. The Moslem general eulogized the Hungarian hero
-for his uncommon bravery, and sent him a sword and a robe of honour as
-tokens of his high esteem for him, which, of course, had the effect
-of stimulating him in his career to greater deeds of valour. Warad,
-which had been wrested from the Hungarians, and which Satúrjí Mohammed
-Páshá had endeavoured in vain to reconquer, as before observed, fell
-into the hands of Botchkai, who put every infidel German he found in it
-to the sword. He dispersed or overcame with immense loss to the enemy
-every army the Germans brought to oppose him. He reduced the city and
-fortress of Tokay; subdued Wakasha, and took several German provinces;
-and in a very short period, the greater portion of Hungary fell under
-his dominion. Still bent on further conquest, Botchkai sent a number of
-princes he had taken prisoners, and also some splendid presents, to the
-Moslem general, accompanied by letters requesting further aid against
-the Germans; in compliance with which request, the Moslem commander
-ordered four thousand Tátárs under the command of a nephew of Toktamish
-Gheráí to accompany Bektásh Páshá, and a portion of the feudatory
-troops under him, to his assistance. On the same occasion, or soon
-afterwards, a diploma for exercising regal authority over Transylvania,
-a robe of honour, some ammunition and standards were also sent him on
-the part of the Ottoman government.
-
-The rise and exploits of Botchkai are, however, differently related.
-Petcheví says, that the former emír, with whom Botchkai had been
-conjoined, was taken prisoner by the infidels, the Germans, but had
-made his escape. One day, as he was dressing his garden, Botchkai
-began to converse with the ex-emir about the Germans, when the other
-replied: “Send me to the Ottoman general, and I promise you I will
-bring the whole of the Moslem army to your assistance; and, moreover, I
-pledge myself to get you made king of Transylvania.”
-
-The speaker, it may be observed in passing, had himself some thoughts
-of throwing off the German yoke some time before this, and it was for a
-rumour of this kind which had reached the ear of the emperor of Austria
-that he had been imprisoned; but as no sufficient evidence of this his
-intention had been produced, he was set at liberty. But to return.
-Botchkai replied that the inhabitants of the country were in general
-Christians, and would not on that very account humble themselves so
-far as to put themselves under the Turks. “Why,” said the ex-emir,
-“they did so in the days of Soleimán, and it was well with them. Why
-not do it at this time?” After having conversed for some time on this
-subject, Botchkai yielded to the advice of his adviser and sent him to
-the vezír; who was introduced to his excellency by Mohammed Páshá’s
-nephew, at that time interpreter to Bektásh Páshá. He spent a few days
-in secret consultation with his excellency, to whom he explained the
-object of his mission, and then returned. But it was not till after
-three or four such interviews were held and a contract entered into,
-that Botchkai unfurled the standard of rebellion against the emperor
-of Austria. It was not, moreover, till Botchkai had completely subdued
-the whole of the German fortresses on both sides of the river Tise
-(Tibiscus), that he came forward to seek that aid from the Muselmans
-which, no doubt, had been promised him.
-
-The emperor of Austria was no sooner apprized of Botchkai’s revolt,
-than he sent a person of the name of Báshtái Yúrkí with German forces
-to chastise the rebel; but the former were totally defeated in the
-very first engagement. Botchkai, in the meantime, having received a
-reinforcement of Tátár and Temiswar troops from the grand vezír, his
-courage was amazingly increased, and he followed up his victory with
-rapidity and zeal. Every town and village which owned subjection to
-the German despot he exposed to all the horrors of war and rapine, and
-returned with immense booty, and joined the Moslem army in the capacity
-of a vassal of the Ottoman empire.
-
-The promise which the vezír had made to obtain for him the royalty of
-Hungary (not of Transylvania, as before mentioned) he also punctually
-fulfilled after he returned to Constantinople, as we shall afterwards
-see. Gúzelcheh Mahmúd Páshá, who, in consequence of the part he had
-acted in the tumult which had taken place in the affair of Yemishjí
-Hasan Páshá, as formerly mentioned, had fled in disguise, and had lived
-all this interval in a sort of monastery or cell belonging to some
-Súfis, received his majesty’s pardon, was raised to the dignity of his
-former vezírship, and afterwards married Ayesha Sultána, the widow
-of the late Yemishjí Hasan Páshá, for whom he paid a dowry of four
-thousand akchas (pieces of money).
-
-
-_Concerning the defeat of Kásim Páshá._
-
-We noticed sometime ago, that Kásim Páshá, on the 22d of Rabia
-II., had been appointed to the government of Baghdád. We referred
-particularly also to his conduct towards Alí Páshá, and to the tyranny
-and oppression he had exercised at Scutari. In the neighbourhood of
-Brúsa, whither he had gone after leaving, or rather after he was
-obliged to leave Scutari, he committed the same kind of shameless
-excesses he had been guilty of in other places. Complaints against his
-cruelty and tyranny having been laid before the emperor, a bostánjí
-báshí was forthwith dispatched with orders to cut him off, but who
-was so overawed by the páshá that he had not the resolution to fulfil
-his mission. The grand vezír, because he did not obey the order of
-government, removed the bostánjí báshí from his office, and appointed
-Dervísh Aghá, ketkhodá of the bostánjís, in his stead. This is the same
-Dervísh Aghá who afterwards obtained a near access to the emperor’s
-ear, and was made páshá for the important services he had rendered
-to the state. But to proceed. Kásim Páshá not only escaped the snare
-which had been laid for him, and the death he ought to have suffered,
-but was actually appointed to the government of Kutahia. Here he also
-manifested a spirit of carelessness and indifference, which eventually
-entailed upon him the punishment which had formerly been meditated
-against him. In order, however, to make sure of this, it was considered
-wise to send him a royal letter appointing him to the deputyship of
-Constantinople, in room of Háfiz Páshá, and an invitation to him to
-return and take possession of that office. Confiding in the royal
-letter Kásim returned to Constantinople, and was hardly one day in
-office, when he received three royal communications on important
-affairs, which, at once, had the effect of clearing away all doubt from
-his mind as to his being firmly fixed in the deputyship. This being
-the case, as he believed, he that very day appointed his predecessor
-Háfiz Páshá, third vezír. Ibrahím Aghá he made master of the horse,
-and Mím Ibrahím his remembrancer. About supper-time Chobán Soleimán,
-chief of the royal messengers, waited upon the new deputy, and informed
-him that on the following morning a council was to be held in the
-royal presence; and also that the emperor’s chaplain, the mufti, the
-vezírs, and other magnates of the state, had all been invited to
-attend. Accordingly, at daybreak next morning Kásim Páshá proceeded
-to the diván with great pomp and ceremony. On entering into the royal
-presence, and before all who were present, he advanced towards the
-emperor and did obeisance. The emperor, without any sort of preamble,
-began immediately to question him with respect to his conduct in
-neglecting to obey his royal mandates on more occasions than one. Kásim
-was confounded, and could find nothing to say in reply: to vindicate
-himself was impossible. The emperor then turned to the high-priest
-and consulted with him as to the nature of the guilt and crime with
-which Kásim stood chargeable, and from which he could in no way clear
-himself, when the reverend prelate gave it forth as his verdict,
-that Kásim should be put to death. This sentence had scarcely been
-pronounced, when, on a signal having been given, in rushed a number of
-bostánjís, who instantly severed Kásim Páshá’s head from his body. His
-carcass, by imperial orders, was carried in a dray and thrown into a
-ditch before the gates of Adrianople. Thus ended the eventful life of
-this ambitious and turbulent páshá.
-
-
-_Sárukjí Mustafa Páshá is made deputy of Constantinople.—Other
-promotions take place._
-
-Immediately after Kásim Páshá was dispatched, as we have just now
-related, the emperor of sublime dignity and glory turned to Sárukjí
-Mustafa Páshá, and appointed him to the deputyship or káímakámship of
-Constantinople, saying, in the presence of the whole council, that
-if he should be found guilty of any maladministration, he should deal
-with him as he had done to him that was lying before him—pointing to
-the body of Kásim Páshá—and thus warned him of his danger. After this
-solemn address to the new deputy the council broke up, and every one
-went to his own house.
-
-The new deputy, Sárukjí Mustafa Páshá, began his administration by
-effecting various changes in the different departments of the palace.
-Gúrjí Mohammed Páshá, chief eunuch in the royal harem, he raised to
-the dignity of third vezír; who, in consequence of this promotion, had
-it in his power to advance and befriend his own friends. Dávud Páshá,
-chief of the kapújís, and Mustafa Aghá, grand master of the horse,
-were, in about a week or two afterwards, exalted to the dignity of
-vezírs, and were married to two of Sultán Mohammed Khán’s daughters.
-Nukásh Hasan Aghá, who had been deposed from the command of the
-janissaries for his pusillanimity, came to Islambol, where his friends
-had interested themselves in his favour. He was created beglerbeg
-of Romeili, and soon afterwards was raised to the dignity of vezír.
-This deputy, amongst his other acts of administration, secured above
-a million of money to the royal treasury; and, in fact, every person
-wondered at the changes and alterations he had effected.
-
-Towards the end of Jemadi II. a messenger arrived from Egypt, bringing
-to the court of Constantinople the sad intelligence that the Egyptian
-troops had murdered Hájí Ibrahím Páshá. The eunuch, Gúrjí Mohammed
-Páshá, who had lately been raised to the rank of _third_ vezír, was
-appointed válí of Egypt in the room of the deceased. The galley in
-which the new válí had embarked reached the port of Alexandria in one
-week’s time; and after having entered upon the government of Egypt, he
-put to death every individual of those who had been in any way involved
-in the tumult in which his predecessor had perished. By force of arms
-he established peace throughout the whole of his jurisdiction, attended
-to the state of the finances, and inspired all ranks with terror.
-
-On the 25th of Rajab the válí of Romeili, Hasan Páshá, was advanced
-to the rank of fourth vezír; Hasan Aghá, the brother of Tarnákjí
-Páshá, was, in the same month, made commander of the janissaries. The
-government of Algiers was conferred on Mustafa Aghá, who had been chief
-of the eunuchs in the days of Selím II.
-
-
-_Sárukjí Mustafa Páshá is murdered.—Súfí Sinán succeeds him._
-
-It was not very long after Sárukjí Mustafa Páshá had entered on the
-duties of his office as deputy of Constantinople, when some violence
-began to be manifested by the troops on account of the pay which was
-due to them. Whilst the lord high treasurer, Mohammed Páshá, son of
-Músá Chelebí, was straining every nerve to meet the demands of the
-military, some of his enemies had an interview with the emperor’s
-chaplain, who lodged accusations with his excellency the deputy against
-him. The deputy, not perceiving the evil that was soon to happen to
-himself, deposed him and appointed one Háfiz Mahmúd to succeed him; a
-man who was every way unfit for so high and important a situation as
-that of chief treasurer, and one, too, whom the emperor abhorred. The
-deputy’s infatuation did not stop here; he endeavoured, with all his
-might, to get Siná-allah Effendí, the reverend mufti, removed from
-his spiritual jurisdiction, and to place Mohammed Effendí, the eldest
-son of Khojeh, in his stead. The reverend mufti no sooner received
-intelligence of the deputy’s manœuvres, than he immediately entered,
-with the emperor’s chaplain, into a conspiracy against the life of
-Sárukjí Páshá. They used every means they could think of to blacken
-his character in the opinion of the emperor, and succeeded but too
-well in exciting his displeasure against him. One day, as he went on
-some business connected with his office to the royal palace, he was
-desired to wait on his majesty; but on his retiring he was seized, an
-executioner was called, and in an instant his head was cut off. His
-body was thrown into a well in the court of the diván,[14] and Súfí
-Sinán Páshá was appointed káímakám in his stead.
-
-Gúzelcheh Mahmúd Páshá, who had been restored to favour and was raised
-to a vezírship, again fell under his majesty’s displeasure, and was
-degraded. This took place on the 12th of the _first_ Rabia, and Nesúh
-Páshá, who had been removed from the government of Aleppo, was
-appointed to succeed him in the vezírship, and also to the command
-of the army employed in Anatolia in quelling the rebellion in that
-quarter. On the 2d of Dhu’l kadah, Nukásh Hasan Páshá, beglerbeg of
-Romeili, reached the rank and dignity of vezír, and Tarú Hasan Páshá
-was confirmed in the above government.
-
-
-_The emperor goes to hunt.—Sultán Osmán Khán is born._
-
-The emperor, who was exceedingly fond of the chace, went out with his
-friends and great men on the 11th of Jemadi II., _i.e._ on the 24th of
-Teshrín evel (a Syro-macedonian month, October), to enjoy the pleasures
-of the chace in the country round about the gardens of Romeili, in the
-vicinity of Constantinople.
-
-During the time the grand sultán was enjoying the pleasures which the
-chace afforded him, the ághá of the royal house arrived and announced
-to his majesty the joyful intelligence of the birth of a son, which
-filled every heart with the sincerest joy. When the young prince
-was afterwards named Sultán Osmán, seven days and seven nights were
-dedicated, by an imperial firmán, to rejoicings. On the 17th of Shevál,
-which was the 26th of Shubat (a Syro-macedonian month corresponding to
-February), Sultán Mohammed was also born to him.
-
-
-_The grand vezír, Lálá Mohammed Páshá, returns to Constantinople._
-
-We lately left Lálá Mohammed Páshá, the reader will remember, at
-Belgrade. From this frontier city he was suddenly recalled to court,
-and reached the Sublime Porte on the 20th of Ramazán, when his majesty
-condescended to show him very many expressions of kindness and respect.
-On the 20th of Shabán, Káfzádeh Feizallah Effendí was translated from
-the jurisdiction of Anatolia and made military judge of Romeili, being
-succeeded in Anatolia by Yehiá Effendí of Constantinople. About the end
-of the month of Dhu’l hijja Káfzádeh Effendí, at the request of the
-grand vezír, was degraded, and Yehiá Effendí was made military judge
-in his room. Kemál Effendí succeeded to the jurisdiction of Anatolia.
-Fatimah, the daughter of Sultán Murád Khán, and the widow of Khalíl
-Páshá, was contracted in marriage to vezír Murád Páshá, who commanded
-on the banks of the Danube, and who was recalled to Constantinople.
-
-
-_Continuation of the affairs in the East._
-
-The state of matters in the eastern provinces became every day more
-desperate. Kalander Oghlí and Karah Seyed, two notorious rebels, laid
-waste the whole of the country round Aïdín and Sarúkhán, perpetrating
-every excess and committing every evil they were able against the
-followers of Mohammed. In one quarter Túyel Khalíl, and one Sachlí
-in another, created, by their cruelties, alarm and terror in almost
-every district throughout Anatolia. In consequence of these very awful
-disasters, inflicted by bands of ruthless barbarians, letters from
-all quarters flowed into the government, beseeching it for aid and
-protection against these lawless and merciless hordes. The káímakám,
-Súfí Sinán Páshá, taking the matter into earnest consideration,
-waited one day on his imperial majesty, and insisted with him, in
-the most urgent manner, that one of the vezírs should be appointed
-commander-in-chief of the army in Anatolia. His majesty, in the
-presence of the whole of his nobles, appointed Dávud Páshá, and
-urged him to make no delay. Dávud Páshá, however, excused himself,
-but afterwards began to make preparations. In the meantime Kejdehán
-Alí Páshá, beglerbeg of Anatolia, was ordered to proceed with the
-whole of the provincial army of Anatolia, and join Jeghala Zádeh, the
-commander-in-chief in the east. He was further ordered to unite in his
-march with Nesúh Páshá, who protected the frontiers; and both were
-ordered to march together with their respective armies, and overthrow
-the rebels, whose excesses were become altogether without limits.
-Kejdehán Alí Páshá proceeded according to orders; attached his troops
-to those of Nesúh Páshá, and marched together to meet the rebels under
-Túyel, who had conquered the greater part of Caramania and Anatolia.
-This rebel army they met in the plains of Bolawadin; but the result of
-the meeting of these two hostile armies we must defer relating till we
-enter on the affairs of the following year, which we shall immediately
-commence.
-
-
-
-
-EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1014, II.
-
-
-It having been considered of the last importance to ascertain the
-actual state of the Hungarian frontiers, Mohammed Páshá was granted
-full power over the troops, and to employ them in any way he thought
-proper. It was also the emperor’s declared determination and wish that
-Osterghún should be reconquered from the enemy if possible. With this
-view Hasan Aghá, Tarnákjí’s brother, and ághá of the janissaries, was
-appointed to proceed with a large body of janissaries to Belgrade,
-and afterwards join the commander-in-chief at Buda. This body of
-troops left Constantinople on the 27th of Dhu’l hijja, and halted at
-Dávud Páshá for the purpose of making some further arrangements for
-the journey. Abdul Bákí Effendí was appointed treasurer to the army;
-Etmekjí Zádeh had been sent to Romeili to collect the taxes; Súfí Sinán
-Páshá having been in full power, and deputy of the Sublime Porte, sent
-Dávud Páshá to command the garrison of Kostamúní; and Nesúh Páshá
-was made commander in Anatolia, and appointed to protect the Ottoman
-boundaries in that quarter.
-
-Hasan Aghá, after having remained a week at Dávud Páshá, recommenced
-his march towards Belgrade, which place he reached about the latter
-end of the month Sefer. Having refreshed his troops and attended to
-the other necessary preparations for prosecuting his march to Buda, he
-left Belgrade and passed the plains of Zimún for that fortress on the
-4th of Rabia II. The whole army assembled at Usk, where a council of
-war was held. The commander-in-chief proposed for the consultation of
-the counsellors, what measure ought first to be adopted for securing
-the desired success? The borderers and several of the chiefs of the
-army thought it was by all means most advisable to proceed directly
-to Buda and Alba Julia, and check the progress of the enemy in those
-quarters, or at least protect them against any assault which the enemy
-might threaten. Information had already arrived, they said, which
-fully announced the threatening aspect the enemy was assuming with
-regard to both these places. The enemy, they were aware, was making
-every preparation in Komran for renewing hostilities, and already had
-acquired some success. It was their imperative duty, continued the
-speakers, to march immediately to Buda and Alba Julia, and protect
-these places against the enemy of their country and of their faith.
-Such were the arguments employed on one side of the question. Others,
-however, opposed them, and argued differently. They, in the weakness
-of their judgment, maintained that Buda and Alba Julia were places
-of strength, and well furnished with the means of self-defence; so
-much so, indeed, they said, that the enemy had given up all hope of
-succeeding against them. These two places, the objects of so much
-concern and anxiety, therefore, might very well, and without any
-danger, they maintained, be left to their own resources. But there is
-Mekamúriah, said these trifling advocates. It presented a fine field
-for enriching the army: the inhabitants were in a state of quietness,
-and no way in a capacity to offer resistance: they were rich. Let,
-therefore, the army, reiterated these orators, march into Mekamúriah
-without delay.
-
-This motion was vigorously opposed by the opposite party, and many
-arguments were adduced to show the danger that would arise if adopted
-and acted upon: but the majority of the council was in favour of it;
-and for no other reason, but that it promised to satisfy their thirst
-for wealth. The commander-in-chief yielded to the majority, ordered the
-janissaries to proceed towards Kaniza, not very distant from which lay
-the country of Mekamúriah, and resolved on following them, on the next
-day, with the body of the grand army acting under his command.
-
-Having given his orders he waited on the venerable cazí who accompanied
-the camp, Ahmed Effendí, and informed him of the resolution the council
-had adopted, and requested him to give his opinion. The reverend
-prelate expressed, in no unmeasured terms, his entire disapprobation of
-that resolution. “It is no mark of sound judgment,” said the venerable
-man, “to adopt a method which leaves in our rear the enemy watching our
-movements, whilst we are pursuing an uncertain object from motives of
-ambition. Moreover, it is entirely contrary to the will of the emperor,
-who expressly declared that it was his utmost wish that we should, in
-the first instance, attempt the reduction of Osterghún. Having had,
-therefore, the emperor’s mind on the subject, it is as clear as day
-that nothing could be more improper than to pursue the plan which has
-been adopted, and, in part, acted upon. If, in prosecuting your present
-plan, so much as one village belonging to the Ottoman empire should
-fall into the hands of the enemy, you will find yourself at a loss to
-give any satisfactory answer when you happen to be interrogated on that
-point. I would observe, moreover, that only about eighty days remain
-for continuing this campaign, and that should you, in pursuance of the
-resolution of the council, follow the course which promises to enrich
-the soldiery, no less than twenty or thirty days will be necessary for
-this purpose. The soldiery, bent on acquiring spoil, will pay no regard
-to your commands when once they are let loose after plunder. They will
-become disunited and scattered; neither can you expect that this year
-you will ever induce them again to act as a regular military force.
-If, in these circumstances, the enemy should commence their hostile
-movements, with whom, let me ask you, will you march to meet them? What
-preparations can you effect? What aid can you command? Now, however,
-that you have time and troops at command, turn your thoughts towards
-Osterghún, and endeavour at least to fulfil the emperor’s express
-desire. If you attend to this advice, though you should even fail in
-the attempt, you are sure to escape reproach.” The clear and cogent
-mode of the worthy prelate’s reasoning made a very deep impression
-on the mind of the commanding general; in short, he was like one
-awakened from sleep. The arguments of the priest carried irresistible
-conviction, and the general was no longer in doubt as to the line of
-conduct he ought to pursue. He immediately resolved on proceeding to
-Buda, countermanded the march of the janissaries, who by that time had
-marched a stage on their way towards Kaniza, and made arrangements for
-laying siege to Osterghún.
-
-The reverend priest acted in the transactions we have alluded to
-without the least fear of blame or reproach. His open and manly
-conduct, so utterly void of any thing like hypocrisy, was such as
-threw a glory and dignity around his sacred office and character, and
-secured him the high approbation of the vezír himself, and all others.
-Petcheví relates this account somewhat differently, and Káteb Chelebí,
-in his Fezliké, confirms his view of the matter, but it is of no
-importance to show wherein the two accounts differ.
-
-The commanding general having resolved, as we have seen, on laying
-siege to Osterghún, the army commenced its march towards that place.
-The beglerbeg of Bosnia, with the troops under his command, was ordered
-forward to Buda. Twenty-five pieces of artillery, thirty thousand
-balls, ten thousand talents of gunpowder and other ammunition were
-transported in boats towards the place which was soon destined to
-become the scene of action and of blood. The spáhís and janissaries,
-on reaching the plains of Mehaj, were all furnished with the weapons
-peculiar to each, and about the middle of Rabia II. the Moslem camp
-was pitched in the vicinity of Osterghún. On the same day, also, on
-which they had pitched their tents every disposition for commencing
-hostilities was quickly and promptly attended to. On one side of
-Osterghún was a high hill whereon stood a considerable castle; and
-it being probable that a secret way from it to the city might be
-discovered, by which much mischief to the besiegers might be avoided,
-Mustafa Páshá, beglerbeg of Buda, was ordered, with a body of troops,
-to assault this fortress or castle, called Dipadilin, which he did on
-all sides. Jegirdilin, another fortress or castle, in connection with
-Osterghún, and with which the Moslems had become well acquainted in a
-former siege, was also subjected to the operations of war. Vishégrade,
-situate somewhere on the Danube between Osterghún and Wáj, and which
-could easily prevent provisions or stores being transported by water
-to the aid of the Moslem army, was, after a short siege, allowed to
-capitulate. Khádem Khosrú Páshá, the beglerbeg of Bosnia, who commanded
-at the siege of Vishégrade, found the garrison was composed of those
-Franks whom the Pope had sent in aid of the Germans, as formerly
-mentioned, and who had been distributed into the different forts in the
-hands of the Austrians. Like their brethren, the Franks at Alba Julia,
-they entered voluntarily, and on similar terms, the service of the
-grand sultán. At the commencement of the siege their number amounted to
-more than a thousand, but most of them perished before they had agreed
-to capitulate.
-
-We now return to Dipadilin. Vishégrade having been disposed of in
-the way now related, part of Khosrú Páshá’s troops, and the Franks
-above-mentioned, were sent to join the troops employed under the
-beglerbeg of Buda against Dipadilin. This augmentation of force so
-terrified the besieged that they became discouraged; but the hearts
-and hands of the Moslems were so mightily strengthened by it, that on
-the 6th of Jemadi II., the sixth day of the siege, after the hour of
-morning devotions, they fired off three large guns, and all at once
-rushed forward to a general assault. It so happened, by the providence
-of God, that the morning was very dark and hazy; so much so, indeed,
-that objects could hardly be seen at the shortest distance; and thus
-the Moslems entered the place before they were discovered. Not only
-this place, but, in short, every other between it and Osterghún, in
-the short space of this one day, fell into the hands of the Moslem
-conquerors. Not one of the infidels in any of these different places
-escaped with his life: more than four thousand, it was said, perished.
-The count, who commanded in Osterghún, came forth to stimulate and
-encourage the infidels to oppose the Moslems, but he never returned:
-his body was found among the slain. A number of troops, and a quantity
-of provisions and other stores, which had been advancing by the Danube
-to the aid of the Moslems, but which, on account of the infidels in
-Vishégrade, were hindered from reaching their destination, were at
-once, by the fall of that place, allowed to proceed. The troops on
-board, having received intimation from the commander who carried on the
-siege of Vishégrade, disembarked, took up their quarters in a small
-island, attacked those of the enemy who had been employed in menacing
-them whenever they offered to sail forward, and slew about two hundred
-of them. These and the other troops now joined their brethren who
-were set down before Osterghún itself, the downfall of which was the
-principal object in the Moslem army’s taking the field this year.
-
-
-_Osterghún set fire to._
-
-The janissaries having extended their trenches, on one side, to
-within a small distance of the city or suburbs, and as the cannon
-placed on the hill Dipadilin were kept constantly firing on the city
-and fortress, the commanding general, in pressing the siege, ordered
-the palanka of the city or suburbs to be set fire to. When the
-besieged perceived this palanka on fire many of them rushed forth and
-endeavoured to extinguish it, but not one of those who did so ever
-returned again.
-
-
-_The city and fortress taken._
-
-On the 16th of Jemadi II. three successive general assaults were made,
-in the last of which the city was taken, and two thousand infidels that
-were found in it were immediately dispatched to the flames of hell.
-Mustafa Páshá, who had vanquished Dipadilin, was sent to reduce a tower
-called the Water Tower; which he did completely. On the 10th day, after
-taking possession of the city or suburbs, another assault was announced
-to the troops, who prepared for the onset. The enemy’s troops within
-the fortress perceiving with what determined perseverance the besiegers
-were animated, and fully convinced they should not be able to resist
-an assault, if it were attempted, but which they had every reason to
-anticipate, they, in this hopeless condition, offered to capitulate.
-When this proposal of the besieged was announced to the commanding
-general, he sent his confidant Petcheví Ibrahím Effendí,[15] the
-person who first informed him of the proposal of the enemy, to settle
-the articles of capitulation. These he settled in conformity to
-ancient custom. On the 21st of the month, five thousand four hundred
-miserable-looking wretches issued forth from the citadel, loaded with
-what private property they were able to carry—which they had been
-allowed to take with them—were put on board transports, and sent off
-to their own infidel country. One of their chief captains, however,
-embraced the Moslem religion, and was much caressed and befriended by
-the commanding general. All the Franks in Osterghún who followed the
-example of their brethren, who had lately entered the service of the
-grand sultán, shared the same immunities as those formerly mentioned.
-The injuries which Osterghún and Dipadilin had sustained in the siege
-were ordered to be forthwith repaired. The noble temple of Osterghún,
-which had been desecrated ever since the enemy had entered the city,
-and filled with their abominations, was also ordered to be purified;
-divine service according to Mohammedan usage was performed in it. A
-sufficient garrison was appointed: Petcheví Ibrahím Effendí and two
-other officers were sent off for Constantinople with intelligence of
-the splendid victory gained over the infidels; and in consideration
-of which, each spáhí received two, and each foot soldier one piece
-of money. The commanding general, after this distribution of money
-among his troops had taken place, directed his course towards Buda and
-Belgrade.
-
-There can be no doubt that the fall of Osterghún contributed very
-much to induce the court of Vienna to submit, or rather to offer the
-conditions which they not long afterwards forwarded to the court of
-Constantinople.
-
-
-_Progress of Botchkai._
-
-Botchkai, of whom we have before spoken, when thoroughly strengthened
-and supported by Ottoman forces, nothing withstood him: he was every
-where victorious. During the time that the Moslem general was employed
-in the reduction of Osterghún, Botchkai formed the design of laying
-siege to the fortress of Uivár, and therefore requested to be supplied
-with Moslem troops for that purpose. In accordance with this request
-Sinán Páshá, the beglerbeg of Agria, the princes of Serim, of Alasha
-Hisár, of Semendria, and the prince of Terhalah with a thousand Tátárs
-and a body of Circassians, were sent to his assistance. Botchkai
-committed the command of his army to an infidel of the name of Humnaí,
-a Hungarian prince. Bektásh Páshá, formerly mentioned, was also
-engaged in the siege of Uivár. One thousand of the janissaries who
-had been engaged in the siege of Osterghún, and a considerable number
-of provincial troops, under the Khosrú Páshá, beglerbeg of Bosnia,
-were afterwards sent forward to Uivár; over whom, as well as over
-those Moslem troops already sent, he was made chief commander. Uivár,
-however, though at first it showed some little courage, soon submitted
-to Botchkai, who having expressed a desire that it should remain under
-his dominion, the commanding general, in conformity with the promise
-which had been made to him with regard to making him ruler of Mejár
-or Ardil, or both, deputed Teryákí Hasan Páshá to accompany Ahmed
-Effendí, the priest of the camp, and formally to install Botchkai in
-the possession of Uivár.
-
-About this same period, Teryákí Hasan Páshá was sent with a division
-of the Romeilian troops to reduce Besperim and Polatah. The last of
-these only he subjected to the Moslem yoke, and afterwards returned
-and joined the royal camp in the vicinity of Buda. The beglerbeg of
-Buda, Bosniak Mustafa Páshá, in the meantime, was degraded, and his
-beglerbegship was conferred on Alí Páshá son of Kází Zádeh, ruler of
-Silistria. The jurisdictions or sanjáks of Semendria, of Nicopolis, of
-Silistria, of Chormin, and of Wiza, were all put under the guardianship
-of the garrison of Buda.
-
-After the fortress, which had been reduced, had been all repaired, the
-victorious general made preparations for returning to Belgrade.
-
-
-_Botchkai pays a visit to the commanding General._
-
-When the grand vezír, Lálá Mohammed Páshá, returned, last year, to
-Constantinople, he did not forget to lay before his royal master a
-statement of the promise or engagements he, as the organ of the Ottoman
-government, had entered into with Botchkai; the result of which was
-a splendid crown, valued at three thousand ducats, and, moreover,
-richly studded with precious stones, for Botchkai. One Seyed Mohammed
-was sent to Botchkai from the commanding general, to inform him of
-what was going on in his favour, and to invite him to wait upon him.
-The commanding general, who at this time was encamped near Pest, no
-sooner heard of the near approach of Botchkai, who, in obedience to
-the invitation sent him, was coming to wait on him, than he ordered a
-splendid royal pavilion, handsomely adorned with fine curtains, to be
-erected for his royal visitor. The whole of the troops were ordered to
-stand under arms, and in proper order to receive him. The flooring of
-the pavilion was made of precious odoriferous wood or planks; and, in
-short, every thing suitable to the dignity of the approaching monarch
-was punctually attended to. At length Botchkai, attended by a guard of
-ten thousand Hungarians, besides many distinguished princes, arrived
-in the Moslem camp, and went immediately to pay his respects to the
-commanding general. The splendid and highly valuable crown, above
-referred to, was brought forth and placed on his head by the hands of
-the general. A richly-ornamented sword was presented him on the same
-occasion: and immediately afterwards he was declared to be raised,
-by Ottoman imperial munificence, to the sovereignty of Hungary. The
-banners and standards, which the Ottoman government condescended to
-send him, were presented to him in due form. Botchkai made all due
-acknowledgment for the dignity and honour conferred on him, kissed the
-commanding general’s hand, and said: “We are now become the emperor’s
-servants. Those who are hired with money, serve generally out of fear
-of reproach or of punishment; but we, inasmuch as we are favoured
-servants, still manifest the most genuine and cheerful obedience.”
-Thus, the contract first made with Botchkai was fully ratified and
-signed; the field-pieces in the camp were fired in token of joy; great
-demonstrations of heartfelt pleasure were every where, throughout
-the camp, instituted, and cheerfully observed; and Botchkai, now
-created king of Hungary, took leave of his friends and returned to his
-newly-acquired dominions.
-
-Botchkai, after he was advanced to the rank and dignity of a sovereign
-prince, contributed very much to the welfare of the Moslem religion. So
-much so, indeed, that the infidel Germans, who were filled with hatred
-against him, when they found it impossible to take him in open battle,
-endeavoured by every means they could devise to poison him, which at
-last they accomplished.
-
-When tidings of the death of Botchkai reached the Sublime Porte, the
-government proceeded to make choice of another of the Transylvanian
-princes to succeed him in the sovereignty of Transylvania,[16] and
-Batori Ghabor was the one who was elevated to that dignity. The
-elevation of Batori Ghabor, as now hinted, had the effect of widening
-the breach between Turkey and Austria, but it eventually led to the
-latter’s negociating for peace.
-
-The commanding general, who unfortunately became indisposed, remained
-a few days in Buda arranging and settling matters with his servants,
-appointed the celebrated hero Hasan Páshá, beglerbeg of Romeili,
-commandant of Buda, and set out for Belgrade. On reaching this city, he
-paid off the troops, and allowed them to return to their own provinces;
-but he himself spent the winter there, where he enjoyed all the
-pleasures of life.
-
-The Moslem army, by the assistance of God, achieved this year the
-advantages and triumph which they sought. This one campaign brought
-them more glory than any one of the preceding twelve. In fact, the
-Moslems accomplished more this year than they had done in all the
-others put together: so wonderfully successful had they been. The
-wealth they had acquired was altogether unprecedented in the history of
-their wars with the northern infidels.
-
-The exalted commanding general, after having gone to Belgrade, as
-before mentioned, procured double pay for the troops. Petcheví Ibrahím
-Effendí was appointed to see the distribution properly attended to.
-
-
-_Peace is proposed by the Archduke Mathias._
-
-Botchkai, of whom we have had a great deal to say, vexed and distressed
-the Austrians to the very utmost; which at last had the effect of
-inducing the Archduke Mathias, who was at that time in Vienna, when he
-perceived the danger which threatened to subvert from him the whole of
-his dominions, to send an embassy to the Moslem commander-in-chief. He
-clearly saw that his troops were not able to resist the superior force
-of the Ottomans, or withstand the powerful and vigorous hostility of
-Botchkai. His only army in Transylvania also was on the very point of
-being surrounded. When made aware of all these alarming circumstances,
-he sent the embassy alluded to, and, at the same time, informed the
-emperor his brother, who was at Prague, the capital of Bohemia, of what
-he had done. He stated in his communications to the emperor, that if a
-treaty of peace was not agreed upon he should by degrees be stripped
-of all his dominions in Hungary. “Part of them would fall,” he said,
-“under the Turks, and the rest would be trampled under the feet of
-Transylvanian cavalry.” The emperor, well aware that peace was every
-way desirable, expressed his approbation of the steps Mathias had taken
-to bring about so very requisite an object.
-
-The emperor, however, in conformity to the principles of his vain
-religion, applied to the ungracious Pope of Rome for his advice, who
-expressed himself altogether hostile to the measure proposed. This
-audacious pope[17] had the hardihood and wickedness to write back to
-the emperor, desiring him to get his brother to withdraw the proposals
-he had made, or if he refused to do so, to kill him. Such was the
-advice of the pope.
-
-The emperor informed his brother of the sentiments which his holiness
-had expressed, and urged him in the strongest manner to pay implicit
-regard to them: assured him, moreover, that it was of much more
-consequence to him to have the prince of religion on his side, than any
-relative, however near to him; and therefore conjured him to continue
-the war. Mathias replied, that it was of the utmost moment to him to
-have peace on any terms; that preliminaries had been entered into, and
-that he was determined not to recede.
-
-In the meantime Mathias collected what Hungarian and Transylvanian
-forces he was able, who, when united with the troops he had sent to
-protect his Transylvanian dominions, formed a very considerable army.
-With this army he purposed advancing upon Prague, but the death of the
-emperor,[18] which happened at this time, put a stop to this warlike
-attempt.
-
-The death of the emperor changed the aspect of affairs in relation
-to Mathias altogether, and bound him, in consequence of the law of
-succession, to respect the unworthy injunctions of the pope. This pope,
-to reproach and mortify Mathias for having offered conditions of peace
-to the Turks, raised Maximilian, a younger brother, an infidel, to the
-imperial dignity, to the exclusion of the lawful heir. It was that very
-same Maximilian, who, with his 70,000 infidels, was defeated before
-Agria by the heroic Sultán Ahmed Khán; that same Maximilian who hardly
-escaped from the scene of action with his life; who, unable to mount
-his horse or gird on his sword, fled away on foot; who, preferring a
-monastic life, ran off to the pope and entered into a monastery; it
-was that very same Maximilian whom the pope, in the plentitude of his
-power, and in the bitterness of his wrath, nominated to fill the throne
-of the Roman emperors, and whom he sent into Hungary. Mathias, however,
-prepared to dispute his pretensions, and with the army he had led, or
-had intended to lead against his deceased brother, he stood ready to
-meet this Maximilian. But Maximilian’s courage failed him, and Mathias,
-without striking a blow, ascended the throne of the Cæsars. Maximilian
-being now unable to promote the pope’s purposes, was appointed to the
-government of Vienna, and Mathias repaired to Prague, the imperial
-city, and commenced the exercise of his imperial prerogatives.
-
-After Maximilian had gone to Vienna, he, in conformity to an agreement
-between him and Mathias, who was bent on promoting a treaty of peace,
-sent, the year peace was concluded, two hundred thousand dollars
-towards fulfilling the stipulations of that treaty, but he was exempted
-for the space of twenty years from any farther demands of this kind;
-though during each of the three years in which the negociations were
-carried on, he sent presents to the commander-in-chief, accompanied by
-letters humbly imploring a speedy termination of all hostilities.
-
-
-_Concerning Jeghala Zádeh’s operations on the confines of Persia._
-
-Notwithstanding the misfortunes which fell, during the events of the
-last year, to the lot of Jeghala Zádeh Sinán Páshá, he was this year,
-again in a condition to raise his standard in the province of Erzerúm.
-He removed his son, Mohammed Páshá, from Shirwán, and placed him in the
-government of Diárbeker, whilst that of the former reverted to Ahmed
-Páshá, son of Hasan Páshá.
-
-Having heard that the Persians had concentrated their forces at
-Tabríz, he pushed forward his army as far as Salamas. This took place
-on the 21st of Rabia II. The perverted sháh came to Khúi, where
-the advance-army of both sides met; but the Persians, after having
-sustained some loss, were obliged to retreat. At Hamla another of
-their divisions was completely routed. On the following day, the sháh
-divided his army into three divisions on the lake of Tabríz, on the
-banks of which his troops had concentrated themselves on the preceding
-day. He himself, from motives of security to his own person, took up
-his position on a rising ground in the neighbourhood.
-
-In the meantime, Gusah Sefer Páshá, the válí of Erzerúm,
-without counsel or advice, and contrary to the orders of the
-commander-in-chief, and followed by Tekelí Páshá, beglerbeg of Tabríz,
-Rázieh Zádeh, the válí of Sivás, his brother, Akhúyin Ahmed Páshá,
-Haider Páshá Zádeh, Alí Páshá, and others, amounting in all to fifteen
-beglerbegs, and more than twenty sanják begs, advanced to attack
-the advance-guard of the enemy. The commanding officer, it is to be
-observed, had actually cautioned them against being too hasty, and
-warned them not to be rash in advancing; but this advice was regarded
-with contempt by the persons above-mentioned, who, in other respects,
-had acted arrogantly and disrespectfully towards the commander-in
-chief, and now rushed forward with their respective troops, attacked
-the division under the khán, and fought the heretics till the sun
-had passed the meridian. Verily, Sefer Páshá, more like a lion or a
-tiger, committed the most dreadful havoc among these infidels and
-enemies of the faith. The red-heads, finding it impossible to resist
-the impetuosity and heroism of this valiant troop, fell back upon
-the division under Zulfekár Khán. The heroic Moslems, however, again
-rallied their little band together, and attacked this division also.
-The combat was most desperate, and continued till near evening, when,
-in the utmost confusion and consternation, they retreated upon the
-division which the sháh himself commanded, though not actually in
-person. Here they made an attempt to stand, but with no better success.
-It was now within half-an-hour of sun-set, and so terrible was the fear
-which Sefer Páshá had inspired into these heretics that they fled into
-the mountains, leaving their whole baggage, and even their commander,
-behind them.
-
-After these singular advantages obtained over the Persians, the sháh,
-with those who still adhered to him, endeavoured to make his way up a
-mountain, but not thinking himself safe there he retreated about half a
-stage, where, on a rising ground, surrounded with a thousand terrors,
-he pitched his tent.
-
-It turned out, however, that the Kizilbásh army, supported by the
-sháh’s body-guard, resolved on attacking the commanding general’s camp,
-which, they supposed, was left without any to defend it. But these
-dogs were met by a body of janissaries, salihdárs, and others, who
-stood ready to receive them, and who, with their arrows and small arms,
-drove them back. The contest, however, was obstinate, and maintained
-till sun-set, when the despicable wretches, after seeing many of their
-number wounded and perishing on the field of battle, fled back to their
-encampments. But Sefer Páshá, who was returning from the scene where
-he had performed so many and such wonderful exploits, met this horde
-as they were flying from the face of the Moslems, who had opposed
-and repulsed them just a little before, and fell upon him and his
-heroic followers. He and his party, of course, were much fatigued by
-their late exertions, which had been crowned with the most singular
-success; whilst the enemy, who thus attacked them, were comparatively
-fresh, and consequently it was not to be wondered at if they declined
-accepting a battle. This they did not altogether avoid, though a number
-of them, among whom was Tekelí Páshá, Jelalí Karah Kásh Páshá, and
-Kechkár Páshá, with their respective followers, fled to the camp and
-escaped; whilst their companions fought till they fell martyrs on the
-field. In this bloody contest, Sefer Páshá, the hero of the party, and
-whose weapon nothing could resist, was at last wounded, and shortly
-afterwards his horse fell with him. Some of the Kizilbáshes seized him
-and several other wounded veterans, and dragged them before the sháh,
-who ordered some of them to be killed, and to reserve the others. To
-Sefer Páshá he said, “if you will submit to me, and join our sect
-(_i.e._ the sect of Alí), I shall confer honour upon you.” The firm
-Moslem replied, by wishing “a thousand curses to fall upon him and upon
-every heretic of his sect.” The prisoner, who was bound to a stake, and
-exhibited to the view of the multitude, loaded the heretical sháh with
-every species of reproach and contumely, when immediately some of the
-vagabond red-heads rushed upon him and slew him. Thus ended this brave
-man. It is true that the commanding officer sent more than once to
-dissuade him and his rash companions from their precipitate measures,
-but it is also true that Sefer Páshá, though a very brave man, was yet
-very obstinate and contumacious. Karah Kásh, and some others of his
-desperate followers, disregarding all subordination, resolved on being
-revenged on their enemies.
-
-It is remarkable, and indeed it is one of the inscrutable ways of
-Providence, that those who fell in these various skirmishes were for
-the most part those levends or volunteers who had been very lately
-engaged in rebellion against the Ottomans. It rarely happened,
-throughout the whole of these struggles, that any of the sworn and
-paid troops fell. The Moslem army, generally, suffered no injury. But
-these levends, in God’s distribution of justice, were made to expiate
-their former crimes and villany by making them wash their filth in this
-bloody fountain.—But to return.
-
-The carnage to which we have above alluded was put a stop to by
-the return of night, when the contending parties were under the
-necessity of retiring. The Kizilbáshes, however, retreated, but the
-commander-in-chief maintained his ground, or at least he remained where
-he was (for it does not appear that he had any personal share in the
-actions which had taken place). During the night season the chiefs
-and nobles of Kúrdistán came to wait on the commander-in-chief, with
-the view of consulting with him as to the circumstances in which they
-were then placed, and of the probable result of their movements and
-operations; but they were refused admittance, and were told that the
-commanding general was fatigued and could not see them. The chiefs
-returned to their own camp; but it soon began to be circulated that
-the commanding general had fled, and therefore the Kurds, when they
-heard this, struck their tents, and were on the eve of retiring, when
-Karah Kásh struck his tents also. The rest of these auxiliary native
-troops followed the example set before them, and the whole body of
-them set out for Wán. Jánbulát Zádeh Hasan Páshá, beglerbeg of Aleppo,
-was returning from the field of battle, where he had also been engaged
-the day before, when he met these fugitives, who informed him, though
-falsely, that the power of the commander-in-chief was completely
-broken. Believing that what they had assured him of was true, he
-returned; but learning afterwards that he had been deceived by them, he
-directed his steps towards the Moslem camp. To prevent, if possible,
-these fugitives occasioning any loss to the Moslem army, he from these
-disinterested views changed his mind, joined them, and went to Wán
-along with them.
-
-The commander-in-chief collected, in the meantime, the whole of the
-troops who had remained with him in the camp, gave them all the
-cheering encouragement he was able, put them in regular order, and
-led them to the outside of the camp. On turning his eye towards the
-place which the enemy had occupied the day before, he could perceive
-no movement whatever that indicated their presence there. Whilst he
-and his army stood in amazement, and wondering what the result of so
-unexpected an occurrence might be, they were summoned to activity
-by Kechkár Páshá, beglerbeg of Wán, who asked them to what purpose
-they were standing and gazing; when immediately the report, that the
-Kizilbáshes had come and taken away their cannon, was sounded. Their
-consternation increased, and they were unable to look at one another.
-Several of them fled. Of the whole of the army which the commander
-brought into the field, only two thousand household troops remained to
-him. Such of these as were foot-soldiers he mounted on camels, and in a
-short time, the commander and his remaining two thousand men were also
-on the way to Wán; having left nearly the whole of his camp, guns, and
-treasures behind him.
-
-The sháh of Persia, thinking it was very probable, however, that the
-Osmánlís by their sudden disappearance, and by the relinquishing
-of their camp-ground, had laid a stratagem for him, kept aloof for
-two days, and was afraid to enter: but at the end of this period he
-received certain intelligence, that the commander had actually fled to
-Wán, and he then ventured to visit the place where the Osmánlí camp had
-stood. With the exception of a few hired servants and some trifling
-articles, which had been left, the sháh found nothing to reward him for
-his trouble.
-
-After the commander-in-chief had reached Wán, Jánbulát Zádeh Hasan
-Páshá waited upon him and told him how he had acted in keeping the
-troops who had fled from his camp together; how he had brought them to
-a place of safety, and offered every apology which the circumstance
-of the case seemed to have demanded: thinking, no doubt, that the
-commander would express his approbation of his conduct. He was much
-mistaken. The commander was not made of such material as to be moved by
-a flood of tears and expressions of humiliation and contrition. Calling
-him, therefore, to account for his dereliction of duty he made him
-answer for it with his life.
-
-It has been related of Jánbulát Zádeh that he was advised by his
-friends, when he purposed to wait on the commander-in-chief, not to do
-so, because of the ill fortune his stars had predicted at his birth,
-and which he himself, from his own profound knowledge in the science of
-astrology, had clearly demonstrated to them. His friends succeeded, in
-the first instance, in preserving him from having any interview with
-the short-tailed dragons;[19] but his lofty feeling of pride ruined
-him. “If I sleep,” said he, in the pride of his heart, “Jeghala Oghlí
-(the commander-in-chief) will not certainly have the courage to watch.”
-His pride brought him to his end. His death was the means of awakening
-in the minds of the troops, a feeling of great dissatisfaction. Thirty
-thousand of his troops or followers returned to Haleb, having chosen
-his brother, Alí Beg, and Hezer Beg as their commanders, and who,
-in revenge of Hasan Páshá, son of Jánbulát’s, death, desolated that
-province, and continued their rebellion till they were overthrown by
-the celebrated Murád Páshá at a later period, as we shall relate in its
-proper place.
-
-The commander-in-chief, the sport of fortune, left Wán and returned to
-Diárbeker on the 21st of Dhu’l hijja, where he died of a fever which
-the thoughts of his misfortunes had occasioned. He was a man whose
-avarice had no bounds. His constantly causing responsible persons to be
-changed from one place to another was productive of the most serious
-evils. He conferred the government of Syria on Sinán Páshá Zádeh,
-and shortly afterwards on Osmán Páshá. Nesúh Páshá, who was válí of
-Aleppo, he removed, and put Hasan Páshá, son of Jánbulát of the sanják
-of Kilis, into his place, on the promise of his paying him a certain
-rent. And many more are the evils he occasioned, besides those we have
-mentioned.
-
-
-_A battle between Serkosh Ibrahím Páshá and the Croatians._
-
-Botchkai having promised to aid the Moslems against the infidels,
-the grand vezír, Mohammed Páshá, after the reduction of Osterghún,
-appointed his nephew, Serkosh Ibrahím Páshá, beglerbeg of Kaniza,
-and another military commander, belonging to Botchkai, to conduct an
-expedition of twenty thousand men, composed of Tátárs, Majarians, and
-Bosnians, to invade the territories of the enemy. This expedition
-commenced marching on the 5th of Jemadi II., and took the road
-which led to Vienna. On the confines of Croatia it was opposed by
-a considerable body of troops, there assembled for the purpose of
-checking its progress. A battle ensued, and the conflict was obstinate
-and bloody: several thousands of the infidels perished. Three times did
-this mighty army of the Germans attack the Turkish confederates, but
-was vanquished in its third attempt.
-
-In the vicinity of the place where the confederates vanquished the
-German or Croatian army there were two fortresses or castles, which
-were under the dominion of the Pope. The names of these fortresses
-or castles were Súnbúrhil and Karmand, which the confederate army
-reduced, and slew every living German it found in them. Afterwards ten
-thousand of these same confederates marched in the direction of Vienna
-and Allemagne on a predatory excursion, and after having ravaged the
-countries through which they passed, they returned in triumph. The
-quantity of spoil and number of prisoners which they brought back with
-them, it is impossible to estimate. Very many of the German nobility
-were among the captives, and the Hungarian gentry were glad to come and
-join the camp of the confederates. Nevertheless Zerín Oghlí, and Bekár
-Oghlí, were not among those who thus joined the camp of the conquerors.
-These two Hungarian chiefs considered it beneath their dignity to
-bow to Botchkai’s general, one of the two chief commanders of the
-confederates, but they sent some of their chief captains as their
-proxies.
-
-
-_Mohammed Páshá, the son of Sinán Páshá, killed._
-
-Mohammed Páshá, son of Sinán Páshá, in consequence of his having been
-disappointed in his views of the government of Syria, through the
-ill will of Jeghala Zádeh, commander-in-chief of the eastern provinces,
-he petitioned the court of Constantinople, and complained against the
-serdár. That court, however, was pleased to confer Syria on Osmán Páshá
-in preference to him or any one else. When Mohammed Páshá learned that
-Osmán was appointed to Syria, he set out in great haste and wrath for
-Constantinople, where he meant to prefer his own claims. One day he
-entered into conversation with the vezírs, as they sat in council,
-about his own affairs; but he was reminded of the maladministration
-he himself had been guilty of in the places where he had acted as válí
-or governor. As he was retiring from the presence of this council,
-more disposed to accuse him than to hear his complaints, he was called
-back and conducted into the royal presence. Here he was strictly
-interrogated as to his own conduct, but having been unable to answer
-the interrogatories which had been put to him, he was put to death in
-the royal presence without any further ceremony.
-
-
-_The emperor, whilst at Adrianople, hears further intelligence as to
-the state of the rebellion in Anatolia._
-
-On the 1st of Jemadi I. the emperor went on a hunting excursion to
-Chetalmah, and thence, in three days, to Adrianople. He was only eight
-days in this city, where he had begun to distribute favours, when he
-received intelligence of the state and progress of the rebellion and
-disaffection which reigned in the province of Anatolia. In consequence,
-therefore, of the above unpleasant intelligence, he set out from
-Adrianople, reached the metropolis in six days, and immediately adopted
-means for curbing the rebellion and for chastising the rebels in
-Anatolia.
-
-Nesúh Páshá, who last year had been transferred from the government
-of Haleb, was created commander of the troops employed against the
-insurgents in Anatolia. Indeed, it was considered of the utmost
-importance, by the government of Constantinople, that a vezír should
-be appointed to each of the eastern provinces, in order to check and
-subdue any spirit of rebellion which might arise, and which, in fact,
-seems to have been very generally the case with them all. Dávud Páshá,
-it will be remembered, was appointed to the east, but in consequence
-of his having evinced some inability or weakness he was laid aside,
-and Kijdehán Alí Páshá was raised to the government of Anatolia in his
-stead. He also, it will likewise be remembered, was ordered to join his
-troops to those of Nesúh Páshá, and after they (_i.e._ he and Nesúh
-Páshá) had succeeded in crushing the rebellion in Anatolia, they were
-then to join Jeghala Zádeh, who acted as commander-in-chief against the
-Persians.
-
-We have to relate, however, that Nesúh Páshá, and the troops under
-his command, sustained a serious defeat at the bridge of Bolawadin.
-At this bridge Nesúh, on the 1st of Rajab, was met by one Túyel, who
-headed a body of insurgents: the one army was at one end and the
-other at the other. Nesúh made all the preparations his circumstances
-could allow for commencing an engagement, putting his foot and horse
-in order of battle. The sound of his drums and trumpets reached the
-very parapets of heaven: his artillery was drawn up in regular order,
-and made to face the enemy. Nesúh thought his formidable appearance
-would have deterred the insurgents from ever attempting the bridge
-or river; but he was mistaken. The cavalry of these long-tailed and
-curiously-turbanned heretics had scarcely begun to move, than they
-instantly crossed the river or bog and put their swords and spears into
-immediate requisition against Nesúh’s cavalry. These, as well as the
-whole of the rest of the Osmánlí army, gave way; most of them were cut
-to pieces, and those who fell into the hands of these barbarians were
-dragged into the presence of Túyel, where, for the most part at least,
-they suffered a more ignominious death: Nesúh himself was indebted to
-the swiftness of his horse for the safety of his life. He fled, and
-never checked the bridle of his charger till he reached a place called
-Bekár-báshí, in the city of Seyed.
-
-Túyel, who was left master of the field, and of the whole baggage of
-the conquered Osmánlís, set fire to the city of Bolawadin, massacred
-the whole of its inhabitants with the utmost ferociousness, and
-desolated the whole of that region from one end to the other.
-
-Nesúh Páshá, after resting himself about two days, went to Kutahia,
-where Kijdehán, against whom he entertained an old grudge, then was,
-laid the whole blame of his defeat on his shoulders, and slew the
-innocent without mercy.
-
-Kijdehán was a man that possessed a bitter and scurrilous tongue, and
-who spared nobody. To escape, therefore, the reproaches of his tongue,
-_i.e._ that he and those of his men who, like himself, had escaped the
-general carnage, might not be made the subjects of his ridicule and
-bitter reproach, he slew him. This, also, is asserted in the Fezliké,
-that, before this, and prior to the defeat he had sustained at the
-bridge of Bolawadin, he most unworthily, as well as unjustly, traduced
-the character of the inestimable and highly-respected Mohammed Chávush
-of Caramania, whom he crucified at Iconium, where he had met with him.
-This Mohammed Chávush was son to Karah Alí, and was raised to the
-situation he held in Caramania from the Chávush báshás.
-
-Well aware that his conduct and ill fame would eventually reach the
-ears of the emperor, and that his displeasure might easily be excited
-against him, so as to make him the object of his vengeance, he, in
-order to prevent these results, determined on going to Constantinople.
-Accordingly he set out for Scutari, and thence to the Sublime Porte:
-went to the royal palace, and caused it to be announced that he
-had come from Anatolia to implore further aid to be sent to that
-quarter. Having been called to enter the royal presence, he gave such
-a representation of the state of matters as actually succeeded in
-inclining the emperor to cross over into Anatolia and take a personal
-share in the war with the insurgents. He, therefore, called together
-the khoaja effendí, the reverend mufti and the vezírs, and confronted
-them with Nesúh Páshá, in order to converse on the subject with him.
-At this interview with Nesúh, however, there was much disputing and
-great contention. All were opposed to the emperor’s determination;
-but he himself remained inflexible. The emperor’s best friends used
-their utmost efforts to dissuade him from the purpose he had formed,
-by endeavouring to point out to him a variety of dangers; but all in
-vain, and the consequence was, when they saw he could not be moved from
-his resolution, they all withdrew very much displeased. The vezírs,
-however, commenced making the necessary preparations for the emperor’s
-intended journey, but at the same time used a variety of methods, such
-as representing to him that the fleet had not arrived, and that at any
-rate the season for safe sailing was fast passing away, in order, if
-possible, to induce him to alter his mind; but all to no purpose.
-The emperor, notwithstanding all the efforts which had been employed
-to dissuade him from his undertaking; notwithstanding, also, that the
-winter had fully set in, and the roughness of the sea, he continued
-bent on proceeding. A royal firmán was sent off to Nukásh Hasan Páshá
-to have the palace at Brúsa in a state of complete preparation for
-the arrival of his majesty, and Dervísh Aghá, bostánjí báshí, who
-was afterwards created a vezír, but subsequently assassinated, was
-appointed commandant of Istámbol.
-
-In the meantime, however, the empress-mother took her journey to the
-other world, and her remains were conducted by her royal son and the
-great men of the state, to St. Sophia, where the funeral service was
-performed. They were afterwards interred in the tomb of Sultán Mohammed
-III., on which occasion charities and alms deeds were attended to in
-behalf of the deceased.
-
-It was thought that the death of his mother might have so affected
-the sultán as to cause him to give up all thoughts of his intended
-expedition into Anatolia; but it had no such effect. On the seventh
-day after his mother’s decease, he became quite impatient, ordered
-the only three galleys which were then in the harbour to be held in
-readiness, and on the 2d day of Rajab he set sail for Brúsa. On the
-day after his arrival in Brúsa, he summoned his vezírs, the military
-judges, and other magnates, to assemble in council in the royal palace
-of that place, where he himself was. Súfí Sinán Páshá, the káímakám,
-who had taken no active hand in making preparations for the emperor’s
-expedition, was not called, or if called, did not attend. Dávud Páshá
-and Nesúh Páshá had both been previously sent to keep possession of two
-places on the frontiers. Mohammed Páshá, son of Ové Páshá, likewise
-made no movement towards Brúsa, but he wrote to the emperor’s chaplain,
-informing him that he had twenty thousand troops in full readiness.
-“If I shall be called,” said he, in his communication to the royal
-chaplain, “to be exalted to the vezírship, without either the aid of
-troops or apparatus from the government, I will go, and to the utmost
-of my power, endeavour to reduce the insurgents.” The title of vezír,
-and the appointment to the chief command, was forthwith sent him, and
-he was invited to wait on his majesty in his palace at Brúsa, in order
-that his majesty might confer with him respecting the enemy against
-whom he was to proceed. Mohammed, however, acknowledged neither the one
-nor the other of these royal intimations; nor did he think it worth
-his while to come to Brúsa to wait on his benefactor; or to proceed a
-single step against the insurgents. On the contrary, he went to Gúzel
-Hisár, where he gave himself up to every variety of pleasure. The
-reverend tutor felt disgrace and grief at the shameful way the cunning
-páshá had duped him, and, in fact, poor Khoaja Effendí, in consequence
-of this, most completely lost his influence with the emperor.
-
-On the 14th of the last mentioned month (_viz._ Rajab), about four
-or five thousand spáhís, who had fled to Anatolia to escape the
-vengeance of Yemishjí Hasan Páshá, which had been excited against them
-in consequence of the tumult which the spáhí legion had raised in
-Constantinople in the days of the late emperor, and for which many of
-their superiors had been put to death, returned to their obedience, and
-were again received into favour. These spáhís were as great rebels as
-any in Anatolia, and committed every species of robbery and spoliation.
-On making their submission they appeared armed and accoutred before
-Súfí Sinán Páshá, the vezírs and the military judges, and preferred
-the grounds on which they conceived they had been aggrieved, and which
-had led them to act as they had done. Their case was laid before his
-majesty, who not only forgave them, but also restored their officers
-to their former situations, rewarded them with tokens of favour by
-conferring robes on them, distributed to them their pay, and dividing
-them into two bodies sent one division to Kutahia to remain under the
-orders of Dávud Páshá, and the other under Nesúh Páshá.
-
-Dervísh Aghá, who had been appointed in his majesty’s absence to the
-commandership of Constantinople, was forbidden to exercise any further
-authority in that capacity, on account of some misconduct which he had
-been guilty of. Mustafa Páshá, one of the vezírs, was sent back to act
-in his stead.
-
-On the 16th his majesty, after having paid a visit to the sepulchres
-of his ancestors, and the tombs of the venerable saints, returned and
-bathed himself in a fountain. On the 19th he set sail from Modanieh,
-and arrived in the imperial city on the same day.
-
-
-_An overture made to Túyel._
-
-On the 9th of Shabán of this year, a conciliatory letter was sent to
-Túyel, the chief ring-leader among the insurgents, and also the offer
-of a beglerbegship; but no answer as to his having accepted the offer
-made to him, was returned: on the contrary, acting under the influence
-of his brother, his violence and cruelty increased beyond all bounds.
-The káímakám, in order to put a stop to the enormities which this rebel
-and others were guilty of, and which were every day increasing, tried
-to ensnare this terrible rebel. To induce him to throw down the weapons
-of his rebellion, the deputy proposed joining Anatolia, Sivás, and
-Haleb into one, and to offer the government of these united districts
-to Túyel. When the deputy presented this proposal, and also a letter he
-had received from Túyel, on the 17th of the last mentioned month, for
-his majesty’s approbation, however, he met with a serious repulse, and
-for his temerity was turned out of office. Khezer Páshá was raised to
-the deputyship.
-
-On the 24th, the chief butler, Mohammed Aghá, was raised to the
-government of Syria. On the 9th of Ramazán, the bostánjí báshí, Dervísh
-Aghá, was created admiral: he was highly esteemed by the emperor. On
-the 9th of Shevál, the cazí of Constantinople, Rezván Effendí, was
-degraded, and Hasan Effendí, son of Akhí, succeeded him in the cazíship.
-
-
-_The grand vezír, Mohammed Páshá, is recalled to Constantinople._
-
-When tidings of the disgrace and ignominy which befell Jeghala Zádeh
-in the east, and of his death at Diárbeker, had reached the royal ear,
-it was resolved on, in council, to send a statement of the affairs of
-the east to Mohammed Páshá, the commander-in-chief at Belgrade, and
-to request him to return to Constantinople, in order that he might
-proceed to the east and take the command of the troops there. In the
-royal communication which, in conformity to the above resolution was
-sent to him, it was thus stated: that in the event of his declining to
-accept the proposal sent him, he might remain where he was, but only
-in the character of second vezír, and to return the seals of office.
-But before these communications had reached the grand vezír he had
-petitioned to be allowed to return to the seat of government.
-
-
-_A commotion among the Janissaries and Spáhís._
-
-A little after the commencement of the month of Ramazán, the
-janissaries, in consequence of not having received the pay and clothing
-that were due to them, began to show signs of impatience and insolence.
-The spáhís, following their example, the very next day began to talk
-loudly about their own dues, and soon acquired a most dangerous aspect.
-Without ceremony, and in no way intimidated by their vicinity to the
-royal palace, they threw stones at their officers before its very gate,
-gave the most abusive language to the treasurer, and threatened him
-in no measured terms. They complained of the person who had formerly
-weighed out their money to them, and got him turned out of office. His
-friends, however, interfered, and asked the reason of depriving him of
-his official situation, but to no purpose. The discontent and tumult
-increased, and at length reached the ears of the emperor. On the 23d
-of Ramazán, early in the morning, the emperor, dressed in a scarlet
-robe, very indicative of the state of his mind, for he was enraged,
-came forth and sat down in Báyazíd’s portico; called together his
-vezírs, ághás, notaries, and other principal officers, and delivered
-a very warm and animated speech, in their hearing, to the mob; and in
-which he severely rebuked them. He said, that though he had written
-to them, that so soon as his treasurer, who was engaged in collecting
-the taxes, should return, their wages and all their just rights would
-be punctually attended to, they, instead of giving credit to his royal
-word, as they ought to have done, and behaving themselves orderly,
-became unruly, turbulent, and abusive, and that, too, before the very
-portals of his palace.
-
-The multitude, at hearing the emperor’s speech, were completely
-confounded, and not one of them was able to say a single word in reply,
-or in justification of the conduct they had manifested. One Yúsuf Aghá,
-however, head of the Moghreb and Yemin regiments, advanced and thus
-addressed his majesty. “May it please your majesty, the sole cause of
-the unreasonable conduct which has been manifested is attributable
-to the slaves brought up in the royal haram, and those foreigners
-who have been introduced into the spáhí legion at the request of the
-khán of the Crimea.” His majesty, on hearing the sentiments expressed
-by Yúsuf Aghá, enquired the names of the persons who had excited the
-irregularity and tumult which had prevailed. The vezír pointed out
-to him the ringleaders, and immediately a sign was given to take
-vengeance on them for their folly and temerity. Shahbáz Aghá, chief
-of the salihdárs; Koorgha Zádeh, notary to the spáhí legion; and Yek
-Cheshm Mohammed Effendí, were made the objects of imperial vengeance on
-this occasion. Others who had been involved in the same condemnation
-with the above were also visited with a similar punishment. The
-comptroller of the cavalry, after he was conducted to the place of
-execution, escaped the death which awaited him by the intervention of
-the grand vezír, who interceded in his behalf. The ketkhodá of the
-spáhís escaped in a similar way.
-
-The grand sultán, after these various instances of his severity and
-justice, concluded his harangue by warning the tumultuous soldiery
-(spáhís) of their danger; assuring them, that if ever afterwards they
-should manifest a similar spirit of insubordination, he would take
-vengeance on their whole legion; and dismissed the crowd, desiring them
-at the same time to remove the bodies of their companions from the
-place of execution.
-
-The officers belonging to the spáhís were all changed; and the
-treasurer, Etmekjí Zádeh, no sooner arrived than the wages of the spáhí
-troops were forthwith paid them.
-
-
-_The commander-in-chief arrives at Constantinople._
-
-When the hostilities which for a long time had raged on the frontiers
-of Hungary, had ceased to threaten the peace and security of the
-Ottoman dominions, the rebellion in Anatolia began to wear a much more
-serious aspect than it had done at any former period. The grand vezír,
-Mohammed Páshá, as we formerly mentioned, was fixed on to take the
-chief command in Anatolia, with the view of bringing the troubles of
-that country to a termination. The celebrated Mohammed Páshá no sooner
-received the royal intimation on this head than he appointed Teryákí
-Páshá, beglerbeg of Romeili, as his deputy at Belgrade, whither he had
-called him; and Kúski Mohammed Effendí as defterdár in his absence.
-Having committed the management of the affairs of the frontiers to
-these two officers, he left Belgrade on the fourth day of the grand
-festival (_i.e._ Easter), and arrived at the Sublime Porte on the 7th
-of Dhu’l Kadah, when his majesty showed him every token of esteem and
-respect.
-
-
-_Delí Hasan killed at Temisvar._
-
-We have had frequent occasion to advert to the history of Delí Hasan,
-the brother of Karah Yázijí (Scrivano). We have mentioned how he had
-been raised to the government of Bosnia; the evil deeds he had been
-there guilty of; his expulsion thence; and his subsequent appointment
-to the government of Temisvar. Here he acted nearly two years in the
-character of válí, and had it in his power, by good conduct, to remove
-the unfavourable impressions which his former deportment had but too
-justly given rise to.
-
-After the reduction of Osterghún, his excellency the
-commander-in-chief, sent word to the inhabitants of Temisvar to have an
-eye on Delí Hasan, and to watch his movements. This hint was enough.
-One day some of the garrison of Temisvar went out as if they had
-meant to follow the chase, but instead of this fell upon Delí Hasan
-and his suite, the latter of whom they killed. Delí Hasan fled to
-Belgrade, where Ghází Hasan Páshá, the káímakám, received him as his
-guest. He afterwards, however, placed him within the fortress, and
-sent an account of his arrival at Belgrade to Constantinople; whence
-a sentence of death against Delí Hasan, his brother’s son, Kúchuk
-Beg, was instantly returned, and both of them underwent that sentence
-accordingly.
-
-It has been reported, that whilst Delí Hasan was in Bosnia, he had
-attempted a most daring crime against the Ottoman government, which
-however had failed. As this story is not less wonderful in its
-development than it was audacious in its contrivance, we shall here
-relate it. Delí Hasan, it would appear, wrote letters to the Venetians
-and to the pope, asking them to have a fleet in readiness opposite the
-fortress of Rasna; promising, in these letters, that he would deliver
-up that fortress to them, and that he would afterwards reduce several
-other places of strength on the shores of the Archipelago, and deliver
-them over to them also; but it was necessary, he added, that they
-should pay him a hundred thousand pieces of gold in advance. It was
-in this manner he proposed to stipulate with the enemy. No answer to
-these proposals having reached him whilst he was in Bosnia, he, after
-his translation to Temisvar, hired a fellow for a hundred pieces of
-gold, and sent him off with a duplicate of his former communications
-to the two parties above-mentioned. This hired peasant, or whatever he
-was, instead of fulfilling his engagement, went and waited upon Murád
-Páshá, the then commander-in-chief, told him all he knew, and showed
-him Delí Hasan’s letters. The commander desired him to proceed without
-delay and deliver them in the proper quarter, but to be sure to call
-on him when he returned. The messenger set out as he had been desired,
-and delivered his papers in the manner he had been directed: when the
-king of Spain and the pope sent, each of them, an agent along with
-Delí Hasan’s messenger, who was to communicate to him the views of
-these personages. These two agents and the messenger reached Zimnún,
-where the two former took up their lodgings in a certain house, whilst
-the latter proceeded to inform the authorities of their arrival, and
-the purport of their message: and which, among other things, went on
-to say, that they, the bearers, were the accredited agents of the two
-personages formerly mentioned, that the words of these men might be as
-much relied on as if they had been heard proceeding from the lips of
-their principals; that they had sworn fidelity to the trust reposed in
-them, and that, therefore, every apprehension of fraud being practised
-ought to be banished. Such, in fact, was the story these agents
-themselves delivered before Abdí Alí, Murád Páshá’s deputy, whom they
-actually supposed was Delí Hasan himself. These messengers, or agents,
-were moreover commissioned to say, that as soon as they returned with
-an answer to the pope and the king of Spain, a draft on the Franks
-residing in Belgrade for one hundred thousand pieces of gold would be
-instantly sent to Delí Hasan. Such is the version of this story: and
-it is hardly necessary to say that these two accredited infidels were
-immediately put to death.
-
-Tobacco, which had been introduced in Turkey from Frangistan, had been
-made the subject of much discussion, and seems, this year, through the
-bitter contention which the use of it had occasioned, to have become
-more in vogue that at any former period since its introduction; though
-it had been productive of certain evil to those who received it, or who
-had any thing to do with it.
-
-
-_Concerning the grand vezír, Lálá Mohammed Páshá.—His death.—Dervísh
-Páshá raised to the vezírship._
-
-Lálá Mohammed Páshá, the grand vezír and commander-in-chief, the reader
-will remember, returned to Constantinople: and though the affairs
-between Austria and the Sublime Porte had not been finally settled,
-yet such was the necessity of restoring the peace and tranquility of
-Anatolia, that every other consideration was made subservient to this.
-It was maintained, in a council held in the imperial presence, to be of
-paramount importance that two chief commanders should be appointed: the
-one to proceed to the frontiers of Hungary, the other to the east; that
-the grand vezír, in order to have it in his power to send efficient
-supplies to both quarters, should remain at the seat of government, and
-there discharge the duties of his high office.
-
-In this council reference was made to the inefficiency, ill-management,
-and ill-success of former commanders in the east, and therefore the
-members of the council proposed Nesúh Páshá as the person who was by
-far the most competent to perform the duties of commander-in-chief in
-the east. It was moreover alleged in his favour, that he was son-in-law
-to the emperor; a circumstance which could not fail, it was said, to
-secure the affections of the Kurds. Nesúh was, accordingly, made third
-vezír and commander-in-chief of the forces in the eastern provinces;
-and Murád Páshá was appointed to the command and management of the
-affairs on the frontiers of Hungary. After these deliberations had
-been fully attended to, the emperor expressed his approbation of the
-resolutions which had been adopted, and issued orders for drawing out
-a commission for each of the two newly-elected commanders, defining
-the power and authority they were to exercise. The government of
-Baghdád was annexed to the vezírship and dominion already possessed
-by Nesúh, and he was, moreover, made commander-in-chief against the
-Persians. The válí of Romeili, and the princes of the borders, with
-their respective armies, were ordered to march towards Hungary. The
-government of Aleppo was conferred on Hasan, ághá of the janissaries,
-who was expected to repress the disturbances which afflicted that
-portion of the Ottoman dominions. The káímakám, Khezer Páshá, was
-appointed to the guardianship of the fortresses on the Danube.
-
-The grand vezír, the heroic Lálá Mohammed Páshá who most scrupulously
-attended to all these new arrangements was, notwithstanding, thwarted
-in some of his purposes by Dervísh Páshá, who had succeeded to the
-admiralship in the room of Jeghala Zádeh. By his intrigues the brother
-of Tarnákjí Hasan Aghá was deprived of his ágháship, and ordered to
-proceed to the government of Aleppo, although the grand vezír intended
-to confer on him the province of Romeili as a reward for his heroism
-at the taking of Osterghún, of which he was the principal cause.
-Dervísh was obstinate, and conferred, or was the means of conferring,
-the ágháship of the janissaries on Maryol Hasan Aghá. Poor Hasan Páshá
-was obliged to set out for Aleppo, and had scarcely got to Adrianople,
-which was about half-way, when he was attacked by a monstrous rebel of
-the name of Jemshíd, who murdered him.
-
-Dervísh Páshá, still bent on evil purposes, expressed his
-disapprobation of the appointments conferred on Nesúh Páshá; and,
-in short, wrought so effectually on the mind of the emperor by his
-representations, that he succeeded in procuring him to issue an order
-for the grand vezír himself to repair to the east and take the chief
-command in that quarter. When Mohammed Páshá entered the council, the
-emperor addressed him by saying that it was found necessary that he
-(the grand vezír) should be the person who should take the command
-of the forces employed against Persia, and ordered him to commence
-preparations for the journey. He concluded this speech by saying
-farther: that it was expected that this year a peace with Austria would
-be concluded. The grand vezír, when he heard the emperor’s sentiments,
-was speechless and confounded. The emperor repeated his commands, and
-the vezír, without making any reply, returned to his own house, where
-he in vain endeavoured to collect his thoughts and calm the agitation
-of his mind.
-
-On the following morning Nesúh Páshá waited on him to congratulate him
-on his appointment, and spoke to him in as consolatary and soothing a
-manner as he was able. “Let us,” said he, “go together: let us render
-all the services we can for the welfare of our country: God willing,
-you will find in Asia so many things to comfort and delight you as will
-cause you to forget your northern campaigns.” Nesúh, by this mode of
-address, succeeded in bringing the mind of the afflicted grand vezír to
-some degree of peace and tranquillity.
-
-In the council above alluded to, Dervísh Páshá preferred several
-accusations against the grand vezír, but which he, the grand vezír,
-rebutted by giving a circumstantial relation of all the services
-in which he had been engaged, and concluded by saying he had some
-reason to fear that the negociations with Austria might still prove
-abortive—“and thus,” said he, weeping, “our last twelve years of war
-will end in nothing.” He again requested the emperor to permit him
-to proceed to the frontiers of Hungary and conclude the peace, the
-preliminaries of which had been entered into during his own active
-service in the north. Nesúh, he said, was the emperor’s son-in-law,
-was every way competent for accomplishing the emperor’s wishes in the
-east, and therefore earnestly besought the grand Sultán to stand by
-his first appointment. All, however, was in vain. The emperor remained
-inflexible, and forced Lálá Mohammed Páshá, whether he would or not,
-to erect his tent at Scutari. In consequence of these circumstances,
-so repugnant to the mind of the grand vezír, as well as others which
-carried along with them their vexations, his health became very much
-impaired, and yet notwithstanding, he was forced that very week,
-by repeated orders, to repair to Scutari. It so happened, in the
-providence of God, however, that whilst he was presiding in his own
-diván he was struck by a paralytic stroke. His ághás carried him to
-his tent, and immediately his physicians were called in to administer
-what aid they were able. An account of this circumstance reached the
-metropolis, when the wicked Dervísh Páshá had the audacity to represent
-to his majesty that the grand vezír’s disease was wholly feigned;
-and instigated him to send a violent and threatening letter to Lálá
-Mohammed Páshá, the very next day, accusing him of feigning himself
-unwell, and ordering him, in the most peremptory manner, to begin his
-march without delay.
-
-The afflicted Lálá Mohammed Páshá caused a humble petition to be
-written out and laid before his majesty; in which he stated that he
-required above all things, if his majesty entertained any doubts as
-to the ill state of his health, that he would send any one of his
-most confidential servants to see him, and report accordingly. It was
-utterly impossible for him, in his weak state of health, he said, to
-leave Scutari unless he was carried in a couch. The emperor was induced
-by this to send the ághá of the palace to the prime minister, who, when
-he returned, informed his majesty that the minister was so very weak
-as to be under the necessity of keeping his bed; in short, that he was
-seriously and dangerously ill. When his majesty received this report of
-his minister’s state of health he ceased pressing him any farther.
-
-When the official messenger above referred to first waited on the prime
-minister, he, the minister, became so much affected that he could not
-restrain his tears. “Are my services,” said he, in the bitterness of
-his spirit, “are my services to my country so little thought of that
-doubts of my veracity should be entertained? Kiss the border of my
-emperor’s robe when you return, and tell him the weak state in which
-I am. When I die I leave behind me six orphans, and I hope God will
-reward the emperor for whatever kindness and favour he may show to
-them.” The officer, on hearing the grand vezír express himself thus,
-and having had besides the evidence of his senses to convince him of
-the dangerous state of his health, he, too, was so overcome with sorrow
-that he returned to his master, the grand Sultán, and declared to him,
-weeping, that the worth of this minister was unknown, and therefore not
-appreciated. “Why is it,” continued the ághá of the palace, “that your
-majesty has hearkened to the calumny of his enemies? The consequence
-is, you see, that he is likely to be prematurely cut off.” The answer
-to all this was, that if he died another would be found to fill his
-place.
-
-On the third day of this grand vezír’s illness—an illness, there
-is every reason to believe, wholly occasioned by the treatment of
-the emperor—his troubles terminated with his life: he gave up the
-ghost. The rest of the vezírs, the great men of the state, and ulemá,
-assembled together and attended his remains to the temple of Sultán
-Mohammed Ghází, where the funeral service was performed; and he was
-afterwards interred in his own burial ground in the neighbourhood of
-Abí-eyúb. Among the procession which accompanied the bier of Lálá
-Mohammed Páshá to the place of interment, was Dervísh Páshá, the lord
-high admiral of the Turkish fleet, the bitter and relentless enemy of
-the deceased, but who had his eye on the premiership. He returned to
-his own house, joyfully anticipating that the seals of office would be
-conferred on himself. This was what he wished and what he strived for,
-but at the expense of every honest virtue and upright feeling.
-
-Muftí Siná-allah Effendí relates, that a Portuguese physician who
-attended Lálá Mohammed Páshá in his illness, had, through the
-instrumentality of Dervísh Páshá, administered to him, in the form of
-medicine, what proved mortal to the patient.
-
-When the testament of the late grand vezír was presented to the
-emperor, he ordered the sums of money that were mentioned in it to be
-applied to the defraying of the war, but the rest of his effects he
-permitted to be given to the afflicted children of the deceased. Out of
-one hundred and fifty thousand ducats and one hundred yúks of dollars,
-which had belonged to Lálá Mohammed Páshá, and which had been seized
-at the instigation of Dervísh Páshá for the purpose above explained,
-only a small portion of his extensive wealth fell to the share of his
-helpless orphans.
-
-The wicked Dervísh Páshá now arrived at the summit of his wishes.
-The seals were no sooner conferred on him than he recommended Ja’fer
-Páshá, the European, who had been three times beglerbeg of Cyprus, to
-succeed to his vacant situation in the admiralty, and spoke of him as
-being very skilful in naval affairs. Ja’fer Páshá was, in consequence,
-appointed lord high admiral of the Ottoman fleet in the room of Dervísh
-Páshá, who had succeeded to the grand vezírship.
-
-When the new prime minister first took his seat in the diván after his
-elevation to the premiership, he intimated to the chávush báshí that
-the members of the diván were not to view him in the light of former
-ministers, “Whoever puts off a poor man’s case till tomorrow, when it
-ought to be attended to to-day,” said this fierce minister, “shall
-have his head cut off: _that_,” continued he solemnly opening a book,
-“shall be his fate, and from which he shall in nowise escape.”
-
-
-
-
-EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1015, H.
-
-
-On the afternoon of the same day the son of an aged man who had retired
-from his beglerbegship was beheaded, and his property seized by the
-avaricious Dervísh; but though all who witnessed this cruel transaction
-hesitated not to speak of it as an act of foul murder, yet it had not
-the effect of preventing a concourse of nobles and grandees coming to
-congratulate the new grand vezír on his elevation to the premiership.
-On the third day after Dervísh Páshá’s exaltation, the emperor’s
-chaplain waited on him to pay his respects; and the mufti effendí, the
-Moslem high priest, after having performed the public service at the
-mosque, waited on the prime minister and kindly joined with him in his
-afternoon devotions. When the reverend mufti was about to retire, the
-grand vezír informed him that there would be no public diván on the
-following day, but that a council would be held in the royal presence,
-and at which he invited him to be present. The reverend high priest
-bowed and promised to attend.
-
-Next morning the whole of the ministers and the reverend effendís
-met in council in the imperial presence, and after listening to the
-opening speech of the emperor, they were informed that it was then
-too far in the season to prosecute any farther, that year, the object
-which he had in view in ordering preparations in behalf of Anatolia
-and the east; and then added, that it would be far more advisable to
-let things remain as they then were until the following year, when
-the preparations alluded to would be again resumed. The council, on
-hearing these sentiments uttered, were struck dumb with surprise. At
-length the mufti effendí spoke. “With indecent impatience, certainly,”
-said the reverend prelate, “your slave (Lálá Mohammed Páshá) was
-hurried in the work of preparation for the war in the east, and
-contrary to the views of almost all here present, his tent was ordered
-to be erected at Scutari. Is it prudent, think you, sire, to call
-back to Constantinople the camp there established? Rather let the
-commander-in-chief (probably Nesúh) go on to Aleppo; there winter,
-and make preparations for commencing, in the spring, hostilities
-against the Persians.” His majesty to this replied, by asking him
-what advantage he thought would accrue from following that advice. “
-Why,” rejoined the reverend prelate, “the advantage which will accrue
-is this: the royal camp will not have gone forth for no purpose: the
-royal pavilion (the serdár’s tent) will not have been erected in the
-sight of friend and foe in vain. When Sultán Soleimán Khán went to the
-Nakhcheván war he wintered at Aleppo, and when the following spring
-arrived, he marched to the east. Such is the method which ought now
-to be pursued.” The emperor again enquired what good he supposed or
-imagined would result from following the course he had pointed out. The
-reverend mufti hastily replied: “was it creditable that a Moslem army,
-encamped at Scutari, and ready for entering into the scene of action,
-should be recalled before that army had accomplished the purpose for
-which it had been assembled? At least, should not that army, I ask,
-even though it should accomplish nothing more, be sent to protect our
-possessions in the east?” The emperor, pressed by the reasoning of
-the high priest, answered, that Ferhád Páshá might proceed with a few
-troops, and take the camp at Scutari along with him. “Well, then,”
-asked Siná-allah Effendí, “shall not a sum of money be allowed for
-the purpose of purchasing provisions for them?” The emperor briefly
-answered, “that there was no money in the treasury; and whence,” said
-he, “can I furnish money for that purpose?” The reverend prelate,
-still persevering in pressing the emperor, asked if the treasury of
-Egypt might not afford a supply. “That,” rejoined the emperor, “is
-for our private expenses; we cannot part with the funds supplied from
-that quarter.” “Why, then,” continued the high priest, and without
-being in the least awed or terrified, “how did your ancestor, Sultán
-Soleimán Khán, do when he went to the war at Sigetwar at a time when
-his treasury was drained? Thus: he took all the gold and silver vessels
-which were in the royal house, sent them to the mint, caused them to be
-melted down into specie, and thus provided himself with the means of
-paying the expense of the war. Doubtless,” added the bold and fearless
-priest, “doubtless, the treasury of Egypt can well afford to advance
-the sum requisite for the object now proposed.” The emperor knit his
-brow and thus addressed the mufti: “Thou dost not comprehend my
-meaning, effendí; thou understandest not my words. Times are not always
-alike. The circumstance you refer to was requisite for that time. Why
-is it that you assume the present exigency to be similar to that which
-existed at the period you have mentioned?” The menla, perceiving his
-oratory had made no impression on the mind of the emperor, rose up with
-the rest of the counsellors and departed.
-
-Kátib Chelebí says, in his Fezliké, that Hasan Beg Zádeh has
-recorded this story in his history as a well authenticated fact.
-The circumstance referred to in the reign of Soleimán and that now
-related, can admit, we think, of no comparison, and it would be an
-error in judgment to suppose them similar. The opinion of the emperor,
-as expressed in the conversation we have related, seems to have been
-incontestably correct.
-
-Dervísh Páshá was very much offended at the bold and fearless way in
-which the reverend mufti expressed himself in the above council; he
-perceived, or thought he perceived, the mufti had laboured hard to
-get him sent off to the eastern provinces. So much, indeed, did this
-evil-minded vezír feel himself aggrieved by the sentiments expressed
-by the mufti, that he determined on getting him deprived of his
-theological prerogative of issuing fetwas; a difficulty, however,
-presented itself, to get rid of which he was much puzzled. “If,”
-thought he, “I make Khoaja Zádeh mufti (the emperor’s chaplain), his
-two brothers, already in power, will form a union with him, and then
-they will deny me the liberty of speech.” This thought had the effect
-of making him change his mind with regard to Khoaja Zádeh, and he at
-last raised Abulmeymín Mustafa Effendí, a second time, to the sacred
-office of mufti.
-
-Although Dervísh Páshá had used every method he could contrive, however
-unworthy, of getting the late grand vezír, Lálá Mohammed Páshá, sent
-to the eastern provinces, yet he himself, now that he was made grand
-vezír, manifested the utmost unwillingness to undertake the task he
-wished so earnestly to impose upon his predecessor. Being, as he
-thought, secure in the premiership, and courted by all ranks of men,
-he became lavish in his promises, and exposed himself to the art and
-cunning of sycophants who crowded round him. One of the thousand
-flatterers who sounded his praises, and who was anxious to be put in
-possession of a good situation, when talking with him one day, went the
-length, in his fulsome adulations, thus to address him: “My lord, thou
-art the sun that illuminates the world, which scatters a reviving light
-throughout all regions, and which removes the darkness from the world.”
-This contemptible, mean fellow, who ascribed to him epithets which only
-belong to God, he promoted to a situation of honour and emolument;
-demonstrations that this sort of flattery and adulation was pleasing to
-his heart and suitable to the state of his mind.
-
-To escape the fatigues incident to a military life, he found or
-invented means to prevent his being sent to take command of the Ottoman
-armies, and got the emperor to favour his remaining at home. What he
-himself declined he transferred to another. Ferhád Páshá was fixed on
-to take the command of the troops destined for the east, which were
-still encamped at Scutari. Ferhád’s inexperience and unfitness for the
-important office assigned him was but too evident to every one; but to
-promote his own views and purposes Dervísh Páshá got this man appointed
-commander-in-chief, notwithstanding his utter unfitness for so great
-an undertaking as that of commanding the army of the east against the
-enemies of the Ottoman empire.
-
-Ferhád passed over to Scutari on the 4th of the month Sefer. Osmán
-Aghá, ketkhodá of the janissaries, with 10,000 troops, six companies of
-artillery, and the provincial troops of Caramania and Sivás, were all
-to act under his command.
-
-This expedition, however, as might have been anticipated, failed. Want
-of generalship in the commander, added to the absence of common feeling
-between him and his various troops; his ignorance, rashness, and
-scurrility of tongue, all contributed to estrange the troops from him.
-A violent contention having taken place between him and the spáhís,
-they raised a commotion about their pay, and attacked his tent with
-stones, and soon demolished it. With the exception of these disgraceful
-scenes to which we have here adverted, this expedition achieved nothing
-worthy of remark. A certain writer, Mahmúd Chelebí, relates, that when
-this mad Ferhád went to Brúsa, he collected about him a number of
-necessitous adventurers, and, when remonstrated with respecting this,
-he was accustomed to reply in the most harsh and profane language. In
-other respects his conduct was also similar: his troops dispersed; some
-of them having received no pay, were obliged to proceed to Turkey to
-receive it; and he himself, after being degraded, took up his residence
-at Iconium, where he died of grief.
-
-
-_Dervísh Páshá is murdered.—Murád Páshá is made grand vezír._
-
-Ferhád Páshá, we have seen, was sent to take the command of the war
-in the east, and Dervísh Páshá, the grand vezír, remained at home. In
-consequence of his utter want of the talents and skill of a general,
-and his total unfitness, in every respect, for the important office
-assigned him, Ferhád failed most deplorably in obtaining the least
-advantage; on the contrary, his conduct was productive of the most
-serious evils. Kilmamemkila, the son of Kalander, a noted rebel,
-during the time Ferhád was commander-in-chief, entered into Aydin and
-Sarúkhán (sanjáks of Anatolia), where he committed the most dreadful
-outrages and violence. A number of the inhabitants hastened to
-Constantinople and complained bitterly to the emperor against Ferhád
-and his adventurers, who, they said, tyrannized over them and oppressed
-them. These evils, of course, were attributed, in the first instance,
-to the maladministration of the grand vezír, who, instead of having
-taken upon himself the charge of the expedition, had sent Ferhád, of
-whom we have heard so much, to supply his place. The eyes of the people
-began to be opened to see and to appreciate the conduct of the prime
-minister, and in their hearts they became totally opposed to him, and
-those who had the nearest approach to his majesty’s ear began to urge
-his removal. The late reverend mufti, Siná-allah Effendí, who, for
-having spoken his mind freely and openly, the reader will remember,
-had been turned out of the muftiship, was now again, a third time,
-installed into that high office, which Abulmeymín Mustafa Effendí
-had scarcely enjoyed three months. Things now began to wear a new
-aspect. The maladministration of the grand vezír could no longer be
-concealed or connived at. The excesses of Dervísh Páshá and his wicked
-government were represented to his majesty, who had hitherto favoured
-his minister. These things, with the complaints which had reached him
-from Anatolia, greatly excited his displeasure; and so clear and
-evident did his minister’s guilty conduct appear, that he became as
-much opposed to him as he had previously been swayed by his advice.
-The emperor, now thoroughly satisfied of the maladministration of his
-minister, summoned the reverend mufti and the reverend professors, in
-order to converse with them respecting the grand vezír’s conduct and
-mismanagement, and to consult with them as to the person most competent
-to fill the office of premier. This consultation, as might easily have
-been foreseen, terminated unfavourably to the interests of the grand
-vezír, who soon afterwards expiated his crimes by the forfeiture of his
-life. A hare’s sleep (_i.e._ a false promise) having been given to him,
-he was, for a short time, flattered and caressed, until he was one day
-called to the royal palace, when he was suddenly assassinated by the
-bostánjís. It is said that he was first strangled with a tent-rope, but
-a short time after a movement being perceived in his feet, the emperor
-drew his dagger and cut his throat.
-
-
-_The cause of his death more particularly related._
-
-We have already adverted to the wicked and fraudulent methods which
-Dervísh practised during his short vezírship, and for which he suffered
-the just reward: the following assisted to accelerate his miserable
-end. One of those Jews usually employed by the grandees was engaged in
-the service of Dervísh Páshá, and, owing to the fidelity with which
-he served his master, he succeeded in securing a very near access to
-him. It was a practice among these Jews, when any of them were thus
-employed, to keep an account of what they expended as well as of what
-they received. The Jew just referred to kept an account of this kind,
-and the páshá, his master, had every confidence in his integrity and
-honesty, and, in short, intrusted him with all his money transactions.
-Dervísh Páshá having begun to build a palace, the outlay was wholly
-left to the management of this agent. When it was nearly finished, he
-asked the Jew, his factor, for an account of the expenditure, which was
-instantly put into his hand. The páshá, on looking over the various
-items, perceived that a very large sum had already been expended,
-and remarked with astonishment, knitting his brows, that such was
-the case, for he was an avaricious, regardless, fraudulent man. The
-Jew, conscious of his own honesty, and that he had acted according to
-the rules which had been prescribed for his conduct, became greatly
-enraged, especially when he perceived that the páshá was seeking his
-ruin, and therefore he at once hit on the following cunning stratagem
-by which he might be revenged on his unjust master. He took back the
-statement of accounts, and, in the presence of the páshá, tore it in
-pieces and threw it into the fire, saying, it was not with a view of
-robbing his master that he kept a statement of the outlay, for the
-whole belonged to him, whose servant he was. “Is it not well known
-to you,” added he, “that whatever I may have gained by acting as
-your factor, I have not appropriated the least part of it to my own
-use? Nevertheless, if you inquire what has been expended, the answer
-is easy: I have kept a statement of the expenses, but the páshá has
-deceived himself, and has been negligent.” The foolish but avaricious
-páshá believed the Jew and dismissed him, but the Jew had not yet done
-with him. He instantly set about laying a stratagem, as already hinted,
-for ensnaring his obnoxious master. In order to accomplish this, he
-instructed some labourers, who were employed at the páshá’s palace,
-to dig, by night, underneath the ground, a passage from the páshá’s
-palace to the wall of the imperial treasury. And although several men
-were employed, during the night, in digging out this subterraneous
-passage, yet none, except those in the secret, were aware of it. When
-the mouth of the passage was finished, he caused them to build it
-up with stones, and then ordered them to retire. The malicious Jew,
-after having succeeded thus far in his mischievous plan, entered into
-a secret alliance with the kapú ághá, a collector of taxes, and an
-enemy to Dervísh Páshá, to whom he communicated the whole secret, and
-whom, by making him splendid presents, he gained to act along with him
-in the sequel of this mystery. The Jew, after this, wrote a letter to
-the kapú ághá, wherein he secretly, as it were, accused the páshá of
-dishonest practices, and described to him the subterraneous passage
-above-mentioned. The kapú ághá informed his majesty of the fact; and
-he, believing the account to be correct, especially when he considered
-the numerous complaints which had already been lodged against the
-páshá, was roused to indignation against his treacherous and deceitful
-minister, and caused him to be slain.
-
-A very short time before this tragical event, a tax of a thousand
-akchas for each of the palaces in Constantinople was ordered to be
-levied upon the inhabitants, but which the death of Dervísh Páshá
-fortunately saved them from paying, and for which they were most
-thankful.
-
-Dervísh Páshá perished about the commencement of Shabán, and on the
-10th of the same month, Siná-allah Effendí, after mature deliberation,
-recommended the celebrated Murád Páshá for the office of grand vezír,
-who, in consequence of this, was immediately recalled from Belgrade to
-the Sublime Porte.
-
-The following is a copy of the letter which the emperor sent him on
-that occasion.
-
-“Murád Páshá, thou art my vezír. Without the advice or persuasion of
-any one, but by our own special royal will, we have thought fit to
-confer on you the grand vezírship, and have sent you the imperial
-seals. It is hoped the Divine Majesty will assist you and further you
-in your labours. We shall carefully attend to the endeavours you make
-in every department. You will, therefore, be solicitous to come to our
-sublime city.”
-
-Murád Páshá, at the time he was thus honoured, was busily engaged
-in carrying on negociations for a final peace with Austria, the
-preliminaries of which had been entered into some time before. Several
-important personages who had an interest in the making of the treaty,
-on the part of Hungary, had been invited to Belgrade to consult with
-Murád Páshá.
-
-The time we are now speaking of was one of very great pressure and
-distraction to the vezír, who found himself involved in pecuniary
-difficulties of no small moment; but by the kind intervention of
-Chelebí Effendí, cazí of Belgrade, who was become very rich, he was
-considerably relieved by a loan of two thousand pieces of gold. But yet
-such were the urgent demands made upon him that he found it beyond his
-powers to carry on the government. One day some of those soldiers who
-served for their food, were detected plundering some shops, and about
-fifty of them were publicly scourged before his own tent.
-
-When the vezír Murád Páshá was raised to the dignity of grand vezír, he
-did not forget the friendship and generosity of the reverend cazí, and
-even before he left Belgrade raised him to the cazíship of Aleppo.
-
-
-_Peace concluded with Austria._
-
-When Lálá Mohammed Páshá was recalled to Constantinople, the power of
-concluding a peace with Austria, as well as the command of the army
-of the north, was committed to the vezír, Murád Páshá, who was sent
-off to the frontiers of Hungary immediately on his being chosen to
-succeed Lálá Mohammed. On reaching Buda he there assembled the troops
-who were to act under him, gave a favourable answer with respect to
-the conditions proposed by Austria, and nominated his son-in-law Kází
-Zádeh, Alí Páshá, beglerbeg of Buda, Hábel Effendí, the cazí of that
-place, Nezir-ud-dín Zádeh Mustafa Effendí, a grandee of Buda, and
-Khádem Ahmed deputy to Alí Páshá, to proceed to the Straits of Sidova,
-somewhere between Komran and Osterghún, where they met the Austrian
-commissioners composed of German and Hungarian princes and ambassadors.
-Botchkai’s consent and permission had been obtained. The Austrian
-commissioners were lodged on the north side of the Danube, and the
-Moslem commissioners at Osterghún.
-
-On the 1st of Rajab, the commissioners, on both sides, embarked in
-boats on the Danube, and in the middle of that river, they, after
-some considerable debate, altercation, and warm contest, concluded a
-treaty of peace, the articles of which, we shall here insert. It is to
-be observed however that, according to the contract entered into with
-Botchkai, the whole of the Majar nation was put under his jurisdiction,
-as were also the fortresses of Filk, Yanuk, and all the other places
-of strength. Matters remained in this state till the demise of the
-late grand vezír, Lálá Mohammed Páshá, when Botchkai ceased pressing
-his claims. Murád Páshá, therefore, met the wishes of the other
-contracting power, gave his consent to the treaty agreed on by the
-comissioners. The following, in substance, is a copy of the articles
-of that treaty. The Austrian commissioners, who were vested with full
-powers, say, in the document which they signed and presented to the
-Moslem commissioners, that they, in the name of Adolphus II., who, by
-the grace of God, is emperor of Alaman (Germany), Hungary, Bohemia,
-Dalmatia, Croatia, and of the maritime provinces, concluded a treaty
-of peace with the commissioners of his sublime majesty, Sultán Ahmed
-Khán, for the space of twenty years. (Here the names of the Moslem
-commissioners are introduced, and are the same as those formerly
-mentioned.) The names of the Austrian commissioners are mentioned at
-the commencement of the above document, and are as follows Yanúsh
-Amoorlardi, councellor of state, governor of Komran, and captain of
-all the frontier troops; Adolphus Ehwalanjan, counsellor of state and
-commander-in-chief; Nicolas Ashtwan, kapúdán of the other side of the
-Danube; Francis Gusenlegan, kapúdán of this side of the Danube and
-counsellor of state; Claudius Rewaid, count of Farsewer.
-
-_Article_ I. That ambassadors of the emperor of Austria shall be
-permitted to proceed to the Sublime Porte, and that the correspondence
-between the court of Constantinople and that of Vienna be expressed in
-such friendly terms as a father writes to his son, or a son to a father.
-
-_Article_ II. That the Ottoman royal letters shall style the emperor of
-Austria, Roman Emperor; not king.
-
-_Article_ III. That when, by the grace of God, peace is once concluded,
-neither Tátár tribes, nor any other military force belonging to
-the Sublime Porte, shall commit any hostility against any of the
-territories belonging to the Roman emperor.
-
-_Article_ IV. That the territories belonging to the contracting powers,
-whether surrounded by water or not, shall not be injured by either
-party; that the villages on the confines of Hungary shall not be
-molested by the Osmánlís; that the king of Spain, if he agree to the
-treaty, shall also not be molested.
-
-_Article_ V. That all the inhabitants on the frontiers be prohibited
-from tresspassing on the confines of either party; that should any
-person, from either side, be guilty of the refraction of this article,
-and be seized, he shall be presented before the governor or kapúdán of
-that place, who shall make proper enquiry as to what he has been guilty
-of, and punish or acquit accordingly.
-
-_Article_ VI. No castle or fortress, during the peace, shall be
-plundered, attacked, nor taken by any stratagem. If any one of the
-fortresses be taken by fraud or craft, it shall be restored. Those
-places given to Botchkai shall remain as they were fixed at Vienna.
-
-_Article_ VII. All captives taken before the peace shall be set
-at liberty for the ransom that may be stipulated: such as are not
-ransomed shall be exchanged for other captives; and no captives shall
-be taken after the ratification of this treaty. If by any means any
-captive be taken, the party who took him shall liberate him gratis.
-The contracting powers agree, that persons who shall be convicted of
-seizing captives shall be punished by the government to which they
-belong.
-
-_Article_ VIII. If any of the inhabitants of Temisvar, of Bosnia, of
-Agria, or of Kaniza, offend against this treaty, information must be
-given to their respective governors; and in the event of such offenders
-not being punished, the beglerbeg of Buda, who shall be appointed
-superintendent of all these districts, shall be requested to see
-justice fairly administered. In like manner must the governor of Yanuk,
-the kapúdáns on this side (the Ottoman side), and the banis of Croatia
-be instructed to see this treaty respected.
-
-_Article_ IX. The fortresses belonging to both the contracting powers
-may be repaired; but no new fortress or palanka shall be erected on the
-frontiers of either country.
-
-_Article_ X. As to the two hundred thousand dollars promised to his
-Sublime Majesty by this treaty, it is stipulated, that so soon as the
-imperial ambassador shall have arrived with this sum at Constantinople,
-the exalted serdár shall send a Sanjak prince with a present suitable
-to the dignity of the Ottoman court to give to the duke. When the
-royal presents destined for the Ottoman sultán shall have arrived, the
-sultán shall return a gift of greater magnitude than usual to the Roman
-emperor.
-
-_Article_ XI. The Austrian ambassador shall proceed at once to
-Constantinople with the stipulated sum of money and the royal presents.
-
-_Article_ XII. The peace now concluded shall continue to be maintained
-for the space of twenty years, commencing from the 1st of the thousand
-and fifteenth Rajab (_i. e._ from 1st of Rajab 1015) of the Mohammedan
-era, which is the 1600th of the Christian era: but no more presents
-than those now mentioned shall be sent for the space of three years.
-Whatever presents may be thought necessary to be sent after these three
-years are expired, shall remain undetermined. If during the term of
-this peace the emperor of the Moslems, or the emperor of Austria, or
-the king of Hungary, should depart this life, their sons, successors,
-and relations shall be bound to respect the articles of this treaty,
-and not to violate the peace on any account.
-
-_Article_ XIII. The palanka of Wáj shall remain in its present
-(dilapidated) condition, and shall not be enlarged.
-
-_Article_ XIV. When the Austrian ambassadors arrive at Constantinople
-they shall be allowed whatever they may stand in need of.
-
-_Article_ XV. The villages which paid tribute or taxes before the
-reduction of Agria (_i. e._ the villages of that district) shall
-continue to pay the same still.
-
-_Article_ XVI. Those villages which belonged to Filk, Sichan, and
-Novograde, but now connected with Agria, Khutván, Buda, and Osterghún,
-shall pay their accustomed dues.
-
-_Article_ XVII. Those villages which were accustomed to pay taxes when
-Osterghún fell into the hands of the Austrian emperor shall still
-continue to pay him their dues as formerly. All the other villages on
-the frontiers shall continue to pay their usual taxes to whichever
-government they may belong. In consequence of the unsettled state of
-the district of Kaniza, a person shall be nominated by the Moslem
-government, who, along with Bíkám Oghlí, shall make enquiry into the
-state of matters, and determine which of the villages of that district
-belong to Kaniza, and which not; when their taxes shall be regulated
-according to what is right.
-
-
-_Concerning Nesúh Páshá._
-
-On the 4th of Moharrem in this year, Nesúh Páshá, who, by the
-instrumentality of the late grand vezír, Mohammed Páshá, had been
-appointed to the government of Baghdád, went to take possession of
-his new government. On reaching the Euphrates he learned, that Píáleh
-Páshá, the deposed governor of Bassora, had succeeded in gaining the
-good-will of the people of Baghdád, and that by means of flattery
-and promises he had secured the affections of the soldiery. He also
-received intelligence concerning the rebel Mohammed, son of Túyel Ahmed
-Oghlí, who had been válí of Irák. The beglerbeg of Wærka, Mír Sheríf,
-whom Nesúh met on his march to Baghdád, showed him much respect, and
-promised him his support. Nesúh was furnished with letters and robes of
-honour to Seyed Khán Beg, one of those Kúrd princes who, before Nesúh’s
-time, had come on business to Baghdád: also to the begs of Sehran, and
-to Obrish Oghlí Emír Ahmed, an Arab prince. These letters enjoined the
-several parties above specified, in the most flattering manner, to
-attach themselves without delay to the interests of Nesúh Páshá, the
-emperor’s commander-in-chief, and to proceed with him to Baghdád then
-in the hands of the rebels.
-
-Obrish Oghlí, and the other chiefs, sent the commander-in-chief
-deceitful answers; and after waiting at Mosul for nearly six weeks for
-their arrival, he found at last that he had been duped by their fraud.
-To add to his distress, he found also, that the letter which he had
-sent off to Seyed Khán had been intercepted, and that the rebels were
-thus apprized of his march upon Baghdád.
-
-It may be proper to observe, however, that before the imperial letters
-above alluded to arrived, the Válí Páshá, Píáleh Páshá, and Emír Sheríf
-Páshá, had advanced as far as Arabel, whence they wrote to Seyed Khán,
-and to the emírs of Seheran to join them, but without any good result.
-The Turkoman tribe, however, which for some insignificant advantage
-had been tempted to revolt, joined the rebels. Upon this, and trusting
-to the promises of Abúrish Oghlí, they entered the city of Baghdád
-on the 3d of Shabán, the very day fixed on by him, but they neither
-heard nor saw any thing of him. The Kurds and Arabian insurgents,
-who had been sent by Arazil and Abúrish Oghlí, and who now supported
-Túyel Oghlí in his rebellion, also entered Baghdád, and prepared for
-resistance. Túyel, it would appear, had secretly succeeded, by means
-of 30,000 ducats, in bribing a number of faithless mercenaries, who
-served in the army under Nesúh. Túyel, in consequence of the success
-his bribery had met with, ventured out of the city and offered battle
-to Nesúh. At the commencement of this engagement, the superiority of
-Nesúh’s troops over their adversaries seemed evident; but a body of the
-mercenaries who had been bribed joining the insurgents, the remainder
-of the army fled from the field. This catastrophe was attended with
-terrible consequences to Nesúh; yet although his army, by this revolt,
-was considerably weakened, he nevertheless, with Válí Páshá, Píáleh
-Páshá, and Mír Sheríf, fought with unparalleled bravery. Válí Páshá
-fell on the field of battle, and Nesúh was wounded in two places. A
-considerable number of brave soldiers who fought under the banner of
-Nesúh, besides many princes who had attended Mír Sheríf, also died
-martyrs in this bloody contest. Nesúh and Mír Sheríf however, when they
-perceived the battle turning against them, succeeded in getting their
-fighting Muselmans to retire from the unequal conflict. Nesúh retreated
-to an island which belonged to Mír Sheríf, where he remained until
-the severe cold weather set in, and thence he sent a report of his
-misfortunes to the court of Constantinople. Túyel, not long after this
-victory which he had gained, was murdered in the city of Baghdád.
-
-
-_Death of Botchkai._
-
-Petrus, the pope’s legate in Hungary, and Arúmendi, Botchkai’s intimate
-friend, informed the court of Constantinople that King Botchkai
-Ashetwan had departed this life on the 5th of Ramazán. Some time before
-his death he summoned to his presence the two above-mentioned persons,
-and nominated as his successor his sister’s son-in-law, his own vezír,
-the bravest prince that was in Hungary, one Hemon; and whose name
-had been inserted in the contract between Botchkai and the Ottoman
-government as the successor of Botchkai to the crown of Transylvania.
-Hemon having been raised to the throne of Transylvania, as now
-described, the Sublime Porte sent him a robe of honour lined with
-wolf-skin, and a sanják, as tokens of esteem. This Hemon, called also
-Hemon Baturi, was a descendant of the ancient kings of Transylvania,
-and on this account was chosen successor to Botchkai.
-
-
-_Other events of the current year._
-
-On the night of the 4th of Moharrem a destructive fire broke out in
-the Jewish quarter of the city: the desolating element reaching as far
-as Khoaja Páshá’s bath, and Khoaja’s academy, and destroying squares
-and streets in its progress. The damage which this fire occasioned was
-immense.
-
-On the 27th of the month Gúrjí, Mohammed Páshá, lately removed from
-the government of Egypt, was appointed to the government of Bosnia;
-and the government of Kaniza was conferred on Aghá Khosrú Páshá. On
-the 11th of Rabia II., in consequence of the rebel Kalander Oghlí
-having gone to the vicinity of Kewah, all the cavalry, Chashingírs
-and Chávushes, who had any property in that quarter, were ordered
-to repair thither. On the 16th of Jemadi I. the government received
-information that the insurgent Jánbúlát had suddenly fallen on the
-governor of Aleppo, Hasan Páshá, brother to Tarnákjí, and had slain
-him. On the same day intelligence was also received that Alí Páshá,
-the son of the same Jánbúlát, who had raised the standard of rebellion
-in the jurisdiction of Aleppo, had fought and overcome in battle Emír
-Seif Oghlí, beglerbeg of Tripoli, in Syria, who had been obliged to
-take refuge in that city. On the 21st, the master of the horse, Ja’fer
-Aghá, having been appointed governor of Ethiopia, his predecessor was
-removed to Yemen, where he succeeded Sinán Páshá, who had been ordered
-to return to Turkey. On the 18th of Ramazán, Kalander Oghlí, with the
-rebels under his command, most completely overthrew and defeated Hasan
-Páshá, beglerbeg of Anatolia; also Ahmed, the former governor of that
-province, and the beg of Sarúkhán, Hájí Beg, in the neighbourhood of
-Sarúkhán. Kalander Oghlí, after having obtained this decisive victory,
-threatened to attack Magnesia, and it was, therefore, found necessary
-to strengthen Brúsa. On the third of Dhu’l hijja, several of the
-youths attached to the royal house were promoted to offices of honour,
-according to the usual rule. A number of other promotions and changes
-took place, but they are not worth while mentioning.
-
-
-
-
-EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1016, H.
-
-
-_The grand vezír, Murád Páshá, returns to court._
-
-Murád Páshá, after the peace between Turkey and Austria was fully
-settled and agreed to, enjoyed, at Belgrade, some degree of quiet and
-tranquillity, until he was suddenly recalled to court. The official
-messenger who had carried to Murád Páshá the emperor’s orders, no
-sooner arrived at the place of his destination, than Murád Páshá, along
-with the Austrian ambassadors, who had carried with them thither the
-sum of money stipulated by the treaty of peace, set out in the greatest
-haste for the Sublime Porte, where they arrived about the end of
-Moharrem.
-
-Not long after his arrival in the metropolis, it was resolved, in
-consequence of the harrassing state of the eastern provinces and the
-continued aggressions of the Persians, that the grand vezír, Murád
-Páshá, should be sent with a splendid army to bring the countries of
-the east into a state of tranquillity and subordination, and to act
-against the Persians.
-
-In consequence of the long-continued war which the Ottomans had been
-obliged to carry on against the northern infidels, and which drained
-to so great a degree the military resources of the empire, the inland
-provinces were, in a manner, left destitute of sufficient military
-force to preserve them quiet and peaceable. Anatolia, when thus freed
-of the presence of the military, became much disturbed by every kind
-of faction, rebellion, and insubordination: each faction had its own
-leader or chieftain. They procured supplies of arms, formed themselves
-into companies of foot and horse, and presented every where a most
-formidable appearance.
-
-One of the leaders of these rebels was Abdul helím, better known by the
-name of Karah Yázijí (usually called Scrivano), who was at one time
-in the suite of the governor of the province. At first he was only
-segbán, but afterwards he became súbáshlik. The discontented portion of
-the inhabitants of Anatolia chose this man for their chieftain, who,
-by his wicked devices, soon brought the whole country into a state
-of insubordination and violence. In 1009 he pillaged and sacked the
-countries of Chorum, Sivás, and Tokat. Sometimes victorious, sometimes
-defeated, he was, at last, obliged to betake himself to the mountains
-of Jánbeg.
-
-Another of these rebel-chiefs was one Hasan Páshá. Being governor
-of the province, his cruelty, oppression, and injustice became so
-intolerable, that he was necessitated, for the safety of his life, to
-take flight. He joined the infamous Scrivano at the moment he was beset
-in the fortress of Ráh, and effected his deliverance, but he himself
-being taken, was delivered over to the Moslem commander, who sent him
-to Constantinople, where he suffered the punishment deserved by his
-crimes.
-
-His brother, Delí Hasan, was another of these rebel-chiefs. He followed
-in the footsteps of Scrivano, and was murdered, as the reader may
-remember, when on his way from Temisvar to Belgrade.
-
-Kalander Oghlí, called also Mohammed, likewise headed the revolt. He
-was at first in the service of some of the beglerbegs, and afterwards
-a lieutenant to a great man who had employed him. When Jeghala Zádeh
-was commander-in-chief in the east, Kalander Oghlí insinuated himself,
-in some way or other, into his favour, from which he received some
-benefit. In 1013 he selected a number of rebels and became their chief.
-Being bold and intrepid as well as wicked, he committed very serious
-evils; but we shall afterwards have to advert to his history.
-
-Another of these malignants was one Karah Seyed, a wretch who was so
-thoroughly embued with evil qualities, as to be an object of general
-detestation and hatred. The miseries, murders, and spoliation which
-this fiend committed were horrible. He joined his fortunes with those
-of Kalander; but placing confidence in him was like placing confidence
-in a mud-wall.
-
-The next of these villains that we shall notice are Túyel and Yúsuf
-Páshá, who, like those already mentioned, met with the fate they
-deserved. The greater number of those who had been engaged in the
-recent and former rebellions were either killed or dispersed, or
-perished in some other way. The most infamous of those who still
-remained in open rebellion were Alí Beg, son of Jánbulát, and Kalander
-Oghlí; but Murád Páshá was preparing to chastise them.
-
-
-_Murád Páshá gains a victory over the rebels._
-
-The grand vezír, Murád Páshá, no sooner returned to Constantinople,
-than he commenced preparations for the war in the east. On the 19th of
-the 1016th Sefer (_i. e._ on the 19th of the month Sefer of this year)
-he passed over to Scutari, and on the 7th of Rabia I. he marched direct
-towards Aleppo. The beglerbegship of Romeili was conferred on Tarnákjí
-Hasan Páshá, and that of Anatolia on Marjol Hasan Páshá. Khalíl Aghá,
-colonel of the janissaries, was appointed chief herald. Bákí Páshá was
-made treasurer for the army, and the dignity of káímakám was conferred
-on Mustafa Páshá, of the garrison of Brúsa, who took possession of his
-new office on the 22d of the month Sefer.
-
-When the serdár, Murád Páshá, conspicuous in dignity, reached Iconium,
-Kalander Oghlí, who on two former occasions had opposed and defeated
-two páshás, and who had spread the most terrible consternation
-throughout the country, hearing of Murád’s march on Iconium, determined
-to fall upon Ancora, the inhabitants of which had done him considerable
-injury. Thinking this was the best time to be revenged on them, he left
-Sarúkhán and directed his movements towards Ancora.
-
-In the meantime, however, Murád, after a few days’ rest at Iconium,
-made some new arrangements. He appointed Bábá Akhí Zádeh, who was
-orthodox in his views and sentiments, to the high-priest’s office,
-which happened at that time to be vacant. A considerable number of the
-inhabitants, who had been active in the rebellion, he caused to be
-executed; and filled the wells of Iconium with their vile bodies. One
-of those who suffered death on that occasion was a cursed heretic of
-the name of Ahmed Beg. Murád Páshá also crucified a man named Mustafa,
-stabbed the deputy-governor, when Abdur-rahmán was cazí of Iconium,
-burned the palace of Delí Ahmed, the governor of Caramania, the owner
-of it losing his life in the flames, and put to the sword more than a
-thousand souls, who had either been infected with heresy, or who had
-taken part in the rebellion. In short, Murád Páshá marched about in the
-character of a prince, and put to death whomever he pleased. When this
-Ahmed Beg, the scourge of the whole country, was brought before this
-deep-discerning commander, the páshá thus addressed him: “I am about
-leaving you at Iconium till my return from taking vengeance on the son
-of Jánbulát: guard the city and keep a good look out. But should you
-require aid for this purpose, what number of men do you think you could
-muster?” The fearless wretch replied, “thirty thousand at least.” The
-commander expressed, though feignedly, his approbation, and dismissed
-him: but in an oration to those who, it would seem, had pleaded in his
-behalf, he observed that to leave alive upon the earth a man, who,
-in his absence, could raise thirty thousand men, and to permit him to
-have the power of fortifying the city against him, would not be acting
-wisely. In this way, and by these arguments, he put to silence the
-friends and advocates of Ahmed Beg; and shortly afterwards, caused him
-to be strangled, and his carcass thrown into a well.
-
-
-_Ebn Kalander goes to Ancora._
-
-Kalander Oghlí, well knowing that to encounter the serdár would be his
-certain destruction, retired, as we have already seen, towards Ancora.
-On his march to this place he picked up all the cattle and horses which
-fell in his way, and passed by the confines of Caramania, plundering
-and robbing every town and village through which he marched. On
-approaching Ancora he forwarded a messenger to announce his arrival, as
-if he had been commissioned by royal authority.
-
-In the city of Ancora there lived, at that time, one Ahmed Effendí
-Zádeh Waldin, who had been present in the royal camp during the war
-that was carried on against Hungary; and who, from the high opinion
-entertained of his abilities, was appointed cazí of Ancora, with
-the view of seeing its unfinished fortifications completed, and of
-preserving the place against the aggressions of the rebels. When the
-above messenger, accompanied by four hundred men, presented himself
-before the city, this judge of the law proposed answering him thus:
-that it was unlawful to permit an armed troop of criminals to enter the
-city; that the gates must not be opened to them; and that if it should
-be necessary to act on the defensive, they would sooner fight than
-allow them entrance. This decisive method of answering the intruders
-was not only approved of by the rest of the citizens, but communicated
-by them to the messengers, who carried it to Kalander. This information
-enraged him greatly, but he soon hit on a stratagem which he put into
-practice. He appeared before the walls of the city, and sending a
-messenger, with conditions of peace, requested the judge of the law
-to come out and confer with him on certain points; intimating, at the
-same time, that he would be entirely swayed by the judgment of the
-reverend Effendí. The judge prepared himself, and came forth with a
-certain number of horsemen, to meet his opponent, who was attended
-by his suite; and both, sitting on horseback, entered into close
-conversation. Kalander commenced thus: “The emperor has assigned to
-me, in perpetual possession, this province, and has given the adjacent
-sanjáks to my followers. Why have you declined receiving us into the
-city? Why have you shut its gates against my herald?” The judge boldly
-replied, “If this country be conferred on you, as you say, why are you
-not come with the royal standard unfurled? You have the appearance of
-a band of robbers. You have trampled down the corn-fields belonging
-to the Muselmans; you have violently carried away the property of the
-country; you have driven your cattle into our corn-fields. The eyes of
-the citizens are afraid to dwell upon public robbers; and their hearts
-failed them when they heard of your approach. This, then, is the reason
-why they have shut their gates against your herald. They were alarmed,
-lest, as soon as you should enter, you would commence the work of
-cruelty, robbery, and death; but now that you have exhibited the royal
-pleasure, we are your servants. Therefore, we request that you draw out
-a list of what you deem necessary, and send it to us by faithful men.
-But, in order that you may tranquillize the fears of the citizens, it
-will be proper for you to retire to some considerable distance from
-their view. When they perceive your peaceful conduct, I shall not fail
-to do what I can to interest the people of the city in your behalf;
-then I shall come forth to you into our own camp, and learn from you
-what honours you will confer on me, in return: as soon as the people
-are quieted you may enter the city.”
-
-This seemingly gracious reception so intoxicated Kalander and his
-followers, that about thirty of these wretches, accompanied by their
-chief’s deputy, actually went into the city and delivered to the judge
-a list of such things as they principally required—such as trowsers,
-coats, and other articles. Whilst they were waiting a few days for the
-articles in question, Kalander’s deputy began to discover the villany
-of his base nature. In fact, he was hardly two days in the city when
-he began to lay his hands on the beautiful young females he saw, which
-exasperated the people to such a degree that they were on the point of
-murdering him. The judge, at the moment they were about to take summary
-vengeance on the wretch, interfered and restrained their fury, by
-representing to them that by their acting in such a manner they would
-endanger the lives of other Muselmans as well as their own. Under the
-pretext, therefore, of delivering the audacious wretch out of their
-hands, he thrust him into prison in the inner fortress. His companions
-he distributed among different families in the character of guests,
-as they supposed, where he told them they would receive the rights of
-hospitality, and where they would be protected from insult in case of
-any tumult arising. The cazí, in this way, got them all safely lodged
-within the citadel, and not one of them was able to make his escape.
-
-During this interval, Kalander was impatiently waiting for the return
-of his men; but he little knew the person he had to deal with. The
-reverend judge had no sooner secured his prize, than he wrote off
-an account of the whole affair to Murád Páshá, who, in return,
-congratulated his correspondent on his adroitness and success; and
-informed him, by letter, that an army would soon be in pursuit of
-his visitors, cautioning him, at the same time, to be on the look
-out. The person who had the charge of this letter was way-laid and
-intercepted, by which means Kalander became acquainted with the whole
-of the mystery. He now perceived the design of the cazí, and determined
-on attacking the city: but he was just as little aware of the heroism
-and skill in war which cazí Effendí, the son of Waldin, possessed,
-as he before was of his powers of stratagem. The citizens too were
-not without spirit. They formed themselves into regular companies,
-and fell with ardour on their assailants, maintaining the struggle
-with desperate heroism, and hurling defiance at Kalander, who made no
-less than eight different assaults, so intent was he on reducing the
-Ancorians. But the showers of musket and cannon-shot from the batteries
-made such havock among this besieging horde as both cooled and repelled
-them, until at last they seemed to have given up all idea of success.
-At this moment it began to be rumoured that a body of troops, under
-the command of Tekelí, Mohammed Páshá, was marching on Ancora, which
-rumour induced the besiegers to retire to the distance of one stage.
-Tekelí, it would appear, had some little skirmishes with these rebels,
-but their numbers were so very superior to those under his command,
-that he chose rather to hasten into the city than to risk any general
-engagement.
-
-It was not long after these things, that Tekelí was put in possession
-of the sanják of Komstamúní, when he pursued Kalander Oghlí with
-additional forces, and forty pieces of cannon.
-
-The commander-in-chief having determined on the total destruction of
-Jánbúlát, seems, for the time, to have overlooked the rebel Kalander.
-He removed his troops from Iconium; and marching towards Aleppo, where
-Jánbúlát then was, he encamped before the city of Larendo; whence he
-dispatched the regiments of the red and yellow standards, under their
-respective leaders, and a body of janissaries to Selukeh, in Syria,
-with orders to destroy Meseli Chávush, a powerful and noted rebel in
-that quarter. This expedition, on reaching its destination, found
-the rebel had taken refuge in the mountains, and had there fortified
-himself. The ardent and zealous Moslem troops, however, pursued him
-even into his strong-holds, one or two of which they took, slaying all
-his followers that fell in their way, and dispersing the remainder. A
-few of the principal leaders, who had acted among the insurgents, were
-seized and sent to the commander-in-chief.
-
-The exalted serdár, bent on falling in with Jánbúlát, removed from
-Larendo and came to Arkalah, where he found himself opposed by Jemshíd,
-another of the rebel chieftains, from the neighbourhood of Adna, and
-who scrupled not to give battle to the royal troops. He and his rebel
-army, however, were soon broken and overthrown. He himself escaped
-by flight, but his deluded followers were either destroyed or made
-prisoners. Such of them as were taken alive were conducted into the
-presence of the serdár, and there ordered to be beheaded.
-
-When the grand vezír, Murád Páshá, reached the confines of Aleppo, he
-was there informed, just as he was on the eve of approaching the pass
-of Bukras, that Jánbúlát, with twenty thousand foot and twenty thousand
-horse, was strongly entrenched within this pass. The exalted serdár,
-on hearing this report, changed his route, and went forward to the
-plains of Gozarjinlik. This movement he effected on 29th of Jemadi II.
-The royal camp was joined at this place by the beglerbeg of Merœsh,
-Zulfekár Páshá, with a powerful auxiliary army. In three days
-afterwards he removed his camp to Durma, on the river Kunuk. Jánbúlát
-Oghlí, on learning that the Moslem army had passed on to Durma, left
-his position; and, on the 2d of Rajab, marched with his army of forty
-thousand half the distance, intent on giving battle to the serdár, and
-encamped in the valley of Uruj. The advance guards of both armies met,
-and a sharp skirmish took place; but that of the rebels was totally
-defeated; the greater part of them perished, and those who were made
-prisoners, being conducted into the presence of the serdár were,
-without mercy or compassion, instantly put to death.
-
-The following day, Tuesday, in the morning, the grand vezír prepared
-for a general engagement, put his numerous troops in order, and then
-encouraged and fortified the hearts of his soldiers.
-
-Jánbúlát, in like manner, prepared for the contest. He placed his
-deputy with a division of his rebellious troops, against the army of
-Anatolia, which formed the right wing of Murád: his segbáns he opposed
-to the Romeilian troops, which formed his left wing, and he himself
-took up his position immediately opposite the centre of the royal army.
-
-It has been said, that Jánbúlát had written before this to the Moslem
-commander-in-chief offering to make peace, but that the latter did
-not believe him sincere. He even, whilst endeavouring to bring this
-about, stepped to the front of his army and forbade them to fight; but
-they, by oaths and curses, caused him to retire, and erected their
-banners. However these things might be, the battle commenced, and it
-was a bloody one. Zulfekár Páshá, beglerbeg of Merœsh, fought with
-uncommon bravery, and caused the heads of the enemy to roll along the
-ground. Jánbúlát attacked the left wing of the royalists, composed
-of the Romeilian army commanded by its intrepid válí, Hasan Páshá,
-but was met with heroism, on the part of these troops, exceeding
-all imagination. The conflict was awful and bloody, and lasted till
-night. Twenty-six thousand heads were conveyed into the presence of
-the powerful Osmánlí chief, and heaped up before his pavilion: twenty
-persons were incessantly employed in cutting off the heads of the vast
-number of prisoners which were brought in alive. The janissaries,
-headed by their chief, as well as the other troops, distinguished
-themselves in the most brilliant manner on this occasion.
-
-Jánbúlát, after this severe defeat, fled to Kilis. But finding it
-unsafe for him to remain there, he marched on to Aleppo, plundered the
-rich men of the city, threw some of his troops into the citadel, and
-the following morning, as he was going out at the gate, to continue his
-flight—for such was the fear he was in, that he remained only one night
-at Aleppo—the women and children raised a tremendous hue and cry after
-him, loading him with anathemas, and covering him with dirt and mud.
-After he was once fairly out of their sight the inhabitants commenced a
-search after such of his followers as had hid themselves in the city,
-and succeeded in finding out and killing more than a thousand of these
-wretches before Murád Páshá arrived at Aleppo.
-
-The day after the battle a council was held in the victorious and
-glorious pavilion, when the grandees of the army pressed in to
-congratulate their commander-in-chief.
-
-It has been related that the son of Máín Fekhr-ud-dín had headed the
-sons of Gilibi and the Dirzi soldiery, and fought under Jánbulát in the
-above-mentioned battle. Fekhr-ud-dín fled to the fortress of Shukif, in
-the desert, where he shut himself up.
-
-The exalted commander-in-chief, when on his march from the field of
-battle to Aleppo, touched at Kilis, where he seized on the whole of the
-property belonging to the last-mentioned rebel. On the 19th of Rajab
-he erected his pavilion in the Kokmaidan of Aleppo, whither all the
-great men of the city repaired in order to pay him their respects, and
-to congratulate him on his success against the rebels. Some few vile
-wretches, who had hitherto eluded detection, were now brought forth
-and executed. The few troops which Jánbulát had left in the citadel,
-after a day or two, offered to surrender. The officers were furnished
-with letters of protection, but the common soldiery, on coming out of
-the citadel, were all executed. The government of Aleppo was conferred
-on Dishleng Hasan Páshá, and the cazíship of the same on an old
-acquaintance of the cazí of the royal camp, Cheshmi Effendí. Hasan
-Páshá, válí of Romeili, having been advanced to the rank and dignity of
-a vezír, returned to Turkey, and Marjol Hasan Páshá succeeded him as
-válí of Romeili.
-
-
-_Murád Páshá winters at Aleppo.—Troops are sent to Baghdád._
-
-The grand vezír, Murád Páshá, with the view of preserving the peace
-and tranquillity of the country, determined on keeping a certain number
-of his best troops somewhere near Aleppo, where he himself resolved
-on passing the winter. Accordingly, the spáhís were sent into the
-territories of Damascus, and the Salihdárs to Tripoli, in Syria. The
-janissaries remained with the commander-in-chief at Aleppo, and the
-troops of Romeili, of Anatolia, and of Caramania were allowed to return
-to their respective countries.
-
-In Aleppo the serdár and his janissaries spent the six months of winter
-in every sort of pleasure and festivity. Rebels, from one hundred
-to two hundred, were every day brought to Aleppo and there executed
-without compassion or commiseration.
-
-The grand vezír, Murád Páshá, in the midst of the various scenes of
-pleasure which Aleppo afforded, was one day astounded at learning
-that about the time he had entered into winter quarters, Mustafa, the
-brother of Ahmed Túyel Oghlí, who had met with his death at Baghdád,
-had succeeded the deceased in the command of the rebels in that
-quarter, and who amounted to several thousands. Murád Páshá was not
-long in considering how to act: he determined on their overthrow.
-Accordingly, he conferred the government of Baghdád on Mohammed Páshá,
-son of Jeghala Zádeh Sinán Páshá, giving him a body of paid troops; and
-he appointed Mír Ahmed, son of Abúrish, prince of Annet and Hadisa,
-and Kúrd Mír Sheríf Páshá, besides several other provincial lords,
-to accompany him to the conquest of Baghdád, now in the hands of the
-rebels.
-
-The expedition just mentioned had no sooner arrived within a small
-distance of Baghdád than they were met by Mustafa, who had prepared
-to oppose the Moslem army. This happened on the 1st of Shevál; but
-Mustafa, who had not rightly estimated the courage and heroism of
-the Osmánlí troops, found, to his sad experience, that he and his
-rebels were no match for them; in a word, he was defeated and routed,
-and shut himself up in the city, thinking there to defend himself.
-This, however, was a delusion. The heroic Osmánlís were not long
-in approaching and laying siege to the city, and perceiving that
-resistance would be worse than useless, he proposed to deliver up the
-city on the condition of personal security. This was agreed to, and he
-was allowed to embark; but the boat into which he had entered had no
-sooner moved away from the bank or wharf than, from its unequal weight,
-occasioned by the vast numbers of segbáns who had crowded in along with
-him, it upset, and all, with the exception of Mustafa himself and a
-few others, were drowned in the river; even those few who did escape
-were nearly all killed by bullets which were sent across after them.
-Mohammed Páshá, after having thus vanquished the rebels and dispersed
-them, entered into Baghdád triumphant and victorious.
-
-
-_Jánbulát Oghlí seeks refuge in Constantinople.—Kalander commits new
-depredations._
-
-Kalander Oghlí, after having sustained the defeats and disappointments
-formerly mentioned, and knowing that Murád Páshá had passed on to
-Aleppo, again resolved on mischief. After leaving Ancora, finding
-himself kept in awe by Tekelí, he passed into Anatolia, and proceeded
-to the neighbourhood of Brúsa. Here he was joined by Kanalí Oghlí, the
-chief of a sanják in that country, a disaffected villain, with a number
-of others of similar character, amounting to very near a thousand; and
-here he again commenced his usual depredations.
-
-Jánbulát Oghlí Alí Páshá, of whose history and fortunes we have already
-spoken, finding nowhere any asylum to which he might flee for safety,
-took his winding-sheet on his shoulders, as it were, and resolved
-on returning to Turkey. With this view he went to the vicinity of
-Eskí-sheher with a certain number of volunteers, whence he sent a
-humble letter by one Haidar Beg, his fraternal uncle, to the court of
-Constantinople.
-
-About the time Jánbulát Oghlí came into the vicinity of Brúsa,
-Kalander Oghlí sent some of his principal adherents to meet him, and
-to assure him that he also had repented, and inviting him to come
-and take counsel with him, and proceed together in company. Jánbulát
-Oghlí accepted of the invitation and went; but Kalander Oghlí had
-changed his tone and said, “Do not you separate from me, and you shall
-see me take ample revenge on our opponents: this is the very moment
-for accomplishing it.” Jánbulát Oghlí, not relishing the views and
-intentions of his entertainer, purposed with himself to escape secretly
-from him; and with this view he one night cut a hole in the wall of
-the apartment in which he lodged, and getting out, hastened off with
-all dispatch towards Constantinople, taking only a few of his nearest
-relations along with him. More disaffected fellows, who had accompanied
-him to Brúsa, joined themselves, when they found he had absconded, to
-the infamous Kalander Oghlí, who, when he first went to that quarter,
-found himself surrounded with serious difficulties. Having been thus
-strengthened, however, by the levends who had accompanied Jánbulát
-Oghlí, he marched on Brúsa, to which he set fire, and robbed and
-spoiled several other places besides. This daring robber, however, was
-soon obliged to decamp. Nukásh Hasan Páshá, with a body of troops,
-was ordered to attack him on one side, and vezír Yúsuf Páshá to do
-the same on the other. But he did not wait their arrival. On leaving
-Brúsa he set out towards Mikhalij, and continued his route till he was
-opposed by the Lake of Ulú-ábád. This lake is surrounded on the south
-by very steep rocks, which extend northwards, along the river, to the
-Mediterranean Sea. The infamous robber, on approaching this lake,
-perceived that it formed the natural boundary between Brúsa and the
-countries of Mikhalij, Garem-asta, and Pighala. At the foot of this
-lake was an ancient bridge, which was the only passage by which the
-rebel could cross. On the opposite side, however, there was a fortified
-castle; but how to get across the bridge with safety to himself and
-followers, and make his way to a narrow gap which he knew to exist
-somewhere in the mountains or range of rocks on the south of the lake
-or river, was to him the subject of the utmost concern. He prepared,
-however, to take it at all hazard; but finding the castle was in the
-hands of the people of Garem-asta, his courage failed him, and without
-attempting any farther the execution of his plan, he proceeded to a
-place in the neighbourhood called Chatalú, where he remained till the
-commencement of the feast which follows the Mohammedan lent: when, as
-he thought, he might succeed better. On the arrival of this festival,
-the garrison, intent on celebrating it, began to do so on the first
-evening, and left the castle exposed and defenceless. The villain
-taking advantage of this neglect on the part of the garrison, crossed
-the bridge, and entered the country of Garem-asta, where he unfurled
-the standard of rebellion, traversed the country, and took possession
-of the town of Mikhalij. His pursuers, at least one of them, Nukásh
-Hasan Páshá, following hard after him, reached Ulú-ábád, where he
-encamped. The rebel and his followers no sooner discovered this to
-be the case, than they fell back upon the bridge by which they had
-passed in the manner described, and effectually prevented Nukásh from
-crossing. The rebels took good care not to disturb any of the towns and
-villages in this neighbourhood: they were therefore all quiet, and took
-no part against them; and winter coming on, Nukásh, on account of its
-severity, was unable to act against them.
-
-In the meantime, a reinforcement under the command of the governor
-of Silistria was sent off to join the dispirited Nukásh. The rebels
-met this reinforcement at Gunan, where they gave them battle. In this
-engagement, Ahmed Páshá, governor of Silistria, fought with such
-ardent and daring bravery, that there was not a part of his body which
-remained unhurt, and he was, at last, obliged to be carried from
-the field of battle, and soon afterwards he expired. The orthodox
-Moslems lost the day: and the victorious rebel-chief marched into
-the districts of Aydin and Sarúkhán, with fire and sword, and passed
-through Caramania, when he was joined by some of his former associates,
-who brought him a considerable increase of strength, and thus this
-detestable rebel, who but very lately had only a few followers, became
-now a most formidable enemy.
-
-On the arrival of spring, the troops, who had been dispersed into
-winter-quarters, began to assemble at Aleppo, around their celebrated
-chief, Murád Páshá. As it was of the utmost importance that the
-treasurer, Etmekjí Zádeh Ahmed Páshá, who was to carry funds for the
-use of the army, should, for safety sake, accompany back the Romeilian
-troops, he was appointed to take the command of these troops, and
-to conduct them to Aleppo. The rebel, Kalander Oghlí, so lately
-victorious, was at this time in Caramania; and knowing that Etmekjí
-Zádeh was a person unskilled in war, he determined, as soon as he
-learned that he was on his way, to intercept him, and, if possible,
-seize the money he was carrying to the grand army. Etmekjí Zádeh was
-apprized, however, of his intentions, and sent the troops and the money
-by the way of Ancora; both of which reached the commander-in-chief in
-safety.
-
-
-_Jánbulát Oghlí meets with a happy reverse of fortune._
-
-Jánbulát Oghlí, whom we lately spoke of as on his way to
-Constantinople, after having escaped the snares which the notorious
-Kalander Oghlí had laid for him, arrived at Bazarjik on the 9th of
-Ramazán. His uncle, Haidar Beg, and his deputy, Hasan, whom he had
-sent to the court of Constantinople with letters of submission,
-arrived there on the 21st of the same month, and soon afterwards
-appeared before the emperor, to whom they expressed themselves thus:
-“We are come to confess our misdeeds, and to receive the punishment
-due to them. Our lives are in your hand.” Their crimes were forgiven,
-and Jánbulát Oghlí’s deputy was sent back to his master with the
-emperor’s letter of forbearance and grace; whilst his uncle, Haidar
-Beg, was allowed to remain in the metropolis. The bostánjí báshí was
-sent back to Nicomedia with the galley in which he had brought Haidar
-Beg, to take in Jánbulát Oghlí, and convey him to Constantinople. It
-is remarkable that it was at the very time that this galley arrived
-at Nicomedia to receive Jánbulát Oghlí, that he had been inveighled
-by Kalander Oghlí. The bostánjí báshí, not finding him at Nicomedia,
-and being anxious of discharging his duty, ignorant alike of what had
-become of him, and of the trap which had been laid for him, he and his
-bostánjís set out for Brúsa in search of him, where they met him as
-he was fleeing from Kalander Oghlí, from whose snares he had made his
-escape in the manner we have already described. His deputy advanced
-towards him, put his majesty’s letter of clemency into his hand, when
-all of them proceeded to the galley, on board which they embarked, and
-reached Constantinople about the end of Ramazán. Jánbulát Oghlí, in
-conformity to the promise which had been given to him after he had been
-introduced into the royal presence, was again received into favour. He
-remained about a whole week in the imperial gardens, and went every
-day to converse with his majesty. Not long afterwards he was created
-beglerbeg of Temisvar, and sent off to take charge of his government.
-After having, for the space of two years, sustained this high rank
-and office, he began again to manifest the baseness of his nature.
-His innate scorpion-like disposition developed itself in the acts of
-tyranny and oppression which he perpetrated on the inhabitants, whom
-he robbed and spoiled without mercy. The people seeing themselves thus
-subjected to this merciless plunderer, determined on ridding themselves
-of him, and raising a tumult, threatened to murder him. Alarmed by
-these symptoms of revenge, he fled to Belgrade, where he remained in
-prison till the grand vezír, Murád Páshá, returned to Constantinople,
-and sent orders to cazí Zádeh Alí Páshá, protector of the frontiers, to
-put him to death.
-
-
-_Some more particulars belonging to this year._
-
-In the month of Sefer, the commandant of Brúsa, Mustafa Páshá, was
-called to fill the office of káímakám in the city of Constantinople.
-On the 10th of Rabia II. Yemenlí Hasan Páshá was removed from the
-government of Egypt, and returned with the fleet which conveyed the
-annual taxes. By the same conveyance also, seventeen begs and four
-beglerbegs, who had been removed from office by the advice of Mohammed
-Páshá, the válí of Egypt, arrived at Constantinople. Hasan Páshá,
-however, was again, in Jemadi II., reinstated in his vezírship, and
-died on the 9th of Rajab. On the 11th of Shevál Nukásh Hasan Páshá was
-appointed commandant of Brúsa (probably when he was sent after the
-notorious Kalander Oghlí). On the 28th of this month, after having
-received the very distressing and afflicting intelligence of the
-progress and success of the insurgents, and of their having nearly
-reached Brúsa, a general council of the great men of the state was
-summoned for the purpose of consulting what methods ought to be adopted
-for stopping the further progress of the rebellion. It was immediately
-agreed to fortify Brúsa; and to send vezír Dávud Páshá to Nicomedia,
-and Khezer Páshá to Scutari, to see these places fortified also; and
-to which they repaired. On the 22d of Shevál, Háfiz Ahmed Aghá, chief
-of the falconers, in consequence of the splendid talents he possessed,
-both as a man of science and a soldier, arrived at the dignity of
-becoming the emperor’s favourite. This led to a vezírship, when he
-became lord high admiral, in room of the European, Ja’fer Páshá.
-
-On the 16th of Dhu’l Kadah of this year, the khán of the Crimea,
-Ghází Gheráí, departed this life. The messengers who brought this
-intelligence to Constantinople informed the Ottoman government, that
-Toktamish Gheráí, the khán’s son, had, in virtue of his deceased
-father’s will, at least under this pretext, and without waiting for
-the sanction of the Turkish government, assumed the regal authority.
-This stretch of authority manifested by the presuming youth did not
-at all please the emperor, who, it would appear, intended to confer
-the khánship on Salámet Gheráí. This Salámet Gheráí was, at one time,
-the accomplice of Delí Hasan, of notorious memory, who although he
-repented, suffered four years’ imprisonment in the fortress of Romeili.
-Out of this condition the emperor raised him, and now conferred on him
-the khánship of the Crimea, become vacant by the death of Ghází Gheráí.
-His brother, Kalkái Mohammed Gheráí, who had been his fellow-prisoner,
-was also raised to a participation in the khánship, and both were sent
-off for the Crimea. On the 21st of this same month, after having kissed
-the emperor’s hand, they commenced their journey: Salámet went by sea,
-and Kalkái by land.
-
-Whilst Toktamish Gheráí was waiting with anxiety for the return of
-the messengers from the Sublime Porte, who, he hoped, would bring
-him intimations of the emperor’s approbation, his expectations were
-suddenly blasted by receiving, through some other channel, the
-unexpected news that his uncle, Salámet Gheráí, had been declared
-his father’s successor. Thinking to save his own life, he set out
-for Turkey, accompanied by his next eldest brother, Sefer Gheráí. On
-passing the river Uzí, and arriving at Akkerman, he employed the utmost
-precaution to avoid falling in with Kalkái, who was travelling by land:
-yet notwithstanding all his watchfulness, he actually did meet with
-him, when instantly a combat ensued, in which encounter the followers
-of Toktamish were all dispersed. He himself, and his brother, fell into
-the hands of Kalkái, and were murdered, but not before they had slain a
-host of their antagonists.
-
-Kalkái, pursuing his journey, arrived in the Crimea, and took
-possession of the high office assigned him; but soon began to manifest
-symptoms of corruption most derogatory to his exalted station; and
-for which Salámet Gheráí meditated his death. Kalkái was some way or
-other informed of his brother’s intentions, and, to escape what he had
-thus reason to fear, set out with his brother, Sháhin Gheráí, to the
-Circassian country, where he wandered about as an outlaw, and where
-he was afterwards visited by retributive justice for the murder of
-Toktamish: but we shall have to return to his history afterwards.
-
-In the meantime, the new khán, Salámet Gheráí, was not allowed to enjoy
-his elevation for any length of time, having been carried off by death.
-He was succeeded in the khánship by Jánbeg Gheráí.
-
-Hasan Beg Zádeh observes with respect to this portion of history, that
-it was no sooner known that Toktamish had usurped the regal dignity,
-than the admiral of the Crimean sea, Háfiz Ahmed Páshá, and the son
-of the emperor’s tutor or chaplain, represented to his majesty, that
-Toktamish Gheráí was not acceptable to the people, and that they wished
-Salámet Gheráí to be made their khán. The pure and disinterested mufti,
-deceived by Etmekjí Zádeh, spoke to the emperor in favour of Ghází
-Gheráí’s son, Toktamish, and assured his majesty, that the Tátárs would
-not accept of Salámet Gheráí as their khán. It turned out, however,
-that, after Salámet Gheráí, accompanied by a cup-bearer, had arrived
-in the Crimea, and succeeded to the possession of the Tátár throne,
-without any opposition having been offered, the emperor, hearing of
-it, and urged by an imperfect judgment, contrary to every principle of
-rectitude, deprived the mufti, Siná-allah Effendí, of his high office,
-and gave it to Mohammed Effendí, a son of his own chaplain. This office
-continued long afterwards to be occupied by one of his sons.
-
-
-_An ambassador arrives from Poland.—A former treaty is renewed._
-
-Zighmun (Sigismund), king of Poland, at this time sent an ambassador
-to Constantinople, with the view of negotiating a continuance of the
-friendly relation which had subsisted betwixt Turkey and Poland since
-the last treaty of peace, entered into during the reign of Sultán
-Mohammed Khán III. In this treaty it was stipulated, on the part of the
-Turkish government, that none of the countries over which Sigismund
-reigned should be invaded by either the grand sultán or the khán of
-the Crimea: and in like manner it was stipulated by Sigismund, that
-none of the princes under him, or any of his rebellious Cossaks, should
-ever transgress the Moslem boundaries. In conformity with the above
-treaty, it was now stipulated, that the king of Poland, after strict
-examination and search, should return all the prisoners who had been
-taken during the interval of the peace, and that the Ottoman government
-should act in a similar way, by returning such of his infidel captives
-as the Ottomans had seized, to officers appointed by the king: that all
-traders, whether by sea or land, were to pay the accustomed dues in all
-such places as they should happen to visit: that Poland, according to
-ancient custom, was to continue to pay to the khán of the Tátárs what
-it was in the habit of paying: that when the khán and his Tátárs are
-required to join the Ottoman army, they shall not pass through any part
-of the dominions of Poland, but take some other way: that in the event
-of any foreign enemy attacking Poland, the Tátárs are, in such a case,
-to aid the King of Poland if required to do so: that the Walachian and
-Moldavian nations shall not make inroads on the frontiers of Poland:
-that the inspectors or commanders of ports and the collectors of the
-revenue in Silistria and Akkerman shall permit no traders or merchants,
-except those trading with both countries, to enter Poland by any
-of the above-mentioned places: that should any slave or captive be
-found in the possession of any of those traders, whether crossing or
-recrossing the frontiers, all such traders shall be deprived of them,
-and the captives or slaves shall be sent to the proper quarter: that
-all traders or merchants shall pay whatever lawful impost is or may be
-fixed on; but no tax shall be laid on the money or specie which they
-may have or bring along with them to either country: that though the
-dollar, bearing the impression of the lion, which is current in Poland,
-be less in weight than the proper standard, it shall still be received,
-and the loss arising from this circumstance shall be mutual: that the
-royal firmán shall prohibit the receiving of usury within the Ottoman
-empire in future, and ordain, moreover, that hereafter the standard
-of the dollar, for the purposes and advantage of trade, shall be of
-various values: that should any of the Polish merchants choose to set
-free any slave or slaves, by ransoming them with money, they may do so;
-but no Muselman shall be either bought or sold. All the above articles
-having been approved of by the emperor, were signed on the 20th of
-Rabia I. of this year.
-
-
-
-
-EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1017, H.
-
-
-_The commander-in-chief, Murád Páshá, pursues Kalander Oghlí._
-
-On the return of spring, about the commencement of Moharrem, the
-commander-in-chief caused his tent to be erected outside of Aleppo,
-between the two gates called Bankúsa and Kizil, where it remained until
-towards the end of the month Sefer, and at which place the various
-corps assembled.
-
-In relating the events of the last year we referred particularly to
-the turbulent state of Anatolia and Caramania, and we mentioned the
-names of the principal insurgent-chiefs who had every where committed
-deeds of violence and of oppression in those districts. Some of these
-chiefs, we saw, were reduced by the skilful management of Murád, and
-by promises of lucrative and honourable situations; some were slain,
-and some turned their arms against one another. The most formidable
-of these rebel-chiefs was Jánbulát Oghlí, whose history we have
-already related. There remained still, however, one or two others who
-had escaped the vengeance due to their misdeeds; these were Kalander
-Oghlí and Karah Seyed, his associate. Around the standards of these
-two rebels the followers of the other chiefs had rallied, and during
-the winter season ravaged the neighbourhood of Brúsa and Magnesia,
-perpetrating acts of cruelty and oppression wherever they went. We
-have before related the burning of Brúsa by Kalander Oghlí, and how he
-thought of intercepting Etmekjí Zádeh, who, he supposed, was carrying
-funds to the grand army under Murád. The number of infidels that had
-collected round him and Karah Seyed amounted to 30,000.
-
-An account of their number and plans having been transmitted to the
-commander-in-chief, Murád Páshá, he, without waiting until the whole
-of his troops had joined his camp at Aleppo, removed from that place
-on the 1st of Rabia I. with the janissary and household troops, and
-marched towards Merœsh, where he was joined by the army of Egypt
-under the command of Kansú Beg. On arriving at the river Jeihún (Oxus
-or Bactrus) he threw some bridges across it, by means of which he
-passed over with his army, and afterwards pitched his camp in the
-plains of Koksú, where he was again joined by Emír Hasan, son of
-Yúsuf, son of Seif, who, besides his own soldiers, brought along with
-him the Syrian troops from Tripoli.
-
-When Kalander Oghlí saw that Etmekjí Zádeh had escaped the snares
-he had laid for him, and that all hope of capturing the money, the
-great object of his heart, had failed, he and thirteen others of his
-associate rebel-chiefs, besides Karah Seyed, held a council in order
-to consider how they should act. “Without further delay,” said the
-principal rebel-chiefs, “let us at once march against Murád Páshá, and
-should we happen to be successful in our attack upon him, and defeat
-the old man, all the country on this side of Scutari will be ours.”
-This proposal, however, did not meet the approbation of Seyed Arab, one
-of their number, who said in reply, “The province of Anatolia is very
-extensive. If the Osmánlí serdár should come and attack us, it will be
-our wisdom to avoid coming in contact with him; for it would be most
-hazardous to venture a battle with him.” This counsel of Seyed Arab
-was far from meeting with the concurrence of his associates, who were
-all bent on encountering the Osmánlí hero, for their cup of pride and
-arrogance was now full.
-
-Mesli Chávush, who had been sent with a body of men from Larenda to
-oppose the rebels as formerly mentioned, but who had been unsuccessful,
-received a letter from Kalander Oghlí, proposing to Mesli Chávush
-that he should join him, and that they should unite their respective
-forces, and attack the Ottoman general. This letter was couched in the
-most friendly terms; but as a specimen of the vanity which the author
-of it possessed, we shall transcribe it verbatim. He begins: “The
-commencement of my transactions is known to the world. The Ottomans, by
-exciting rebellion and breaking treaties, have acquired a superiority,
-and therefore their arrogance has attained the very highest pitch.
-Inured, as they are, to the practice of open daylight tyranny and
-oppression, I have relinquished all connection with them. I despise
-their friendship, and have turned away my face from them. Having taken
-my measures, I entered into Mekhalij, Aydin, and Sarúkhán; I have
-ravaged and laid waste all these places, and am returned with immense
-spoil. Our numbers increased daily. When we went to Iconium, the
-beglerbeg of Caramania, Zulfekár Páshá, the governor, shut himself up
-in the fortress, and permitted the whole country-round to be plundered
-and ravaged, without once endeavouring to do any thing to save the
-property of the inhabitants. From Iconium we proceeded to Caramania,
-where we took up our residence. Had not the Osmánlís cut off all hope,
-these excesses had not taken place. After what has happened to Jánbulát
-Oghlí there is no submitting to them. By the help of God, I, and the
-numerous active and heroic veterans that accompany me, shall soon
-finish that old dotard (Murád Páshá). Should fortune declare against
-us, however, and he become victorious, why, even then, the fame of our
-deeds will sufficiently immortalize our names.” Mesli, by this letter,
-was induced to associate his fortunes with this notorious rebel, and
-secretly entered into compact with him.
-
-These secret transactions, however, being made known to the
-commander-in-chief Murád Páshá, he, in order to prevent the junction
-of these two robbers, gave Mesli the government of a sanják on the
-condition of his not accompanying him in the war. The emperor also, in
-a short time afterwards, sent him a promise of the government of the
-province of Caramania.
-
-When Kalander Oghlí had learned that the Osmánlí general had come
-half-way from Aleppo on his march against him, he harangued his
-rebel-troops thus: “The Osmánlí general has no troops, except the
-Pretorian bands. They, too, in consequence of the hardships they have
-suffered from hunger and cold at Aleppo, are very much weakened.
-Moreover,” continued he, “the whole of his treasures and the archives
-are in his train. Be courageous, therefore, and acquit yourselves
-like good soldiers, my brave companions. Fall on his camp with heroic
-ardour, and your fame will be remembered till the resurrection. By
-taking this step of intrepidity and boldness, which I recommend to you,
-you will put yourselves in possession of both arms and treasures.” This
-speech had the effect intended. The spirit of his rebel army—amounting
-to twenty thousand foot and horse—was roused to thirst for the
-achievements held out to their view. They accordingly commenced their
-movements, traversed the country of Caramania, passed through gardens
-and corn-fields, robbed and plundered the Turkmans, and at length
-approached the plains of Koksú, where the Osmánlí general was encamped.
-Murád Páshá, who had been watching the movements of the rebels, was
-informed, by means of his spies, that Kalander Oghlí, with twenty
-thousand rebels, had made a considerable advance upon him with the
-intention of disputing with him the pass of Koksú, and of checking his
-progress. Murád made instant preparation for battle; but as the mouth
-of the pass of Koksú, to which the rebels, he was informed, were fast
-approaching, was still four stages distant from him; and as it was of
-the utmost importance to prevent the enemy from taking possession of
-it, he sent a few companies of musketeer janissaries and about thirty
-Chorbájís under the command of Delí Pírí Aghá, to take possession of
-it before the arrival of the rebels. They accomplished the journey in
-three days, and took up their position within the mouth of the pass.
-Murád erected his pavilion on a rising ground, whilst his pretorian
-bands extended their camp along its declivity: the troops of Egypt
-encamped in the plains to the left of the serdár, contiguous to the
-hill on which his tent was erected. On this hill also the whole of the
-baggage was properly disposed of: ditches, at proper distances, were
-cut, and filled with janissary troops; in short, all necessary means
-and precautions were taken.
-
-In the meantime, the rebels advanced with the view of securing the
-pass of Koksú, but found they were too late, it being in possession of
-the janissaries under Delí Pírí, and, therefore, without attempting
-to dislodge them, they retired. Perceiving, however, the defensive
-aspect of the royalists, and their determination to fight, Kalander
-Oglí put his troops in order of battle, and prepared for the contest.
-Murád’s van-guard acted rather precipitately on this occasion; for,
-before he had issued any order for commencing an attack, they, without
-waiting for advice, advanced and offered battle to the van-guard of
-the enemy, which immediately advanced in their turn to the bank of the
-river separating the two armies, where a very warm skirmish took place.
-The main body of the royalists remained on the hill or rising-ground
-on which they had encamped; and the enemy thinking that the Egyptian
-army, with which they were now contending, was the Osmánlí force that
-had accompanied the serdár, rushed forth in terrific numbers, and the
-assault became general. Murád putting his right and left wings into
-motion, gave the word of command, and, like the rushing of a mighty
-torrent, descended from the hill into the field of battle. The right
-wing entered into close combat with the division under Karah Seyed, and
-the left with that under Kalander Oghlí himself. The battle now became
-general; they fought fiercely. The serdár’s right wing, composed of
-the valiant spáhís, and headed by the chief of Malatieh, Karah Kásh
-Ahmed Páshá, and the serdár’s own deputy, Omar Ketkhodá, suceeded in
-completely routing the accursed wretches under Karah Seyed. The left
-wing composed of salihdárs and the troops from Tripoli, commanded by
-Mír Hasan, son of Seif, and the Egyptian troops, commanded by Kansú
-Beg, fought the rebels under Kalander Oghlí with such unparalleled
-bravery as made the very heavens reverberate with approbation and
-applause.
-
-The ever-watchful commander-in-chief, perceiving that a detachment
-of the enemy had formed the design of seizing on his baggage, very
-opportunely sent a party of janissaries to the brow of the hill where
-it was stationed, who successfully repelled every attempt on that
-quarter. The enemy’s squadrons, becoming desperate and furious with
-rage, exerted their utmost skill and force to cut down the Moslems
-who opposed them, but without much success. The commanding general
-now advanced a few paces, riding on his swift chestnut, and brought
-the whole of his disposable force to bear on these hateful devils;
-and calling to his assistance those troops he had sent to guard the
-baggage, in a short time the whole of the rebels were put to flight.
-Their defeat was most decisive. It has been said that a voice was
-heard in the rebel army which said, “for whom are you fighting? Murád
-Páshá has laid a stratagem for you. Zulfekár Páshá, with the army of
-Caramania has come by the way of the hills, and has seized on your
-camp.” This report had the effect of hastening the flight, and served
-to give the Moslem army the superiority.
-
-On the second day after the battle, the commanding general took up
-his position in that part of the field which had been the enemy’s
-camp. Hasan Páshá, beglerbeg of Aleppo, was appointed to pursue the
-fugitive rebels with a detachment of troops. Mír Hasan Ebn Seif, with
-his Malatian soldiers, Karah Kásh Ahmed Páshá, with the troops of
-Tripoli, and several other principal officers; besides ten thousand
-horse, composed chiefly of Turcomans and Syrian troops, made up the
-detachment which was sent in pursuit of the rebels. The scattered and
-dispersed infidels, however, were now roaming about in the fields in
-the wildest disorder and distress of soul, terrifying and murdering
-the peasants wherever they met any. The pursuing Osmánlís followed
-hard after them, cutting and slashing all they overtook, and at last,
-closed up in a corner, as it were, such of the rebels as had had the
-good fortune to escape the general slaughter, were necessitated to
-make one last effort of resistance in self-defence. This effort was
-not only feeble but vain; and they were again forced to flee. Throwing
-away the provisions they had with them, they struggled hard to escape
-with their lives. Many of them having been on foot, were obliged to
-throw away their arms and accoutrements; and those of them who actually
-did escape the sword of vengeance, made their way through the province
-of Erzerúm to Ardehán, experiencing the most dreadful privations.
-Notwithstanding the hot pursuit after these wretched fugitives, in
-which so very many of them perished, some few of them, besides those
-who had made their way to Ardehán, escaped to Emír Gunah Khán. Their
-arrival, and their requesting the sháh’s protection, were no sooner
-made known than they were cordially received; but when they were
-afterwards questioned as to the motive they had in rebelling against
-their lawful sovereign, and when, at the same time, they were told that
-their unfortunate coming into the sháh’s dominions might, eventually,
-be the means of bringing foreign troops into his country, they seemed
-quite at a loss, and said some few incoherent things in justification
-of their conduct. A representation of their circumstances, and of their
-wicked rebellion against the Ottoman government was laid before the
-sháh, but they, after having their clothes altered after the Persian
-fashion, and agreeing to become kizil báshes (red heads), were promised
-the protection they sought for. The apostates cheerfully embraced
-the alternative offered them, looking upon it as a real favour, and
-instantly became incorporated with the kizil báshes. They were, in
-all, two thousand in number, and were sent off by one hundred and two
-hundreds to a country of misfortune, where they were dispersed, and
-left to experience the evil effects of their own misconduct.
-
-His excellency the commander-in-chief, after having defeated and routed
-the rebel-army, as before described, marched towards the country of
-Cæsarea and Sivás, and encamped at a place called Chubuk Awásí, where
-he waited ten days for the return of the detachment which had gone in
-pursuit of the rebels. Whilst remaining at Chubuk Awásí messengers
-from Baghdád brought him letters which informed him that Jeghala Zádeh
-Mohammed Páshá had fully succeeded in vanquishing the rebel called
-Mustafa Ben Túyel. This account has been recorded by one of the poets
-of that time, who enumerated the achievements of Murád Páshá both in
-the east and west.
-
-
-_His Excellency Murád Páshá hastens after the brother of Túyel Mahmúd._
-
-His excellency, the commander-in-chief, removed his camp from Chubuk
-Awásí and went to Sivás, where, after a halt of ten days, he learned
-that the infamous Meymún, brother to Túyel Mahmúd, who had conquered
-Baghdád and vanquished his ketkhodá, Hasan, had, with six thousand
-rebels, desolated the country round Kúr Sheher; but that after having
-heard of the defeat of Kalander Oghlí they hastily decamped, robbing
-and plundering what they could find in the vicinity of that city. They
-committed all the mischief they were able in every village and hamlet
-through which they passed, pillaging such of the Turcomans as fell in
-their way, and prepared to follow Kalander into Persia. Murád Páshá no
-sooner received this intelligence than he made all haste to intercept
-them if possible. Following this impulse, he left his heavy baggage
-and camp in the plains of Sivás, under the charge of the defterdár,
-Bákí Páshá, and marched off with about two thousand or more spáhís,
-under the command of the ághá of the janissaries, besides some few
-others, making all the haste he was able. Each person carried with him
-seven days’ provision, a small coverlet in the form of a canopy, or
-at least to be used as such, and a carpet to sleep on when necessary.
-This precipitate movement took place on the evening of the 17th of
-Jemadi II., and was continued, without the least intermission, for the
-space of six days and seven nights. His excellency, Murád Páshá, in
-his ninetieth year, fell sick on this hurried march, and was sometimes
-obliged to descend from his horse, when he lay on the ground, having
-the appearance of a corpse. These fits of sickness, however, were not
-of any continuance: in a short time he was again enabled to mount and
-continue his journey. On the seventh day, the expedition reached Karah
-Hisár, where they made enquiry respecting the rebels they were in
-search of, and were informed that the rebel force had lodged in that
-place on the preceding night; but that they had set out by daybreak
-for the narrow pass called the valley or hollow of Karah Hasan, where
-they, it would appear, had halted. Two thousand men, under the command
-of Píáleh Páshá, formerly of Bassora, were instantly dispatched to
-the hiding-place of the rebels. Murád, with the remainder of his
-veterans, followed close upon them, and arrived, though not first,
-at the valley or hollow where the rebels were hid. On the morning of
-the 23d of Jemadi, as these rebels, no way anticipating a visit from
-Murád Páshá, were saddling and loading their beasts of burden, they
-were suddenly, as if by a thunderbolt from heaven, put into the utmost
-consternation by perceiving Píáleh and his men come within their
-hiding-place; and who, like a flash of lightning, and before giving
-them time to enquire what had come over them, fell upon them at once.
-The resistance of the rebels was not of long continuance. Those of
-their foot-soldiers that were fortunate enough to escape the sword,
-fled out of the hollow, and made to the mountains: and their horsemen,
-though they, at one time, made an attempt to maintain their ground,
-fled also in the utmost confusion. Orders had been previously given
-(_i.e._ before the engagement), that none of the Moslems should lose
-any time in gathering up the spoil until the rebels had been completely
-vanquished. These orders, however, were neglected by some. The soldiers
-who were in front, seeing the property of the rebels lying scattered
-around them, were overcome by the temptation: they forgot their duty
-by beginning to appropriate to themselves the spoils which the rebels
-in their panic had abandoned. The result was, that the rebels found
-time to rally again; and, perceiving how their pursuers were employed,
-returned to a renewal of the combat with a spirit and vigour far
-superior to that which they had shown at the commencement. The struggle
-now became hot and doubtful. The governor of Adnah, Mustafa Páshá, and
-one or two Chorbájís fell in the contest: the advanced troops gave way,
-and began to retreat, but were stopped by Khalíl Aghá, ághá of the
-janissaries, who had hurriedly stepped forward with the men under him,
-and prevented their flight. At this instant, and not before, did the
-commander-in-chief make his appearance; who, with the reinforcement
-which he brought with him, completely turned the fate of the day. The
-rebels finding themselves utterly unable to resist the force which
-was now brought to bear upon them, fell into confusion, and again
-retreated. The Moslems followed hard upon them, and drove them entirely
-out of the valley or hollow where the engagement had hitherto been
-carried on. The rebels, however, on getting into the plains called
-Kilwerat, again contrived to rally, and returned to the charge; but
-were soon totally broken, and forced to betake themselves to their
-usual expedient—flight. All those who had escaped the vengeance of the
-sword of the orthodox Muselmans followed the example of Kalander Oghlí.
-The whole of their baggage, of whatever kind it was, fell into the
-hands of the victors: very many of their men on foot were seized and
-brought back into the presence of Murád, who had, on account of the ill
-state of his health, remained on the field of battle, and who ordered
-them all to be executed without commiseration as they were brought
-before him. The dead bodies of the rebels were put into heaps in the
-field, and towers were made of their heads.
-
-After these things, information was sent to Sivás of this new victory
-which the orthodox Moslems had gained in the valley of Karah Hasan; and
-orders, at the same time, were sent to the royal camp to advance to
-the place where the commanding general then was. These orders having
-been duly obeyed, the victorious and gallant serdár was again, on the
-25th of Jemadi I., in motion, and on the 3d of Jemadi II. encamped at
-a place called Sadáklú, within a stage of Beybúrd; where, after a day
-or two’s rest, he was joined by Bákí Páshá and the troops under his
-command. At the expiration of these days he removed his camp to the
-valley of Sinvar, in the vicinity of Beybúrd, where he was joined by
-such of his troops as had not before returned from the pursuit of the
-rebels. The heads of the prisoners they had brought along with them
-were severed from their bodies, and made into heaps like mountains.
-Robes of honour were conferred on the gallant chiefs who had been
-active on this occasion, and presents were made to the heroic troops.
-
-About the middle of the month last mentioned, the válí of Diárbeker,
-Nesúh Páshá, with vezír-like pomp, sound of music, and martial display
-joined the royal camp. One thousand musketeers wearing fine scarlet
-robes; five hundred foot-guards wearing yellow regimentals; and five
-hundred more wearing black caps; and five thousand cavalry, was the
-display which Nesúh made on this occasion. But of what use was all
-this display? He and they ought to have come earlier, and to have
-been on the field of battle, to share in the dangers and the glory of
-the combat. After making the splendid display above alluded to, he
-advanced towards the commanding general, and, when within bow-shot of
-him, descended from his horse, proceeded on foot till he approached
-the general, who, by this time, had come four paces to meet him, when
-he fell on his knees and kissed the general’s foot. The general, in
-return, showed him the respect due to his station, kissed his hand,
-and conducted him into his pavilion, telling him in a friendly manner
-that he was welcome, and calling him _son_. Nesúh Páshá bowed his head
-to the ground, and made this reply: “My noble lord will pardon me. My
-fault in not having arrived at an earlier period, and taking a share
-in the late important events, is great.” “What,” said the general,
-“was the reason that you have been so tardy? You have a most splendid
-army, thank God. You heard that the troops under my command amount to
-no more than the number that wintered with me at Aleppo. The distance
-between Diárbeker and Aleppo is not very great: but in reality you
-were near. If your not coming to my assistance was intended as a mark
-of disrespect to me, it was not disrespect to me, let me tell you,
-but disrespect for the emperor. If it had so happened that we had
-been discomfited, were you in circumstances to have advanced and met
-Kalander Oghlí? What do you think would be the judicial sentence of a
-judge on hearing of a Moslem army being too weak to act against a foe,
-whilst a powerful Moslem army was at no great distance from it and did
-not come to its aid?” Nesúh was absolutely unable to make any reply to
-these pointed interrogatories, and held down his head. “Son,” said
-the general again, “son, what means this multitude of men? They are
-now unnecessary. Sixteen thousand men have been found sufficient to
-overcome Jánbulát Oghlí, and his followers have been all dispersed, or
-have been made to flee. You are already acquainted with the history of
-Kalander Oghlí. It was by no means the wish of the emperor that even
-one of these segbáns (foot-guards or soldiers), now with you, should
-ever have been in Anatolia; so that when you return to your government
-or province you must certainly disband them. If you be obstinate and
-disobey, remember the emperor has long hands (meaning great power).
-If one of those instruments of power, such as you have seen, be sent
-to execute you, you need not be much surprised?” In this way Murád
-Páshá conversed with Nesúh, and exhorted him; and afterwards made
-him a present of two robes of honour. In the afternoon of the same
-day, Nesúh Páshá returned to Murád’s pavilion, bringing along with
-him some very splendid and valuable presents for him, dined with him,
-and continued in his company till the night was so far advanced that
-he required torches when he returned to his own tent. On the 27th of
-Jemadi II., Zulfekár Páshá, governor of Caramania, returned to the
-royal camp with his troops: so also did Etmekjí Zádeh, válí of Romeili,
-with his provincial troops, and brought along with him the money
-destined for the army; having marched by the way of Ancora. Though
-both of these officers had incurred the displeasure of the commanding
-general for the tardiness they had discovered, yet when he reflected
-on his own splendid achievements, he forgave them most freely. It is
-impossible to relate all the great and important services rendered by
-this celebrated, heroic, prudent, and skilful, though aged commander.
-Suffice it to say, that he took ample vengeance on the rebels, and
-cleared, in a great measure, the countries they infested of their
-presence and influence. When an account of the success he had obtained
-over Kalander Oghlí was sent to his majesty, his majesty, with feelings
-of the purest kindness, called the messenger into his presence, asked
-him most particularly as to the state of the war and the success of
-his general, showed peculiar marks of respect to the messenger himself
-ordered two suits of garments and a richly ornamented sword to be sent
-to Murád Páshá, and at the same time a robe of honour for each of the
-grandees in Murád’s army, besides some letters expressive of his
-best wishes for them all. Murád Páshá, not long afterwards, had it in
-his power to announce to the government of Constantinople his success
-against the brother of Túyel, whom he completely defeated.
-
-
-_The commander-in-chief, Murád Páshá, is recalled to court._
-
-Notwithstanding the grace and favour which his excellency, Murád
-Páshá, had shown to Etmekjí Zádeh, who had failed to arrive with his
-Romeilian troops in sufficient time to assist against the two rebel
-chiefs so frequently mentioned, _viz._ Kalander Oghlí and Túyel; and
-notwithstanding that, instead of meeting with merited reproach for
-his tardiness, he was honoured with special marks of kindness, yet
-Etmekjí Zádeh, from an idea that he was not altogether safe from the
-influence of any evil designs which Murád Páshá might harbour against
-him, wrote to his friends at Constantinople in the most pressing manner
-to use their influence to have him recalled. Accordingly, on the 7th of
-Rajab, the commander-in-chief received a royal mandate, desiring him
-to confer the government of Romeili on whom he would, but by all means
-to send back the emperor’s defterdár, Etmekjí Zádeh Ahmed Páshá, to
-Constantinople. The royal firmán commanded farther, that Murád Páshá
-should march his army to Erzerúm, there winter, and in the spring march
-against the Persians. Such was the import of the royal firmán.
-
-The enlightened and skilful general answered as follows: “Sire, you
-have been pleased to recall Ahmed Páshá, the válí of Romeili. His
-coming or not coming to the assistance of the orthodox army was of
-no importance; nor can his staying here yield them any advantage.
-As to your slave (Murád himself), you have ordered him to go into
-winter-quarters at Erzerúm. Is the province of Anatolia become so
-completely defended and guarded as to render it safe for me to winter
-in Erzerúm, and in the spring to open a campaign against Persia? Should
-the rebels who may still exist assemble themselves together, are the
-vezírs of your august court competent to quell or disperse them? In
-this affair let the gracious will of the emperor be done. The time
-for distributing the troops into winter-quarters is at hand. A kíleh
-(a certain measure) of barley sells at five ducats, and the wakáyet
-(about 2-1/4 lbs.) of bread has risen to a ghorúsh (a dollar).” So
-much for the sentiments of Murád to his sovereign. Immediately on
-sending the above he commenced making arrangements for obeying the
-imperial firmán; but when his multitudinous troops assembled together,
-they declared it impracticable to do so, because of the dearth which
-prevailed in Erzerúm. “The emperor,” said they, “is not acquainted
-with the state and circumstances of that province: he listens only
-to the voice of those flatterers who surround him: they, as well as
-the káímakám, have no wish to see the noble general-in-chief return
-to Constantinople. They have the whole management of affairs in their
-own hands, and they see well, that should the grand vezír (Murád
-Páshá) return, the impracticability of the plans they have recommended
-would be made to appear. We have been now (continued the military)
-two years in the war, and have achieved several important victories.
-We shall now return home.” The general, after having given utterance
-to these unceremonious sentiments, called the cazí of the camp, and
-caused him to write out a statement of the prices of provisions, and
-gave a copy of it, as well as a statement of their own sentiments, to
-the kapújís who had conveyed the imperial firmán, and forthwith sent
-them back to the grand sultán. On the following day his excellency,
-the commander-in-chief, appointed Hasan Páshá, beglerbeg of Erzerúm,
-and a number of begs, with Chukál Oghlí Hasan Aghá, and about thirty
-chorbájís, to accompany the imperial messengers. Karah Hisár, in
-the east, he conferred on Turkijeh Bilmaz, and the province of Wán
-on Tekelí Mohammed Páshá: Zulfekár Páshá was sent back to his own
-government in Caramania, and Etmekjí Zádeh and the Romeilian troops he
-dismissed to European Turkey. He also allowed Nesúh Páshá to return
-to his own government at Diárbeker, and he himself, about the 15th of
-Rajab, went to Tokat. He had been scarcely two days at Tokat, when just
-as he was in the act of paying his troops, he received another imperial
-firmán which was expressed in these terms: “At whatever station our
-imperial firmán reaches you, there winter.” This was brief enough; but
-the commanding general, by private letters which he had received by the
-same conveyance which brought him the above short firmán, was let into
-the secret. These letters assured him that several of the influential
-and ruling party at court were altogether averse to his returning to
-Constantinople; that one of these, Kapúdán Háfiz Ahmed Páshá, was the
-emperor’s favourite; that he, as also the káímakám, Mustafa Páshá, the
-reverend mufti, Mohammed Effendí, his old enemy, and Mustafa, ághá of
-the palace, had, by leaguing together, represented to his majesty that
-the rebellion in Anatolia had been altogether crushed, and that instead
-of recalling Murád Páshá, he ought to be sent against the sháh of
-Persia.
-
-When his excellency, Murád Páshá, was thus informed how matters stood,
-he answered the royal firmán in the following terms: “Sire, you have
-been pleased to order me to winter at Erzerúm and in the spring to
-march against the Persians. What is to be done? It is the will of my
-sovereign. Your slave is now a weak old man of ninety years of age;
-but I trust I shall fall a martyr in the field of battle. When I
-march against the sháh of Persia, the armed rebels, who now lurk in
-their hiding-places, will then find an opportunity of again becoming
-troublesome. They are waiting for a chance of this kind, especially
-Meseli Chávush, Aydin, and Yúsuf of Sarúkhán, besides several others of
-the same description. Should what I have now hinted be realized, and
-they again commence the work of violence and mischief, will you not, in
-that case, have to send hither from Romeili another commander-in-chief?
-Leave us, if you please, where we are. The master of the work knows
-his own duty best. Do not you follow the counsels of those sycophants
-who surround you. Permit us to eradicate the enemies amongst ourselves
-first, and then we shall direct our movements against the kingdom of
-Persia.” This answer was sent back to the emperor by means of the
-persons who had brought him the royal firmán, whilst he himself made
-preparations for returning to Constantinople.
-
-On the 9th of Ramazán he arrived at Scutari, and on the following
-day, with a splendid retinue and four hundred standards taken from
-the rebels, each of which bore, in bright letters, the names of the
-rebel-chiefs under whom it had been carried, he passed over to the
-metropolis, dressed himself in a double suit of fine robes, put
-a turban ornamented with feathers on his head, and went into the
-emperor’s presence to do obeisance before him. The emperor was in a
-short time convinced of the worth and dignity of his general’s talents
-and general conduct, and immediately ordered splendid robes, such as
-were suitable to the imperial grandeur to confer, to be given to Murád
-Páshá. The public in general, poets and historians, spoke of him in the
-most laudatory manner.
-
-It is not to be concealed that, from the day the celebrated Murád Páshá
-passed over to Scutari, as commander-in-chief of the eastern forces,
-the services which he had rendered to his sovereign and country were
-immense. Thirty thousand, at least, of those rebels who had served
-under Jánbulát Oghlí, Kalander Oghlí, and Túyel, including those who
-had been murdered by the peasantry, perished by his means. What may
-have been the number of those who perished otherwise, is not known. In
-villages, and in small towns, sometimes from a hundred to a thousand,
-and even as many as three thousand of the rebels who had fortified
-themselves within them, were all slain with the sword. Forty-eight
-principal rebel chiefs and twenty-five thousand rebels are said to have
-perished in flight. In the Register of Tokat it is inserted, that by
-far the greater part of these numbers, whose heads had been made to
-roll on the ground in front of the serdár’s pavilion, had been rooted
-out by Murád Páshá’s troops. To these now mentioned may be added about
-thirty thousand more who had been seized alive and executed, and the
-number of rebels who perished in this war could not have been less than
-100,000 souls.
-
-The enemies of the grand vezír and commander-in-chief, Murád Páshá,
-when they saw the honours which had been heaped upon him, were not
-only exceedingly grieved, but their hatred and malignity increased
-and led them, moreover, to employ villainous means to ruin him. They
-insinuated, for instance, that Murád had seized on all Jánbulát Oghlí’s
-treasures and effects which had remained with his wife and children
-at Aleppo; and for the truth of this charge they appealed to some of
-Jánbulát Oghlí’s sons, whom Murád Páshá had sent to the royal haram.
-They, of course, were his enemies, and had the hardihood to assert that
-the treasurer, Bákí Páshá, had spent six whole months in selling and
-disposing of their father’s property. This was a vile exaggeration. It
-happened, however, that one day, when Bákí Páshá was sitting in the
-diván, the ághá of the janissaries received a royal firmán ordering
-him to convey Bákí Páshá to the Seven Towers. The ághá, without
-Murád Páshá’s knowing any thing of the matter, proceeded to the
-diván, seized on Bákí Páshá, and conveyed him in a boat to the prison
-above-mentioned. This took place on a Tuesday; and after the vezírs had
-entered into the royal audience he addressed them thus: “I have ordered
-Bákí Páshá to the Seven Towers; let Ahmed Páshá (_i. e._ Etmekjí Zádeh)
-be reinstated into the office of lord high treasurer, and let Bákí
-Páshá be examined with respect to Jánbúlát Oghlí’s property, that we
-may know what he has done with it: also let the strictest enquiry be
-made of Murád Páshá.” “Why,” replied Murád Páshá, “having been anxious
-to preserve the most valuable and most precious of Jánbúlát Oghlí’s
-effects for your royal majesty, I prevented them from being sold; and
-brought them along with me, to be delivered over to your royal majesty.
-Let Bákí Páshá answer for the rest.” The new lord high-treasurer, Ahmed
-Páshá, on examining his predecessor in office with regard to this
-matter, was undauntedly informed that he (_i. e._ Bákí Páshá), with
-the exception of the articles which Murád Páshá had claimed for his
-royal majesty, had disposed of the rest for the purpose of defraying
-the expenses of the war. No more was said about it; and Bákí Páshá,
-after having lain forty days in the Seven Towers, was set at liberty.
-He passed the winter at Constantinople, and was employed in making
-arrangements for commencing a new campaign in the spring.
-
-The lord high-admiral, Háfiz Páshá, after having cruized along the
-shores of Romeili, sailed to the port of Alexandria, took in the
-taxes which had been gathered in Egypt, and returned to Istámbol. The
-government of Syria was conferred on him, and the admiralship on Khalíl
-Aghá, ághá of the janissaries. The ágháship of the janissaries was
-conferred on Mohammed Aghá, Spáhí Zádeh, of the artillery department.
-
-
-_Concerning Mohammed Páshá in Egypt._
-
-After the murder of Ibrahím Páshá in Egypt, in the year 1012, the
-disturbance in that country became every day more and more serious and
-alarming; but by the prudent and efficient measures employed by Gúrjí
-Mohammed Páshá, who, in 1016, was sent thither to quell the tumults
-which had been raised there, they were to a considerable extent
-allayed. He slew a vast number of the insurgents; whilst, at the same
-time, he brought the others for the most part, under subjection, at
-least to all appearance. But Mohammed Páshá having been succeeded in
-office by Hasan Páshá, from Yemen, a man of extraordinary mildness,
-the insurgents, subdued though not crushed, were again emboldened to
-rise in rebellion, and to commit outrages more terrible than they had
-formerly been guilty of.
-
-The origin of the evil just now alluded to seems to have been this.
-The válís or governors who had been sent to Egypt, made it a first
-principle to press heavy upon the inspectors of taxes, by forcing
-them to advance large sums of money, taking from some ten thousand,
-from others twenty thousand, and from others forty thousand ducats,
-according to circumstances, and only on payment of these enormous sums
-were they confirmed in their office. These inspectors and those others
-employed in raising the taxes or revenue were, from this circumstance,
-necessarily constrained to lay such heavy duties upon the inhabitants,
-to enable them to meet the demands of the válí, as were far beyond
-what was necessary, or they were well able to pay. The inspectors and
-revenue officers too, in order to meet their own extravagance and
-dissipation, made the burdens of the people still more intolerable and
-grievous. In short, to so high a pitch did they carry this system of
-taxation, that the wretched inhabitants, not any longer able to endure
-it, rose in rebellion, and determined, at all hazards, to resist an
-oppression which they evidently foresaw would utterly ruin them.
-
-This was the state in which the country was involved when Mohammed
-Páshá entered upon the government of Egypt. He, very properly, set
-himself, at once, to correct abuses and to punish offenders. The
-money which came into the hands of the collectors, and which usually
-amounted to more than one hundred thousand ducats per annum, he, by
-a wise regulation, prevented from being subject to any deductions
-whatever. He also made a new regulation, by which the tax-gatherers
-were, in future, to be guided. Without the consent and approbation
-of the diván of Mesir, they were to impose no tax whatever, nor to
-advance, unnecessarily, money to the inspectors. In the third place,
-he confirmed in their situations those inspectors and tax-gatherers
-who had acted with moderation; but such of these classes as had been
-convicted of extortions and injustice, he caused to be seized: some of
-them he dismissed with contempt and ignominy, and others he sent out of
-the world altogether.
-
-By these methods he soon established confidence in his administration,
-and all classes of the people seemed satisfied with the arrangements
-which he adopted. The want of confidence, and unhappy tumults, which
-the injustice and oppression to which we have adverted had occasioned
-in Egypt, were happily, by his means, removed. In short, to so great
-a degree were peace and security every where established, that the
-weakest and most timorous could travel to and from Grand Cairo with the
-greatest safety. By his wisdom and prudence he gained the concurrence
-and good will of the chief men among the people, as well as of the
-officers belonging to the Chávushes, cavalry and janissaries, as well
-as of the city-guards or militia. And, in order to do away with all
-grounds of discontent and opposition, he called a general meeting, at
-which the whole of the nobles, princes, inspectors, revenue-officers,
-and six companies of feudatory troops were present; to whom, in the
-most earnest manner, he expressed himself thus: “His majesty is by
-no means disposed to permit tyranny and oppression to exist anywhere
-within his dominions. Ever since the moment that I, his servant, came
-into possession of this government, to which I was preferred, it has
-been my study, in obedience to his will, to remove oppression, tyranny,
-and injustice; and to afford peace, safety, and happiness to the
-people in the different departments in Egypt. This is in accordance
-with the express wish of his majesty, who is every way opposed to
-injustice and oppression, as well as to every kind of invasion of the
-rights and privileges of the people. In confirmation of this, I need
-only repeat to you his own words.” Here he produced the emperor’s
-commission, which he caused to be read aloud, and which ran thus:
-“Behold, we have relieved you from those burdens which the governors,
-revenue-officers, and other functionaries, have been in the habit of
-imposing on you; it is, therefore, the duty of the people to break off
-all friendly intercourse with those persons who have been convicted of
-such base practices.” The whole of the assembled multitude, on hearing
-the emperor’s sentiments read to them, expressed, in return, their
-best wishes for his well-being. Those in this assembly who had been
-in the habit of acting corruptly were, for their own sakes, silent
-and assumed the appearance of being content; but it was only because
-they were unable to effect any opposition. Such, however, was the
-general impression made on this occasion on the mind of the people,
-particularly by the mildness and meekness manifested by the vezír, that
-they remained, for a time, afterwards quiet; but the peace was not of
-long duration. The mercenary tribe who had been deprived of the power
-of exercising tyranny and injustice on the people, collected together,
-and falling on those persons who had succeeded them in the revenue
-department, slew them without mercy. Determined on further resistance
-to the new arrangements, they entered into a sort of confederacy,
-whereby they bound themselves not to desist from their demands until
-they had obtained acquiescence in them.
-
-Information of these things having been communicated to the vezír, he
-instantly called together his great men, and represented to them the
-state of matters with respect to those desperadoes who had just been
-guilty of shedding innocent blood, and now had formed themselves into a
-confederacy in opposition to the will of the emperor. Therefore, said
-he, let the whole of them be collected into the maidán or square, in
-order that the thing may be properly investigated. This was accordingly
-done. On the same occasion, also, the various troops were brought
-into the maidán and formed into companies in front of the fortress
-immediately opposite to the refractory multitude. The Páshá intimated
-to the latter that whosoever among them wished to be obedient to
-the emperor, should pass over to the side where his military stood,
-and join himself to one or other of his divisions or companies. The
-confederates cried out, that they were not rebels: that they deprecated
-the idea of being unfaithful to the emperor. “Our wages,” continued
-they, “not having been sufficient to maintain our existence, we could
-not have lived, unless we had imposed extra contributions on the
-people: our actual poverty was the cause.” The Páshá, not satisfied
-with these declarations (altogether foreign to the purpose for which
-they had been assembled), and wishing to find out the secret of their
-confederacy, as well as a confession of their guilt, thought that if
-he permitted them, now that they were fully in his power, to retire
-to their own homes, he could not so easily, afterwards, effect his
-purpose, nor secure the ringleaders amongst them; he therefore told
-them, that though he should keep them all night standing on their feet
-where they were, he would not let them move a step till they delivered
-up to him their ringleaders. He then ordered the guns on the batteries
-to be directed against them, and assured them that their destruction
-was inevitable if they did not instantly comply with his wishes. This
-method of dealing had the desired effect. After hearing the Páshá’s
-speech, wherein he pointedly informed them that unless they gave up
-the principal ringleaders, and especially those amongst them who had
-been guilty of the late murders, the cannon and musketry would open a
-fire upon them without delay; and seeing preparations for carrying his
-threat into effect, and that it only awaited the páshá’s command, their
-danger became too apparent to admit of disguise. They were astonished
-by the situation in which they were placed, and delivered over a
-certain number from amongst them to the páshá, and afterwards retired,
-but full of rage and fury.
-
-After these different commotions and disturbances, and during this
-present year, a certain number of Egyptian troops were ordered to be
-sent to the aid of his excellency, the commander-in-chief, Murád Páshá,
-in Anatolia. Mohammed Páshá, on receiving the above firmán, selected
-the number required from among the most turbulent and disorderly of
-the tribe of tax-gatherers[20] we have been speaking of, and sent them
-off under the command of Kansú Beg. During the whole of the struggle
-carried on with Kalandar Oghlí they manifested the utmost bravery, and
-were present in almost every engagement till the end of the war, or at
-least till the rebels were all dispersed. At this period they presented
-themselves before the commanding-general, and demanded, as the reward
-of their services, the office of collecting the revenues of Egypt.
-Murád, anxious to satisfy them, gave them a document by which he put
-them in possession of the places they wanted, but with no enlargement
-of powers or authority beyond what were customary from ancient times.
-On the return of these military tax-gatherers to Egypt they presented
-the document which Murád Páshá had given to them to Mohammed Páshá,
-who told them they should be rewarded for their services according
-to circumstances. “Such of them,” he said, “as had no experience or
-skill, could not expect the favour they wished. Besides,” continued he,
-“your wishes are directly opposed to the declared will of the emperor,
-who, by his firmán, has abolished the practice altogether.” When these
-ignorant and insolent fellows found themselves thus thwarted in their
-views and purposes they became exceedingly enraged, began to form plots
-amongst themselves, and communicated their wicked designs to all the
-discontented paupers and robbers throughout the country. They craftily
-enticed the discontented about Aradel, always famous for disloyalty,
-to join them; they likewise gained over some Kurds and some wretched
-labourers by promises of money. All these malcontents found means, some
-way or other, to assemble together at a place called Khánegáh, within
-two stages of Cairo.
-
-The páshá, hearing of their movements, and being fully aware of the
-object they had in view, ordered Khoaja Mustafa Beg to advance with a
-number of troops of various kinds to oppose them. Yúsuf Beg commanded
-his advance-guard, and Kansú Beg, collector of the revenue, with all
-those under him, joined the expedition. Mustafa Beg pitched his camp in
-the plains of Adeleya, not far from Cairo.
-
-The malcontents by this time had themselves properly and regularly
-organized, and had appointed themselves leaders. No sooner did they
-hear of an army being sent against them, and of the place where it was
-encamped, than they, towards evening, sent two hundred horsemen to
-reconnoiter the camp of Mustafa. Mustafa conjectured this party had the
-intention of attacking him by night, and not having sufficient force to
-sustain an attack, he sent word immediately to Egypt, which however did
-not reach that city till about the fifth hour of the night, when the
-several public criers announced the danger which threatened Mustafa,
-calling, at the same time, on every one, on pain of punishment, to
-rally round their commanders. So promptly was this announcement
-attended to, that before daylight every military man in Egypt was
-on his way to Adeleya. On reaching Adeleya they perceived the danger
-which had been announced in Egypt was by no means an imaginary one.
-The royalists, in the circumstances in which they found themselves at
-this juncture of events, thought it would be most advisable to send the
-six-fingered sheikh, Mohammed Effendí, to speak to the insurgents about
-the unreasonableness of their conduct; but the rebels turned a deaf
-ear to all his exhortations and expostulations. They were too sensible
-of their advantages, and too ardent in pursuit of them, to attend to
-the worthy priest. He tendered them many good advices, and made them
-many fine promises, provided they would follow his counsels; but they
-still remained obstinate, and prepared for battle. The commander, after
-this fruitless negotiation, removed with his troops to Berkat a l’haj,
-where he remained till the following day, when he marched against the
-insurgents. They, in their turn, advanced towards him, and soon both
-armies stood facing each other. By this time, however, the royalists
-were greatly increased in numbers by detachments which had joined them
-from other places; and when the insurgents found themselves opposed
-by an army far superior to every thing they had anticipated, their
-courage failed them. They now began mutually to accuse each other for
-the steps they had taken, each one blaming his neighbour; and at length
-several of them came to the commander, craving forgiveness. In the most
-abject manner, they dismounted from their horses, and threw themselves
-on the ground, supplicating for mercy at his hands. The commander,
-Mustafa Beg, said he had it not in his power to grant it them, as he
-should be obliged to carry them all, bound in chains, to Mohammed
-Páshá, whose province it was both to forgive and set them at liberty,
-as he pleased. Those who thus submitted, however, met with clemency,
-and were incorporated with one or other of the military bodies brought
-against them; but such as remained obstinate, and chose rather to try
-their strength than submit, met with the fate they deserved: their dead
-bodies were made into heaps on the field of battle. About forty of them
-escaped into the desert, but of their life or death nothing more was
-ever heard. Mustafa Beg now returned to Cairo, bringing with him about
-forty or fifty of the principal leaders in chains, and presented them
-before the válí, Mohammed Páshá, as trophies of his victory. Mustafa
-was highly honoured on account of his success against the insurgents,
-and the heads of those whom he brought bound in chains were ordered to
-be cut off on the spot. About as many as were thus put to death were
-killed by Mustafa himself before he left the scene of action. About
-three hundred of the insurgents were shipped off at Suez, and sent into
-Arabia, and the rest of them were, through the intervention of the
-great men of Egypt, pardoned, and set at liberty, after having promised
-in the presence of their intercessors every thing that was required of
-them.
-
-After succeeding in crushing the insurgents, as above described,
-and establishing good order everywhere, Mohammed Páshá extended his
-prudent and capacious mind to every department of government, as well
-as to other objects of utility. _One of his measures was_, regulating
-the coin of Egypt, which had been very much worn and obliterated,
-and which of course had caused much confusion, and even deception in
-buying and selling. _Another was_, rectifying the abuses and unlawful
-practices carried on between the farmers and the tax-gatherers, which
-had occasioned, not unfrequently, a deficiency in the public granaries
-and magazines. _A third was_—The janissaries and other troops in Egypt
-having no barracks, and being besides unmarried, he erected, within the
-fortress, suitable odás for them to live in. By this means the garrison
-or fortress was always furnished with troops, whilst the inhabitants,
-at the same time, were screened from the violence of the soldiery. _A
-fourth was_—He took charge of the golden and silver girdles or hoops
-which had been made for defending the pillars of Mecca, and the cistern
-of pure gold, all which had been sent to Egypt from Constantinople, and
-forwarded them with proper artists to the place of their destination.
-These artists not only performed that work without either fee or
-reward, but rendered several other important services to that holy
-place. For instance, they enlarged and renewed the pulpit, which was
-formerly too narrow; they renewed the portico which runs along the
-cistern; they beautified and adorned the pillars in the centre of
-that noble edifice, and also its walls; the metaf (or the place round
-which pilgrims walked in procession) was rendered smooth and equal;
-they repaired or built anew the court, and carried away the whole of
-the rubbish and dirt which had for years been accumulating in the
-vicinity of the sacred temple; they also caused the beds or canals
-of the waters of Mecca and Arfat to be repaired. _A fifth was_—The
-repairs of the wells of Azlam, a place which was about half-way between
-Mecca and Cairo, where the pilgrims and the well-furnished caravans of
-Egypt used to meet, which were in a great measure rendered useless by
-the rebellious Arabs. It would appear that the válí of Egypt, Sheríf
-Páshá, had, in 1004, opened these wells, commonly called the wells
-of Ibrahím Páshá, and to prevent their being rendered useless by the
-Arabs, he built a fortress in their neighbourhood, and placed some
-few troops in it. This, of course, proved a source of great comfort
-to pilgrims and other travellers, inasmuch as it served as a place
-of refreshment and repose. A very heavy rain afterwards demolished
-this fortress, and the Arabs, to the annoyance of pilgrims, rendered
-the wells useless. The vezír, whose good deeds we are here recording,
-rebuilt the demolished fortress, put a garrison in it, and repaired
-the wells. _The sixth was_—A work similar to the one we have last
-mentioned, which he caused to be constructed at Adjerú, between Cairo
-and Akba. _A seventh was_—The erection of shops in the vicinity of the
-great temple in Cairo. _The eighth was_—The erection of a khánegáh
-(an edifice for religious purposes), and also of eleemosinary places
-for sheíkhs, dervishes, and others. On the annual commemoration of
-Mohammed’s nativity he distributed numerous presents amongst those
-who read on that occasion. _A ninth was_—The erection of new houses
-near the odás which had been built for the janissaries; a huge wall or
-mass of rock, forty cubits broad and sixty long, having fallen down
-by accident, the space which these ruins had occupied he caused to be
-cleared away, erected new houses on it, and filled them with families.
-_A tenth was_—The rebuilding of the redoubt or fortress between Cairo
-and Shám. This building having been demolished by heavy rains, and
-having also become the haunt of worthless Arabs, he ordered it to be
-rebuilt, and supplied it with water. _An eleventh was_—The rebuilding
-of the fortress or redoubt of Yúnus, which was in a similar condition
-to the one last mentioned. He also placed a number of paid soldiers in
-it, and ordered a mosque and a bath to be erected in it. _A twelfth
-was_—The rebuilding of the fortress of Beít Khaberín, between Gaza and
-Balad al Khalíl-rahman; on which also he ordered a mosque and a bath
-to be erected, and an aqueduct to be constructed. The painted tiles in
-the dome erected by Sultán Soleímán Khán having become mutilated and
-loose, he replaced them with new tiles.
-
-This wonderful man, after having governed Egypt for four years and five
-months, was recalled to Constantinople. Whether at Cairo or journeying,
-he was in the habit of visiting holy and consecrated places, and
-of offering up prayers for the emperor; thus gaining to himself
-advantages in both worlds. After his return to Constantinople, Jouher
-Khán Sultána, daughter of the grand sultán, thought him worthy of her
-affections, and the result was that he became the emperor’s son-in-law.
-
-The articles of the treaty of peace between Turkey and Austria, which
-may be called the treaty of Sidova, was finally ratified and signed by
-the Ottoman emperor on the 1st of Rajab in this year.
-
-
-_A great earthquake._
-
-The fortress or city of Nova, situate on the sea-coast, belonging
-to the dominions of the archduke (of Austria), was visited by a
-tremendous earthquake, which almost entirely overthrew it. Forty-four
-yúks,[21] the average of the receipt of its custom-house, were expended
-in erecting a new one. A magazine of salt, which stood on the shore,
-and near the custom-house, and which brought a revenue of four or five
-yúks per annum, sustained considerable injury by the shock, inasmuch as
-it caused the sea to retire to the distance of about a bow-shot.
-
-A Spanish fleet of about thirty ships approached within three miles
-of this city, either about the time of the earthquake, or some time
-either after or before it, with hostile intentions. The governor of
-that sanják happened to be at that very time engaged in the war in
-Transylvania; but the defterdár of Bosnia hastened to the aid of Nova,
-and commenced firing its cannon, when the Spaniards disgracefully
-retired.
-
-
-
-
-EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1018, H.
-
-
-_The grand vezír and commander-in-chief, Murád Páshá, is again sent to
-the East._
-
-We have already mentioned the return of Murád Páshá to Constantinople,
-and the reception he there met with. Every preparation for resuming
-warlike operations in the east was carried on, during the winter
-months, with the utmost activity and vigour, and early in the spring
-the pavilion of the commanding-general was again erected in the
-plains of Scutari. Before this, however, it is to be observed, that
-the commander-in-chief wrote to Meseli Chávush, who had taken part in
-the late rebellion in Anatolia, but who had not yet been subdued, to
-hold himself in readiness for acting under him against the Persians,
-and desired him to join the royal camp along with Zulfekár. In the
-communication he sent Meseli he promised, though only with the view
-of getting him into his own hands, to confer on him the government of
-Caramania, and that he would bestow that of Anatolia on Zulfekár. In
-a private letter to Zulfekár, however, he expressed himself thus: “I
-have employed every method I could to get Meseli Chávush into my power,
-but have hitherto failed. Having secured himself among inaccessible
-rocks, I did not think it proper to risk troops in searching him out.
-Under the pretext of esteem for him, a sanják in the interior has been
-conferred on him, and I have written to him to join the army destined
-against Persia, and have promised him the government of Caramania to
-induce him to do so. Use what dissimulation you can, and perhaps you
-may succeed in getting him into your power. The love of office will
-induce him to come to you. Remove all his suspicions by showing him
-every mark of respect; you will thus secure his confidence, and incline
-him to come and join the grand army. You are not to permit him to do
-this, however, but as soon as you have him in your power, cut off his
-head and send it to Constantinople. If you succeed in compassing his
-destruction, I promise to give you the government of Anatolia, and also
-a vezírship, as a reward for your services. You will, if you succeed,
-do the emperor a very important service, who will, besides the honour
-which shall be conferred on you, present your son, Mohammed Beg, with
-a province in the interior. You will act, I have no doubt, like a man:
-I have committed the whole affair to you.”
-
-In a similar way to that in which he addressed Meseli he also wrote to
-Yúsuf Páshá, who had been ketkhodá to Oveis Páshá of Aydin, Sarúkhán,
-and Mantesha. This Yúsuf Páshá was at the head of a body of rebels
-which amounted to four thousand armed men, beside some cavalry. The
-letter which Murád Páshá sent to this rebel-chief was couched in these
-terms: “My son, I have heard of some of your virtues and high talents,
-which I esteem very much. Although you have such a considerable number
-of men under you, yet no rumour of any injustice practised by you is
-any where heard. The reverse of injustice in you must be the case.
-Still, however innocent though you appear to be, you are considered
-a rebel; free yourself, then, if you are a man, from the odious
-imputation. You are a person every way fit for taking part in the war
-against the Persians: it may even be proper to give you the command
-of troops for this purpose. If you show that you have regretted your
-former conduct, you may depend on obtaining the emperor’s favour.
-Those men who have rebelled against the benign Ottoman government have
-met with no pity. Jánbulát Oghlí, Kalander Oghlí, and Karah Seyed,
-were the most conspicuous of rebels; but what is become of them?
-Attend to my counsel, and be my son here and hereafter (_i.e._ in
-both worlds). In order to persuade you to do so, I swear, in the most
-solemn manner, that you shall suffer no injury whatever from our most
-gracious monarch. I, an old, frail man, am ordered to march against the
-Persians, and I ask you to accompany me. You may, perhaps, chance to
-acquire great wealth, and at all events you will be put in possession
-of Magnesia: you will thus have an opportunity of acquitting yourself
-in the eye of the emperor, and securing his favour. If, in rejecting
-the counsel I have now tendered to you, you decline going to the
-Persian war, then I am free of the oath I have made to you. I need not
-say any thing more to you. You are safe if you come to Scutari. There
-you can remain a few days and look about you, when afterwards you shall
-have the honour, along with me, of kissing the emperor’s hand. Come to
-what conclusion you think best, but remember what will be the result
-if you now neglect to follow my advice. Answer this letter at any rate.”
-
-When this letter reached Yúsuf Páshá, he called his friends together
-and read the contents of it in their hearing. “Why,” said his
-rebel-associates, “whoever may be so foolish as to give credit to the
-vain and deceitful words of this letter, will find, to his experience,
-that he will have to part with his precious life. It is altogether
-preposterous to put any faith in that old man’s oath. In answer to the
-question, ‘whether we shall be able to stand our own ground, should he,
-when he finds us obstinate, come against us?’ we would shortly say,
-‘Anatolia is a wide country, and we have no necessity to meet him; let
-us go to some distance out of his way. The winter will soon arrive, and
-he and his army will then be obliged to retire into winter-quarters,
-when we may rest in safety.’” Others replied, “That a decree affecting
-their life might, in the event of proving obstinate, be issued against
-them, when the whole country would rise up to be revenged on them.
-Better,” said they, “that we agree to follow the advice given in the
-letter from the commanding-general, and return to our obedience. Let
-us, however, use every precaution: he cannot kill us before our time
-come. What a terrible rebel was Zulfekár once, and he did not kill him!
-He called him his son. Turkijeh Bilmaz Hasan and others after the days
-of Karah Yazijí (Scrivano) were not trampled under foot and murdered.
-Was not Tekelí Mohammed Páshá a notorious rebel? and when he fell into
-his hands he did not murder him.” Such was the way these wise men
-reasoned among themselves, and at last agreed to send the following
-answer: “You have invited us to come to you, and we are no way disposed
-to resist your will. Your oath has inspired us with confidence, and
-as soon as your excellency arrives at Scutari we shall show you our
-sincerity.” This answer was sent with the person who had brought Murád
-Páshá’s communication to Yúsuf Páshá, as before mentioned.
-
-We must now return to Murád’s own operations. After having transported
-his troops and baggage to the Asiatic side, he took up his lodgings
-in his own pavilion, which had been previously erected for him. The
-emperor himself also visited the city of Scutari, and took up his
-residence in the gardens of that city, whither his council was summoned
-to attend. His vezír (Murád) told him it was not the custom of his
-illustrious progenitors to do so: that Istámbol was the place where a
-council should properly be held. “Gúrjí Mohammed Páshá,” continued his
-vezír, “is káímakám, let him attend to the affairs of the faithful. As
-soon as the lord high treasurer, Ahmed Páshá, settles the pecuniary
-affairs of his department let him come over, when I shall hand in to
-your majesty a report how matters stand.” This advice of the vezír
-pleased his majesty, at least it appeared to do so, for he did not urge
-the meeting of his council any more. Not long afterwards, however, the
-emperor wrote to Murád to hasten his departure for the Persian war, and
-to delay no longer. Murád Páshá, on receiving this imperial notice,
-waited on his majesty, and said, he had something particular to say to
-him. They both retired into a private apartment, when the grand vezír
-addressed him thus, premising, however, that what he had to say to him
-must be kept a secret, which the other faithfully promised to observe.
-“Be it known, therefore, to your majesty,” said the premier, “that
-though we have been ostensibly engaged in preparing for the Persian
-war, it has been, in fact, for a different object that we have been so
-engaged. The notorious rebel, Meseli Chávush, is in possession of six
-or seven fortresses or places of strength in the mountainous part of
-Anatolia. It would not be safe to send an army into the mountains after
-him, because by hurling down stones he might destroy numbers of our
-orthodox believers”—here he related the steps he had taken in writing
-to Meseli. The asylum of the world appeared surprised, and asked him if
-he was capable of murdering a person who, in the faith of his promises,
-put himself in his power? His excellency, the grand vezír, replied:
-“If, in obedience to your orders, we march against Persia, how will
-you act with the rebel-chief of Aydin and Sarúkhán, Yúsuf Páshá?” “By
-God,” said his majesty, “you have remarked well; that rebel had totally
-escaped my memory; his case has not been attended to.” The grand vezír
-then informed him of the steps he had pursued with regard to him, and
-of the result, which we need not again repeat, and added: “if these
-two notorious rebels are once in our power, the whole of the province
-of Anatolia will not only be regained, but peace and tranquillity will
-also be restored. Let your majesty keep what I have been saying to you
-a perfect secret: let nothing of it transpire.” His majesty ejaculated
-a short prayer, wished him God-speed, and dismissed him.
-
-
-_Yúsuf Páshá arrives at Scutari._
-
-About a month after the grand vezír had the above interview with the
-emperor, Yúsuf Páshá’s followers arrived at Scutari, and he himself
-in three days after them, when he ordered them to erect their tents.
-The grand vezír showed him every mark of esteem and friendship, and
-permitted him, when he appeared in his presence, to be seated at his
-side. “Be my son,” said the vezír, “here and hereafter,” presented him
-with a double suit of robes, and ordered robes to be given to a hundred
-of his men. A few days afterwards he presented him to his majesty, to
-whom Yúsuf had brought some very important and valuable presents; and
-on this occasion he was honoured with another robe from his sovereign.
-
-About this time, the grand vezír, Murád Páshá, received an answer to
-his communication to Zulfekár, which informed him that Meseli Chávush
-had arrived. The vezír wrote back to assure him that he would not fail
-in his promises, and urged him to do the work assigned him. Another
-month passed away, and Yúsuf Páshá became impatient to be employed
-against the Persians, for whose wealth and property he thirsted. The
-grand vezír, however, found means to put him off from day to day, for
-Meseli was not yet disposed of, and on this, in a great measure, his
-own fate depended.
-
-In the mean time, in consequence of some representation made to the
-emperor from some quarter or other, Murád Páshá was again ordered to
-set out on his march to the frontiers of Persia, and that too without
-delay, unless he wished another to supersede him in the chief command.
-This order was peremptory; within the space of three days he must be on
-his march. The grand vezír, on receiving this intimation, again waited
-on his majesty and said to him, “Sire, your slave explained to your
-majesty how matters stood, the last time I had the honour of speaking
-with you: it certainly must have escaped your blessed memory.” “No,
-by no means,” answered his majesty, “I have perfect recollection of
-it; nor have I intimated a syllable of it to any one.” “Why,” replied
-the vezír, “if you approved of what I at that time proposed to your
-majesty, wherefore is it that you have ordered me to march? We have
-Yúsuf Páshá in our power. If we despatch him just now, Mesli Chávush
-will, when he hears of it, make his escape from Zulfekár, and become
-more formidable than ever: it will be no easy matter to get hold of him
-again. As soon as we set out for the Persian campaign, he will come and
-attack Scutari. Pay no regard, sire, to the speeches of your cazís, for
-they are unacquainted with the state of matters; they will be brought
-to understand things better afterwards. Leave me to act as I think
-proper.” The emperor was again overcome by the reasoning of his vezír,
-and left him to do as he thought best, and dismissed him.
-
-
-_Mesli Chávush and Yúsuf Páshá are murdered._
-
-Mesli Chávush, who had joined Zulfekár, lived with the latter on
-terms of apparent intimacy and friendship, but which, on the part
-of Zulfekár, could not have been sincere, whatever he might have
-manifested to the contrary. His apparent friendship had the effect he
-wished, and that was to disarm Mesli of all fear and suspicion as to
-his own safety.
-
-One day he proposed that both should pay a visit in company to the
-country or sanják which had been promised to Mesli, to which Mesli
-agreed. On this journey they spent a month: they went from Iconium to
-Larenda, and visited the fortresses of Mút, Mirah, Kúnis, and Tumrak,
-each of which was so impregnably situated among rocks, that an Osmánlí
-army would have found it next to impossible to reduce it. Such were the
-places which Mesli commanded, and which had rendered him formidable to
-the Osmánlí government.
-
-After an excursion of one and twenty days of pleasure they returned
-to Iconium, whence, in a day or two afterwards, they went to Miram,
-having taken their respective followers and equipages along with
-them. Here also they went about together in the greatest apparent
-friendship, visited together the different spectacles which were to be
-seen there, and went together to the different places of amusement.
-Zulfekár was seeking all this while a fit opportunity for accomplishing
-Murád Páshá’s wishes, and it was not long before such an opportunity
-offered itself. Mesli was sitting one day with a turban or tiara on his
-head, and like a prince was enjoying his pleasures, without fear or
-suspicion of any thing, when some of the men of his ostensible friend,
-who had been previously instructed how to act, fell upon him and
-despatched him. One of these came secretly behind him, and secured his
-head in a sort of noose with one hand, and with the other stabbed him
-with his dagger. The rest of the assassins, when they saw the struggle
-which ensued, came hastily forward, and after strangling him, cut off
-his head. Whatever valuables were found in his possession were seized
-by Murád’s lieutenant, for the purpose of being afterwards confiscated.
-Zulfekár Páshá and the defterdár of Caramania, Yúnus Effendí, went to
-take an account of the property he possessed in the fortresses which
-he had taken; and his head, under the charge of ten men, was sent off
-to Scutari, to Murád Páshá. The men who had the charge of Mesli’s head
-reached the place of their destination in five days, and communicated
-secretly to the grand vezír the purport of their visit to Scutari. He
-immediately waited on the emperor and communicated to him the news of
-the fate of Mesli; and added, that the head of the rebel Yúsuf Páshá
-would not be much longer on his shoulders. We ought to have mentioned,
-however, that the head of Mesli was, after having been fixed on the
-point of a spear and carried publicly through the camp, placed before
-the grand vezír’s tent. When the grand vezír announced to his majesty,
-that the head of a formidable enemy had been brought into the camp, and
-as we have already observed, that the head of Yúsuf Páshá would not
-remain long on his shoulders, he started up from his sofa in surprise,
-and said “May God, my dear father, reward you for your many services to
-me,” and desired him to do as he thought fit.
-
-On the following morning he sent a messenger to invite Yúsuf Páshá to
-come and take a cup of coffee with him. The messenger, whilst on his
-way, met Yúsuf Páshá, and delivering to him the invitation, conducted
-him to the vezír’s tent. On going into the tent his excellency
-addressed him in the most gracious and flattering terms, calling him
-his son, and so forth. “How could I drink my coffee without you, my
-son: you know how much I esteem you; come, let us retire to the back
-part of the tent, where we shall not be disturbed, and where we shall
-be at liberty to converse with more freedom. God willing, you shall
-have permission tomorrow to march against the Kizilbáshes.” After
-sitting down, and just as one of the domestics was handing Yúsuf a
-cup of coffee, and before he had time to lay hold of it, an officer
-announced to his lordship, Murád Páshá, that Hasan Beg, beg of Avlonia,
-had arrived. His lordship affected surprise, and said, it was a hard
-case to be so much oppressed with business as to have no time to enjoy
-himself for a few moments. “But there is no help for it,” said he; “I
-must step out for a little, but do you, sir,” (addressing Yúsuf Páshá)
-“make yourself comfortable.” The grand vezír no sooner went out of
-the tent, than he desired three or four of his officers to enter the
-tent and take a dish of coffee with his son Yúsuf Páshá. These men
-accomplished the vezír’s wishes. As the unfortunate Yúsuf Páshá was
-in the act of receiving a cup of coffee into his hand, he was tripped
-up by one of these assassins, when the rest, pouncing upon him, cut
-off his head, and placed it on a table. On the vezír’s re-entering, he
-ordered his body to be thrown out, and sent word to the defterdár to
-seize on the whole of his property. When some of the soldiery heard
-of the fate of Yúsuf Páshá, they ran into his tent and seized on all
-the spoil they could find in it. Yúsuf Páshá’s deputy and some of
-his principal followers were also put to death, and the rest of his
-associates fled.
-
-After these things, the grand vezír waited on his majesty and informed
-him of what had taken place. “Let this suffice,” said the vezír; “we
-need now proceed no farther. Even here, at Scutari, your majesty has
-been avenged on two of your most formidable enemies, to each of whom
-great forbearance has been shown. The province of Anatolia will now
-enjoy peace and quietness, and now the war with Persia may again be
-renewed.” The emperor bestowed great praise on his vezír: the whole of
-the property that belonged to Yúsuf Páshá’s followers, who had been
-put to death, was ordered to be confiscated; the beasts of burden,
-and several packages of valuable articles which had belonged to his
-lieutenant, or which were in his possession, were all sent over to
-the tulip-garden in Constantinople. The whole of the articles which
-had belonged to the rebels were afterwards sold, and the price of
-them put into the imperial coffers. The head of Mesli and the body of
-Yúsuf Páshá remained exposed for two days in the Maidán. The sanják
-which had been promised to Mesli was conferred on Mohammed Beg, son of
-Zulfekár.
-
-
-_Treachery in some of the grand vezír’s domestics discovered._
-
-The grand vezír, Murád Páshá, had also premeditated the death of the
-lord high treasurer, Ahmed Páshá, usually called Etmekjí Zádeh, and,
-with this view, asked the emperor’s consent to assassinate him. The
-emperor, though very reluctantly, yielded to the wish of his vezír,
-who immediately gave directions to his domestics and officers how
-to act in this matter when Ahmed Páshá, who was then expected from
-Constantinople, should arrive. He placed a sentinel on the shore,
-who, so soon as he saw Ahmed Páshá arrive, was to give him notice:
-the executioners put themselves in readiness. It was not long before
-the sentinel above-mentioned announced the approach of Ahmed Páshá;
-and informed Murád, that at the moment he was stepping on shore, a
-young man came sailing up to him in a boat, and put a sealed note into
-his hand. Ahmed Páshá no sooner read the contents of this note, the
-sentinel said, than he immediately sailed back for Constantinople.
-This information necessarily awakened surprise and doubt in the mind
-of the grand vezír, who secretly set about employing persons to find
-out the boatman who had been commissioned to convey the bearer of the
-note. The boatman, on his discovery, related to the grand vezír all
-the particulars as to the manner in which he had been hired, and the
-trouble he had endured before he met with Ahmed Páshá at the pier.
-The vezír asked him if he thought he should be able to recognize the
-young man who had delivered the note to Ahmed Páshá, and whose dress
-he had already described. He replied in the affirmative: stating, that
-he, the young man, on delivering the note, had gone directly towards
-the camp. The vezír immediately caused the boatman to change his
-clothes, and despatched him, with some of his officers, to the camp, to
-commence the search. The whole camp, from tent to tent, was minutely
-examined for several days without success, when a mere accident
-discovered the delinquent. Two of the vezír’s domestics had fallen
-into a violent dispute, in which they mutually accused each other of
-treachery to their master. The treasurer, Hasan Aghá, overheard them,
-and resolved to chastise them; when one of them whispered something
-into his ear. This induced the treasurer to conduct him into the
-presence of the vezír, when he confessed that he and four others of
-his fellow-domestics had been in the practice of receiving daily a
-pecuniary remuneration from Ahmed Páshá for giving him information of
-every thing they knew relative to their master’s administration or
-conduct. The boatman was again called and confronted with this person,
-and immediately recognized him as being the very man who had given the
-note to Ahmed Páshá. His four accomplices were instantly executed, but
-he himself was not only pardoned, but rewarded with a spahilik and a
-handsome sum of money, for having disclosed the fact. He was, however,
-dismissed the vezír’s service.
-
-
-_The arrival of Yúsuf Páshá’s and Mesli Chávush’s wealth.—A display of
-ill will and malevolence._
-
-The persons who had been sent to take possession of the property of
-Yúsuf Páshá and Mesli returned, two hundred camel-loads of property
-which had belonged to these two men having been regularly registered
-and taken possession of. The emperor, on hearing of this, remarked
-to Murád Páshá, the grand vezír, how successful they had been; not
-only in vanquishing the two potent enemies above alluded to, but in
-being also able to replace, in a great measure, the funds which had
-been expended in fitting out the expedition, by the spoil which had
-fallen into their hands. But the grand vezír, notwithstanding all he
-had done, had still many enemies. Mustafa Aghá, ághá of the palace;
-the lord high treasurer, Ahmed Páshá, or Etmekjí Zádeh; and Mustafa
-Páshá, who had formerly been governor of Constantinople, took every
-opportunity they could to injure him. They talked amongst themselves,
-and in the presence of others, that Murád Páshá was entirely averse
-to his being employed against the Persians. “He is an old frail man,”
-they said (sneeringly), “and the emperor will not force him.” A hint
-of this conversation was communicated to his majesty by Muftí Mohammed
-Effendí. The emperor was displeased at the liberty they had taken with
-his vezír, and said, “He was a warrior, a most worthy hájí, and a
-most active and useful vezír: he restored all Anatolia to peace and
-tranquillity: he overcame and defeated the rebels, and delivered the
-country of the two formidable rebel-chiefs mentioned at the head of
-this section: he performed and achieved great deeds; and nothing but
-envy,” continued his majesty, “could have induced them so to speak of
-him. That he was by no means pleased with the liberty they had taken,
-and that the vezír might either go or stay, as he himself saw fit.”
-This strong expression of his majesty’s disposition silenced, for the
-time at least, the vezír’s enemies.
-
-After a stay of four complete months at Scutari, the troops returned to
-Constantinople just about the time of the full moon of the following
-or fifth month, and seven days before the commencement of autumn, or
-the time for entering into winter-quarters. Preparations for commencing
-hostilities against Persia in the following spring were immediately
-begun and attended to during the interval.
-
-
-_Concerning the naval operations of the lord high admiral, Khalíl
-Páshá.—Karah Jehennem taken._
-
-When Kapúdán (or lord high admiral of the Turkish fleet) Khalíl Páshá
-sailed this year for the Mediterranean, and after he had cruised round
-the largest cape or promontory of Silivria, the second station from the
-metropolis, an Algerine vessel, commanded by a Genoese, met a Spanish
-pinnace, which had on board the son of the infidel viceroy of Sicily,
-a relative of the king of Spain, and about five hundred soldiers. This
-pinnace was destined to convey the young man to see his high relative,
-the king of Spain, and to carry certain valuable presents to the same.
-The soldiers, of course, were sent as a guard to both. When this
-pinnace met with the Algerine vessel, a most desperate battle ensued,
-which terminated in the capture of the former. Every living infidel
-found in this vessel, and the whole of the presents before mentioned,
-were according to custom distributed amongst the conquerors. The youth
-referred to was carried and delivered as a present to his majesty the
-Ottoman emperor. The person who had brought him to the admiral of the
-Turkish fleet received handsome rewards for having done so; and the
-young slave, after he was carried to Constantinople, and actually
-presented before the emperor, was instructed in the Moslem religion,
-which he readily embraced, and was placed in a special chamber of the
-palace.
-
-The Turkish fleet now proceeded to Scio, where the admiral received
-intimation that six mountain-like vessels (of war), belonging to some
-of the infidel powers, had arrived from Egypt, and were then before
-Cyprus. The admiral went immediately in pursuit of them; but heard
-or saw nothing more of them till he arrived before the haven of Báf,
-where he was informed that they had sailed to the coast of Syria, and
-had done some mischief in several places. The admiral, Khalíl Páshá,
-hastened with all the speed he could make, and by break of day he
-descried their top-sails, when they appeared to be about thirty miles
-distant. At mid-day, or some little time after it, he made up to them,
-when a tremendous cannonading commenced from both sides, which was
-continued till night intervened. The Turkish admiral, though night
-did come on, never slackened his movements, but continued to keep up
-with them, whilst the enemy, manifesting no symptoms of fear whatever,
-lighted up their lanterns, and made all the sail they were able.
-Day-light no sooner arrived, however, than the battle again commenced.
-A certain person in the Turkish fleet, a corsair, who had been brought
-from Barbary by the emperor, and on whom he had conferred the sanják
-in the Morea, came along the admiral’s ship, and advised him not to
-come into close contact with the enemy, but to continue playing upon
-them at some distance. This advice was attended to, and in a short
-time their masts and rigging were shattered and destroyed, and they
-themselves totally disabled. In this state they were boarded, and the
-troops on board, five hundred in number, one hundred and sixty guns,
-and two thousand muskets, were all seized and disposed of. Four of
-these captured vessels were conducted to Tamagusta (in Cyprus). One of
-the three vessels, which was called Karah Jehennem (Black-hell), and
-resembled a lofty castle, was sent to Constantinople as a trophy of the
-admiral’s victory. The admiral, after having gained this victory, made
-the circuit of Sidon, Bairut, Alexandretta near Aleppo, and Tripoli,
-but did not meet any of the enemy in the whole of this tract. He
-returned to Tamagusta, took in provisions, and then set sail for the
-port of Constantinople, where a royal letter and a sable robe, tokens
-of his sovereign’s approbation, awaited his arrival. He also had the
-honour of kissing the royal hand, and was raised to the rank of vezír.
-
-On the 9th of Rajab, in this year, the digging of the foundation of the
-noble mosque of Ahmed Sultán, in the At Maidán, was commenced; and on
-the 8th of Shevál all the ulemá, vezírs, sheíkhs, and seyeds, assembled
-together to celebrate the ceremony of laying the first stone.
-
-
-_Ancient treaty with France renewed._
-
-Franciscus Sawari, ambassador of Haricus, king of France (Henry IV.),
-at the court of Constantinople, at this time presented a request,
-that the existing treaty of friendship between the Ottoman emperor
-and the king of France should again be renewed. This was done; and
-the treaty which was entered into during the reign of the late Sultán
-Mohammed Khán formed the basis of the new one. By the new treaty, or
-rather, by this renewed treaty, it was stipulated among other things
-as follows: 1. That not only British and Venetian vessels, but also
-those of Genoa, of Portugal, of the two Sicilies, of Ancona, of Spain,
-and of Florence, trading to Turkey, should be permitted to do so only
-under the French flag; and that the commanders of all such vessels
-were to announce their arrival to the French consul of the place or
-port to which they might come for the purpose of trade. 2. That all
-persons belonging to France, going to visit Jerusalem, or the monks
-living at the Holy Sepulchre, or returning from the same, were to be
-allowed to go and return without molestation or interruption. 3. That
-the prohibition laid on spun and unspun cotton and on morocco-leather,
-during the reign of Soleimán, was to be removed. 4. The prohibition
-laid on bee’s-wax and hides in the days of Mohammed Khán was also to
-be removed. 5. That all such specie as traders brought along with them
-was to be received at its usual or current value. 6. Vessels belonging
-to the French government, employed in carrying provisions from one
-country unfriendly to Turkey to another country of that description,
-were, though discovered by Turkish ships, to be allowed to pass
-unmolested; and, in the event of any vessel belonging to a French
-subject being seized whilst carrying provisions from any part of the
-Ottoman dominions, it was to be set at liberty, its freight was to
-remain untouched, and no more, than three hundred _akchas_ were to be
-levied on the articles of lading. 7. French vessels entering into any
-of the havens belonging to the Barbary states were to be respected;
-and gunpowder, lead, sail-cloth, or any other articles which might be
-needed, were to be furnished them: for, formerly, the Algerines were
-in the habit of kidnapping and making slaves of French merchants, and
-seizing their property. Frequent prohibitions against this practice
-had been issued during the reign of Sultán Mohammed Khán; and the
-governor, who happened to be in office when an aggression of this kind
-took place, was deposed, and ordered to make full restitution. 8.
-Fishing vessels were to be allowed to fish, and also to take coral on
-the coasts of Algiers and Tunis. 9. All interpreters belonging to the
-French embassy were, according to ancient custom, to be free from all
-kinds of imposts or taxes. 10. French subjects, on paying the just dues
-to their ambassadors and consuls, were to have all disputes which might
-arise settled by them: they were to oppress or injure none. 11. Those
-having a dispute or law-suit with any consul, the dispute or law-suit
-was to be settled in Turkey. 12. The French ambassador on entering into
-the royal diván, or into the privy-council, was to have precedence,
-according to ancient custom, of the Spanish, and all other ambassadors
-whatever. 13. When a French prisoner or captive was discovered, and the
-consul declared him to be so, then his master or owner was to send him
-to Constantinople, where his case was to be thoroughly investigated.
-14. Frenchmen, or persons belonging to any country subject to France,
-living in Turkey, were not to be required to pay a poll-tax. 15.
-Frenchmen living at any of the sea-ports belonging to Turkey, were not
-to be prohibited from appointing their own consuls; and such consuls
-were to be free from all taxes whatever. 16. If a dispute should happen
-to arise with a French trader, and an appeal was made to a cazí, the
-cazí was not to decide, unless the French trader had an interpreter
-present to interpret for him. 18. French ships sailing to or from
-Constantinople were to meet with no hindrances in the Dardanelles, or
-force or violence from any Turkish ship, whether of war or not, in the
-open or high seas. A friendly intercourse between vessels belonging to
-both nations, was to be faithfully observed. The end or conclusion of
-the treaty.
-
-
-
-
-EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1019, H.
-
-
-_The grand vezír and commander-in-chief, Murád Páshá, goes to Tabríz._
-
-The victorious hero, the grand vezír and commander-in-chief, Murád
-Páshá, having fully completed all his preparations for opening the
-campaign in the east, re-appointed Gúrjí Mohammed Páshá governor of
-Constantinople, and passed over with his brilliant army to Scutari, on
-the 5th of the month Sefer. The commanding general, impatiently anxious
-to march against Persia, left Scutari about the beginning of Rabia
-I., and reaching the frontiers of that country, he was joined by the
-various beglerbegs with their respective troops, who had been appointed
-for this war. His army, in a short time, became greatly increased.
-Having heard that the sháh of Persia intended to take up his position
-in the vicinity of Tabríz, and as the winter season was nigh at hand,
-he hastened towards that place with all the speed he was able, and
-was not long in arriving in its neighbourhood. The inhabitants having
-all fled, and left the city exposed and desolate, the orthodox troops
-entered, and demolished or set fire to its buildings. The sháh having
-advanced nearer, shewed a disposition to try his strength, and posted
-himself upon a hill near the city. It was not long, however, before
-his courage forsook him; for in a general engagement, in which he was
-soon involved, his troops were defeated and put to flight, leaving the
-field to the victorious Moslems. Finding it therefore dangerous to
-stay much longer, and seeing that the winter was fast approaching, he
-felt it necessary to seek a place of repose and safety for himself and
-his army. In this way, and for these reasons, the war was necessarily
-postponed till the following year. In the meantime, however, the
-orthodox army did all the mischief they could to the enemy’s country,
-and then returned, when his excellency the commanding general, Murád
-Páshá, went with the household troops to Diárbeker.
-
-After defeating the sháh, his excellency, Murád Páshá, sent him a
-letter, to which the following was received as answer: “You say that
-we have violated the agreement made in the days of Sháh Ismael II. He
-was not long enough at the helm of affairs to cause any rupture. Your
-governors on the frontiers having coveted the goods of our merchants,
-have murdered several of them. We have represented our grievances to
-your august majesty, the emperor, but no redress whatever has been
-afforded. The honour of our dignity cannot endure this, especially
-as we are now come, by the grace of God, into the possession of our
-paternal hereditary dominions. We have been braved by a Tátár army.
-Formerly, Islám Gheráí and Ghází Gheráí brought their armies as far
-as Shirván, but were defeated by the kizilbáshes, and the two kháns
-made prisoners. If they should again attempt a similar invasion, they
-shall pay dearly for it; they shall meet their reward. The great wealth
-which the emperor of the Osmánlís can command is not unknown to us. We
-also have our heroes. The sight of your numerous hosts will not move
-them. If it be thought proper to abide by the conditions granted by
-Sultán Soleímán Khán to Tahmasp, my grandfather, then I am his august
-majesty’s servant. When one is not brave and bold in his hostility,
-his friendship is not to be depended on. Our friendship may be
-contemplated. If, therefore, you are not satisfied, then let that which
-is behind the curtain of fate discover itself—Farewell.”
-
-His excellency, the grand vezír, wrote thus in reply: “You say you are
-braved or threatened by a vain-glorious army of Tátárs. A Tátár is
-like any other servant of the emperor. Though the two kháns were made
-prisoners, yet there is nothing strange or surprising in that. It has
-happened, not unfrequently, in the history of past events, that the
-vanquished have sometimes become conquerors. If you compute the number
-of those belonging to you who have been made captives, your motive for
-protracting hostilities must arise from some other cause; as that the
-power of the emperor appeared to have become less, or that he needed
-to make an apology. I also am a servant of the emperor. I have some
-hope my sentiments will have a good effect. I have entered in between
-you with the view of effecting a reconciliation. So soon, then, as the
-line of boundaries can be settled as it was formerly, I shall return:
-otherwise it is not his majesty’s pleasure that one of the name of
-Abbás should remain a sovereign in the palace of the world. How many
-years has the Moslem army wintered in this quarter? The secret decrees
-of fate are seemingly developed or developing by this fact. God seems
-ready to take vengeance.”
-
-Some time before this answer was sent, however, Murád received a
-letter from the sháh by Shams-ud-dín Mohammed Aghá, proposing terms of
-peace. The grand vezír, after a long consultation about this matter,
-returned an answer by one Khair-ud-dín Chávush, whom he sent along with
-the sháh’s messenger when he returned. Very near a whole year passed
-away, however, before the sháh deigned to return any answer to the
-grand vezír’s communications; but on the 27th of Jemadi II., when the
-Moslem army, numerous as the stars, arrived at Erzerúm with the view of
-protecting and defending the imperial possessions secured by treaty to
-the Ottoman government in the days of Sultán Murád Khán, at this date
-Khair-ud-dín Chávush and Mohammed Aghá arrived, bringing with them a
-letter from the sháh. This letter contained hardly any thing more than
-what his former one did respecting the grounds of complaint, which
-we need not again repeat. Suffice it to say, that the correspondence
-on both sides was carried on to a great length. It was said, that if
-there existed a real desire to promote an agreement, it should be in
-accordance with those stipulations entered into during former reigns;
-but it is quite evident the emperor had no intention of entering into
-engagements which would strip him of his possessions in those quarters
-which had been conquered during the reign of Sultán Murád Khán.
-
-
-_Other events of this year._
-
-On the 2d of Rabia I., when the commanding-general removed from Scutari
-and had arrived at Mai dipa, he received intelligence of the death
-of his highness, Ahmed Gheráí, khán of the Crimea, and by his kind
-interference Jánbeg Gheráí was raised to the khánship. On the 15th of
-Rabia II. the ornamenting, repairing, and beautifying of the Kaaba and
-its dependencies were finished, which cost in all 18,141 miscals.[22]
-The work was commenced last year and finished in this.
-
-The lord high admiral, Khalíl Páshá, having again put to sea with the
-royal fleet, he appointed Mímí Beg, beg of Rhodes, chief over a number
-of other begs, and dispatched him off in one of the vessels which
-had been destined for conveying provisions from Alexandria. Mímí Beg
-accomplished the task assigned to him, and afterwards fell in with an
-enemy’s ship of war at a place called Funka, which he soon disabled
-and sunk. Khalíl Páshá himself, whilst continuing his cruizing voyage
-after vessels belonging to the infidels, pursued his course along
-Negropont, Modon, and Navarin. At one or other of these places he
-received intelligence from Mímí Beg, that five large vessels belonging
-to Tuscany were somewhere at sea near Cyprus. The admiral immediately
-steered away from the shores of the Morea towards Cyprus, which place
-he reached about the commencement of Rajab after a sail of eight days,
-and discovered the above vessels before Oghuz Búrni, near Báf, watching
-the arrival of the Egyptian fleet. The admiral, Khalíl Páshá, now
-prepared for battle; but in consequence of a heavy gale of wind which
-suddenly arose, he found it impossible, notwithstanding his utmost
-efforts, to come into actual contact with them. Night came on; the wind
-became more fierce and boisterous, and by daylight on the following
-morning no traces of the enemy’s vessels could be discovered; nor was
-it known whither they had steered. The Turkish admiral now directed his
-course towards the island of Rhodes, and during the voyage picked up
-a straggling adventurer and one or two of the enemy’s ships. Soleimán
-Páshá, also, whom he had ordered away with ten vessels in search of the
-Tuscany ships, returned with two corsairs and two other vessels which
-he had taken in the roads of Messina and Malta, and joined the Turkish
-fleet, which directed its course to the port of Constantinople, having
-about eight prizes and a hundred captives to grace its entrance into
-that port; and when the admiral presented himself before the exalted
-diván, orders were given to confer on him a robe of honour for the
-services which he had rendered.
-
-During the winter of this year messengers from the sháh arrived with
-letters containing humble proposals of peace, offering, at the same
-time, as one of the conditions, to pay an annual tax of two hundred
-yúks (loads) of silk for those provinces which had been wrested out of
-his hands, though they formerly formed part of the Persian dominions.
-He also requested that the government of Turkey, if it pleased, might
-have a beglerbeg over those provinces. The sagacious Murád Páshá wrote
-a report of these offers, and sent it along with the sháh’s messengers
-to the court of Constantinople. The purpose of his sending these
-ambassadors to the court of Istámbol was to excite the sháh’s hopes,
-and thus give him a hare’s sleep, while, in fact, he was meditating the
-devastation of the country on the return of spring.
-
-
-_The death of Murád Páshá, grand vezír and commander-in-chief.—Nesúh
-Páshá succeeds to the premiership._
-
-At the time his excellency, the grand vezír and commander-in-chief,
-Murád Páshá, went to Tabríz, the válí of Diárbeker, Nesúh Páshá, sent
-a private letter to the emperor, stating that if he would remove Murád
-Páshá out of the premiership, and confer the seals on himself, he
-would, in return, make him a present of forty thousand gold pieces
-in ready money, and bear the expense, besides, of the increase of
-provisions which was to be made to the army. This letter the emperor
-enclosed in a government despatch for Murád Páshá, and sent it off
-by a courier. The commanding-general was no doubt surprised when he
-read the document which had been sent to him, and immediately sent for
-Nesúh. Nesúh, no way aware of the reason for which he had been invited,
-appeared before the grand vezír without suspicion. The latter handed to
-him his own letter to the emperor, and asked him if he could recognize
-the hand-writing. Nesúh, a bold and fearless Albanian, replied,
-without a moment’s hesitation, it was his. “You ought, then,” said the
-commanding-general, “to advance the gold you have promised, and provide
-the provisions for the army which you have also stipulated.” Nesúh, no
-way embarrassed, showed his readiness to comply. Those officers who
-surrounded Murád Páshá, on this occasion, seemed very much surprised
-at what had transpired, and said, that many a commanding-general would
-have punished with death a fault much less than that which Nesúh had
-committed. “You are certainly,” said they, in their surprise and
-indignation, “seeking to compass this base and worthless hypocrite’s
-destruction?” His excellency, the commanding-general, with his usual
-prudence and good-nature, denied having entertained any such intention.
-“On the contrary,” said he, “a bold, active and dexterous man of this
-kind may be very useful to the government; and what he has offered to
-do may prove to be of advantage.” He added a few more remarks which
-were intended to make an impression on the mind of his rival.
-
-The winter-months passed away, and the time for again marching against
-the heretical sháh approached. The commander-in-chief caused his
-pavilion to be erected on the outside of the walls of Diárbeker.
-This very movement, inasmuch as it presaged hostility, alarmed the
-sháh to such a degree that he again sent to the commanding general
-a supplicating letter, similar to that he had formerly sent him,
-praying for a cessation of hostilities. The illustrious commander
-amused him with hopes, but was all the while making preparations for
-commencing the attack. But in the midst of all this, it pleased God
-to remove him by death. This event took place on the 25th of Jemadi
-I.; and Mohammed Aghá, ághá of the janissaries, was, in conformity to
-Murád’s own desire, expressed some time before his death, appointed
-by the government, in the mean time, to take the command of the army.
-When Nesúh Páshá’s friends heard of Murád’s death, they used their
-utmost efforts to get him into the premiership, the great object of
-his ambition. On the 12th of the following month the wishes of both
-were realized by the seals of office being sent to Nesúh. He was made
-commander-in-chief of the forces at the same time.
-
-The new grand vezír commenced his career in manifesting the same
-determined hostility against the sháh that his predecessor had done.
-This, of course, doubly increased the fears of the Persian king (the
-subversion of whose dominions had been the ardent desire of Murád
-Páshá), and led him to repeat his former intreaties: promising, at
-the same time, to submit to that subjection to the Ottoman emperor
-which had formerly been yielded to that monarch. But before these last
-proffers had been announced at Constantinople, the sháh requested to
-be allowed some delay to provide the quantity of silk which he had
-stipulated. This petition was incautiously listened to by the new
-minister, who, by this time, had disbanded his army. He was, moreover,
-much to blame for permitting the sháh’s ambassadors to proceed to
-Constantinople. They, themselves, were importunate in demanding from
-the grand vezír permission to proceed thither on the object of their
-embassy, alleging that on the frontiers no proper settlement between
-the two countries could be effected; but by some inexplicable conduct
-of the new grand vezír, a whole year passed away before matters were
-fully and properly adjusted.
-
-In addition to the repairs and ornaments which had been bestowed on the
-Ka’ba, it was still found necessary to bind the pillars thereof in two
-different places with hoops, and for which purpose iron ones, plated
-with pure gold and choice silver, were provided. The aqueduct, which
-had been necessarily altered in the days of Soleimán, was furnished
-and ornamented with splendid boards. The emperor, being intent on
-beautifying the Ka’ba still more, removed into the garden of Stavros,
-where the contemplated work for the holy place might be carried on
-to better purpose under his own inspection. With this view he called
-thither all the goldsmiths, provided bellows, and the work immediately
-commenced under his own auspices, and the inspection of all his great
-men. This work, and the artizans employed on it, were afterwards
-removed to the garden of Davd Páshá, where the emperor himself took
-up his abode; and when the whole was finished, in conformity with the
-pattern which had been chosen, a pavilion was raised in front of the
-works for his majesty, and a throne was erected within it on which he
-sat. In this position, surrounded by the mufti, ulemá and his vezírs,
-he contemplated the articles which had been made; conferred robes of
-honour on those of his grandees of every rank and degree, who were
-present, as tokens of his royal munificence and approbation; and on the
-same day, raised Mohammed Aghá of the Salihdárs to the government of
-Egypt. About this same time the emperor ordered a shade or covering to
-be erected over the well near the arsenal.
-
-
-
-
-EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1020, H.
-
-
-_Naval affairs._
-
-The Turkish fleet, under the command of the lord high-admiral, Khalíl
-Páshá, after having sailed from the port of Constantinople in the
-spring of this year, was met by Mohammed Beg, beg of the Morea, who
-had been previously sent out for the purpose of capturing such hostile
-vessels as might fall in his way, and who informed the admiral that
-he had conducted a prize-vessel into the port of Eyúbia. The fleet
-now sailed for Rhodes, where the ships were all properly pitched,
-and afterwards sailed for the island of Cyprus. Whilst the admiral
-was directing his course for this place, he received a royal letter,
-ordering him to convoy the ships destined for Egypt, which were
-conveying the articles for the Ka’ba. Just at this time he received
-intelligence that two hostile vessels had been seen sailing somewhere
-between Cyprus and Tripoli, and therefore he instantly dispatched Mímí
-Beg, beg of Rhodes, with twenty-five galleys, in search of them: but he
-himself conducted the Egyptian vessels half-way through the high seas,
-and then directed his course towards the shores of Anatolia.
-
-Mímí Beg was not long in meeting with a hostile vessel, the commander
-of which was a Maltese and a pirate, and which, after some hard
-fighting, he took and brought into Rhodes, where he met with the
-admiral. He was afterwards sent with five galleys to conduct the válí
-of Egypt from Scio through the high seas towards Alexandria. Lálá
-Ja’fer Beg was also sent with ten vessels to cruize along the enemy’s
-coasts, but was much retarded by contrary winds. Off the Cape of Maneah
-he met two vessels, who having instantly hoisted the enemy’s flag, he
-prepared to attack them. The battle was long and bloody, and it was not
-till near night that he succeeded in overpowering them. The admiral,
-at the end of this voyage, sent these and four other vessels which had
-been captured, to the port of Constantinople. The two vessels taken
-by Lálá Ja’fer Beg, it was said, belonged to the Venetian state, and
-therefore, in consequence of that state being included in the last
-treaty made with France, a very great deal of talk and speculation took
-place.
-
-On the return of the lord high-admiral to Constantinople, he was
-honoured with tokens of the imperial approbation for the services he
-had rendered. Within the three years he had acted as lord high admiral
-of the Turkish fleet, he captured more than fifty ships, small and
-great; the emperor, however, willing to show favour to Mohammed Páshá,
-who had been governor in Egypt, and whose exploits and virtuous deeds
-we have recorded, and who was every way worthy of the seals (though
-these, in the meantime, had been conferred on Nesúh Páshá), appointed
-him to the command of the fleet, that being the most honourable
-situation he had to confer on him at the time.
-
-About the middle of Rabia II., whilst the emperor was enjoying himself
-in the gardens of Dávud Páshá, Sultán Selím was born, but died before
-the end of the month. Towards the end of the month Dhu’l hijja, the
-youngest of the princesses was united in marriage to Nesúh Páshá, and
-the contract was concluded in the presence of the reverend mufti and
-the vezírs of the court.
-
-
-
-
-EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1021, H.
-
-
-_Naval affairs continued._
-
-In the month of Rajab of this year the lord high admiral, Mohammed
-Páshá, set sail with the royal fleet in search of prizes and further
-conquests. On reaching the coasts of Sidon and Bairut he found Maán
-Oghlí, a madman, who in the vanity of his mind had arrogated to himself
-princely titles, and had secured for himself some places of strength in
-the hilly part of the country, and who, moreover, had been a coadjutor
-of Jánbúlát Oghlí, and had done much mischief to the province of
-Syria. He afterwards entered into a friendly relation with the Turkish
-government, stipulating to pay an annual tribute of the products of the
-country he ruled, but had failed in fulfilling his engagements. The
-admiral, in consequence of this failure, landed some of his men with
-the intention of forcing Maán Oghlí into compliance. Force, however,
-was not necessary, for Maán Oghlí sent the admiral a submissive letter,
-accompanied by a larger sum than he had stipulated, as an equivalent
-for his neglect. The fleet returned to the port of Constantinople,
-and deposited in the imperial treasury the gifts and presents which
-had been received from Maán Oghlí. But it is to be observed that the
-admiral, whilst sailing through the straits of Súsam, allowed the enemy
-to seize no less than nine of his vessels; for which he was deposed.
-Khalíl Páshá was again made lord high admiral.
-
-
-_Nesúh Páshá arrives in Constantinople along with the Persian
-ambassadors._
-
-After Nesúh Páshá had given the despicable kizilbáshes hopes that their
-wishes would be complied with on the part of the Ottoman government,
-the sháh seized the opportunity thus afforded him, and instantly
-transmitted to Nesúh at Diárbeker two hundred loads of silk under
-the charge of Kází Khán, his military judge, and the cazís of Kazwín
-and Isfahán, additional ambassadors, who arrived at Diárbeker on the
-26th of Rabia II. Nesúh Páshá, without loss of time, set out for
-Constantinople with the above silk and the messengers, and reached it
-about the beginning of Shabán. The grand vezír met with the honours
-due to his high station, and the ambassadors with that respect which
-it was the custom to bestow. The emperor, who had been at Dávud Páshá,
-returned with a great show of military pomp and grandeur to the city on
-the 16th of Shabán. By his orders suitable lodgings were assigned to
-the Persian ambassadors, and amusements afforded them, and on the 21st
-they were permitted to appear in the royal presence. They presented to
-his majesty, the asylum of the world, the gifts and presents they had
-brought along with them from their master, receiving in return robes of
-honour, and being permitted to kiss the skirt of his majesty’s robe.
-
-The sháh had chosen his ambassadors from amongst the most cunning and
-shrewd of his learned men, as being the fittest for answering or asking
-questions in the royal diván, should they ever be called thither. When,
-however, they were actually introduced into that august assembly, they
-were overpowered with awe. Kází Khán, the foremost and most learned
-of their number, felt his inability to speak when he attempted to
-do so. “Please your majesty,” said he, with a faltering voice which
-betokened the agitation of his mind, “Sháh Abbás is your slave”—here
-he paused, and could not utter another syllable, but delivered over
-their credentials to the grand vezír, who handed them to his majesty,
-and then retired. They were again, on the 26th of Ramazán, allowed
-to be present at the royal diván, and were thence conducted into the
-imperial hall of audience, where answers to their communications were
-delivered to them. They again received robes, according to custom,
-and were allowed to retrace their steps to their own country. Hasan
-Páshá, beglerbeg of Erzerúm, and Anjúlí Mustafa Chávush were ordered to
-accompany them, with the view of settling and determining the frontiers
-of Armenia; but the negotiations with Persia were not finally settled
-until the year of the Hijrah 1024.
-
-On the 28th of Jemadi I. the grand sultán had another son born, _viz._
-Murád Khán, who was, on the 4th of Shevál, ordered, by a royal firmán,
-to be conveyed, according to ancient custom, to the royal harem, where
-the royal youths were brought up.
-
-A beglerbegship was conferred on Karah Kásh Mohammed Aghá, chief of
-the falconers. About the middle of the last-mentioned month the grand
-princess, Ayesha Sultána, who was betrothed to the grand vezír, Nesúh
-Páshá, was sent home to him, on which occasion a most splendid banquet
-was given.
-
-
-_Sultán Ahmed Khán takes a journey to Adrianople._
-
-His majesty the emperor, having resolved on taking a journey to
-Adrianople, on the 8th of Dhu’l kadah he ordered the members of the
-royal diván, his household troops, his right and left-hand troops of
-Egypt, and a body of spáhís to proceed on the journey from Dávud Páshá.
-Two days before this mighty cavalcade left Dávud Páshá, the princes of
-the blood, under the charge of Mustafa Aghá, ághá of the royal palace,
-set out. The grand vezír, Nesúh Páshá, Dávud Páshá, Yúsuf Páshá, Khalíl
-Páshá, also the reverend mufti, Mohammed Effendí, Dámád Effendí, the
-late mufti, Asa’d-ud-dín Effendí, who had been deposed for the share
-he had in the late tumult, Zekeriáh Effendí, Yahia Effendí, Mustafa
-Effendí, and Abdul Azíz Effendí, all the grandees of the empire, and a
-splendid detachment of troops of various kinds accompanied his majesty
-on his leaving Dávud Páshá for Adrianople. This royal procession or
-cavalcade proceeded by way of Felúri, where such of the members of the
-administration as did not accompany the emperor to Adrianople took
-their leave of him and returned. On the high priest of the empire, in
-consequence of the necessary absence of Mustafa Effendí, the royal
-chronologer, the duty of marking events devolved. The royal cavalcade
-rested the first night at Kúchuk Chekmejeh, and the following day
-reached Búiúk Chekmejeh. At daybreak it was again in motion. The
-immense number of janissaries, spáhís, and other troops in the royal
-retinue now commenced the sport of the chase as they proceeded on their
-journey, which sport was accompanied by the sound of drums and other
-instruments. In the afternoon they reached Silivria. The emperor rose
-about midnight, performed his devotions on the highway, and was no
-sooner on horseback than his armourers and fencing-masters were again
-in their places. On reaching a place called Chorlí the royal party
-was allowed to rest there for the space of three days, in consequence
-of the fatigue which the emperor’s soláks and other foot-soldiers had
-sustained from the rains which had fallen during the previous days. On
-leaving Chorlí they advanced to Sultání, but as there was no suitable
-mansion for his majesty at this place, a pavilion had been erected
-for his reception. From Sultání they advanced to Burgas. During this
-journey the horsemen exercised themselves in throwing the javelin: the
-vezírs and ághás, even to the grand vezír himself, took a share in the
-sports of the day. The emperor partook with keenness of the passing
-pleasures, exercising his fleet steed, throwing the javelin, and, in
-short, was the phœnix of the whole company of lancers. The sound of
-mirth and joviality was re-echoed by the vault of heaven. The grand
-vezír was so astonished at the feats which his majesty performed, that
-he descended from his horse, approached his majesty’s stirrup on foot,
-and kissed it. It is quite certain that the display of horsemanship and
-throwing of the javelin which his majesty exhibited on this occasion
-was altogether unequalled. The royal party passed through Eskí Bábá
-and Hafsa, and on the tenth day of the journey, about mid-day, reached
-Adrianople.
-
-The emperor and his suite, after offering up their devotions at the
-Selímiya, mounted their horses and crossed the bridge of Soleimán,
-exhibiting a great display of pomp and grandeur, and arrived at the
-royal palace of that city. The ághá of the palace, Elháj Mustafa Aghá,
-and other reverend dignitaries belonging to the royal house, made such
-a display of silver-plate and gold vessels as to excite great wonder.
-In short, so plentiful were articles of this description, that, in
-passing into the royal apartments, one was obliged to walk over them;
-the whole of his domestics that waited on him were made rich. Here
-diváns were held, and petitions of all kinds attended to. Within the
-palace a mosque was fitted up. The emperor himself, his domestics, and
-hatchet-bearers, went out every day to follow the chase, accompanied
-by his hounds and panthers. He ordered his bostánjí báshí to search
-out the places which abounded with most game, over a district of
-three days’ journey. Near the village of Cholmek the field, as the
-chase was pursued by sultáns of other days, extended to the distance
-of several leagues. In or about the beginning of Dhu’l hijja, the
-emperor, accompanied by his domestics, the odabáshí Ja’fer Aghá, the
-salihdár Mohammed Aghá, the chakadár Ahmed, and the stirrup-holder
-Ismael Aghá, set out at night, and by daybreak reached a green meadow,
-where his majesty offered up his morning devotions. On a rising ground
-near this meadow a pavilion for his majesty had been erected, and from
-this spot he again commenced following the pleasures of the chase. The
-country every where around abounded with wild-game. The grey-hounds and
-panthers were let loose; such of the peasants as brought in the game
-that had been seized, received munificent rewards, by which many a poor
-peasant was made rich; eighteen deers, one hundred and fifty hares,
-forty foxes, and a vast number of pheasants were collected on this
-occasion; and rewards, according to the laws of the chase, were also
-distributed.
-
-The emperor, on leaving the above place, entered into Sultán Murád
-Khán’s garden with the view of taking some repose, whilst the whole
-of the game which had been taken was conveyed into his presence, when
-he ordered portions of it to be sent to the grand vezír and other
-ministers and military judges, who had not been present at this chase.
-In like manner, portions were sent to the royal harem, and to the other
-departments of the royal house. The sublime emperor then returned
-to Adrianople; but it was not long before he again engaged in the
-pleasures of the chase at a place called Kúrd Kíásí, about a stage
-distant from Adrianople, where the grand vezír prepared a splendid
-entertainment before the chase commenced. This chase took place about
-the beginning of the month of January, and all the vezírs and other
-officers of government were present at the convivial entertainment
-which Nesúh Páshá had given. The persons who had been employed in
-bringing in the game, whether whole or only the skins, received
-handsome rewards. The whole number of game taken on this occasion
-amounted to nine hundred and fifteen, and the number taken on former
-occasions to one thousand two hundred. The emperor enjoyed himself
-also in hunting along with his falconers, and outstripped the whole
-of his ághás, having caught nearly nine hundred birds. On meeting a
-peasant he condescended to enquire into his circumstances—what injury
-or oppression he might be enduring: and if he returned an answer that
-manifested content, he was sure to meet with an act of benevolence
-on the part of the royal enquirer. When he entered into a village,
-the villagers met him with the most valuable of their goods and best
-cattle, and offered them as presents; but for the most part he sent
-some of his domestics to prevent this display of kindness. In fact,
-such was the generosity of his own benevolent nature that many of the
-poor natives were made rich by his liberality. Every Friday night,
-according to his custom at Constantinople, he called together ten
-commanders or governors of garrisons, and made them read together, or
-separately, ten chapters of the holy writings, during the first watches
-of the night. Thus did the emperor, by donations of gold and silver,
-and by enriching his mind with reading, secure to himself a rich
-remuneration.
-
-
-
-
-EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1022, H.
-
-
-_The emperor, Sultán Ahmed Khán, goes to Gallipoli._
-
-The emperor having resolved on taking a journey to Gallipoli, left
-Adrianople for the latter place on the 24th of Sefer. Nesúh Páshá, the
-grand vezír, provided every thing necessary for him at the different
-stations through which he was to pass, and prohibited every where the
-exercise of oppression and tyranny. His majesty passed through the
-meadows belonging to Mohammed Páshá, which happened to be the first
-station; and next day, on coming to a place called Degirmenlik, he
-entered on the chase. Having no meat, he and his suite were obliged to
-rest satisfied with the flesh of such birds as they took on the field.
-From Degirmenlik he moved onwards to Ieserarkinah, near which he spent
-two or three days more in hunting, having had his pavilion erected in a
-delightful spot in the neighbourhood of that place. After quitting this
-spot he continued his route till mid-day, when, impelled by the desire
-of the chase, he again betook himself to hunting through the fields,
-which he continued till he came to Karah Bekár, were he again joined
-the royal cavalcade, which had been moving slowly forward, and rested
-there for the night. On the following day he halted at Altún Tásh,
-the day after at the station called Ahmed Páshá, and the third day at
-Kighanlu, near Mulghra, not far from the Kogher mountains, which so
-large a body of men as that which accompanied the emperor would find
-very difficult, if not impracticable, to cross. He, therefore, selected
-a certain number of janissaries and spáhís to accompany him across
-these mountains to Gallipoli, and sent the rest of his troops, with
-their ordnance and baggage, to Rodosjuk. They were, however, very much
-impeded in their march, owing to the fall of a great quantity of snow
-and rain. The emperor and his party, about three thousand in number,
-proceeded on their journey towards Urúsha, and on the following day
-came to Búlair, where they pitched their tents in a sort of plain near
-the tomb of the heroic Soleimán Páshá, where the emperor again engaged
-in the amusements of the chase. He visited the above tomb, distributed
-some alms, and ordered the coffin to be renewed and ornamented. The
-emperor, on reaching Gallipoli, ordered his tent to be erected in the
-open fields, whither the grandees of the city, about sixty of the
-ulemá, besides the officers of justice, came to salute his majesty and
-to welcome him to their city. About eight o’clock in the evening the
-emperor, accompanied by the grand vezír, those ághás who had been his
-companions in the sports of the field, and his domestics, entered the
-city, and took up his abode in a pavilion which had been previously
-erected for him near the fortress. Great rejoicings took place, and
-the firing of guns, both on the land and water, commenced; the priests
-read the service which is usually read on the emperor’s birth-day, and
-many alms were dispensed among the poor and indigent. The pleasure-boat
-which the bostánjí báshí sent from Constantinople, was occasionally
-used by his majesty in taking a pleasure-sail.
-
-
-_The emperor leaves Gallipoli for the imperial city._
-
-The grand sultán, not wishing to prolong his stay at Gallipoli, ordered
-the signal drum to beat, and left that city on the fifteenth day
-after his departure from Adrianople, _i.e._ on the 19th of Rabia I.
-When he reached Búlair, on his return, he again visited the tomb of
-the heroic Soleimán Páshá, which, by this time, had been renewed and
-decorated after the manner of that in the Ka’ba. The emperor laid a
-sword across the coffin, which was covered over with cloth; ordered
-prayers to be offered up; distributed alms among the poor of the place,
-and afterwards prosecuted his march towards the royal city. He halted
-for the night at a place called Kowak. On the second following day,
-after descending from Bilban, he reached Rudosjuk, where the troops he
-left behind him, when he proposed crossing the Kogher mountains for
-Gallipoli, were waiting for his return.
-
-
-_Mohammed Gheráí arrives at Rudosjuk._
-
-Mohammed Gheráí, who had made himself obnoxious to his brother, Salámet
-Gheráí, the reigning khán of the Crimea, (who had joined himself to
-Sháhín Gheráí, and, along with some Circassian tribes among whom he
-lived, had committed great depredations among the Crimean Tátárs,) no
-sooner heard of the death of Salámet Gheráí, and the efforts which
-Jánbeg Gheráí had employed to prevent either his or his brother’s
-succeeding to the khánship, than he appeared with four hundred men in
-Romeili, and advanced with the utmost haste to solicit the support and
-countenance of the Turkish government in his own behalf. The grand
-vezír, on hearing of his approach, sent some of his ághás to meet him,
-and to bring him to Rudosjuk, where he had the felicity of kissing
-the emperor’s foot. The emperor, after holding a diván, promised
-that equity should be done; and attached two kapújí báshís to two
-of Mohammed Gheráí’s officers, who were to bring the two contending
-princes to an agreement between themselves.
-
-The emperor’s nativity was again celebrated at Rudosjuk. At night
-candles were lighted up, and muskets were fired. The front of the
-imperial pavilion was brilliantly illuminated with a vast number of
-lamps. On the following day he set out for Kopurjí Cháier, passed
-through the village of Amúrcha, and on the third day arrived in the
-plains of Silivria. Here he was met by the kapúdán, Mohammed Páshá, the
-bostánjí báshí, Hasan Aghá, with his whole body of bostánjís. Many of
-the ulemá and servants of the government came to this place also, to
-welcome him back. In the evening, as the emperor was going towards the
-gardens of Silivria, he was met by his reverence the mufti Mohammed
-Effendí, and other learned men. When the mufti saw him approaching, he
-advanced, kissed the hem of his garment, and pronounced a blessing on
-his head. The sultán, on the other hand, no sooner saw the venerable
-prelate drawing near to him, than he checked the steed on which he was
-mounted, in order to allow him time to perform the above ceremony,
-and then invited the mufti and his learned associates to mount and
-accompany him in his jaunt, when they all entered into a variety of
-conversation. Other ulemá, and heads of seminaries of learning, came
-also on this occasion and paid him their respects. The emperor, after
-meeting with so many tokens of esteem from his learned subjects,
-ordered preparations to be made for going to the gardens of Dávud
-Páshá. The night on which he arrived at these gardens the whole space
-occupied by his soldiery of various kinds was brilliantly illuminated,
-and the small and great guns fired a salute. On the 24th of Rabia I. he
-entered the capital, whilst his troops and retinue formed a beautiful
-and orderly procession. In a very few days afterwards, however, _i.e._
-on the 1st of Rabia II., he passed over to his palace at Scutari, where
-he followed the amusements of the chase. Sometimes he went to Stavros,
-sometimes to the port of the metropolis, and sometimes to the gardens
-of Dávud Páshá, in pursuit of the same sport and amusement.
-
-On the 5th of Rajab of this year he went to the gardens of Chatálijeh,
-and returned to Constantinople on the 12th of the same. On the
-following day, after having spent the night comfortably, he went to the
-Halkalú gardens, where he gave audience to the grand vezír. From these
-gardens he retired to those of Dávud Páshá, and thence returned to the
-imperial palace.
-
-About this time seven of the chaste and unsullied daughters of the
-emperor’s uncles, brought up in the old palace, were given in marriage
-to rich and powerful ághás, who were favourites of his majesty. On
-the 23d of Rajab the emperor removed to the gardens of Beshektásh,
-where he either spent his time in the library, or in the orchards of
-that place, and returned to his own palace in the month of Shabán,
-where, night after night, he attended to the duties of religion, and
-to the distribution of alms. He ordered Súfí Mustafa Effendí, his own
-Imán, to draw out a statement from authentic documents of all his
-royal children; and a list of twenty-six names, male and female, was
-returned to him. To each of these he sent by this prelate, and others
-who were joined with him in the commission, immense presents; and as
-many of them as had arrived at the age of puberty, received a suitable
-provision.
-
-During the month of Ramazán he was most assiduous in offering up his
-devotions; and on the Leilet ul kadr,[23] he made such a distribution
-of money and of other benefits as had never been exemplified in any
-of his predecessors. After the termination of the fast, the usual
-salutations were attended to, and he again began to enjoy the pleasures
-which his palace afforded.
-
-It having been alleged that the use of wine had been the cause of the
-disturbances and tumults which had taken place in the city from time to
-time, the pious and religious emperor, in order to put a stop to this
-forbidden and pernicious practice throughout the empire, ordered the
-laws to be enforced. The taverns were a perfect nuisance; and therefore
-the keepers of them had their licenses taken from them: the sellers of
-wine were obliged to flee, and their houses or shops were thrown down,
-without paying any regard whatever to the vast advantage which accrued
-to the government from this traffic; because of the great evil which it
-had done to the morals of the inhabitants. It was not long, however,
-before the use of wine again became as general as ever.
-
-
-_A messenger from Holland arrives in Constantinople._
-
-Messengers, with valuable gifts and rich presents for the Ottoman
-emperor, from the válí of Holland, a country bordering on the ocean
-on the north of France, with some large merchant-vessels carrying a
-variety of merchandize from the same country, arrived this year at the
-port of Constantinople. When the owners or skippers of these vessels
-asked leave to depart, they were allowed to do so, and so also were the
-messengers or ambassadors who had been honoured with lodgings in the
-imperial gardens of Scutari.
-
-Kitanjí Omar Páshá was commissioned by the Ottoman government to
-proceed to Walachia and Moldavia, with the view of fixing and settling
-the authority of the Voivodas who had been appointed by government
-in these provinces, for since the days of the apostate Michael
-these countries had been in a most unsettled state. The chief of
-Transylvania, during the troubles which reigned in these two provinces,
-found means to attach some few fortresses to the jurisdiction of
-Temisvar; but when he learned that Sultán Ahmed Khán was in Adrianople,
-he became terrified, and instantly relinquished Lipova and Yanova,
-which of course were taken possession of by some of the border
-chieftains.
-
-Afterwards, when a Polish army entered the territories of Moldavia, the
-governor of Silistria, Delí Hasan Páshá, marched against it and routed
-it.
-
-
-_A mosque is built in the garden of Stavros._
-
-No mosque having hitherto been built in the garden of Stavros, orders
-were issued this year to erect one, besides some other necessary
-erections. The household troops and the attendants of the grand vezír
-finished the whole in the space of forty days. The emperor sometimes
-resided in this garden, and not unfrequently amused himself by sailing
-in his pleasure-boat in the straits of Constantinople.
-
-
-_Sultán Ahmed Khán resolves on a second journey to Adrianople._
-
-Sultán Ahmed Khán, of restless disposition, like his great ancestor,
-Sultán Selím Khán, resolved on again visiting the city of Adrianople.
-Accordingly the grand vezír, Nesúh Páshá, the nobles, the emperor’s
-favourites, and ághás of the stirrup, were ordered, on the 9th of
-Shevál, to repair a second time to Adrianople. In conformity to custom,
-the vezírs and ulemá accompanied his majesty as far as Dávud Páshá,
-where they all took leave of him and returned to the city. At Burghas
-the emperor took up his lodgings in the mansion of Mohammed Páshá,
-the martyr, and attended the chase. On his first going forth to this
-sport, and whilst endeavouring to raise the wild beasts, a huge boar,
-resembling the devil, presented himself, and in his fury and rage
-terrified every one away: the emperor alone had courage to seize a
-spear, and, like a flash of burning light, attacked the ferocious
-animal. The grand vezír hurried forward to aid his master, and on
-finding, brave and powerful as the sultán really was, and though he
-had succeeded in stupifying the wild beast, that he had not yet killed
-it, immediately thrust his spear into the body of the wild boar, when
-the dogs instantly fell upon it. It amused the emperor exceedingly to
-see the manner in which the dogs applied their teeth to the carcass
-of the wild beast. In three days after this event the emperor reached
-Adrianople, where he spent the winter, alternately following the chase
-and attending to religious solemnities.
-
-
-_Nesúh Páshá’s enmity to the lord high treasurer, Etmekjí Zádeh. Ahmed
-Páshá._
-
-Nesúh Páshá, the grand vezír, having a second time accompanied Sultán
-Ahmed Khán to Adrianople, acquired, by his apparent diligence in
-serving his royal master, a peculiar intimacy with him; but Etmekjí
-Zádeh, from his office in the vezírship and in the treasury, stood
-in the way of his arriving at the possession of absolute sway. Nesúh
-Páshá thirsted for this; and being, moreover, a man without the least
-virtue, he could not endure to see the prosperity of Etmekjí Zádeh, and
-therefore not only hated and envied him, but also sought opportunity
-to ruin him. Thinking he had something to accuse him of, and by which
-at least he hoped to lessen him in the esteem of his master, he
-represented to his majesty the pusillanimity which he discovered during
-the late war with Persia. This he did whilst travelling to Adrianople,
-and recurred to this part of Etmekjí’s history so frequently, that
-his majesty determined on depriving him of his office as lord high
-treasurer, and also of the government of Caramania, to which he had
-been appointed. Nesúh had the envious satisfaction of seeing the object
-of his hatred humbled; but by the intervention of Etmekjí’s friends in
-about a week afterwards he was raised to the government of Aleppo, and
-Lunka Zádeh was made lord high treasurer in his room: Abdulbákí Páshá
-was made second treasurer, and Kalander was made third.
-
-
-_Begzádeh, a celebrated spáhí, assassinated._
-
-Etmekjí Zádeh having been, as before observed, appointed to the
-government of Aleppo, the grand vezír sent him off to take charge of
-it. About this time Begzádeh, one of the most celebrated spáhí chiefs,
-a native of Khorassan, and a man of intrepid bravery and fortitude,
-incurred the displeasure of the grand vezír. This spáhí, when he first
-entered the service, had only a salary of twelve akchas; but by his
-bravery, and other splendid talents which he possessed, he came at
-last to have the command of twelve thousand spáhís, who were entirely
-obedient to his will. This Begzádeh came to Constantinople when Nesúh
-Páshá was there, but feared to have any interview with him. At length,
-however, Soklún Mesli Aghá, the ághá of the janissaries, undertook
-to introduce him to the grand vezír, promising by an oath no injury
-would happen to him. The other consented, and the vezír, after he
-was introduced to him, took special care to show him every mark of
-esteem and respect due to his character and station, promising, at
-the same time, to attend to all his requests. This state of affairs
-continued for about four months, during the whole of which time
-Begzádeh had constant access to the grand vezír, and shared in his
-apparent kindness. The deceitful vezír, however, had formed the plan of
-murdering him. He several times proposed to the ághá above-mentioned
-to perpetrate this deed, but Mesli pleaded his promise and oath, and
-would not consent to be guilty of so base a crime. The grand vezír
-was determined, and under the pretext of settling some business which
-related to the Turcomans, sent off Begzádeh to Aleppo. Immediately
-after his departure for that city the grand vezír sent an order to
-Etmekjí Zádeh, the válí of Aleppo, to take away the life of Begzádeh.
-The order was thus: “Your head or his.” This was sent off by the
-notorious executioner, Káísh Mohammed. The válí no sooner received
-this peremptory mandate than he, though reluctantly, entered into the
-views of the grand vezír, because, in fact, he felt afraid of him. On
-the last day of one of the festivals, as Begzádeh was reclining on a
-pillow and trimming his beard, Káísh Mohammed rose up and left the
-company, but soon returning again with a hatchet he had in readiness,
-with one blow cut off one of his ears, when instantly Begzádeh,
-though a powerful man, fell down on one side and gave up the ghost.
-The grand vezír rewarded Káísh Mohammed for this deed of blood with
-an ágháship, and sent the hateful wretch into Romeili. He was a most
-merciless, blood-thirsty villain, and the instrument by which very
-many lost their lives. He at last, however, perished by the hands of
-the kizilbáshes.
-
-
-_Other events and circumstances of this year._
-
-On the 10th day of Moharrem, Chokadár Khás, Mohammed Aghá, was
-appointed to the command of the janissaries, and in four or five months
-afterwards was raised to the government of Romeili. One of the seven
-daughters of the late Sultán Murád Khán was given away in marriage,
-and the rest of them were similarly disposed of. On the 1st of Shevál,
-the royal prince, Sultán Hasan, was born, and Omar Aghá was sent to
-Adrianople, where the emperor then was, to inform him of the birth
-of this prince. In the month of Shevál, at the time the emperor was
-preparing to go to Adrianople, and when he entered into the garden of
-Floreiya, he conferred on Khalíl Páshá the second kapúdánship. The
-guardianship of the foot of the throne was given to Gúrjí Mohammed
-Páshá, who had been deputy of Constantinople. A royal edict to build
-ten more galleys at the royal expense, was issued this year. An order
-was also issued, during the time the emperor was at Adrianople, to
-build a palace in the royal garden, near the port of Constantinople. On
-the 25th of Shevál, the day on which his majesty reached Adrianople,
-the Bostánjí báshí, Hasan Aghá, who had remained in Constantinople,
-received the sanják of Sefd (in Syria). The country adjacent, which
-belonged to Maán Oghlí, who by this time had fled to Europe, was
-annexed to Sefd. Kashiki Hasan Aghá was made Bostánjí báshí. The
-lately-created válí of Sefd went to Adrianople to do homage to the
-emperor for the dignity and honour conferred on him, and afterwards set
-out for his new government.
-
-The emperor, finding himself in a great measure at ease and free from
-care, determined on taking some recreation in a pleasure-boat or yacht,
-and therefore ordered one to be constructed. The whole of the river
-Tonja, as far as his place of hunting, was cleared of wood, stones,
-and every thing that might obstruct the passage of his yacht, by
-janissaries, spáhís, and other soldiers, which they accomplished in a
-short time. He ordered the boat to be brought from Constantinople to
-Rudosjuk, which was transported from that place to the river Tonja on
-sledges. After the new yacht was painted and ornamented, he employed
-it for the purpose for which it had been made. He ordered another, of a
-peculiar construction, to be conveyed from Gallipoli to Adrianople.
-
-
-_The treaty of peace with Persia adverted to._
-
-This year a copy of the articles of agreement entered into with the
-sháh of Persia was written out by the reverend mufti, Mohammed Effendí,
-and sent to the court of Persia. In conformity to ancient treaties it
-was agreed: 1st, That the Persians should make use of no expressions of
-contempt, of execration, of reproach, or of abuse against the chosen
-friends and contending heroes of the faith, the prelates and priests
-of Islamism, and the orthodox followers of the same. 2d, None worthy
-of the name of Iránís, of whatever class (according to the agreement
-which sháh Tehemasp had promised to abide by), were to be obliged to
-hear wicked or profane reading, or explanations (of the law); and all
-of this name who wished to enter the Osmánlí dominions, were not to
-be prohibited. 3d, Such Musselmans as were in service or in garrisons
-at the making of this treaty, were not to be vexed or oppressed. 4th,
-The frontier lines were to remain as they were in the reign of Sultán
-Selím Khán. 5th, The estates which belonged to Sanjár Oghlí, of happy
-memory, were to be added to the territories of Baghdád, without any
-resistance being offered. 6th, When the chief cities in the district
-of Sheherirúz were set free from the power of Helú Khán, they were
-never again to receive any aid or assistance from the Persians. 7th,
-All pilgrims, travelling from the east by the way of Aleppo and Shám,
-were not to be allowed to travel by the road of Baghdád and Bassora,
-without a sufficient guard. 8th, To Shamkhál Khán and other rulers in
-Dághistán, who from ancient times had been on a friendly footing with
-Turkey, or to any part of their dominions, no injury was to be done;
-they were also, by the same treaty, to sustain no loss whatever. 9th,
-When once the Turkish fortresses or redoubts, which had been erected
-for the purpose of preventing unfortunate Russians[24] from passing and
-repassing, were relinquished, the sháh was, under no pretext whatever,
-to place garrisons in them. 10th, The frontiers were to be protected.
-
-In conformity to the spirit of this treaty, the frontier páshás,
-_viz._ the válí of Baghdád, Mohammed Páshá, and the beglerbeg of Wán,
-Mohammed Páshá, received an imperial commission to proceed and settle,
-along with the Persian commissioners, the line of frontier between the
-dominions of the Ottoman emperor and those of the sháh of Persia.
-
-
-
-
-EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1023, H.
-
-
-_The Moslem Emperor returns to Constantinople._
-
-In the commencement of the month of Moharrem the happy and fortunate
-monarch Sultán Ahmed Khán began to retrace his steps towards his royal
-residence at the Sublime Porte. The troops who had accompanied his
-majesty to Adrianople were, previous to his own departure, allowed to
-return home. His majesty himself accomplished the journey in fifteen
-days, seven of which he rested, having arrived at Constantinople about
-the middle of the month. The day on which he entered the city two of
-his sons, Sultán Osmán and Sultán Mohammed, mounted on swift chargers,
-went out to meet their royal father, and returned along with him,
-riding in front of the janissaries. Some few days after his arrival in
-the royal residence he retired into the Terskháneh, and resided for a
-while in the mansion which he had ordered to be erected in it, and was
-now completed. Being naturally fond of this garden, he caused it to be
-decorated with flowers and shrubs taken from the interior garden of his
-seraglio or harem.
-
-
-_The admiral, Khalíl Páshá, goes to sea._
-
-The admiral Khalíl Páshá set sail with forty-five vessels for
-Beshektásh, whence, after a few days’ riding, he proceeded to the
-island of Scio, which he reached after a sail of twenty-two days. Here
-he learned that no less than twenty-seven hostile ships had entered
-a harbour belonging to the island of Skyro, but which, he afterwards
-heard, had gone to the island of Súsam. Thither he directed his course,
-having been previously joined by Mímí Beg, kapúdán of Rhodes, with
-twenty galleys: but before the Turkish fleet could make up to them
-they escaped through the straits of the islands of Andro and Istendil
-(Tino), and made their way to some of the sea-ports belonging to his
-holiness the pope. Khalíl Páshá on the 2d of Jemadi I. arrived before
-Corone, passed Modon, and on the 15th reached Avarín (Navarin): thence
-he sent out two vessels for the purpose of reconnoitring the coast.
-After having got all his ships properly pitched at this place, he
-again, on the 21st, set sail with fifty-nine ships of various size
-towards the shores of the infidels. After passing Messina, he reached
-the island of Malta on the 28th of the month; on the same day he
-effected a descent on that island.
-
-Along the shore, at the distance of about a mile from each other, a set
-of towers had been erected, which, by means of igniting in succession
-a certain quantity of gunpowder in each, communicated a signal to the
-chief fortress of the island. This was done on this occasion; and in
-a very short time some thousands, foot and horse, came rushing forth
-to meet the invaders, when a most terrible battle ensued, and was
-maintained till after mid-day. Several hundreds of these infidels
-became food for the sword, and a good number of them were taken
-prisoners. The deputy grand master, the lords of Malta, with several
-other persons of distinction, fell in the struggle. The heroic and
-warlike Moslems followed up their advantages to the very walls of their
-chief city or fortress; burned the whole of their harvest of anise and
-cummin; cut down their olive and other fruit trees; carried off their
-flocks of sheeps and herds of cattle; and reached the fleet at the time
-of the evening prayers. The fleet now sailed past the city, when each
-galley, as it passed, fired a broadside against it, and directed its
-course towards Tripoli in Barbary; but not before they had committed
-some more mischief on another part of the island.[25]
-
-The fleet, as we have already observed, sailed for Tripoli. The
-distance between Malta and Tripoli is two hundred and twenty miles,
-and the fleet did not reach the harbour of the latter place till
-the 2d of Jemadi II., having left Malta about the end of Jemadi I.
-The inhabitants of Tripoli were at this time in a most disorganized
-state. One Seferdeíá had usurped the government, had been guilty of
-murder, robbery, and every species of oppression, and even refused to
-permit the Turkish fleet to enter the harbour. By wise and prudent
-management, however, this Seferdeíá was induced to come on board the
-báshtirdeh (the admiral’s ship), when his person was instantly secured
-and placed in irons. His associates and followers, on learning the
-fate of their chief, shut themselves up in the city, determined on
-resisting and fighting to the last. But by the timely mediation of a
-number of reverend fathers their misconduct was overlooked, and the
-city was again restored to its former government. The whole of the
-property and wealth which the rebel Seferdeíá had accumulated was
-registered, and afterwards confiscated. After these proceedings had
-ended, the admiral ordered his pavilion to be erected on shore; held a
-council for examining into the nature and extent of the crimes which
-the rebel-prisoner had committed, and proofs of which the nobles,
-ulemá, and the people in general furnished in abundance. The admiral,
-after hearing all the evidence which was brought before him in regard
-to Seferdeíá’s crime, and finding that the general voice demanded
-his life, ordered him to be brought forward, caused his crimes to be
-recorded, and afterwards hanged him in front of the gate of the city.
-
-The fleet left Tripoli on the 10th of the last-mentioned month, and
-arrived before Navarin on the 14th of the same. The ships which had
-been sent out to reconnoitre the enemy’s coasts joined the fleet at the
-last-mentioned station, bringing along with them a prize laden with
-wheat.
-
-
-_Punishment inflicted on the infidels of Maneíah._
-
-The Turkish fleet reached Yaswah on the 24th of the last-mentioned
-month, where it was joined by three vessels belonging to Tunis,
-commanded by Murád Beg. The inhabitants of the mountain of Maneíah,
-in the Morea, had formerly been visited by an army, which had taken
-ample vengeance on them for their hostile and rebellious spirit. Such
-of them, at that time, as had not perished, or who had not been made
-captives, submitted themselves, and were pardoned: but ever since the
-year 1020, forgetting their former visitation, and the promises which
-they then made, they have manifested nothing but a spirit of rebellion.
-Arslán Páshá, with some Romeilian troops, was sent to chastise them and
-bring them again under subjection. The admiral, who had had orders to
-render him, towards the end of the voyage, every assistance, no sooner
-reached Yaswah than he landed a number of his troops for this express
-purpose. The páshá proceeded with this reinforcement to the mountains,
-and soon brought the rebels to their senses, having killed many of them
-and taken a number of others prisoners. They agreed to pay the ordinary
-taxes, and promised never to show insubordination in future.
-
-
-_Mímí Páshá falls a martyr._
-
-About this time a sword and two robes of honour were transmitted to the
-kapúdán páshá, Khalíl Páshá, from the court of Constantinople. Ma’áraf
-Beg, called Sanjován Oghlí, and the beg of Damietta, Mímí Beg, were
-ordered, towards the end of Rajab, to go and guard the island of Borák.
-After having reached this island they ordered all their vessels to be
-properly pitched, and went to wait on the governor of the island. On
-their return, however, to their ships they were suddenly attacked by a
-party which had belonged to an enemy’s vessel, when, by the permission
-of God, Mímí Beg fell a martyr. The son of Sanjován made his escape in
-some way or other, but their two vessels were carried off by the enemy.
-The admiral, on the 10th of Ramazán, reached the island of Mewkina,
-where he captured a prize; on the 14th he arrived at Scio, and reached
-the port of Constantinople on the 25th of Shevál.
-
-
-_The cossacks become troublesome._
-
-The tribe of cossacks had been in the habit of coming along the Black
-Sea in skiffs, and ravaging the villages on the banks of the Danube,
-near the mouth of that river. In the month of Rajab of this year a
-party of them, conducted by some apostate runaways, came and reduced
-the city of Sinope, called Medinet-alashuk, situate on the shores of
-the Black Sea, in the province of Anatolia. The inhabitants of this
-ancient city were no way apprehensive of danger from these cossacks,
-and before they had the least intimation of their approach were
-attacked by this horde, who slew every Muselman that fell in their
-way. They plundered and ransacked the city, made its families slaves,
-and then set fire to the buildings. In short, they not only desolated
-the whole place, but robbed and spoiled every house and family in the
-neighbourhood, and afterwards set off in their boats. Ibrahím Páshá,
-who had been sent to guard the mouth of the Danube, hearing of the fate
-of Sinope, immediately prepared his boats, sixty in number, and sailed
-down one of the outlets of that river with the view of intercepting
-them, but in vain. The accursed infidels heard of this fleet of boats
-that was waiting their arrival, and therefore, before coming up to the
-mouth of the river, they drew to shore, fixed their boats on a kind of
-drays, and proceeded overland towards a part of the river higher up.
-Though they found means of avoiding Ibrahím and his fleet of boats,
-they did not escape the Tátárs. A party of this hardy and fearless
-race of men fell upon them just as they were in the act of launching
-their boats, and recovered the whole of the property and families they
-had carried off with them. Numbers of these barbarians perished in the
-struggle, and others of them were made prisoners. Some few of their
-boats which had succeeded in getting off before the Tátárs came upon
-them, were pursued by Ibrahím, and were either sunk or taken. In the
-beginning of Ramazán twenty cossacks were sent as trophies, under the
-charge of some of Ibrahím Páshá’s men, to the Sublime Porte. It is
-said, that one messenger after another had arrived in Constantinople
-with information respecting the assault which Sinope had sustained
-from the cossacks; and that when the emperor asked the grand vezír,
-Nesúh Páshá, concerning the truth of the matter, he declared, though
-falsely, that he knew nothing about it. The emperor, however, was
-not satisfied with this answer, and applied to the learned mufti for
-information, who unhesitatingly told him the truth. The emperor was
-exceedingly angry at the grand vezír for the falsehood he had told him.
-
-
-_Some fortresses built on the Ouzi (Borysthenes)._
-
-About this time Ahmed Páshá, the beglerbeg of Romeili, crossed the
-Danube with his provincial troops, and proceeded, in conformity
-to imperial orders, to the ford of Aksú, the place at which the
-mischievous cossacks in Moldavia were accustomed to cross, where he
-was ordered to erect two fortresses, one on each side of that ford.
-On arriving at the place of his destination he found that the persons
-who had been appointed to provide materials for the proposed buildings
-had, in fact, done nothing. The journey to Aksú was a pathless desert
-of twenty days’ march, and presented nothing but brackish water and
-barrenness the whole way. The páshá sent a report to the emperor of
-the state of things, and was recalled; but as the infidels had been
-threatening another irruption, the páshá repaired and strengthened all
-the other fortresses in that quarter. About this same time, also, Karah
-Kásh Mohammed Páshá, beglerbeg of Kaniza, rebuilt or repaired about ten
-of the fortresses which had formerly been wrested from the infidels,
-and had lain waste or unoccupied ever since. Three new ones were added
-to these, and whilst employed in erecting them the infidels became
-alarmed, and sent friendly letters; because, in fact, they began to
-anticipate, when they perceived the activity of the Osmánlís, that the
-peace was at an end.
-
-
-_Concerning Maán Oghlí._
-
-Maán Oghlí Fekhr-ud-dín governed the whole of the country along the
-shores of Syria as far as the confines of Sefd. He had stipulated,
-as before observed, to send annually a certain portion of the
-productions of that country to Constantinople, which stipulation
-he generally fulfilled. It happened, however, that in consequence
-of some misunderstanding which had taken place between him and the
-grand vezír, Nesúh Páshá, at some former period, in order to vex and
-perplex the vezír, he absolutely declined granting the stipulated
-tribute. The vezír on this account, and with the view of utterly
-destroying him, ordered the válí of Syria, Vezír Háfiz Páshá, who had
-been six years governor in that province, to march against him with
-the troops of his own province, those of Anatolia, of Caramania, and
-of Diárbeker. This hostile movement against Maán Oghlí commenced in
-1022, and was repeated this year also. But Maán Oghlí’s castles were
-all situate among rocks and mountains, and garrisoned by the heretics
-of the country; he had besides a great armed body of many thousands of
-the detestable Durzís,[26] whom he kept as his guards. His principal
-fortresses were Shátuf, Paneiyas, Dair al kamar, and some others of a
-similar description, all which were filled with armed men. Yet when
-any of these places were threatened by the Osmánlís, and any of Maán
-Oghlí’s segbáns showed themselves, their heads were made to roll on the
-ground. Owing, however, to the inaccessible position of his castles,
-and to their being well supplied with every warlike apparatus, the
-Osmánlí general, Háfiz Páshá, found it imperative to use every exertion
-to press Maán Oghlí, especially as the winter coming on, would make
-it necessary for him and his army to retire into winter-quarters.
-The result was, that these mountaineers began to feel the want of
-provisions, and Maán Oghlí, perceiving the determined vigour with
-which the Osmánlí general carried on his operations, to save his own
-life became a French proselyte, or at least ingratiated himself into
-the favour of the French, promising he would assist a French army in
-acquiring a conquest in the environs of Jerusalem. He accordingly set
-sail in a French vessel from the nearest port and arrived in Europe,
-whence he wrote to his followers an account of the esteem and favour
-he had met in Europe. Amongst other falsehoods, he told them, in order
-to encourage them to continue their resistance and keep possession of
-their strong-holds, that he was on the point of returning to them with
-a victorious army in French ships provided by European princes: he also
-promised his segbáns their wages.
-
-Vezír Háfiz Páshá, in the meantime, continued to press the strong-holds
-of Maán Oghlí; and having been strengthened by an augmentation of
-new forces, he was enabled to lay siege to them. He was, moreover,
-supplied with artillery from Constantinople, which he applied so
-effectually against the strong-holds of the enemy, that he succeeded in
-reducing some of them, whilst others submitted of their own accord. He
-sent an encouraging message to Maán Oghlí’s segbáns, and two thousand
-of them joined the Osmánlí army. The castles which were in the most
-elevated and inaccessible situations stood out for a while, but they
-also offered to capitulate on terms which they deemed necessary for
-their own safety. At this moment, however, five light ships, conveying
-a number of troops and cannon for Maán Oghlí’s garrisons, arrived. The
-infamous wretch, Maán Oghlí’s deputy, came out to receive these cannon,
-and was in the act of having them conveyed into his strong-hold,
-when Háfiz Páshá, who had received a hint of what was going on,
-sent a pretty strong party with the view of seizing the cannon. The
-mountaineers no sooner saw the Osmánlís advancing upon them than they
-fled back into their fastnesses, and the French or Europeans ran to
-their ships, leaving every thing behind them a prey to the royalists,
-who were commanded by Hasan Páshá. These mountaineers still trusted,
-however, that Maán Oghlí himself would, some time during the winter,
-arrive to their aid with his auxiliary army from Europe. This story
-gained ground. The Durzís, to the amount of ten thousand, fortified
-the strong places in the mountains, and secured, moreover, some narrow
-passes belonging to Shuf (in Syria). The Moslems, however, never
-ceased to carry on their operations. These Durzís went in a body to a
-place called Aien-rahela; and whilst Háfiz Páshá was engaged in laying
-siege to some of their strong-holds, Hasan Páshá joined him with his
-body of troops. A most tremendous battle now ensued between a body of
-these Durzís and the Moslem or royal army, in which two hundred of the
-former lost their heads; the rest fled to the mountains, and their
-dwellings were all burned to the ground. Again, on the same day, those
-of the same race who had assembled in the neighbourhood of Kufra-nahm
-(Capernaum) were scattered, and at Ebn Maherin three hundred more
-of them were deprived of their heads: one of their chiefs, called
-Izz-ud-dín, was among the slain. A division of the Moslem troops was
-also sent to Dair al kamar, where about three hundred more of these
-Durzís perished. Násir-ud-dín, chief of this fortress, came to the
-pavilion of the commanding-general, and implored him to spare his life,
-which he granted him.
-
-At the taking of Dair al kamar, the Osmánlís experienced great
-difficulties, before they gained the victory which crowned their
-arduous efforts; and which was chiefly owing to their having changed
-their mode of assault for that of the springing of mines. One thousand
-five hundred of the Segbáns that had joined the Moslems were sent
-to meet Hasan Páshá son of Seif, governor of Tripoli, in Syria,
-who was marching to reduce a place called Múrj Pásin, the chief of
-which, a relative of Maán Oghlí, called Násir-ud-dín, with more than
-a thousand of his followers advanced to meet the son of Seif, when
-a most desperate encounter ensued; in which the rebel-chief was not
-only made a prisoner, but several hundred of the Durzís lost their
-lives. Múrj Pásin itself escaped at this time, but it was afterwards
-visited when all the Durzís in it were scattered, and their chiefs
-obliged to flee. Four thousand of these mercenaries, under the command
-of one, Sheríf-ud-dín, were afterwards defeated in one of the defiles
-in the mountains called Rúm, where they lost five hundred men. In a
-short time, seven hundred more of these Durzís were numbered among
-their slain. In the above-mentioned defile, called Rúm, Sheríf-ud-dín
-himself, and above one thousand Durzís perished in a battle which was
-fought there. The Osmánlís were every where victorious against these
-detestable heretics, and burned their dwellings. Some short time
-afterwards they learned that Emír Yúnus, the brother of Maán Oghlí,
-had posted himself with four thousand armed men below the fortress of
-Banias. They were, however, soon dispersed, and the Osmánlí army now
-found time to carry on, with more leisure, the sieges of the various
-other strong-holds which had hitherto stood out. Fekhr-ud-dín Maán
-Oghlí’s first appearance of insubordination and rebellion took place in
-1021, and he continued to manifest it more or less for a considerable
-time: sometimes he broke out in acts of hostile rebellion; sometimes
-again he sued for peace: and thus he continued till the reign of
-Sultán Ahmed Khán, when he was overcome by Kúchuk Ahmed Páshá, and was
-afterwards conducted to the At Maidán, in Constantinople, where he met
-with the punishment due to his crimes, as we shall afterwards see.
-
-
-_The grand vezír, Nesúh Páshá, murdered.—The seals are conferred on
-Mohammed Páshá._
-
-Nesúh Páshá was by birth a plebeian, and of one of the villages of
-Gomlajena. On his being brought into the imperial palace, he was
-attached to the hatchet-bearers in the old palace, and served under
-Mahmúd Aghá, the emperor’s favourite. He left this situation with the
-rank of chávush, and acted for some time as the voivoda of Zula. In
-1007 he was advanced to the rank of ketkhodá of the household troops;
-was afterwards made under-master of the horse, and after enjoying
-this situation for some time, he was raised to the rank and dignity
-of governor of Aleppo, where he continued till Jeghala Zádeh gave
-the government of that city to Jánbúlát Oghlí. Once or twice he was
-employed against the rebels, but was defeated. Having been created
-válí of Baghdád, he waged war against the militia of that district. He
-was for a considerable time válí of Diárbeker, and formed a permanent
-friendship with the Kurds, by marrying the daughter of the mírsheríf
-of Kúrdistán. During the time he held these situations, particularly
-those of Aleppo and Diárbeker, he accumulated immense wealth. When the
-celebrated Murád Páshá fell sick at Diárbeker, Nesúh became his deputy,
-and after Murád’s death succeeded him in the premiership, as well
-as in the chief command of the army of the east. After negotiations
-had been entered into with the sháh of Persia, and when that prince
-had agreed to the articles proposed by the Ottoman government, Nesúh
-Páshá returned to Constantinople in 1021, and became son-in-law to the
-emperor; but the princess was only three years old when the marriage
-contract was made.
-
-Although Nesúh was a man of unequalled strength and bravery, yet in
-battle he was seldom successful. After the death of Murád Páshá it
-was expected (especially when the splendid apparatus his predecessor
-had provided against the Persians was considered) that he would have
-employed his resources against that people and utterly ruin them; but
-instead of this, he heedlessly agreed to make peace with them. By his
-power of address, and the servility of manner which he was capable of
-showing, he acquired such an ascendency over the emperor that he acted
-with despotic sway. His pride and haughtiness knew no bounds; nor
-would he allow any one, if he could prevent it, to share his master’s
-favours. By his influence vezírs were turned out of their vezírships,
-and others of them were exposed to the greatest insults. Some of the
-most faithful servants around his majesty’s person he supplanted by
-creatures of his own stamp. His being at enmity with the reverend
-mufti, Mohammed Effendí, led him to manifest contempt for the whole
-body of the ulemá, and caused him to make himself friends of worthless
-and ignorant men. In every assembly he and his vile associates showed
-the most marked disrespect for that august and venerable dignitary of
-the mosque; and every person, whoever he was, if he only suspected
-him of having any share in the emperor’s favour, was sure to meet
-with reproach and persecution. His conduct at last, however, was seen
-through by his majesty, and produced in the monarch’s mind a complete
-change towards his vezír.
-
-Sím Zádeh, a native of Bosnia, states that Nesúh united great
-magnanimity of mind with a competent share of knowledge and science,
-and possessed many other excellent qualities; but that he wanted
-rectitude and was thoughtless. He says, moreover, that Nesúh Páshá
-maintained no intercourse with persons who were of a wrathful and
-furious disposition. His enmity against the reverend mufti wholly
-arose from his pride, ambition, and haughtiness. One day when the
-mufti was sitting in the Yalí gardens along with some of his friends,
-the conversation happened to turn upon the evil conduct and bad
-administration of the grand vezír. Suddenly, at this time, a six-oared
-boat approached the Yalí gardens, when it was announced that the grand
-vezír had arrived. The mufti hastened to meet him as he disembarked.
-The vezír had on his head a small turban, appeared very much perplexed,
-and his features became changed. On his meeting the reverend prelate,
-he saluted him, and hardly giving him time to return the salutation, he
-stepped into his boat again and sailed away. The reverend mufti, and
-those about him, were very much surprised at the strange conduct and
-appearance of the premier; but they did not know the mystery of the
-case. They took an opportunity, however, to ask him whether he had been
-at the emperor’s council, but he answered that he had not gone, though
-he had been invited to attend; and added some other things which seemed
-to intimate that matters were not right with him.
-
-It would be endless to recount the evils which Nesúh was guilty of,
-both before and after he was made grand vezír. His cruelty and shedding
-of innocent blood, his avarice, his tyranny and oppression, were
-enormous. The emperor not unfrequently remonstrated with him, both in
-the language of kindness and of threatening, but it had no good effect
-upon him. Khezer Effendí, who had been raised to the chancellorship
-for having told him the truth, he contrived to have sent to Anatolia
-on business; and afterwards despatched a man after him to murder him,
-which deed he perpetrated. When speaking to his friends of the fate of
-the unfortunate Effendí, he used to say, he had helped him out of this
-vain world to a crown of martyrdom in the next. He was destitute of
-religion; and his exalted station was his ruin. Even his own domestics
-united at last against him, and deemed him worthy of death. It seemed
-as if every thing conspired to render it imperative that a judicial
-sentence should go forth against him. The mufti, Mohammed Effendí, the
-ághá of the palace, Mustafa Aghá, and those about the emperor’s person,
-apprehensive of their own safety from the snares and stratagems of the
-grand vezír, were incessant in preferring complaints against him for
-his villany and shocking perversities, which at last had the effect of
-rousing the emperor’s displeasure to such a degree, that he determined
-on cutting him off. Nesúh saw the storm that was now rising, and
-therefore fled from the emperor’s presence. This explains the mystery
-of his going to the Yalí garden, as before observed. His death was
-determined on: justice had lifted up her hand against him.
-
-It was announced to the grandees of the state, that his majesty
-intended to be present, on Friday the 13th of Ramazán, at the public
-assembly in the mosque. The astrologers informed the grand vezír that
-his horoscope had run its course; that his felicity was at an end;
-that his stars had prognosticated evil and not good concerning him;
-and that if he would escape the impending danger, he must avoid seeing
-the face of the emperor. The grand vezír, fearing the danger to which
-he was exposed, feigned himself sick, and determined on throwing
-himself on the emperor’s compassion when he came forth to attend at
-the mosque. The emperor, however, did not come forth on the day he had
-announced; for he too was afraid of the grand vezír: but he issued
-orders to take away his life. This was communicated to the ághá of the
-janissaries, who was desired to proceed and do the work. This ághá and
-his janissaries soon surrounded the palace of the grand vezír, when the
-bostánjí báshí, Hasan Aghá, with a hundred bostánjís, rushed into the
-premier’s inner chamber, where he was sitting, and instantly strangled
-him. The seals of office they carried away with them, and delivered
-them to the emperor.
-
-The end of Nesúh Páshá was no less humbling than his previous fortune
-had been auspicious. The whole object of his life was to amass wealth.
-From his first appearance in public he advanced through all the various
-gradations of military office, but never gained any victory worthy of
-notice. The desire of accumulating wealth and property was this man’s
-foible.
-
-In the account of Nesúh Páshá which we have perused there are some
-other things recorded which we must here insert. After the death of the
-celebrated Murád Páshá, and when Nesúh was made premier in his stead,
-he seized on Murád’s lieutenant, and threw him, and one Hasan Aghá, who
-had offended him, into prison. The former he caused to be executed on
-the battlements of the prison, and rooted out every individual of his
-family: the latter met with the same fate shortly afterwards.
-
-When Alí Páshá, the válí of Baghdád, and son-in-law of the lamented
-Murád Páshá, was on the eve of retiring to his government, his
-father-in-law strongly advised him against meeting Nesúh. Alí Páshá
-neglected this advice, had an interview with him, and received several
-tokens of apparent kindness from Nesúh. He not only conferred a
-variety of presents upon him, but even sent some of his own domestics
-along with him under the pretence of rendering him service, whilst,
-in fact, Nesúh meant them only as spies. When the latter returned
-to Constantinople he removed Alí Páshá from office, and three times
-sent him word not to show his face in the metropolis. Alí Páshá, as
-might have been expected, was very much astonished at this treatment,
-and wondered what the crime might be for which he was thus treated.
-Leaving, therefore, his heavy baggage at Eskí-sheher, he secretly
-returned to Constantinople. The grand vezír made three several
-attempts to get the emperor to agree to deprive Alí of his life, but
-without success. On a fourth attempt of the same kind, the emperor,
-instead of listening to the advice and importunity of his minister,
-created Alí Páshá a vezír, and secured him against the machinations of
-the vindictive premier. After the assassination of the latter Alí Páshá
-was raised to the government of Buda.
-
-The writer, whose sentiments we have introduced into the preceding
-paragraph, says, moreover, that when Nesúh Páshá accompanied the
-emperor to Adrianople, he wrote to Mohammed Gheráí, who, along with
-Sháhín Gheráí, had been the cause of a tumult among the Tátárs,
-desiring him to come to Adrianople, where he would introduce him to
-the emperor, and get him made khán. Mohammed Gheráí took the hint, and
-immediately set out for Adrianople. The emperor having gone out one
-day to follow the chase, chanced to spy a troop of armed Circassian
-horsemen, and Mohammed Gheráí at their head. The emperor, who did not
-seem to know the reason of their appearance in such circumstances,
-enquired why they had come. The result was, even though the vezír fully
-explained to the emperor the reason of Mohammed Gheráí’s arrival, that
-he was instantly seized and carried off to the Seven Towers, and there
-incarcerated. Persons were also sent to Kili to seize Sháhín Gheráí,
-but he made his escape before they arrived there.
-
-
-_Chief reasons for accomplishing the death of Nesúh Páshá._
-
-At the time Nesúh Páshá accompanied the emperor to the city of
-Adrianople, one of his friends, called Jebráil Aghá, happened to lodge
-at the house of a Seyed, where he made some attempt on the virtue of
-the wife of his landlord. The enraged Seyed appeared on Friday in
-the mosque, where the emperor and all the Muselmans were assembled
-for worship, and stepping into the middle of the court, took off his
-turban, and thus addressed his majesty: “Please your majesty, you
-are emperor of the Osmánlís. Who then is this wicked wretch (meaning
-Nesúh), who, with his Kurds, Turks, and similar tyrants, dares to offer
-violence in this city? They affix to their own names those of angels,
-who live near to God, and yet are not ashamed to commit crime and be
-guilty of corruption. By the great God,” said he, flinging away the
-muslin cloth that was round his turban, in a rage, “I do not know of
-whom I should first complain.” The emperor was very much grieved at
-hearing this story.
-
-On the emperor’s return to Constantinople, the grand vezír formed the
-design of assassinating the reverend mufti, Mohammed Effendí, and
-the ághá of the palace, but was afraid of the emperor. He employed,
-however, one Behrám Khetkhodá to go as far as the country of Albania,
-and secure for himself, at every stage, a certain number of horses to
-be in readiness. His object in this was, that as soon as Behrám had
-assassinated the two reverend prelates above-mentioned, he might make
-his escape. Behrám, however, was a man of prudence and good sense, and
-would not agree to perform the task which the grand vezír had imposed
-upon him. Information of this, and of other things which this wicked
-premier had been guilty of, coming to the emperor’s ears, he determined
-on cutting him off, and made arrangements for that purpose. The grand
-vezír having at last come to perceive that the emperor was for some
-reason or other displeased with him, came one day into his presence,
-in order to sound him. “How is it,” said the vezír, “that you pay no
-attention to any thing I say? If I am not worthy of holding the office
-of first minister, and you give the seals to another of your servants,
-I shall certainly destroy myself by taking poison.” The emperor,
-at hearing this mode of address from his minister, was roused into
-indignation, and said, “You treacherous villain, the report of your
-having caused poison to be administered to my faithful servant, Murád
-Páshá, is but too true.” Nesúh was forthwith despatched; and the offer
-of the premiership was made to the second vezír, Mohammed Páshá, and
-son-in-law to the emperor.
-
-After the world was rid of Nesúh Páshá, things began to wear a new and
-more favourable aspect. The evils of which he had been guilty were
-incalculable, and most injurious; and never did any man depart more
-from the spirit of his office than did this man. His sons after him,
-though they had acquired some grandeur and dignity in the state, were,
-like himself, unfortunate. Two of them met with a fate similar to
-that of their father, and another of them was allowed to pine away in
-solitude and neglect.
-
-After the death of Nesúh, several persons who had been deposed during
-his administration were restored to their offices or to others still
-more important. Among these was Alí Páshá formerly mentioned, whose
-services in the late war with Austria, and his wise administration at
-Baghdád, had become known to the emperor. Mahmúd Páshá, the son of
-Jeghala Zádeh, was another who was confirmed in his dignity of vezír.
-On the 21st of Ramazán, Hasan Páshá, who had been at one time beglerbeg
-of Diárbeker, was again appointed to that government; and, at the same
-time, protector of the frontiers. Some other appointments took place on
-this occasion.
-
-
-_Concerning Betlan Gabor._
-
-Betlan, or Bethlem, Gabor was a descendant of the Baturi line of
-Transylvanian princes. Baturi Gabor, better known by the appellation of
-Delí Karal (the foolish king), was a madman and a tyrant. He seized on
-the property of the other chiefs and nobles of Transylvania, and slew
-such of them as had the courage to oppose his tyranny and oppression:
-some were proscribed by him, and others, to escape his fury, fled the
-country. Betlan Gabor was one of the latter, and came to Belgrade at
-the time when Yemishjí Hasan Páshá was commander-in-chief, who allowed
-Betlan Gabor a salary of one hundred and twenty pieces of money. Betlan
-remained the whole of that winter at Semendria, and afterwards returned
-to Transylvania: but in 1021, he was again, for fear of Baturi Gabor,
-obliged to take refuge in Turkey. Having been successively deputy to
-Iskander Páshá and to Hasan Páshá, and being well acquainted with both
-the Arabic and Persian languages, he accompanied Nikrúm, the Austrian
-ambassador, to the court of Constantinople. Nesúh Páshá, the grand
-vezír, conferred on Betlan Gabor the government of Kaniza. By the
-intervention of Iskander Páshá it was that he was first introduced to
-the premier, who made himself acquainted with the circumstances of his
-case. Betlan informed him of the conduct of his relative, Delí Karal;
-and this led to the measures which the government afterwards adopted
-for crushing Baturi Gabor.
-
-Under the pretence of repairing the fortress of Buda, it was considered
-necessary to augment the troops in that quarter; but these, in fact,
-were to be employed against Baturi Gabor, Delí Karal. Orders for
-augmenting the troops were accordingly issued. Iskander Páshá assembled
-his troops in the plains of Serim, marched to Temisvar, passed through
-Timúr kapú, and entered Transylvania. Nesúh Páshá appointed Kelánjí
-Omar Páshá to take the command of the army, and ordered Sháhín Gheráí
-and the begs of Valachia and Moldavia to join the main body.
-
-When Delí Karal heard of the formidable array which was gathering
-against him, he shut himself up in Waradin and fortified the place. In
-the meantime Iskander Páshá proceeded to Belgrade, in Transylvania, and
-there installed Betlan Gabor as king of that country. It was not to be
-imagined, however, that so long as the mad king was allowed to continue
-in existence, Betlan Gabor would find it an easy matter to reign
-undisturbed in the possession of Transylvania. By the advice of Betlan,
-Iskander Páshá showed various acts of kindness to such of the voivodas
-as could be depended upon, and thus secured their good-will and that
-of their subjects in behalf of the new-made king. Iskander Páshá,
-after having settled all these matters, thought proper to evacuate the
-country; but he had scarcely done so when Delí Karal ventured out of
-his strong-hold, and, with the view of attacking Betlan, began to muster
-what forces he could. One of the voivodas, however, placed himself in
-a certain pass through which the old king was to pass, and actually
-shot him on his first appearance. Betlan Gabor was no sooner rid of his
-antagonist than he began to reign without fear, and, of course, without
-a rival; sent a letter to his friend, Iskander Páshá, who was still at
-Timúr kapú, informing him of his good fortune, and thanking him for
-the services he had rendered to him. When Iskander Páshá received this
-letter he began to make arrangements with regard to the cities and
-provinces of Transylvania, and settled things on the same footing as
-they had been in former times.
-
-
-_The treaty of Transylvania._
-
-Betlan Gabor having given the strongest assurances and the most
-faithful pledges of his attachment and subserviency to the Ottoman
-government, the latter entered into a perpetual league with him, both
-offensive and defensive, constructed in conformity to the league
-entered into in the days of Soleimán, which was signed on the 23d of
-Jemadi I. of this current year. The league or treaty was as follows:—
-
-“In consequence of the demise of the ruler of Transylvania, and the
-entirely new state of things in that country, the Ottoman government,
-in compliance with the wish of the princes and three estates of the
-nobles of Transylvania, has appointed from amongst them a descendant
-of the kings of Transylvania, and one brought up amongst them, to be
-ruler of that country. It therefore decrees, that none of the nobles
-or plebeians shall, without their own consent, be obliged to leave the
-country; nor shall any who has been obliged to submit to the new order
-of things, suffer any molestation whatever. 2. So long as the ruler,
-nobles, and commons of Transylvania remain firm in their submission to
-the Sublime Porte, no neighbouring power shall be permitted to invade
-that country. 3. None of the captives which the Transylvanians may have
-taken shall be employed against the common enemy. 4. All the cities
-and villages in the confines of Solnak, Gullah, Lipah, and Temisvar
-shall continue to pay such taxes and imposts as they were accustomed
-to pay to the Ottoman government before the rebellion occasioned by
-Baturi Zigmund; the government of Transylvania shall not hinder or
-forbid the payment of these taxes and imposts on any account whatever.
-5. The Transylvanian government shall on no pretence whatever molest
-the districts of Salmish, or those places belonging to Turkey in the
-districts of Shemadeyma and Yarfatnah. 6. Such of the Turkish peasantry
-as may have removed to Transylvania, and are still there, shall be sent
-back to the places whence they came. 7. The Transylvanian government
-shall in like manner, and in conformity to former agreement, from
-time to time send its accustomed tribute to the Ottoman government.
-8. The Transylvanian government shall form a friendly union with the
-voivodas of Valachia and Moldavia, and shall render to them friendly
-aid when necessary. 9. In like manner, it shall afford to Turkey, on
-due notice being given, its aid and assistance with that fidelity
-which its relation to that country demands. 10. The boundaries of the
-country of Transylvania are to remain as they were fixed at the making
-of the treaty of Vienna, and are not to be altered. 11. None of the
-Transylvanian princes who may have attached themselves to the ruling
-prince shall be molested.”
-
-
-_Another treaty._
-
-The princes of Upper-Hungary, during the reign of Soleimán, were all
-subject to the Ottoman government, but were afterwards obliged to
-submit to the emperor of Germany. Within these few years, however,
-king Botchkai and the princes of Upper-Hungary broke their allegiance
-to that power, and became again subjects of the Ottoman government. It
-was on this account that the Ottoman government conferred on Botchkai,
-by treaty, the sovereignty and other emblems of royal authority over
-those cities which had either revolted from the dominion of Austria, or
-had been rescued from it: these however, after the death of Botchkai,
-again fell under the dominion of Austria. The Germans, forgetting
-integrity and honour with the Transylvanian princes, sought to wrest
-from their hands every place of strength which had still remained to
-them; and, moreover, employed violent measures in endeavouring to bring
-the inhabitants to embrace their system of faith. In consequence of
-these outrages on the part of the Germans, the inhabitants began again
-to manifest their old hostility against their oppressors; and wishing
-to secure the favour and protection of the Turkish government, sent
-one of their most experienced leaders, Belzai Zigmund Betlan Gabor,
-the present ruler of Transylvania, to request from that government
-a renewal of former treaties. The following were therefore agreed
-to. 1. That so long as the Hungarian princes, kapúdáns, and other
-chiefs of that nation should maintain a faithful subjection to the
-Turkish government, the latter power agreed to enter into a treaty,
-both offensive and defensive; promising, also, to maintain a friendly
-compact with Betlan Gabor, and to assist him in the event of any
-hostile invasion. 2. As a proof of their sincerity and integrity,
-they were this year, according to their ability, to transmit to the
-court of Constantinople certain presents. 3. In the event of their
-being called upon to render aid or assistance, none of their castles
-or cities were to be invaded, but should remain undisturbed. 4. No
-greater taxes were to be demanded than what they had been accustomed
-to pay in former times. 5. In the event of the king of Poland, or
-the rulers of Valachia and Moldavia, wishing to purchase any of the
-fortresses of Transylvania, they were not to give their consent to such
-a transaction. 6. Should either of the voivodas of Valachia or Moldavia
-become disaffected to the Ottoman government, and take refuge in
-Transylvania, he was not to be allowed to remain there, but be sent to
-Constantinople, and all his slaves were to be set free without ransom.
-
-This treaty, which was made with Betlan Gabor, who had been deputed
-by the Hungarian princes to negotiate in their behalf, concludes by
-assuring him that the Ottoman government would continue its ancient
-custom of sending to every new ruling prince its accustomed gifts
-of standards, ensigns, ermines, and robes of honour. Copies of this
-contract were secretly sent to the parties concerned.
-
-This year Tahmuras Khán withdrew from Sháh Abbás, and entered into a
-special relation with the Turkish government.
-
-
-_The grand vezír and commander-in-chief marches against Persia._
-
-In the treaty entered into by Kází Ján, the Persian ambassador who had
-accompanied Nesúh Páshá to Constantinople, as the reader may remember,
-it was stipulated on the part of the Persian sháh, to furnish the
-head of the Ottoman government with one hundred loads of silk and one
-hundred loads of precious wares. For the last two years, however, this
-tribute had been withheld, and the sháh, thus endeavouring to rid
-himself of his engagements, violated the treaty. The emperors patience
-forsook him; his rage kindled into a flame. He sent a royal letter to
-the grand vezír, Mohammed Páshá, to assemble the whole of the household
-troops, those of Romeili and Anatolia, and march immediately against
-Persia. The grand vezír appointed Gúrjí Mohammed Páshá to be his deputy
-in Constantinople; Lunka Zádeh was made treasurer; and the government
-of Bosnia was conferred on Sulfi Bákí Páshá.
-
-On the 23d of Rabia II. the grand vezír passed over with his splendid
-army to Scutari, remained there about three weeks, and reached Aleppo
-in the month of Shabán. Dervísh Tálib Effendí, the ordinary of the
-ancient mosque of Selím, and chief of the astrologers, accompanied
-Mohammed Páshá in the capacity of astrologer, and was never absent from
-him.
-
-In consequence of the lateness of the season, however, the
-commander-in-chief was obliged to distribute his troops into
-winter-quarters, intending to commence hostilities as soon as the
-proper time arrived. He himself took up his quarters in the palace
-of Aleppo, the válí of which, Etmekjí Zádeh, having been recalled to
-court, he appointed his deputy in room of Gúrjí Mohammed Páshá, and
-sent him off.
-
-
-_A messenger arrives from the sháh._
-
-After the departure of the great army mentioned in the preceding
-section, information reached the court of Constantinople from one
-Enjelí, who had been deputed to the court of Persia, that Kásim Beg,
-ambassador from the sháh of Persia, had arrived on the confines of
-Reván with the stipulated silk; but such was the displeasure which his
-majesty felt at the conduct of the sháh that he absolutely refused
-to recall his army; and when the ambassador actually arrived at
-Constantinople, which happened to be at the very time that the Osmánlí
-army entered Aleppo, he was refused the honour and respect usually
-shown to one of his character, though he was supplied with whatever he
-required. A whole year passed away, however, before his majesty deigned
-to read the sháh’s communication, or even to look at the presents sent
-to him.
-
-
-_The peace with Austria renewed.—New articles added._
-
-The peace with Austria having been renewed this year, twelve new
-articles were added. The commissioners on both sides met at Vienna. The
-Ottoman commissioners were Ahmed Aghá, of the horse-guards, the deputy
-of Alí Páshá, the governor of Buda, and Gashir Ghurajeiyan. Those of
-the emperor Mathias were his first and second ministers, the treasurer
-or chancellor of the kingdom of Hungary, besides some other persons
-of note. The treaty of peace between Austria and Turkey was entered
-into, as will be remembered, at Sidova, with Murád Páshá, and was to
-be maintained for the space of twenty years. The revised or renewed
-treaty was dated, according to the Christian era, in the year 1615;
-but according to the Moslem era, the 1st of Jemadi II. 1024.
-
-The _First_ of the twelve new articles annexed to the treaty of Sidova,
-bound both parties to maintain the peace for the period stipulated upon
-in that treaty. _Second._ The various articles mentioned in the treaty
-of Sidova were to remain in full force. _Third._ The frontier lines, as
-well as the grounds of complaint between the villages situate on these
-frontiers, were to be examined and settled. Further: The discontent
-manifested by one hundred and fifty villages attached to Osterghún were
-also, according to this article, to be examined. It was agreed to by
-both sides, that sixty villages in the district of Osterghún should be
-subjected to the Ottoman government, and four months were allowed for
-the settling of this point. _Fourth._ The prisoners taken by either
-party during the negotiations which were carried on at Sidova were to
-be set at liberty. A list of all the fortresses which Ahmed Ketkhodá
-had erected since the commencement of the peace was ordered to be
-given in; and all the palankas erected by both parties, contrary to
-the articles of the peace, were to be examined within the first four
-months, and erased. _Sixth._ Neither of the contracting parties was
-to harbour or encourage false or hypocritical persons, but to inform
-against them. _Seventh._ The churches belonging to the Christians
-within the Turkish dominions were to be repaired; and the gospels were
-to be read according to custom. _Eighth._ The uninhabited portions
-of land on the frontiers were declared to be free for the use of the
-peasantry of the province to which such portions belonged, and by this
-article they were allowed to settle on them without hindrance. _Ninth._
-Traders belonging to either country were to be allowed to pass and
-repass from the one to the other, provided such traders were furnished
-with proper passports from their respective authorities. Into whatever
-district or province they should enter or pass through, they were, by
-this article, obliged to show their passes; and the commander of that
-place or district, and the head of the excise, were either to affix
-their seals to them, or endorse them, but without any fee or reward.
-It was further provided by this article, that if the roads by which
-such traders travelled were unsafe, they were to be furnished with a
-proper escort; but they were to pay all dues and imposts punctually.
-_Tenth._ Merchant-vessels coming to Turkey from any of the dominions
-of the Roman emperor (_i. e._ the emperor of Austria) or from Austria
-with merchandize, were not to be allowed to do so unless they came
-under the imperial flag, and were furnished with sufficient documents
-besides. If, in opposition to the spirit of this article, any should
-venture to do so, the agents and consuls of its respective governments
-were to be authorized to seize him. Traders coming in ships to Turkey
-from any of the above-mentioned dominions, or from Spain, or from any
-other nation carrying the imperial flag, were in like manner to be
-allowed to do so on paying the Ottoman government three per cent.,
-and two per cent. to their respective consuls, on all such wares and
-merchandize as they might buy or sell. The consuls or agents were not
-only to settle all matters for such traders, but were also to be at
-full liberty to arrest any one of them who might have neglected paying
-into the government treasury his lawful dues. If any dispute should
-happen to arise between merchants about money, it was provided by this
-article, that the cazí of the place or city where such dispute had
-taken place should have power to decide the question; but with this
-proviso, that the sum about which the dispute arose was not more than
-four thousand pieces of money: if above this sum, the litigants were
-to be obliged to refer the matter in dispute to the military judge of
-Constantinople. _Eleventh._ After this treaty was again settled and
-signed, all letters, messengers, or other persons coming or going from
-or to either country belonging to the contracting powers, were to be
-respected by the authorities on the frontiers; and if the roads were
-unsafe or dangerous, a sufficient escort was to be provided. _Twelfth._
-It was decreed by this article, that from this time no voivodas or
-servants of governors were to enter any of the frontier villages; but
-the inhabitants themselves were, nevertheless, to pay or deliver,
-according to law, whatever amount of dues they might owe.
-
-
-_Death of the reverend Muftí.—His brother, Isaád Effendí, succeeds him._
-
-The venerable and amiable Muftí Effendí, who was tutor to Sultán Murád
-Khán, was born on the 28th of Shabán 975, when his father was rector of
-the academy of Yelderím Khán, in Brúsa; and who, along with a private
-tutor, exercised the greatest assiduity in training and enriching the
-young mind of his son, who by their instructions acquired the most
-perfect education. In 994, he was honoured with the rectorship of the
-academy of Esmíkhán. In three years afterwards he was introduced at
-court, and in two years more he made a transition from the Selímiya
-to the Soleimáníyeh. In 1000, he was dignified with the cazíship
-of Mecca. Not being satisfied with this situation he returned to
-Constantinople, and was made cazí of that city in 1004. In the same
-year he was transferred to the jurisdiction of Anatolia. He was present
-at the taking of Agria, but was afterwards suspended from office for
-the space of two years. In 1007 he was raised to the jurisdiction of
-Romeili. In 1010 he succeeded to the muftiship in room of Siná Effendí.
-In the following year he was deposed, but in 1017 he again succeeded
-Siná Effendí in the same high office which he had held four times.
-Seven years afterwards he received a gratuity of six thousand pieces of
-silver, and was incorporated with the Historiographers. On the 5th of
-Jemadi II. of this year, he departed into the world of spirits, having
-died of the plague. He was buried in the tomb of his fathers. His
-brother, Isaád Effendí, succeeded him in the high priesthood.
-
-
-
-
-EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1024, H.
-
-
-_The grand vezír and commander-in-chief march to Reván_
-
-We lately left the grand vezír and commander-in-chief, Mohammed
-Páshá, at Aleppo; we now return to record his operations against the
-Persians. On the arrival of spring the various troops began to move
-from their respective cantonments, and in the beginning of Rabia II.
-the general’s pavilion was erected in the Kokmaidan. On the 7th of
-the month such of the army as could be collected in so short a time
-marched off for Reván. After crossing the meadows of Koksú and arriving
-at the plains of Aksheher, the commanding-general was joined by Dávud
-Páshá beglerbeg of Romeili, with his provincial troops, having also
-been entrusted with funds for the grand army. About the beginning of
-Jemadi II. the army reached Erzerúm; from the fortress of which the
-commanding-general took seven pieces of ordnance. After distributing
-provisions, &c. among the household troops, the royal camp was joined
-by the troops of Anatolia, Caramania, and Sivás. Firmáns were also
-sent to the beglerbeg of Diárbeker, Diláver Páshá, and Tekelí Mohammed
-Páshá, beglerbeg of Wán, to march with their respective troops towards
-Reván. The válí of Baghdád, Mustafa Páshá, also collected a number of
-Mosul and Seyed Khán troops, and sent forward two divisions of these
-foreigners under the command of proper officers. Towards the end of the
-month the grand army reached Kars, which had formerly been destroyed by
-the Persians, but was now rebuilt, and was furnished with a garrison
-and cannon. About the middle of Jemadi II. the grand army reached the
-plains of Reván. During the season preparations for opening trenches
-were attended to, and thus the siege of Reván was commenced. Amir
-Gunah Khán had taken good care to have the fortress not only strongly
-fortified, but also well filled with troops and ammunition. The sháh
-himself, with the army under his own command, was at Nakhcheván. The
-Moslem army in the meantime surrounded Reván with field-pieces, and for
-the space of twenty days continued battering its walls; but without
-visible advantage. Finding their efforts in this way to be vain, they
-began to collect earth, which during the night-season they formed into
-mounds for their artillery, in order to employ this apparatus more
-effectively. After accomplishing this vast labour, they succeeded in
-effecting some breaches, and then commenced a general assault; but
-were repulsed with immense loss. The ághá of the janissaries, Mesli
-Aghá, perished; and Turkijeh Bilmaz was wounded: the troops who had
-been engaged in the assault were withdrawn. It is said, however, that
-one night, when Tekelí Mohammed Páshá, governor of Wán, was on guard,
-some thousands of red-heads, under the guidance of four kháns, issued
-forth and entered into a narrow pass, with the view of lying in ambush.
-Tekelí, however, observed them, immediately marched against them, and
-defeated them most completely. One thousand heads and five hundred
-living infidels were conveyed to the Moslem camp, as trophies of
-Tekelí’s victory. The fame of his bravery was spread abroad.
-
-The sháh, in order to make a display of his own might, was in the habit
-of causing fires to be kindled on the tops of the surrounding hills,
-but the Moslems continued to carry on the siege with all the vigour
-they were able, but were opposed, inch by inch, by the red-heads, who
-frequently rushed out even as far as the trenches, and fought most
-furiously. At length, however, the Moslems succeeded in beating down a
-considerable portion of their walls and battlements. This so alarmed
-the besieged, that they, in order to prevent another general assault,
-which they saw would be fatal to them, proposed an armistice for four
-days. “We will consult our sháh,” said they, “and afterwards deliver
-up the place to you.” Their request was agreed to, and for four days
-not a gun was fired on either side. But the execrable race completely
-deceived the commanding-general.
-
-Hasan Beg Zádeh says in his history that the chief-cannoneer had
-directed the mouth of a cannon against the palace of Amir Gunah Khán,
-but instead of hitting it, it struck the house of the avaricious sháh’s
-ignorant chancellor, and shattered it to pieces. He tried a second
-time, but failed.
-
-It is certain that after the Moslems had succeeded in beating down the
-wall they ought to have pursued their advantages, and have pushed into
-the city; but it would appear they altogether neglected this. During
-the armistice they repaired the breaches which had been made, and again
-commenced hostilities. Forty days were spent in the siege of Reván,
-and nothing more was effected than what we have related. The Moslems,
-indeed, tried the springing of mines, but to no purpose; and at last
-the whole of their ammunition was expended: winter was drawing on; and,
-in short, they were obliged to withdraw their artillery from Reván. The
-loss sustained by the Moslems on this occasion obliged them to make a
-disadvantageous peace, in which it was agreed to take one-half of the
-silk and presents which had been stipulated in the treaty that was made
-when Nesúh Páshá was grand vezír. The whole of the provisions, &c.
-which had been sent forward for the use of the troops at Reván would
-have proved insufficient, and at any rate have been lost.
-
-After the last treaty above alluded to was settled and signed, the
-Kizilbáshes came into the camp of the Moslems, when a mutual exchange
-of articles took place. The Moslem army, having first sent their
-artillery away to Kars, retired from Reván in the month of Ramazán.
-Whilst passing through the plains of Loghan, immense numbers of them
-perished from the cold. Having supplied Kars with military stores, the
-army advanced to Erzerúm, where the household troops were paid off and
-sent away into Romeili for the winter. The commander-in-chief and his
-suite remained at Erzerúm.
-
-
-_The grand vezír and commanding-general, Mohammed Páshá, is
-deposed.—Khalíl Páshá is advanced to the premiership._
-
-All the efforts employed this year against the Persians, as we have
-seen, ended in disappointment, disgrace, and loss. The failure of the
-vast army conducted by Mohammed Páshá against a place of such little
-importance as Reván, being only a fortress of clay, and the great
-expense which this expedition had occasioned, created a tremendous stir
-at Constantinople. The emperor was no sooner informed of the disasters
-which his army had experienced, and of the utter failure of the
-expedition, which were wholly to be attributed to the want of proper
-skill in the commander-in-chief, his own son-in-law, Mohammed Páshá,
-than his mind was much hurt, and he immediately determined on deposing
-him. With this view, and in this state of mind, he assembled the mufti
-and all his ministers in the imperial gardens, in order to consult
-them on the state of public affairs. Etmekjí Zádeh, who, it will be
-remembered, had succeeded Gúrjí Mohammed Páshá in the deputyship of
-Constantinople, became exalted in his own imagination at the chance,
-as he thought, of his succeeding Mohammed Páshá in all his offices.
-In the pride and vanity of his heart he proceeded to the place of
-deliberation. Before he reached it, however, the reverend mufti had
-an interview with his majesty, who informed him of the purpose he had
-formed of conferring the high and important offices of grand vezír
-and commander-in-chief of the army on one of his vezírs, and asked
-him to tell him who he thought was worthy of being raised to these
-high dignities. The mufti replied, “That as Etmekjí Zádeh filled the
-office of deputy of Constantinople, the honour might, perhaps, belong
-to him.” “That may be true,” said his majesty in return; “but he has
-been sometimes guilty of falsehood, and such a person is not fit to
-hold the premiership.” The reverend prelate approved of the sentiments
-expressed by his majesty, and then added, “that Etmekjí Zádeh was not
-only a liar, but also a wicked tyrant.” “Mention, then,” said his
-majesty, “some other one.” The reverend prelate without any hesitation
-recommended Khalíl Páshá, “an officer,” he said, “who, as he knew,
-had gained to himself, by his bravery and skill in the navy, signal
-honours, and was every way worthy as well as competent for holding the
-high offices now vacant.” “That,” said his majesty, “is the very man I
-have been thinking of.” The reverend prelate now took his leave of his
-royal master, and had scarcely gone out when Etmekjí Zádeh came in, to
-whom the emperor put the same question he had put to the mufti. “Please
-your majesty,” replied Etmekjí, “I am at your service, and am willing
-to sacrifice my life in the service of the crown.” The emperor was
-silent, and the other thinking this silence on the part of the emperor
-betokened his majesty’s selection of himself, he went out. Khalíl Páshá
-now entered, when his majesty saluted him by informing him that he was
-appointed grand vezír and commander-in-chief: “The seals shall be sent
-after you,” added the emperor. Khalíl kissed his majesty’s hand for
-the honours he had conferred on him, and returned to his own mansion:
-so did also the other vezírs, but none of them knew any thing of the
-appointment of Khalíl Páshá.
-
-Etmekjí Zádeh, full of the idea of being raised to the premiership,
-as he vainly thought, got his table spread out and covered with all
-sorts of viands for his friends, and impatiently waited for the arrival
-of the seals, which he believed would be sent him. But he waited in
-vain: they were sent to Khalíl Páshá. This fact was soon announced
-to Etmekjí, even at the very time he was regaling himself with his
-friends, as before hinted, and which had such a paralyzing effect on
-the constitution of Etmekjí, that his hands refused to touch the food
-which stood before him. His friends were all struck with surprise: they
-wondered at the sudden change which had appeared in their host: they
-were silent and retired. This unexpected piece of information was first
-communicated by a messenger who came to call the Reïs effendí, one of
-Etmekjí Zádeh’s guests, desiring him to wait on the new minister.
-
-Hasan Aghá, son-in-law to Mesli Aghá, ághá of the janissaries, who fell
-before Reván, was, though only a kúl ketkhodá, appointed to succeed
-his father-in-law; but this appointment not meeting with his majesty’s
-approbation, Hasan Aghá, bostánjí báshí, was appointed to the command
-of the janissaries, and was sent off to Erzerúm, where the janissaries
-then were.
-
-
-_The Persian ambassador is imprisoned._
-
-As soon as the sháh of Persia had learned that a mighty army was
-marching against his dominions, he sent off an ambassador, as before
-related, not with two years’ tribute of silk and presents, which he
-owed, but with one year’s only. On the arrival of the ambassador in the
-city of felicity (Constantinople), accommodations were afforded him,
-but the usual honours were denied. In fact, the monarch was so much
-enraged, that he afterwards sent him to the Seven Towers.
-
-In the meantime the new grand vezír was busily employed in making
-preparations for renewing the war against Persia, and an imperial
-letter, with money for the journey, was sent to the khán of the Crimea,
-Ján Beg, calling upon him to join the royal camp with a Tátár army.
-
-The disappointed Etmekjí Zádeh entered into wicked and treacherous
-designs against the new grand vezír. One of his creatures was brought
-before the diván for having murdered a servant who had belonged to the
-prime minister, for which he was instantly dispatched by order of the
-emperor. Etmekjí himself was notorious for his acts of corruption, and
-was therefore banished the seat of government.
-
-The preparations for renewing the war being fully completed, the grand
-vezír and commander-in-chief, with his newly organized army, passed
-over to Scutari. Etmekjí Zádeh’s ambition was again awakened; he
-thought he should now be made káímakám of Constantinople, which office
-he lately held; but he was again disappointed, for the emperor had
-conferred that responsible situation on Súfí Mohammed Páshá, governor
-of Buda, who was instantly recalled and installed. Etmekjí Zádeh could
-bear his disappointments no longer, and overcome with grief he was
-taken ill. But we must, for a little, advert to some other events which
-claim our attention.
-
-The governor of Kaniza, Ahmed Páshá, Ghraj-ban Gasper, who had been
-raised to the principality of the island of Naxia, and the hákim of
-Prague arrived in Constantinople with credentials from the emperor
-Mathias, requesting a conference with respect to the late treaty of
-peace. It would appear that before the treaty was finally settled the
-commandant of Buda, Alí Páshá, was removed from the frontiers, and
-Hasan Páshá was appointed in his stead; the latter, not knowing the
-advance which had been made towards laying a foundation for a solid
-peace, disturbed the tranquillity of the country in several instances,
-and committed some serious evils besides. However, he died, and Alí
-Páshá, at the establishment of the peace, being again re-appointed
-to the government of Buda, not only restored peace and good order,
-but also settled the boundaries of the villages belonging to both
-countries, and the payment of all dues, as they had been in the days
-of Soleimán. It was in reference to these and similar matters that
-the personages before-mentioned came to Constantinople, in order that
-they, along with Charizghal, the Austrian ambassador at the court of
-Constantinople, might be able to arrange matters in conformity to the
-articles of the peace.
-
-
-_Iskander Páshá marches against the Cossacks._
-
-The emperor having determined on rooting out the troublesome and
-factious Cossacks on the Black Sea, ordered his fleet to be in
-readiness, and commanded Iskander Páshá, governor of Bosnia, to conduct
-the Romeilian troops by land against them; but both the expeditions
-against the Cossacks did not proceed till after the new year. About
-this time the Transylvanian ambassador arrived, and informed the
-government of Turkey, that certain German princes who had committed
-violence and robbery on the borders of Transylvania, but who had been
-severely chastised, and obliged to retire in disgrace, were again
-threatening to invade that country with their collective force. The
-Osmánlí government, in order to maintain its guardianship over that
-country, and to awe the invaders, sent a number of troops towards its
-frontiers, and wrote for an explanation to the Austrian ambassador
-at the court of Constantinople. The ambassador replied, that his
-master was wholly ignorant of the fact. The Ottoman emperor was
-unwilling to enter into any hostile attitude, but found it requisite
-to support his allies; especially as one of the engagements entered
-into with the emperor of Austria was in favour of Transylvania. The
-emperor, therefore, in accordance with his own peculiar engagements
-with Transylvania, wrote to Iskander Páshá, who had been appointed
-to conduct the land expedition against the Cossacks, to take fifteen
-thousand of the troops, foot and horse, under his own command, conduct
-them in person, or give the command to some other fit officer, and
-oppose the threatened invasion of Transylvania. “You are by all means,”
-said the emperor in his letter, “to deliver out of their hands the
-fortress of Yanovah.”
-
-In Petcheví’s narrative it is said that Dúmnah, the widow of Eremia
-(Jeremiah), the former voivoda of Moldavia, had great possessions in
-Poland, and that an infidel of the name of Korsákí, of the race of
-Russian and Polish nobles, was her son-in-law. This Korsákí, wishing
-to recover Moldavia for her youngest son, raised an army of twenty
-thousand native Russian vagabonds, and another of as many Poles,
-entered Moldavia, took possession of that province, and thrust out
-Stephan, whom the Osmánlí government had fixed there as voivoda of the
-country. To reinstate the ex-voivoda, Serkosh Ibrahím Páshá, governor
-of Silistria, the begs of Bender and Akkerman, and a Tátár army were
-instantly dispatched; but were completely defeated and routed in the
-very first engagement. At this time, Iskander Páshá, who had been
-removed from Agria, was employed in some service in Constantinople. The
-káímakám, Gúrjí Mohammed Páshá, appointed him governor of Bosnia; and
-afterwards sent him into Moldavia with the Bosnian, Serm, Semendrian,
-Alájahisár and Walehet troops. Ibrahím Páshá, with the Silistrian
-troops, was ordered to join Iskander’s camp. Iskander Páshá, having
-penetrated into Moldavia with his mighty force, met with the army
-of Dúmnah, headed by Korsákí, her son-in-law, near a village called
-Istaphanish, where a most sanguinary battle took place, but in which
-the Moslems were triumphant. The two sons of Dúmnah, and her son-in-law
-Korsákí, were made prisoners; and all the three, along with five
-hundred Cossacks who carried muskets, were sent bound in chains to
-Constantinople. So many living prisoners had not, in modern times, been
-presented before the royal diván.
-
-Iskander Páshá, the conquering Iskander, was every where hailed as the
-deliverer of the country: he again placed the ex-voivoda Istaphan in
-his former government, and succeeded in restoring peace and good order.
-It is worthy of remark, before closing the events of this year, that
-the daughter of Dúmnah, the wife of Korsákí, a woman of extraordinary
-excellence, fell into the hands of a Tátár, and could no where be
-found. She was, however, afterwards ransomed for thirty thousand
-dollars, and was found pregnant by the Tátár, to whom she had borne two
-daughters; a circumstance which, for a time, was much talked of both in
-Poland and amongst the Moslems.
-
-
-_The grand vezír and commander-in-chief goes to Diárbeker, where he
-winters.—Ján Beg Gheráí, the khán of Crimea, joins the royal camp._
-
-On the 8th of Jemadi II. the grand vezír and commander-in-chief passed
-over with a splendid army to Scutari; but because of the great distance
-of the Persian frontiers he was ordered to winter at Diárbeker. On
-arriving in this city he was informed that his highness the khán of
-the Crimea, Ján Beg Gheráí, had left Kaffa with an army forty thousand
-strong, and that he was on his march to join the grand army. The
-commanding general, however, sent him word, that before joining the
-royal camp at Diárbeker he should ravage the frontier territories of
-Persia, _viz._ Gunjah, Nakhcheván, and Jelha; which he did, carrying
-off about a thousand captives, and as many cattle. On approaching the
-royal camp, the grand vezír and commander-in-chief went out to meet his
-highness the khán of the Crimea, and conducted him to his tent. After
-the table was removed, the grand vezír presented his highness the khán,
-in the name of the emperor, with a splendidly ornamented sword, a steed
-richly caparisoned, and five thousand pieces of gold, for the purpose
-of covering his expences in the war. His mirzás were also presented
-with robes of honour: the Osmánlí beglerbegs bowed and did obeisance in
-his presence, and then conducted him to his own camp. After a day or
-two the island of Ebn Omar, in the jurisdiction of Mír Sheríf Páshá,
-was assigned to him and his Tátár army for winter-quarters.
-
-
-_A division is sent to protect Gúrjistán (Georgia) from the grasp of
-the heretics._
-
-In the meantime the governor of Gúrili sent letters to the commanding
-general, informing him of the intention of the kizilbáshes of subduing
-the province of Gúrjistán (Georgia). The general, in order to afford
-protection to Gúrjistán, sent the beglerbeg of Batum, Omar Páshá, and
-his provincial troops; also Murteza Beg, beg of Childer, Sefer Páshá,
-and other chiefs of that nation; and the emírs of Gúrilí, of Dadyou,
-and of Askukbásh, with their respective provincial troops, to the aid
-of the Georgians. Moreover, the whole of the janissaries in Erzerúm
-and in Trebizond, with their respective officers, and the governors of
-Dághistán, were ordered to join the camp of Omar Páshá, to whom the
-chief command was committed.
-
-
-_Iskander Páshá concludes a peace with the Cossacks._
-
-Iskander Páshá, who had been appointed to chastise the Cossacks on the
-borders of the Black Sea, but who had been called away to support the
-Transylvanian kingdom against the aggressions of some German princes,
-now, accompanied by Betlan Gabor, and the voivadas of Valachia and
-Moldavia, with their respective armies, besides a division which he
-himself conducted from Buda, advanced so far as a palanka, called
-Búdila, on the banks of the Túrla (Tyras), which runs through Moldavia.
-The hettman of the Poles, and Istanislar Zulghosh, commander-in-chief
-and minister of Sigismund, king of Poland, with a Polish army, were
-posted at a place called Bazuja. As both armies were on the eve of
-commencing the work of death, ambassadors from both sides entered
-opportunely into a reciprocal conference with regard to the conduct of
-the Cossacks, and the result was: 1st, That the hettman became security
-for the Cossacks, that they should no more enter the Black Sea by
-the river Ouzi, and vex or molest the Moslem population residing on
-its shores. 2d, That they should never again invade the kingdoms of
-Transylvania, Moldavia, and Valachia. 3d, That they should never permit
-Hootaba Oghlí Shirnán, nor any other to pass through their territories
-with the view of disturbing the peace and tranquillity of any or all
-of these kingdoms or countries. He agreed, moreover, in the fourth
-place, that the gifts and presents usually sent to the khán should be
-punctually remitted as in former times. All these stipulations, which
-the hettman agreed to guarantee, were signed by himself and other
-responsible persons in his camp; were also written out in the Turkish
-and Polish languages, and a copy of them sent with his ambassador to
-the court of Constantinople. It was agreed by Iskander Páshá, on
-the part of the Tátárs, that they should not invade or molest the
-territories of Poland. These stipulations, on both sides, were ratified
-and signed on the 6th of Ramazán of this present year, when commercial
-intercourse was again opened between the countries included in this
-treaty.
-
-This year the emperor of Austria sent his most favoured minister, the
-governor or kapúdán of the city of Prague, to Constantinople with his
-tribute of gifts and presents to the emperor of the Ottomans. The
-Austrian ambassador having been required to remain at Constantinople
-till the commissioners formerly mentioned had come to an amicable
-conclusion with respect to the affairs which had called them together,
-did so, until he was required by letters to repair to the borders, as
-affairs were on the eve of being settled. He accordingly set out for
-Buda, where the commissioners then were, and, after every thing was
-finally settled, he was permitted to return to his own country.
-
-
-_Concerning the naval affairs of this year._
-
-The lord high-admiral, Alí Páshá, with the view of distressing the
-infidel coasts, sailed for the Mediterranean with the Turkish fleet.
-He foolishly neglected, before going to sea, to condemn such of his
-ships as were not sea-worthy; and, as if he had been educated for
-the naval service, he set sail of his own accord. On the evening of
-the 20th of Shabán, as he reached the wide and extended ocean, a
-tremendous hurricane arose which soon forced the vessels of the fleet
-to separate from each other. On the following morning, the hurricane
-still continuing, he perceived this to have been the case: four ships,
-containing ammunition and arms, two galleys having janissaries on
-board, besides five other vessels, were wrecked, and every soul on
-board of them perished. Two large vessels and one galley were driven
-by the winds to the coasts of Tripoli West, but were not injured. The
-galley which had a company of troops on board, for seven days and as
-many nights was driven at the mercy of the tempest. Soídán Oghlí,
-who at this time was beg of Tripoli, supplied these vessels with
-every thing that they required, and sent them back. After a period of
-twenty-days the remaining part of the scattered fleet collected round
-the kapúdán, at Corone, when it was discovered that eleven vessels had
-perished. The time for sailing being now over, the fleet returned to
-the port of Constantinople in the month of Dhu’l Kaddah.
-
-
-_Death of Sultán Ahmed Khán.—Sultán Mustafa Khán is inaugurated._
-
-The disease of the stomach, by which his majesty had been afflicted,
-became, during the first ten days of the month of Dhu’l Kaddah, so much
-increased as entirely to resist the skill of the physicians; and on
-Thursday night (_i.e._ the night preceding Thursday), the 23d of Dhu’l
-Kaddah (November 17th, 1617), he passed into the eternal world.
-
-In consequence of the tender age of the heir-apparent, his uncle,
-Sultán Mustafa, in conformity to his deceased brother’s own choice
-and agreement, succeeded to the throne of the Ottoman empire. Before
-the hour of morning prayers, therefore, the káímakám or deputy of
-Constantinople, Mohammed Páshá, the reverend mufti, Isaád Effendí, and
-the other nobles and grandees of the state, assembling together in
-the royal diván, prepared a chair of state; and on Thursday the 12th
-of Teshrín Sání (November), Sultán Mustafa ascended the throne of the
-khalifat, and was solemnly inaugurated by the assembled nobles and
-grandees; heralds being sent to proclaim the same in the royal mosques.
-On the same day, the remains of Sultán Ahmed Khán were carried out
-into the court of the palace, whence, after the metropolitan priest
-had performed the funeral obsequies, they were borne to the place of
-interment, accompanied by all the vezírs and grandees, walking on foot
-and dressed in mourning.
-
-
-_Character of Sultán Ahmed Khán._
-
-The pious royal defunct was a prince who, discarding envy, was the
-protector and encourager of the learned and the lovers of concord. He
-was the friend and support of the neglected, infirm, and poor, who
-were obedient to the laws, and of those who rooted out wickedness
-and heresy. He ascended the throne of his illustrious progenitors
-when he was only fourteen, and reigned fourteen years. His gracious
-but powerful firmáns were some of the benefits he conferred, and his
-reign is embalmed in the pages of poetry as the most prosperous. He
-was a zealous and active emperor, who incessantly manifested his good
-disposition.
-
-It is related by Shábán Deddán, who had performed the office of washing
-the emperor, that he had perceived in the emperor’s beard two white
-hairs, which he (the emperor) during his life time would not allow to
-be extracted. “When with astonishment, and desirous of information,
-I showed them to his nearest relatives,” says Deddán, “they informed
-me, that these two hairs began to appear after the commander-in-chief
-had been sent against the Persians.” He was a prince who was kind to
-persons of every class, whose conduct deserved to be esteemed. In
-short, religion prospered during his reign. The benefits he conferred
-on Medina and Mecca exceeded those of all his predecessors. He
-purchased the two palaces in the At Meidán, belonging to Ahmed Páshá
-and Mohammed Páshá, on the area of which he caused a splendid temple
-to be built, which has not its equal on the face of the earth. In the
-galleries, on the tops of its six minarets, are shown the number of
-the Osmánlí Sultáns who have reigned; and from which also the Moslem
-muezzíns (public criers) proclaim the joys of paradise. Its lamps are
-all suspended: some of them are covered over with gold, and others are
-ornamented with gems. Both within and without, the utmost skill of the
-artist has been expended. This unequalled temple is very lofty. Some
-of the beautiful buildings which surround it are also memorials of the
-royal founder.
-
-
-_Concerning Sultán Ahmed Khán’s sons._
-
-Sultán Mustafa Khán, the paternal uncle of the heir-apparent, Sultán
-Osmán Khán, who afterwards fell a martyr in a tumult of the people,
-mounted the Ottoman throne. The mother of Osmán was a noble and august
-lady, and the principal concubine of his father. The royal offspring,
-Sultán Mohammed, when preparing for the northern wars, was, through
-the perfidy of Osmán, murdered. Sultán Murád Khán, the conqueror of
-Baghdád, another of the royal princes, became sáhibkirán (emperor).
-His august mother, called the Moon-faced, was a favourite of Ahmed his
-father. Sultán Báyazíd was born three months later than Murád, and
-died a martyr. Sultán Soleimán shared the same fate with Báyazíd, and
-in the same year. Sultán Kásim was as successful in arms as Murád had
-been. His mother was also a favourite of the deceased emperor. Ibrahím
-became emperor, as we shall afterwards see. His mother, like those
-already mentioned, was a favourite of Ahmed.
-
-
-_Vezírs who were contemporary with Sultán Ahmed Khán._
-
-Kásim Páshá was káímakám when Sultán Ahmed Khán ascended the throne,
-but was afterwards murdered, as has been already observed. Alí Páshá
-Yávuz died at Belgrade at the time he was commander-in-chief. Ghází
-Lálá Mohammed Páshá, the conqueror of Osterghún, died of the palsy.
-Dervísh Páshá, who was raised from among the bostánjí báshís to the
-premiership, was deposed by the people, and deservedly murdered for
-his wickedness. The next in order was the celebrated Murád Páshá, who
-was succeeded by the infamous Nesúh, son-in-law to the grand sultán;
-but who, on account of his maladministration and bad conduct, fell
-under his father-in-law’s displeasure, and was executed as an example
-to others. Mohammed Páshá, called Oghuz, another son-in-law of the
-emperor, was deposed, and died at Aleppo. Khalíl Páshá, the last grand
-vezír, was at the time of Ahmed’s death engaged in an expedition
-against the Persians. Háfiz Ahmed Páshá, the eunuch, has been already
-mentioned, and his virtues and good deeds have been recorded. Súfí
-Sinán Páshá was twice káímakám, and as often deposed. Sárukjí Mustafa
-Páshá fell into disgrace when he was káímakám, and was killed. Khezer
-Páshá, governor of Cairo, was afterwards made káímakám. Gúrjí Mohammed
-Páshá, the eunuch, was celebrated for his prudence, and his modesty
-commanded respect. Ahmed Páshá, usually called Etmekjí Zádeh, the
-celebrated lord high treasurer, became obnoxious to every successive
-vezír; and each, in his turn, persecuted and sought to kill him.
-Through his fawning disposition, and the distribution of gifts, he
-contrived, as we shall afterwards see, to die a natural death. Kúrd
-Páshá was a vezír at the time that Ahmed ascended the throne, but
-was afterwards degraded. Gúzelcheh Mahmúd Páshá was made a vezír,
-but was degraded. Jeghala Zádeh Sinán Páshá died of grief because of
-the defeats he had sustained when fighting against the kizilbáshes.
-Mohammed Páshá Ebn Khoaja Sinán Páshá was a very celebrated vezír, but
-was barbarously murdered. Súfí Mohammed Páshá was káímakám at the time
-of Sultán Ahmed Khán’s death.
-
-
-_Some of the events which took place during the reign of Mustafa Khán._
-
-When it pleased God to remove by death Sultán Ahmed Khán, his brother,
-Sultán Mustafa Khán, was, on the 23d of Dhu’l Kadah, 1026 of the
-Hijrah, raised to the vacant throne. Mustafa discovered, however, a
-deficiency of judgment; but it was attributed to his long confinement,
-and it was hoped he would by experience acquire a right knowledge of
-the duties which belonged to his exalted station. In the meantime,
-matters were conducted by the metropolitan priest, Isaád Effendí.
-
-The new emperor, according to custom, went to the tomb of his
-predecessor, at which he girded himself with a sword, when all the
-nobles and grandees instantly made their obeisance before him. After
-having visited the tombs of his other noble ancestors, he caused
-alms and donations to be distributed. He was then placed on a chair
-of state, and heralds, by supreme authority, were sent every where
-announcing Mustafa’s exaltation.
-
-Mustafa Aghá Salihdár Sheheriárí was raised to the government of Cairo.
-The royal foster-mother was given to him in marriage. The government of
-Syria was conferred on Tchokadár Aghá: that of Caramania was given to
-the ághá of the falconers. Some other friends of the emperor met with
-tokens of the royal favour about the same time.
-
-
-_Sultán Mustafa Khán is deposed._
-
-According to Hasan Beg Zádeh, the ághá of the royal house, Mustafa
-Aghá, who during the preceding reign had exercised absolute authority,
-began again, under the new emperor, to manifest a desire to exercise
-the same unlimited power. He wished to have all the nobles and grandees
-of the state obedient to his nod. The emperor, who was himself without
-any restraint, did not interfere; and, in short, seemed to give himself
-no concern about it whatever. This conduct excited much discussion.
-The ághá’s incapacity to govern became quite notorious, and therefore
-the necessity for deposing him became equally clear. It began to be
-openly spoken, that if he remained much longer at the head of the
-administration, he would, without doubt, waste and destroy the whole of
-the imperial treasures. Some of the great doctors and learned men who
-had been well acquainted with the affairs of the state, wrote to the
-queen-mother, pointing out to her the necessity there was for removing
-the above-mentioned ághá from the royal house. Overcome by the tears
-of the ághá, and the sweetness of his tongue, she, however, paid no
-regard to the communication sent her. In short, fraud and mismanagement
-arrived at such a pitch of notoriety, that the people began not only to
-look on the emperor with aversion, but to assemble for the purpose of
-actually deposing him. The aforesaid ághá wrote to the reverend mufti,
-to the rest of the learned men, and to the nobles, that all the princes
-of the blood were on the very eve of being murdered; and called on
-them to come forward and prevent the extinction of the Ottoman race.
-On their receiving this intelligence, they were roused to fury, and
-immediately agreed to the deposition of the emperor. In the beginning
-of Rabia I., under the pretence of distributing to the household troops
-their wages, they succeeded in getting them properly equipped, and
-arranged into proper order to answer their own purposes. They then
-barricaded the emperor’s apartment; and, by a postern door, brought
-forth the young Osmán, and placed him on the throne of Mustafa his
-uncle. The emperor’s friends about him no sooner perceived the soldiers
-than they immediately anticipated the deposition of their master, and
-began to regret, when too late, that the advice which had been given to
-the queen-mother had not been followed.
-
-Hájí Khalífeh says, in his Fezlikeh, that this infamous emperor was,
-for some time, deprived of the use of his reason, and became quite
-remarkable for his strange gestures before people. He used to wander
-among the tombs, throw money into the sea to the fish, and scatter
-it on the roads; proofs sufficient of the derangement of his mind.
-This ághá too, he states further, in order to preserve the civil and
-religious institutions of the country free from confusion and outrage,
-wrote to the mufti, Isaád Effendí, and to the káímakám, Súfí Mohammed
-Páshá, with regard to the state of the emperor’s mind, assuring them
-that there remained no possible chance of ever bringing him again
-to his right senses. If prompt measures were not instantly taken, he
-maintained, the funds of the state would soon be totally annihilated.
-Accordingly, the household troops, under the pretence of paying
-them their wages, were collected and arranged in the manner before
-described; when Sultán Mustafa Khán, on the first of Rabia I., was
-deposed, as before observed, after a reign of only three months and ten
-days, and he retired into his former privacy.
-
-
-_Sultán Osmán Khán inaugurated._
-
-On the first of Rabia I., after all the vezírs and other magnates of
-the state had assembled in royal diván, and after the household troops
-had been properly arranged, the ághá of the palace, Mustafa Aghá
-himself, shut the door of the emperor Mustafa’s apartment, and brought
-forth Sultán Osmán Khán, when he was instantly placed on the chair of
-state, and was solemnly inaugurated by the vezírs and nobles assembled.
-After this ceremony was once over, and the fact announced to the
-assembled multitude, they were allowed to retire.
-
-The new emperor, in conformity to ancient custom, proceeded with
-great pomp to the Abí-eyúb, where he girded on his sword, visited the
-tombs of his ancestors, distributed alms among the poor and indigent,
-gave donations to his friends, such as royal bounty confers on such
-occasions, but which, in this instance, was rather too much for the
-imperial coffers to afford; for every inauguration cost, generally,
-three thousand yúks of money (3,000,000 dollars). Besides, on this as
-well as on the late former inauguration, the usual presents made to the
-army were sent to it. The son-in-law of the reverend mufti, Mohammed
-Effendí, _viz._ the kapújí báshí, Mustafa Aghá, was, on this occasion,
-the bearer of the royal gifts to the army, which he conveyed to the
-commander-in-chief. On his arriving at Diárbeker, the head-quarters of
-the grand army, he was honoured with the ágháship of the janissaries,
-and was afterwards raised to the government of Diárbeker itself.
-
-
-_Concerning Mohammed Gheráí._
-
-On the very day of Osmán’s inauguration Mohammed Gheráí Khán, who had
-been incarcerated in the Seven Towers, found means of escaping from his
-place of confinement, and with a small party of Tátárs absconded. When
-this fact was noised abroad the káímakám, Mohammed Páshá, dispatched
-Hájí Súbáshí by water and Iskander Páshá by land in search of the
-fugitive. Hájí Súbáshí steered his course towards Varna, and happened
-to reach it before Iskander Páshá, who had directed his steps to the
-same place. Hájí apprized the inhabitants of the purport of his visit
-to Varna, and put them all on the alert. On the afternoon of the same
-day Mohammed Gheráí also reached it, and halted underneath a large tree
-in the fields. This was no sooner discovered than the inhabitants made
-an attempt at surrounding him and his party. Mohammed Gheráí, however,
-was determined not to allow himself to fall into their hands without
-making a struggle in his own defence, and therefore prepared to offer
-resistance. With an arrow from his bow he shot one of the janissaries,
-but afterwards yielded the contest and entered the City; when Iskander
-Páshá, who by this time had arrived at Varna, took him under his own
-charge, and conducted him back to Constantinople; and he was again
-confined within the Seven Towers, from which he had so lately made his
-escape. Iskander Páshá, it is to be observed, showed him nevertheless
-the respect due to his birth and rank.
-
-Hasan Beg Zádeh relates this account somewhat differently, but the
-difference is not so great as to render it necessary to give his
-version of the story. It has been also said, that Mohammed Gheráí’s
-brother, Sháhín Gheráí, had fled to the court of Persia, but that when
-the sháh had told him of Osmán’s inauguration, he resolved on returning
-home. When Sháhín Gheráí was on the eve of setting out on his return
-to his own country, the sháh, it has been said, did him the honour of
-holding his stirrup and bridle till he mounted his horse. After taking
-his leave of the sháh, the latter called him back, and asked him if, in
-the event of the Osmánlí commanding general employing him against him,
-he would obey. “By all means,” was the reply. “Will you draw your sword
-and fight against my troops?” asked the sháh again. “Without doubt I
-will,” returned the undaunted Tátár prince. On hearing this heroic
-reply, the sháh shook his head at him. But the whole of this story
-seems to have been a sort of pleasant raillery. We must now return to
-the affairs of Khahíl Páshá’s expedition.
-
-When the spring season arrived Khalíl Páshá removed from Diárbeker,
-where he had wintered; and, after collecting his forces in the plains
-of Choluk, directed his march towards Tabríz, by the roads of Bedlís
-and Wán. The sháh was stationed at Ardabíl. The khán and his Tátár
-army, leaving their winter-quarters, joined the grand army at Wán,
-where, after holding a council of war, it was agreed to march without
-delay upon Ardabíl. It is necessary to observe here, however, that
-sometime before this Karchúgheráí Khán had driven the whole of the
-people in the country towards Ardabíl, with the view of saving them
-from the advancing Osmánlí army.
-
-
-_Ján Beg, khán of the Tátárs, defeated._
-
-After the Osmánlí grand army had appeared before Tabríz, a reciprocal
-intercourse was entered into by the two belligerent powers, with the
-view of effecting a cessation of hostilities and promoting a peace. The
-commissioner employed on the part of the Osmánlís was the defterdár,
-Hákim Aghá, who, when proceeding to Ardabíl, had perceived the governor
-of Tabríz, Karchúgheráí Khán, with a Persian army, employed in guarding
-an immense host of the country inhabitants and others, small and
-great, near Ardabíl; and therefore, on his return to the Osmánlí camp,
-recommended that a strong detachment of the Tátár army, and a division
-of the other cavalry, should instantly advance upon them and seize
-upon their property; they might easily, he said, vanquish any force
-which the enemy could oppose to them, and thus acquire immense spoil.
-The Tátárs and some of the other troops were elated by the prospect
-of booty. A council was held, in which the defterdár, Bákí Páshá, and
-some other intelligent officers, expressed their entire disapprobation
-of the proposed movement. They alleged, and wisely too, that an army
-which must first accomplish seven or eight stages, could not be in a
-very fit condition, all at once, either to give a battle or sustain an
-attack. They asked, moreover, what proof there was that the enemy was
-not sufficiently vigilant and strong? But his highness, the Tátár Khán,
-the grand vezír’s deputy, and Abáza Páshá, had been completely gained
-over to the other side of the question by Hákim Osmán’s representation;
-and a thirst for acquiring booty having infected the troops, every
-obstacle which could be mentioned was treated with contempt. The moment
-for enriching themselves had arrived; and why, they triumphantly asked,
-put off longer time? It was highly improper, and every way impossible,
-they maintained, that so much spoil as that which now offered itself,
-could be overlooked: nor would they fail in obtaining it, if they would
-but be true to themselves. Such were the arguments which the advocates
-for Hákim’s proposals advanced; and the commanding general himself
-was, at last, completely swayed over to their side. It was, therefore,
-agreed that a strong detachment should instantly advance. Accordingly
-his highness the Tátár Khán, and the whole of his troops; the governor
-of Diárbeker, Mustafa Páshá, Alája Páshá, governor of Wán; Osmán Páshá,
-governor of Sivás: Arslán Páshá, governor of Romeili, with ten sanjáks
-and their officers; and Abáza Mohammed Páshá, governor of Aleppo,
-set out. The command of this mighty detachment was intrusted to the
-beglerbeg of Diárbeker, Hasan Páshá. The turnají báshí, and a certain
-number of janissaries, were also attached to it, and all set forward
-in the utmost haste and precipitation. The rest of the janissaries
-caught the infatuation. The idea of acquiring wealth had filled their
-minds, and they were determined to have a share of the general spoil.
-They took their empty bags, in the hope of getting them filled, and
-off they set on their beasts of burden in the track of their brethren
-who had gone before them. So great, in fact, was the eagerness with
-which the royal army advanced in pursuit of the treasures they had
-promised themselves, that they accomplished the eight days’ journey in
-even less than two; having never once halted, except to feed. Those
-in front and those in the rear moved forward, alike without order
-and without subordination, towards Ardabíl, till they arrived in the
-plains of Sarav, where they first had a glimpse of the kizilbáshes,
-with whom they must contend for the prey. Karchúgheráí Khán, aware
-of the advance of the Osmánlís, had placed the greater part of his
-troops in ambuscade; whilst, at the same time, in order to deceive
-the Osmánlís, he showed, at some little distance, two small bodies,
-which at once attracted the attention of these ardent heroes. Next
-morning the Osmánlís, in their eagerness for conquest, and in their
-thirst for spoil, without order or government, and without taking any
-kind of precaution, commenced an attack. Those who had been placed
-in ambuscade now rushed forth upon the fatigued Moslems, when a most
-desperate battle, which lasted two hours, was fought; but the Osmánlís
-were at length obliged to give way. The commander, Hasan Páshá, Arslán
-Páshá, governor of Romeili, and Mustafa Páshá, governor of Diárbeker,
-fell in the bloody contest. Almají Mohammed Páshá and Rushvánlí Mustafa
-Páshá were made prisoners. The greater part of those whose horses were
-fatigued furnished food to the sword of the foe: many of the noble and
-heroic Tátárs met with the same fate; but the common horde of Tátárs
-fled. The khán himself continued firm, and fought with great bravery,
-till he was nearly surrounded by the enemy, when he too gave way.
-The janissaries were very active in supporting him, pouring in shots
-of musketry among those who had been endeavouring to seize him, and
-levelled many of them with the dust. It was owing entirely to their
-vigorous assistance that he escaped falling into the hands of the
-kizilbáshes, and got to a place of safety. The defeat of the Osmánlís
-was complete. The brave troops of Shám were unable to maintain their
-ground; five hundred of them had been made prisoners by Karchúgheráí
-Khán, and were murdered; their officers were sent to the sháh. In this
-sanguinary combat very many of the foe also perished. The ungracious
-sháh, during the whole of the bloody conflict, shut himself up within
-the city of Ardabíl, giving himself up to humble supplications; and
-would hardly believe the intelligence which announced the defeat of the
-Osmánlí army.
-
-Hasan Beg Zádeh says, in his version of this story, that when Khalíl
-Páshá was marching against Ardabíl, Sháhín Gheráí deserted to the
-enemy, and betrayed the cause of the Osmánlís. In consequence of the
-information which he imparted to the kizilbáshes, they sent one or
-two emissaries into the Tátár camp, who circulated among the Tátárs
-that the Persians were in a state of entire defencelessness. This,
-of course, roused the Tátárs, and hurried them heedlessly onward.
-The words of Hákim Osmán had the same effect on, or they imparted
-impetuosity to the Osmánlís themselves, and the result was as we have
-related it, _i. e._ both the Osmánlís and Tátárs were defeated and
-routed. Among those who fell on this memorable occasion were the khán’s
-military judge and an Osmánlí sheikh of the name of Islám.
-
-The news of this terrible disaster reached the royal camp during the
-night season: the troops in the camp were called to arms, and a council
-of war was held. Bákí Páshá, with his wise associates, advised to
-advance, without a moment’s delay, upon Ardabíl; “for,” said they, “if
-we retreat, the enemy will be encouraged and emboldened to pursue us,
-and will most certainly attack us, when every one will try to escape
-the best way he can. Our fate will resemble that which befell Jeghala
-Zádeh of former days.” This mode of address had the effect of animating
-the troops in the camp, when it was resolved to march forward by break
-of day, which they did.
-
-The advance of the main army, under the commander-in-chief, towards
-Ardabíl, did not hinder the sháh, though the Osmánlís had manifested
-no want of firmness, from making some invidious remarks to those
-around him. He tauntingly asked, if the Romeilian strangers were
-not yet defeated? whilst, at the same time, he sent messenger after
-messenger with this message: “Come, let us make peace: you are coming
-with hostile intentions: your late defeat has been owing to your
-vain and premature haste.” With such words of bitter reproach as
-these did he fill his letters to the commanding general; and yet, at
-bottom, he was most anxious to conclude a peace. Last of all, on a day
-which blew a hurricane, one Búrún Kásim, a messenger from the sháh,
-entered the Osmánlí camp, and immediately presented himself before the
-commander-in-chief, who was at the time sitting in council with the
-other grandees of the army. “Why,” said the commander-in-chief to the
-ambassador of the kizilbáshes, “the red-heads, proud of the victory
-they have gained, have taunted us with disgraceful reproaches under
-the appearance of asking a peace: and if we retreat you are ready to
-fall upon us. Your professed desire of peace is hollow: which of your
-words can I believe?” Búrún Kásim, the sháh’s ambassador, stormed.
-“What,” said the intrepid vezír, but with a view of giving a facetious
-turn to the conversation, “is it customary, Kásim Beg, for the storm
-to blow so furiously in this country?” Kásim Beg was prevented from
-making a reply by Bákí Páshá, a man of knowledge and experience, as
-before hinted, who at this moment addressed the commander-in-chief
-thus: “No, my lord; this violent storm is only the effect of the wind
-of Búrún Kásim Beg’s nose.”[27] This jocular answer of Bákí Páshá was
-not without its effect on the mind of Kásim Beg, who now changed his
-tone, and said he wished God might not visit Bákí Páshá with just
-vengeance. “Will you never,” said he, “leave off your devilish wit:
-your wish is, to leave us recorded in the history of romance.” The
-grand vezír and those about him could not refrain from laughing most
-heartily at hearing Kásim Beg, and looked astonished. Kásim was again
-filled with rage, but it evaporated into air. When Sháh Abbás heard
-of this ludicrous story he praised Bákí Páshá for his malicious wit,
-and sent him no fewer than three loads of handsome presents on account
-of his facetious craftiness. But to return. The Osmánlí main army
-on approaching Sarav, having had abundance of provisions, proposed
-presenting themselves before Ardabíl, now only one stage distant, the
-following day. One messenger after another, however, assured them that
-the city was abandoned, that the lamps near the tomb of Sheikh Súfí and
-all manner of valuables had been removed; in a word, that the whole
-of the sepulchres of all the former sháhs were deserted. Under these
-circumstances, it appeared to the Moslems to answer no good purpose
-to advance any farther; and after having considered the matter in
-every point of view, the commander-in-chief renewed the treaty which
-had been entered into at the time Nesúh Páshá was grand vezír. It
-was, therefore, settled and signed that the sháh of Persia was, in
-future, to send annually to the court of Constantinople a tribute of
-two hundred loads of silk, and one hundred loads of other rarities.
-The crafty sháh, as if he meant to show how pleased he was with this
-renewal of the treaty, sent eight hundred camel-loads of provision of
-various kinds to the Moslem camp, which were accordingly distributed
-among the troops. To the grand vezír alone he sent nine camel-loads
-of sweetmeats, of preserved fruits of various sorts, of lemons and
-oranges, of fine flour, of rice, and of sugar, each loaf of which
-weighed from five to ten wakiyet. To the ághá of the janissaries, to
-the grand vezír’s deputy, and to the other páshás and grandees of the
-army he sent two, three, or five similar loads of presents, each as
-he thought proper. All these loads of presents were sent as tokens of
-the sháh’s friendship, and were conveyed to their respective owners by
-Mirzá Mohammed Hasan, his ambassador to the Moslem camp. On the part of
-the grand vezír several royal presents were sent to the sháh in return,
-and the treaty, after receiving the commander-in-chief’s signature, was
-sent him, along with Mohammed Aghá, the jibbají báshí. The Persian sháh
-set at liberty the whole of the Osmánlí prisoners that had been seized,
-and that yet remained alive, who returned to the Osmánlí camp, which,
-on some of the first days of Dhu’l kadah, was removed from Serav, and
-the army marched towards Erzerúm. In the month of Dhu’l hijja the
-troops were all permitted to return to their respective homes, and the
-grand vezír went to Tocat, where he expected to winter; but he was
-deposed. In the following year, however, he was made lord high admiral
-of the Turkish fleet.
-
-
-_The arrival of the king of Poland’s ambassador._
-
-Some time before the last events which we have recorded took place,
-Gurgrofshá, a relative of the king of Poland, and one of his privy
-counsellors, arrived in Constantinople as ambassador from the court
-of Poland, complaining of several inroads having been made upon the
-dominions of Poland by the Tátárs, even since the time of the last
-treaty, and praying that that part of the treaty which referred to
-the Tátárs maintaining the peace might be enforced. The grand vezír
-immediately wrote to Ján Beg, khán of the Crimea, to maintain the peace
-inviolate.
-
-
-_An ambassador arrives from Fez._
-
-The ambassador of the Pádisháh of Fez arrived at Constantinople with
-letters and some valuable presents for the Ottoman emperor. He also
-complained of some depredations which had been committed by some of the
-wild and wandering Arabs in the districts near Bussorah, and praying
-that a stop might be put to their ravages. A messenger was instantly
-despatched with respect to this matter to the proper quarter.
-
-
-_A phenomenon._
-
-There appeared one evening in the heavens a bright pillar or column
-which shone like a comet; the appearance of which occasioned among the
-people a variety of conjectures.
-
-
-_Death of Etmekjí Zádeh Ahmed Páshá._
-
-We lately left this man chagrined and sick, because of the repeated
-disappointments which he had met with. On his first appearance in
-public life he was employed as a collector of taxes at Adrianople, and
-by degrees rose to one of the most important offices in the state,
-that of lord high treasurer: which office he held for several years,
-till he was created káímakám of Constantinople. When Oghuz Mohammed
-Páshá, the emperor’s son-in-law, was deposed, and Khalíl Páshá, lord
-high admiral of the fleet, succeeded him in the premiership, Etmekjí
-Zádeh felt as if he had been neglected because that office had not been
-conferred on himself. When this same minister went afterwards on the
-expedition against the Persians, Etmekjí thought and expected he would
-again be made deputy of the Sublime Porte; but the appointment of Súfí
-Mohammed Páshá to this office showed him his expectations had been
-vain. The consequence was, that he became sorrowful and dangerously
-ill. His illness increased with his grief, and after giving a hundred
-_yúks_ of money for the purpose of repairing the fortress of Uzí, and
-for erecting a fortification at Kilbúrún on the opposite side, and
-nominating the reverend mufti his executor for paying such sums of
-money as he had appropriated for pious purposes, he died about the
-beginning of the following year. A thousand _yúks_ of money which
-had not been disposed of before his death were appropriated to the
-imperial coffers. He was interred in the tomb of the honourable Mahmúd
-Effendí of Scutari, who had performed the funeral service in Báyazíd’s
-mosque. A school in Constantinople, an inn in Adrianople, an unfinished
-edifice, besides several other buildings for benevolent purposes, are
-monuments of his generosity. He was one of the most celebrated men of
-his day.
-
-
-_On the state of the coin._
-
-About the commencement of the month of Moharrem of this year a firmán
-was issued to coin new silver coin and the piece of ten aspres, and
-Beker Effendí, the second defterdár, was made inspector of the mint.
-By means of a sum of ten purses of gold he established other mints in
-other parts of the empire. After a certain time had elapsed, the new
-coin was ordered to be put in circulation, and the old condemned. The
-new coin having been discovered to be deficient, however, the old,
-which possessed full weight, was again allowed to come into use.
-
-
-_The seals of the premiership are again conferred on Mohammed Páshá,
-the emperor’s son-in-law._
-
-Súfí Mohammed Páshá was, at the time of Sultán Osmán Khán’s
-inauguration, deputy of the Sublime Porte; but for some mismanagement
-of which he had been guilty at the ceremonies which took place on that
-occasion, and for the vast treasures he, for want of judgment, had
-expended at that time, was disgraced and turned out of office, and
-Mohammed Páshá, the emperor’s son-in-law, was made káímakám in his
-stead. The reverend mufti, who had been implicated in the affair of the
-late deputy, Súfí Mohammed Páshá, was removed by the emperor from being
-head of religion and science, whilst that distinguished honour was
-conferred on his own chaplain, Omar Khoaja: the reverend mufti, Isaád
-Effendí, retaining only the prerogative of issuing _fetvás_. About the
-beginning of the month of Sefer this year, Khalíl Páshá, in consequence
-of the want of skill and good generalship which he had manifested
-in the late war with the Persians, was formally deposed, and the
-káímakám or deputy of the Sublime Porte, Mohammed Páshá, the emperor’s
-son-in-law, was created grand vezír in his stead. When Khalíl Páshá
-reached Scutari on his way back, he was presented with the government
-of Syria, which, however, he declined: he preferred retiring with two
-domestics into a cell in Mohammed Effendí’s convent, alleging that he
-was an old man of the poor and indigent ancient sheíkhs, and wished for
-no new preferment. By Mohammed Effendí’s intercession in his behalf,
-however, his fault was overlooked.
-
-
-_The arrival of a Persian ambassador._
-
-In the month of Jemadi I., the Persian ambassador, Búrún Kásim,
-sometimes called Kásim Beg, but in his credentials, Alí Sultán
-Khalífeh, arrived at Scutari with one hundred loads of silk, four
-elephants, and one rhinoceros, with other gifts for the emperor of
-the Ottomans. From Scutari he passed over to the imperial city, and
-was lodged in the palace of Pertev Páshá. His letter to the emperor
-specified, in all its various ramifications, the treaty signed by
-Khalíl Páshá.
-
-
-_A remarkable phenomenon._
-
-In a communication from Mohammed Páshá, commandant of Buda, it was
-stated, that one afternoon, about the middle of the month of Shabán
-there appeared, in the German peleponesus on the north of Hungary,
-a black circular cloud, from which blood dropped like rain. This
-atmospheric appearance was accompanied by a most tremendous burst
-of thunder, and in the cloud there was seen the appearance of fiery
-crosses. After this cloud had condensed itself, a great quantity of
-smoke began to issue from it in all directions; and shortly afterwards
-another tremendous burst of thunder was heard. Those who heard it were
-stupified and confounded: the cattle in the field fell upon their
-knees, turned their heads towards the heavens, and then fled wild
-in all directions, many of which were never afterwards found. Some
-short time after the last burst of thunder, three successive sounds
-were heard issuing from the heavens, which, from their hideousness,
-might have awakened the dead. From this cloud, also, descended black
-round hail or balls, about the size of a cubit, which rolled along the
-ground. Some of these hail-stones which were taken up weighed three
-kintals.
-
-
-_Betlan Gabor._
-
-After Betlan Gabor had been fully established in the government of
-Transylvania, he accompanied Iskander Páshá in his expedition against
-the Poles, on which occasion he led ten thousand foot and twelve
-thousand horse into the country of Moldavia, near the fortress of
-Sordukna; but, in consequence of the peace which on that occasion was
-entered into with the ambassador of the king of Poland, he returned
-home with his troops.
-
-
-
-
-FOOTNOTES:
-
-
-[1] See preface to a translation of the Maritime Wars of the Turks, by
-James Mitchell.
-
-[2] Author of the Maritime Wars of the Turks, and other celebrated
-works in Turkish.
-
-[3] بيمارم اي اجل بوكيجه بكله يانم آل
-
-[4] ناصيمده كاتب قدرة نه يازدي بلمدم
- آه كيم بوكلشن عالمده هركز كو لدم
-
-[5] Ancient heroes of Persian fable.
-
-[6] Why Agria is thus termed cannot be discovered; but it is probable
-the writer meant to convey the idea, that the success which attended
-the Moslem arms at that place, only led the Osmánlís into all the
-misfortunes which afterwards befell them.
-
-[7] A wakáyat is about 2-1/4 lb.
-
-[8] A kantar is about 120 lb. weight.
-
-[9] سحر سامري, or the magic of Samri, who, according to Mohammed,
-induced the children of Israel to worship the golden calf in the
-absence of Moses.
-
-[10] The translator feels at a loss to discover who this valas pádisháh
-was, but thinks the writer meant to convey some sentiment under the
-form of a metaphor. The words of the text are:
-ولاس پادشاهي ابراهيم خان بوسالده شاه عباس بنچه سنه كرفتار اولمشدر
-
-[11] This was Yemishjí Hasan Páshá, the grand vezír, when on his way to
-Constantinople. It will be remembered under what circumstances he gave
-up the chief command to Mohammed Páshá at Buda; and also that Pest was
-at that time in the hands of the enemy. It is to the subsequent history
-of the contest between the Musselmans and the Austrians that the writer
-seeks now to draw the attention of his reader.
-
-[12] The vezírs of the kubba or cupola are those immediately under the
-grand vezír.
-
-[13] A work on Mohammedan jurisprudence.
-
-[14] Thus did his majesty verify his threatening to Sárukjí Páshá,
-when, after appointing him to the deputyship, he pointed to the dead
-carcass of Kásim Páshá.
-
-[15] A Mohamedan writer, usually called by the first of these
-appellations, and frequently quoted by Naima in this history.
-
-[16] There is something irrelevant in this. Botchkai is represented
-as having been raised to the sovereignty of Hungary, and not of
-Transylvania. The first of these is written مجار Majar, which is
-Hungary; and the second اردل Ardil, which is Transylvania, and
-which is said in the text to have been supplied with a new sovereign
-in room of Botchkai, who was created king of Majar or Hungary by the
-Ottoman emperor. But it seems not unlikely that by Majar, lower Hungary
-is meant, and of which Ardil or Transylvania was considered a portion.
-We find the word هونغاريا _Hungaria_ employed, a few sentences
-afterwards, to mean the country of which the emperor of Austria’s
-brother was duke.
-
-[17] Probably Paul V., who was certainly capable of doing what Naima
-here asserts. He has been charged by others of having fostered civil
-war in Bohemia, Hungary, England, France, and Germany.
-
-[18] Rodolph II.; but his name is not mentioned in the text.
-
-[19] اژدر هاي دم بريده
-
-[20] A sort of military farmers, who rented the revenues of Egypt.
-
-[21] A yúk is about 1,000 dollars.
-
-[22] A gold coin, a drachm and a half weight.
-
-[23] The night of power, the 27th of Ramazán, when the koran began to
-descend from heaven.
-
-[24] Russian pilgrims either going to or coming from Jerusalem.
-
-[25] The letters which had been sent from the fleet stated that the
-descent had been altogether sudden and unexpected at first. The fleet,
-these letters said, on arriving before or opposite a monastery on the
-island not far from the city, the admiral forbade Mímí Beg to leave his
-ship; but he landed his janissaries and other troops, who as soon as
-they individually reached the shore, such was their eagerness, cried
-out _Allah! Allah!_ as they proceeded; which so alarmed the inhabitants
-that they all fled into the city with their servants. The Moslems, on
-reaching the monastery, were obliged, by reason of the cannon which
-played upon them from the fortress, to give up; and because they
-found it impracticable to keep the footing they had gained, they were
-constrained to return to their vessels. Forty or fifty were left on the
-island, but they effected no good whatever. The fleet, we are told on
-the same authority, seized, between Messina and Malta, on its return,
-a vessel, the crew of which informed the admiral that the twenty-seven
-ships he had been in quest of had entered Messina, where there were
-several other vessels belonging to the enemy.
-
-[26] A rude race living in the mountains of Lebanon and in Kúrdistán.
-
-[27] Búrún signifies nose.
-
-
-END
-
-
-LONDON
-
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-
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-
-The Project Gutenberg EBook of Annals of the Turkish Empire, from 1591 to
-1659, by Mustafa Naima
-
-This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most
-other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
-whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of
-the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at
-www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have
-to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook.
-
-Title: Annals of the Turkish Empire, from 1591 to 1659
-
-Author: Mustafa Naima
-
-Translator: Charles Fraser
-
-Release Date: August 22, 2019 [EBook #60151]
-
-Language: English
-
-Character set encoding: UTF-8
-
-*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ANNALS--TURKISH EMPIRE, 1591-1659 ***
-
-
-
-
-Produced by Turgut Dincer and the Online Distributed
-Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was
-produced from images generously made available by The
-Internet Archive)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-</pre>
-
-
-<div class="transnote"><p>Transcriber's note:<br /><br />
-Errors and inconsistencies in accented words, mostly
-related to Arabic and Turkish names, have been taken care
-as much as possible, without attempting however to make a
-major revision and overhaul of the original text.</p>
-</div>
-
-
-<h1>
-<small><small>ANNALS</small></small><br />
-<small><small><small>OF</small></small></small><br />
-<b>THE TURKISH EMPIRE,</b><br />
-<small><small><small>FROM<br />
-<span class="smcap">1591 to 1659 of the CHRISTIAN ERA</span>.</small></small></small></h1>
-
-<p class="center"><small>BY NAIMA.</small><br /><br />
-
-<small><small><small>TRANSLATED FROM THE TURKISH,</small></small></small><br /><br />
-<small><small><small>BY</small></small></small><br /><br />
-<small>CHARLES FRASER.</small></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 100px;">
-<img src="images/title.jpg" width="100" height="67" alt="printer's mark" />
-</div>
-
-<p class="center"><small>LONDON:</small><br />
-<small><small>PRINTED FOR THE ORIENTAL TRANSLATION FUND<br />
-OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND.</small></small><br /><br />
-<small><small>SOLD BY<br />
-<span class="smcap">John Murray, Albemarle Street; and Parbury, Allen, &amp; Co., Leadenhall Street</span>.<br />
-M.DCCC.XXXII.</small></small></p>
-<hr />
-<p class="center"><small><small><small>LONDON:<br />
-Printed by J. L. COX and SON, Great Queen Street,<br />
-Lincoln’s-Inn Fields.</small></small></small>
-</p>
-<hr />
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_iii" id="Page_iii">iii</a></span></p>
-
-<h2>TRANSLATOR’S PREFACE.</h2>
-
-
-<p><span class="smcap">History</span>, it has been well observed, is, of all other branches of
-human knowledge, the most attractive, and best rewards the efforts
-of research. Even the history of the most ignorant and barbarous
-nations that have ever peopled the globe, may furnish something,
-either in their modes of government, in their forms of religion, or in
-their manners, customs, and laws, which is calculated to amuse or
-instruct. The knowledge of the springs and motives of human
-actions, and of their consequent effects, whether auspicious or inauspicious,
-and which operate more or less powerfully on the destinies
-of the human race, is, by this channel, conveyed to our minds with
-a distinctness, perspicuity, and force which cannot, by any possibility,
-be gained in any other way.</p>
-
-<p>By the investigation of history we become acquainted with points
-of character of the utmost importance, and arrive at the conviction
-that good and evil are, in some way or other, combined and interwoven
-in the affairs of life: and we may often, without difficulty,
-trace the happiness or misery of millions of human beings to the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_iv" id="Page_iv">iv</a></span>
-act of a single individual; and perceive that impressions have thereby
-been made that stamp, for ages, the moral and intellectual character
-of mankind.</p>
-
-<p>Without adverting to the rise and downfall of the Roman Empire,
-out of the dismemberment of which have arisen the principal States
-of Europe, we would merely refer, at present, to the rise, progress,
-and establishment of Mohammedanism, the followers of which conquered,
-sword in hand, the whole of the rich and fertile provinces
-possessed by that empire in the East.</p>
-
-<p>To trace the rise, progress, and final establishment of the Mohammedan
-power, from its commencement under Mohammed Mustafa,
-the prophet of Islamism, and its successive triumphs under
-the Khalifs, his immediate successors, would be to detail a series
-of revolutions and successions of dynasties, the most eventful and
-extensive, the most disastrous and appalling, that have ever taken
-place on the theatre of our world.</p>
-
-<p>On this department of deep and lasting interest, though it be
-amply fitted to remunerate the labour of investigation, it is not
-our intention, did we possess the vanity to conceive ourselves competent
-for the task, to enter. Moreover, it is unnecessary; because
-this department of history, in regard at least to its great and leading
-features, has already been fully and accurately traced and brought
-within our reach by others, whose talents and means of information
-rendered them qualified for the undertaking, and whose services,
-in this respect, can hardly be too much valued.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_v" id="Page_v">v</a></span></p>
-
-<p>Our real purpose in offering these few general remarks, is with the
-view of introducing to the reader’s notice the learned and laborious
-Turkish annalist, <span class="smcap">Naima</span>, who favoured his countrymen with a connected
-narrative of the most important and interesting events which
-had transpired within the Turkish dominions for the space of seventy
-years. In this he has given a detailed account of all the wars, offensive
-and defensive, foreign and domestic, in which the Turks had been
-engaged during that period, besides other incidents of importance,
-and negociations and treaties, friendly and commercial, with foreign
-powers. The importance and value of this author’s labours induce
-us to recommend to the reader’s perusal the annexed volume of
-Translation, which contains within its pages the first twenty-eight
-years of the above Narrative or History, or about one-fourth of the
-whole work. We shall reserve for a succeeding paragraph, our
-remarks on this work, and in the meantime proceed to observe in
-general, that the foundation of the Turkish power seems to have
-begun with the accession of Osmán or Othman I. to the rank of
-emír of the Oguzian tribe of Tátárs in room of Ortogrul, his father,
-the last sultán of Iconium, who died A.D. 1299. Osmán, at the head
-of this warlike horde, in the course of a very few years conquered
-and possessed himself of several of the provinces of Asia Minor,
-assumed the title of Sultán in 1300, and fixed his residence in Yení-Sheher,
-a city of Anatolia. Orkhan, his son and successor, acquired
-possession of Brúsa, Nice, and Nicomedia in Bithynia, by force of
-arms; the first of which the Osmánlí Sultáns made for a time their
-capital. In short, such was the success which attended the Ottoman
-arms, that, in the course of fifty or sixty years, they overwhelmed,
-and subjugated to their sway, the whole of the Roman empire in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_vi" id="Page_vi">vi</a></span>
-the east; absorbed the whole strength and energy of Moslem dominion;
-and became, and continue to be to this day, the chief
-bulwark of Islám and of Mohammedan despotism.</p>
-
-<p>Naima commences his history of the Turkish empire with the
-year of the Hijrah or Hejeret 1000 (A.D. 1591), and brings it down
-to the year 1070 of the same era. This work was probably intended
-by its author to form the supplement or continuation of the history
-composed by Sa’d-úd-dín, which commences with the origin of the
-Turkish power, and brings down the narrative of events to 926
-(A.D. 1526).</p>
-
-<p>Naima’s Annals consist of two large volumes folio, which were
-printed at Constantinople in the year of the Hijrah 1147, being the
-twelfth printed work which issued from the imperial press of Constantinople.
-In six years afterwards, Ráshid’s History, and the
-Annals of Chelebí Zádeh, followed, having issued from the same
-press, and are a continuation of Naima.</p>
-
-<p>Of Naima himself we have not been able to collect any certain
-information; nor do we know at what period he lived: but we conjecture
-he must have been contemporary, or nearly so, with Kátib
-Chelebí,<a name="FNanchor_1_1" id="FNanchor_1_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_1" class="fnanchor">1</a> author of the Fezliké, to which work Naima sometimes
-refers. As a narrator of facts, however, we think, from what we
-have read of him, we have just cause to accuse him of partiality
-and occasional exaggeration, into which the historian ought never to
-be betrayed. But where, we would venture to ask, is there one of
-<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_vii" id="Page_vii">vii</a></span>this class of writers who stands entirely acquitted of these defects?
-To a Turk, however, the Annals of Naima possess that same sort of
-importance which we, in similar circumstances, are accustomed to
-attach to a work of the like nature amongst ourselves. The Turk,
-we have no doubt, will consider, as sound doctrine, the defects to
-which we have referred, and that too without hesitation and without
-enquiry; because they are entirely congenial to his creed and modes
-of thinking.</p>
-
-<p>Of the annexed translation we have only one word to say, and
-that is, that we have exercised all possible care to translate honestly
-and fairly, and this being all we undertook to accomplish, we leave
-it to speak for itself.</p>
-
-<p class="right padl2">
-THE TRANSLATOR.</p>
-<p><i>Edinburgh, May 24th 1832.</i>
-</p>
-
-<hr />
-<p><small>N.B.—In the following work the system of Sir William Jones, in the orthography of
-Oriental words, has been used as far as the nature of the Turkish language would permit.
-The accented vowels have the same sounds as in Italian; and the unaccented, the short
-sounds, as <i>a</i> in <i>bat</i>, <i>i</i> in <i>lily</i>, &amp;c. The consonants have the sound usually given them in
-our own language.</small></p>
-
-<hr />
-
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_ix" id="Page_ix">viii/ix</a></span></p>
-
-<h2>AUTHOR’S PREFACE.</h2>
-
-<hr class="short" />
-
-<p class="center">IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL AND MOST
-GRACIOUS GOD!<br /><br /></p>
-
-<p><span class="smcap">The</span> thousandth year of the Hijrah commenced on the first of
-Moharrem—which is also the Sabbath-day (Saturday)—and is the
-three hundred and fifty-fourth thousand four hundred and ninety-ninth
-day of the Prophet’s flight.<br /><br /></p>
-
-<p>This year of happy omen, connected with antecedent time, makes
-the 184693d year, and the 5350th of the Jewish era; but, according to
-Melek’l-mowid’s mode of reckoning, is the 7216th year. The thousandth
-year of the Hijrah is the 4974th from Noah’s flood, but which,
-according to the calculations of astronomers, falls short of that
-period by a space of 270 years: and the 2807th of the supreme conjunction;
-the 2338th of the era of Nebuchadnossar; the 1901st of
-the era of Alexander; the 1590th of the Christian era; the 1360th
-of the Copts; the 959th of the Yezdijerd (the ancient Persian era);
-the 533rd of Jellali (the modern Persian era); and the 167th year of
-the middle or intermediate supreme conjunction.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_x" id="Page_x">x</a></span></p>
-
-<p>Writers of defective intelligence have introduced a multitude of
-opinions into their writings, which go on to say, among other things,
-that when the thousandth year of the Hijrah was once over, the day
-of the resurrection would immediately arrive, or if it should not
-then arrive, it would, most certainly, not extend beyond thirty lunar
-years (<i>i. e.</i> the intercalary and other years of that period of time).
-In this particular they not only assumed weak and ill-founded premises,
-but, as might be expected, have written incorrectly on
-the subject. Witness, for instance, their speculations concerning
-the completion of the moon’s revolutions, whence they affirm, that
-the Prophet (on whom be blessing and peace) should not remain in
-his grave till the thousand years expired, and other similar records,
-which, however, are at once at variance with true philosophy and
-sound theology. Several writers not attending to these things have,
-through ignorance or carelessness, given currency in their writings
-to statements which are utterly without foundation, and therefore
-contrary to the received canon.</p>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xi" id="Page_xi">xi</a></span></p>
-
-<h2>CONTENTS.</h2>
-
-<table summary="contents" border="0"><tr>
-<td class="tdr" colspan="2">Page</td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdc" colspan="2"><span class="smcap">EVENTS of the Year 1000 of the Hijrah.</span></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Grand Vezír, Ferhád Páshá, deposed, and the Vezírship conferred on Síávush Páshá</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_1">1</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Militia of Tabríz</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_2">2</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Muftí Effendí, Bostánízádeh, deposed, and Zekeríá Effendí appointed in his stead</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_3">3</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Disturbance on the Confines of Bosnia and Hungary—Movements of the Infidels</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_4">4</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">News from the East</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_5">5</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Concerning learned Men</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_5">5</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdc" colspan="2"><span class="smcap">EVENTS of the Year 1001, H.</span></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Spáhís create a Disturbance in the Diván</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_11">11</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Grand Vezír, Síávush Páshá, deposed</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_12">12</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">A Rupture betwixt the Ottomans and the Austrians</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_13">13</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Grand Vezír, Sinán Páshá, determines on carrying the War into Hungary</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_16">16</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Enemy advances to Belgrade</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_19">19</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Felk falls into the hands of the Enemy</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_20">20</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Faithless are chastised</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_22">22</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The base and ignoble Infidels besiege Khutván</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_23">23</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Siege of Osterghún</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_24">24</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Request of the Prime Minister—The Succour of the magnificent Emperor</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_27">27</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Yanuk laid siege to</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_29">29</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Moslem Warriors begin an Assault</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_30">30</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdc"><span class="smcap">EVENTS of the Years 1005, H.</span></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Conquest of Yanuk</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_31">31</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Komran laid siege to</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_33">33</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Concerning the bad Management of the Commander-in-Chief; his Error and Failure in some other
-Matters</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_35">35</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Waiwoda of Moldavia rebels</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_36">36</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Concerning the Insurrection occasioned by Michael, Waiwoda of Valachia</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_37">37</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Death of Sultán Murád III.</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_39">39</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The late Emperor’s Age—The time of his Reign—Some of his virtues and good deeds described</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_41">41</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Vezírs contemporary with Sultán Murád Khán</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_42">42</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Learned Men contemporary with Sultán Murád Khán</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_44">44</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Reverend Doctors contemporary with Murád Khán</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_46">46</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Facts relative to the new Emperor, Sultán Mohammed Khán III.</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_48">48</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Insurrection of the Valachians and Moldavians</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_49">49</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Ferhád Páshá makes preparations for War</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_50">50</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-
-<td class="tdl"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xii" id="Page_xii">xii</a></span><p class="indent">The Spáhís raise a Tumult</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_51">51</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Ferhád Páshá prepares to set out for Valachia</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_53">53</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Continuation of Ferhád’s Affairs</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_55">55</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Ferhád arrives on the Banks of the Danube</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_55">55</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Ferhád is deposed—Sinán Páshá raised to the Premiership</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_56">56</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Sinán Páshá’s Operations in Valachia</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_59">59</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">A Council held—A Fortress built</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_61">61</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Concerning the Enemy’s Operations on the Frontiers</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_61">61</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Moslem Army advances to Osterghún, and is defeated</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_62">62</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The apostate Michael gains a Victory</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_63">63</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Fortress of Yerkok taken</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_65">65</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Osterghún delivered up to the Enemy</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_66">66</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Vishégrade is taken by the Enemy</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_66">66</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Grand Vezír deposed—Lálá Mohammed Páshá made Grand Vezír</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_66">66</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Sinán Páshá is made Grand Vezír a fifth time</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_67">67</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Sinán Páshá’s Counsel to the Emperor</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_68">68</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Sinán Páshá’s Death—Ibrahím Páshá is made Grand Vezír</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_69">69</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Strife and Contention between Sa’d-úd-dín Effendí and the Muftí</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_69">69</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Emperor of the Moslems prepares to set out for the Seat of War</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_71">71</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">A Council held</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_73">73</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Agria besieged</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_74">74</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Moslems are threatened by another immense Host of Infidels</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_77">77</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Jafer Páshá sent with a body of Troops to surprise the Enemy</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_79">79</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Orthodox Army advances to meet the Enemy</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_82">82</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Battle of the First Day</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_84">84</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Battle of the Second Day—The Defeat of the Enemy</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_85">85</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Premiership conferred on Jaghaleh Zádeh Sinán Páshá</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_91">91</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Fugitives punished</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_92">92</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The conquering Moslems return to Agria</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_93">93</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Emperor returns to Constantinople</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_94">94</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Jaghaleh, the Grand Vezír, deposed—Ibrahím is re-appointed</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_94">94</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Concerning Fateh Gheráí</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_97">97</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">New Appearances of Hostilities</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_99">99</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdc"><span class="smcap">EVENTS of the Year 1006, H.</span></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">A Council held—The Army marches on Wáj</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_102">102</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Grand Vezír, Ibrahím Páshá, deposed—Khádem Hasan Páshá succeeds to the Premiership</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_106">106</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Jeráh Mohammed Páshá raised to the Premiership</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_109">109</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Enemy gains advantage at Yanuk by stratagem</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_109">109</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Moslems determine on attacking Warad</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_112">112</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">State of Affairs in Bassra</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_114">114</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdc"><span class="smcap">EVENTS of the Year 1007, H.</span></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Account of the late Expedition, continued from last Year</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_115">115</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Warad besieged</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_119">119</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Concerning the Fall of Besperim, Polata, Tata, and the Siege of Buda</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_125">125</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Khádem Háfiz Ahmed Páshá routed at Nicopolis by the odious Michael</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_127">127</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Grand Vezírship conferred a third time on Ibrahím Páshá</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_129">129</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xiii" id="Page_xiii">xiii</a></span><p class="indent">Satúrjí Mohammed Páshá murdered—Etmekjí Zádeh imprisoned</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_131">131</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Strange Conduct of the new Grand Vezír, Ibrahím Páshá</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_133">133</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="center"><span class="smcap">EVENTS of the Year 1008, H.</span></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Account of Ibrahím Páshá’s further Operations</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_136">136</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The French Soldiers stationed at Papa join the Osmánlís</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_140">140</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Laudable Qualities of Ibrahím Páshá</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_142">142</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Concerning Abulhelím</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_144">144</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The State of Yemen (Arabia-felix)</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_146">146</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Ibrahím Páshá’s Movements against Kaniza</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_146">146</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdc"><span class="smcap">EVENTS of the Year 1009, H.</span></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Kaniza taken</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_153">153</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Hájí Ibrahím Páshá defeated by Kara Yazíjí (Scrivano)</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_157">157</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The odious Michael’s Troops defeated</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_159">159</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdc"><span class="smcap">EVENTS of the Year 1010, H.</span></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Grand Vezír Ibrahím Páshá’s death—Yemishjí Hasan Páshá succeeds him in the Premiership</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_160">160</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Concerning Tarnákjí Hasan Páshá going to Kaniza</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_164">164</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Enemy return to lay siege to Kaniza</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_165">165</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Grand Vezír and Commander-in-Chief, Yemishjí Hasan Páshá, marches against the Enemy</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_166">166</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Kaniza is besieged</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_168">168</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Arrival of the Arch-Duke Mathias</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_179">179</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Some further Account of the Affairs relative to Kaniza—The Arrival of the Commander-in-Chief at
-Sigetwar</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_197">197</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">State of Matters in the East—Concerning Scrivano</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_199">199</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Some other Events of this Year—Karah Yázijí dies in the Mountains of Jánbeg</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_200">200</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Concerning the rebel Delí Hasan, the Brother of Karah Yázijí—Hasan Páshá, the Commander-in-Chief,
-falls a Martyr</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_201">201</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdc"><span class="smcap">EVENTS of the Year 1011, H.</span></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Hasan Páshá recovers Alba Julia</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_202">202</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Commander-in-Chief conducts an Expedition into Transylvania</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_204">204</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Pest taken—Buda is besieged</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_206">206</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Ghází Gheráí Khán arrives with a Tátár Army</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_210">210</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdc"><span class="smcap">EVENTS of the Year 1012, H.</span></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Advantage gained by the Rebel Delí Hasan—Mahmúd Páshá is appointed in the room of Khosrú
-Páshá</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_211">211</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Several changes take place</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_212">212</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Concerning Ghaznafer Aghá and Osmán Aghá, ághá of the Palace</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_212">212</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Yemishjí Hasan Páshá returns to Constantinople</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_213">213</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Mahmúd Páshá reports these Proceedings to the Emperor, who refuses to sanction the Deed of the
-Muftí</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_215">215</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Poiráz Osmán and other Rebels executed</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_221">221</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Other Affairs of this Period</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_226">226</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Concerning the Operations of the new Commander-in-Chief, Mohammed Páshá</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_229">229</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xiv" id="Page_xiv">xiv</a></span><p class="indent">The Grand Vezír Yemishjí Hasan Páshá deposed—Dies a violent death</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_234">234</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Kásim Páshá is made Governor of Constantinople</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_239">239</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Commencement of a Rupture with Persia</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_240">240</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Sháh of Persia marches upon Tabríz</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_242">242</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Capture of Nakhcheván</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_248">248</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Death of Sultán Mohammed Khán, son of Murád Khán</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_249">249</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Of learned Men</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_251">251</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Concerning Grand Vezírs and other Great Men</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_251">251</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Concerning the Ulemá, or higher order of Ecclesiastics</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_253">253</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Of the Mesháiekh, or Priests</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_254">254</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Arrival of the Fleet—Concerning the Grand Vezír, Yávuz Alí Páshá</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_258">258</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Alí Páshá, Grand Vezír, is appointed Commander-in-Chief over the Troops employed against
-Hungary, and Jeghala Zádeh is appointed to the command in the East</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_259">259</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">A variety of Changes in the Ecclesiastical and Military Establishments</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_260">260</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Some further Account of Delí Hasan (Brother of Scrivano)</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_262">262</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Continuation of the Account of the War carried on against the Heretics—The Sháh reduces Reván</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_263">263</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Sháh conquers Shirwán</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_264">264</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Kars is besieged—Other Acts of Hostility by the Red Heads</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_265">265</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdc"><span class="smcap">EVENTS of the Year 1013, H.</span></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Grand Vezír, Alí Páshá, sets out for Belgrade</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_267">267</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Lálá Mohammed Páshá succeeds Alí Páshá in all his Offices</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_274">274</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Infidels abandon Pest</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_275">275</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Fortress of Wáj conquered</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_276">276</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Osterghún is laid siege to</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_276">276</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Concerning Botchkai</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_279">279</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">A Battle fought between the Germans and Hungarians</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_281">281</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Concerning the Defeat of Kásim Páshá</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_283">283</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Sárukjí Mustafa Páshá is made Deputy of Constantinople—Other Promotions take place</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_285">285</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Sárukjí Mustafa is murdered—Súfí Sinán succeeds him</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_286">286</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Emperor goes to hunt—Sultán Osmán Khán is born</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_287">287</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Grand Vezír, Lálá Mohammed Páshá, returns to Constantinople</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_287">287</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Continuation of the Affairs in the East</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_288">288</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdc"><span class="smcap">EVENTS of the Year 1014, H.</span></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Osterghún set fire to</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_293">293</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The City and Fortress taken</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_294">294</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Progress of Botchkai</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_295">295</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Botchkai pays a Visit to the Commanding General</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_296">296</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Peace is proposed by the Archduke Mathias</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_298">298</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Concerning Jeghala Zádeh’s Operations on the Confines of Persia</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_300">300</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">A Battle between Ibrahím Páshá and the Croatians</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_306">306</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Mohammed Páshá, the son of Sinán Páshá, killed</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_306">306</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Emperor, whilst at Adrianople, hears further intelligence as to the state of the Rebellion in
-Anatolia</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_307">307</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">An Overture made to Túyel</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_312">312</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Grand Vezír, Mohammed Páshá, is recalled to Constantinople</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_312">312</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">A Commotion among the Janissaries and Spáhís</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_313">313</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xv" id="Page_xv">xv</a></span><p class="indent">The Commander-in-Chief arrives at Constantinople</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_314">314</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Delí Hasan killed at Temisvar</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_315">315</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Concerning the Grand Vezír, Lálá Mohammed Páshá—His death—Dervísh Páshá raised to the
-Vezírship</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_317">317</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdc"><span class="smcap">EVENTS of the Year 1015, H.</span></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Dervísh Páshá is murdered—Murád Páshá is made Grand Vezír</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_326">326</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Cause of his Death more particularly related</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_327">327</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Peace concluded with Austria</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_330">330</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Concerning Nesúh Páshá</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_330">330</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Death of Botchkai</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_335">335</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Other Events of the current Year</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_335">335</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdc"><span class="smcap">EVENTS of the Year 1016, H.</span></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Grand Vezír, Murád Páshá, returns to Court</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_336">336</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Murád Páshá gains a Victory over the Rebels</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_338">338</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Ebn Kalander goes to Ancora</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_340">340</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Murád Páshá winters at Aleppo—Troops are sent to Baghdád</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_345">345</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Jánbulát Oghlí seeks refuge in Constantinople—Kalander commits new Depredations</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_347">347</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Jánbulát Oghlí meets with a happy reverse of fortune</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_350">350</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Some more Particulars belonging to this Year</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_351">351</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">An Ambassador arrives from Poland—A former Treaty is renewed</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_353">353</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdc"><span class="smcap">EVENTS of the Year 1017, H.</span></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Commander-in-Chief, Murád Páshá, pursues Kalander Oghlí</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_355">355</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">His Excellency, Murád Páshá, hastens after the Brother of Túyel Mahmúd</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_361">361</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Commander-in-Chief, Murád Páshá, is recalled to Court</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_366">366</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Concerning Mohammed Páshá in Egypt</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_370">370</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">A great Earthquake</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_379">379</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdc"><span class="smcap">EVENTS of the Year 1018, H.</span></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Grand Vezír and Commander-in-Chief, Murád Páshá, is again sent to the East</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_380">380</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Yúsuf Páshá arrives at Scutari</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_384">384</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Mesli Chávush and Yúsuf Páshá are murdered</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_385">385</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Treachery in some of the Grand Vezír’s Domestics discovered</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_388">388</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Arrival of Yúsuf Páshá’s and Mesli Chávush’s Wealth—A Display of Ill-will and Malevolence</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_389">389</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Concerning the Naval Operations of the Lord High Admiral, Khalíl Páshá—Karah Jehennem taken</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_390">390</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Ancient Treaty with France renewed</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_392">392</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdc"><span class="smcap">EVENTS of the Year 1019, H.</span></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Grand Vezír and Commander-in-Chief, Murád Páshá, goes to Tabríz</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_394">394</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Other Events of this Year</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_396">396</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Death of Murád Páshá, Grand Vezír and Commander-in-Chief—Nesúh Páshá succeeds to the
-Premiership</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_398">398</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdc"><span class="smcap">EVENTS of the Year 1020, H.</span></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Naval Affairs</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_400">400</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdc"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xvi" id="Page_xvi">xvi</a></span><span class="smcap">EVENTS of the Year 1021, H.</span></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Nesúh Páshá arrives in Constantinople along with the Persian Ambassadors</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_402">402</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Naval Affairs continued</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_402">402</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Sultán Ahmed Khán takes a Journey to Adrianople</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_404">404</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdc"><span class="smcap">EVENTS of the Year 1022, H.</span></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Emperor, Sultán Ahmed Khán, goes to Gallipoli</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_407">407</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Emperor leaves Gallipoli for the Imperial City</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_408">408</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Mohammed Gheráí arrives at Rudosjuk</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_409">409</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">A Messenger from Holland arrives in Constantinople</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_411">411</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">A Mosque is built in the Garden of Stavros</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_412">412</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Sultán Ahmed Khán resolves on a second Journey to Adrianople</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_412">412</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Nesúh Páshá’s enmity to the Lord High Treasurer, Etmekjí Zádeh Ahmed Páshá</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_413">413</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Begzádeh, a celebrated Spáhí, assassinated</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_413">413</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Other Events and Circumstances of this Year</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_415">415</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Treaty of Peace with Persia adverted to</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_416">416</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdc"><span class="smcap">EVENTS of the Year 1023, H.</span></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Moslem Emperor returns to Constantinople</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_417">417</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Admiral, Khalíl Páshá, goes to Sea</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_417">417</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Punishment inflicted on the Infidels of Maneíah</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_420">420</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Mímí Páshá falls a martyr</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_420">420</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Cossacks become troublesome</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_421">421</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Some fortresses built on the Ouzi (Borysthenes)</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_422">422</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Concerning Maán Oghlí</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_422">422</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Grand Vezír, Nesúh Páshá, murdered—The Seals are conferred on Mohammed Páshá</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_426">426</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Chief Reasons for accomplishing the Death of Nesúh Páshá</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_430">430</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Concerning Betlan Gabor</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_432">432</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Treaty of Transylvania</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_433">433</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Another Treaty</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_435">435</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Grand Vezír and Commander-in-Chief marches against Persia</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_436">436</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">A Messenger arrives from the Sháh</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_437">437</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Peace with Austria renewed—New Articles added</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_437">437</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Death of the reverend Muftí—His Brother, Isaád Effendí, succeeds him</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_439">439</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdc"><span class="smcap">EVENTS of the Years 1024–1026, H.</span></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Grand Vezír and Commander-in-Chief marches to Reván</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_440">440</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Grand Vezír and commanding-general, Mohammed Páshá, is deposed—Khalíl Páshá is
-advanced to the Premiership</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_443">443</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Persian Ambassador is imprisoned</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_445">445</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Iskunder Páshá marches against the Cossacks</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_446">446</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Grand Vezír and Commander-in-chief goes to Diárbeker, where he winters—Ján Beg Gheráí,
-the Khán of Crimea, joins the Royal camp</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_448">448</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">A Division is sent to protect Gúrjistán (Georgia) from the grasp of the Heretics</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_448">448</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Iskander Páshá concludes a Peace with the Cossacks</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_449">449</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Concerning the Naval Affairs of this Year</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_450">450</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Death of Sultán Ahmed Khán—Sultán Mustafa Khán is inaugurated</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_451">451</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xvii" id="Page_xvii">xvii</a></span><p class="indent">Character of Sultán Ahmed Khán</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_451">451</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Concerning Sultán Ahmed Khán’s Sons</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_452">452</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Vezírs who were contemporary with Sultán Ahmed Khán</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_453">453</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Some of the Events which took place during the Reign of Mustafa Khán</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_454">454</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Sultán Mustafa Khán is deposed</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_454">454</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Sultán Osmán Khán inaugurated</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_456">456</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Concerning Mohammed Gheráí</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_456">456</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Ján Beg, Khán of the Tátárs, defeated</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_458">458</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Arrival of the King of Poland’s Ambassador</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_463">463</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">An Ambassador arrives from Fez</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_463">463</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">A Phenomenon</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_464">464</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Death of Etmekjí Zádeh Ahmed Páshá</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_464">464</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">On the state of the Coin</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_465">465</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Seals of the Premiership are again conferred on Mohammed Páshá, the Emperor’s Son-in-law</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_465">465</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">The Arrival of a Persian Ambassador</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_466">466</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">A remarkable Phenomenon</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_466">466</a></td>
-</tr><tr>
-<td class="tdl"><p class="indent">Betlan Gabor</p></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_466">466</a></td>
-</tr></table>
-
-<hr />
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">1</a></span></p>
-
-<p class="center"><big><big>ANNALS OF NAIMA;</big></big><br /><br />
-<small>OR,</small><br /><br />
-<big>A HISTORY OF THE TURKISH EMPIRE.</big><br /><br />
-A. H. 1000–1070. A.D. 1591–1659.</p>
-
-
-
-<hr class="short" />
-<h2><span class="smcap">EVENTS which happened in the Year 1000 of the HIJRAH.</span></h2>
-
-
-<h3><i>The Grand Vezír Ferhád Páshá deposed, and the Vezírship conferred on
-Síávush Páshá.</i></h3>
-
-<p><span class="smcap">The</span> inhabitants of Erzerúm having earnestly requested, by letters, to be
-delivered from the oppression and tyranny of the Janissaries, who had been
-sent among them during the winter, Ferhád Páshá, to put a stop to these
-complaints, assured them in return that the Janissaries would be recalled
-to their own odás within the empire. The inhabitants, on receiving this
-intelligence, were elated: their proud and haughty spirits were roused;
-and without giving any due time to the Janissaries to prepare for their departure,
-or without exercising the least degree of patience whatever, and in
-violation of the Páshá’s letter, they commenced expelling the Janissaries,
-and loading them with every species of reproach. A tumult ensued. Some
-of the Janissaries fell by the hands of the inhabitants before the former
-had sufficient time given them to evacuate the place.</p>
-
-<p>This treatment, which was wholly occasioned by Ferhád’s letter, awakened
-the wrath of the Janissaries, and led them to write letters to their own odás
-and commanders complaining of the author of the maltreatment they had
-met with. Accordingly the grand vezír, Ferhád Páshá, who knew what<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">2</a></span>
-he had to fear from the malevolence of the Janissaries, rode boldly up to
-the Diván on the 20th of Jemadi II., and demanded to know whether the
-emperor (Sultán Murád Khán III.) had given his consent to the orders sent
-to the Janissaries at Erzerúm to murder him. The members of the council
-replied to this imperious demand by immediately commencing an assault on
-the grand vezír; and it was with no small difficulty that the officers of the
-vezír succeeded in quieting the tumult and uproar which this circumstance
-had occasioned. The members of the council, on peace being restored,
-retired to their respective homes: but the affair was not yet ended; for
-the emperor was no sooner informed of the disturbance which had taken
-place in the diván, than he issued a royal mandate requiring an explanation
-of the cause of it from his minister, Ferhád. The minister, however,
-found himself inadequate to give a satisfactory answer to the imperial demand;
-and therefore, instead of giving a fair and candid statement of the
-whole affair, had recourse, from a defect of judgment, to equivocation.
-Thinking the matter was now hushed, he proceeded to depose and maltreat
-the ághá of the Janissaries, Satúrjí Aghá; and appointed the armour-bearer,
-Khalíl Aghá, in his stead. The very next day, however, the
-emperor, who had become acquainted with his inconsistent and rash conduct,
-deposed him, and raised Síávush Páshá a third time to the premiership.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The Militia of Tabríz.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The militia of Tabríz, malicious, corrupt, oppressive, and obstinate,
-and ever skilful in stirring up rebellion, have always been disposed to throw
-off the authority of their governors. The vezír Ja’fer Páshá, who was this
-year governor of Tabríz and Azerbáíján, contrived and executed a stratagem
-against them however, which ought to have taught them ever afterwards to
-conduct themselves with propriety and good order. It was this: Ja’fer Páshá,
-under the pretext of being obliged to go and take cognizance of some other
-garrisons, left Tabríz, having secured a sufficient number of troops from the
-Kúrd chiefs to come and assault Tabríz. The Tabrízians on learning that
-an army of Kurds was come to attack them rushed forth to give it battle,
-but were defeated with the loss of 1,500 of their number. Ja’fer Páshá, on
-learning the success of the Kurds, joined them with the volunteers under<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">3</a></span>
-his own command, and commenced a general slaughter of the Tabrízians, and
-thus punished them most severely for their wickedness and insubordination.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The Muftí Effendí, Bostánzádeh, deposed, and Zekeríá Effendí appointed in his
-stead.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Husain Beg Zádeh says (in his history), that several disgraceful complaints
-had been lodged with the emperor against the acute poet Bákí Effendí,
-the military judge of Anatolia. As soon as Bákí Effendí was made acquainted
-with this fact, and conjecturing that the mufti, in order to get his
-own brother, cazí of Constantinople, appointed in his room, would be
-excited to raise an accusation against him; he, with great boldness, raised
-his voice in the diván and demanded what these Bostáns (the mufti and his
-brother) wanted with him? The elder of them, he said, was forty years
-of age, and was not yet able either to repeat or read correctly. None of
-the decrees, continued he, which he (the mufti) has written are in accordance
-with those already collected and registered. Would it be just or wise, in
-order to get Jamús, the mufti’s brother, put into his office, and for which
-he was unfit, he asked, that complaints should be invented against him?
-This speech was communicated to the mufti, who was so much nettled that
-he instantly exhibited two hemistiches from Bákí’s poetical works, which he
-declared evident blasphemy. A man, he said, who did not keep himself
-free from that corruption ought by no means to hold any office, sacred or
-profane. If Bákí, continued he, be not deposed, and not only deposed but
-prosecuted, he (the mufti) would wander away to the utmost bounds of the
-empire. Bákí Effendí, seeing the mufti had commenced his vexatious proceedings
-against him, appealed to the grand vezír and Khoja Sudur-úd-dín
-Effendí, and proposed to them to raise Zekeríá Effendí to the office of mufti:
-or else to give that office to himself, assuring them that he was competent
-to give forth daily, if requisite, 500 fetvás (judicial or religious decrees).</p>
-
-<p>The mufti, in the mean time, sent an account of the whole affair, by
-means of Dervísh Aghá, chief of the falconers, to his imperial majesty. The
-emperor, however, was so much displeased at the high-mindedness of the
-pontiff, who had said he would wander away to the utmost bounds of the
-empire if Bákí Effendí was not deposed, that on the night of the 28th<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">4</a></span>
-of Rajab he issued his royal mandate for deposing the mufti, and appointed
-Zekeríá Effendí military judge of Romeili, to succeed him in the sacred
-office. Bákí Effendí succeeded Zekeríá in Romeili: the mufti’s brother
-was deposed from his office in Constantinople, and was succeeded by
-Siná-allah Effendí of Adrianople, who was succeeded by Abú-saúd Zádeh
-Mohammed Effendí.</p>
-
-<p>This same year, however, on the 7th of Shevál, Bákí Effendí lost his
-situation, which was conferred on Menlá Ahmed, the late Mollah of
-Anatolia; and the jurisdiction of Anatolia was conferred on Siná-allah
-Effendí, cazí of Constantinople: and Shemish Effendí, of Adrianople, succeeded
-Siná-allah Effendí. Mohammed Aghá, one of the Kapújí báshís,
-on the day preceding the last-mentioned date was appointed ághá of the
-Janissaries, and his predecessor, Khalíl Aghá, was created beg of Kostamúní
-(in Anatolia).</p>
-
-<p>In consequence of the late tumult which had taken place in Erzerúm,
-and which had been the cause of Ferhád’s removal from office, as before
-observed, the new grand vezír appointed a number of fierce Janissaries to
-accompany a Kapújí báshí to Erzerúm, and require an explanation. On
-the arrival of this body, and in consequence of the authority with which
-they were invested, they caused several of the inhabitants to be executed,
-and transmitted a number of others to Constantinople, where they met
-with that punishment which their crimes had merited.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Disturbance on the confines of Bosnia and Hungary.—Movements of the
-Infidels.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The Beglerbeg of Bosnia, Hasan Páshá, a brave and active man, continued
-unremittingly to harass the enemy’s territories; on which account,
-the Emperor of Austria sent his ambassador praying to have this officer
-removed, or otherwise an end was to the existing peace. The ambassador
-was told in reply, that it belonged to the grand vezír and to Dervísh Páshá,
-the emperor’s favourite, to repel their aggressions against the Ottoman
-empire; that, he was told, was a sufficient answer. Hasan Páshá, elated
-by the encouragement which this laconic answer afforded him, marched his
-Bosnian forces against Bihka, and after a siege of eight days, took it. After<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">5</a></span>
-having placed a sufficient garrison in Bihka, he erected two other fortresses
-in its vicinity; the command of which he conferred on Rustam Beg, an
-officer who had had the command of Ferhád’s militia.</p>
-
-<p>In the month of Jemadi I., Hasan Páshá again assembled his forces, a
-considerable host: erected a bridge across the Koopa, in the vicinity of
-Yení Hissár, and penetrated into the country of Croatia. The most famous
-of the Croatian frontier chiefs, the governors of castles, the Bani of Transylvania
-and the Croatian generals opposed him with a mighty army, and
-gave him battle. The conflict was not long doubtful: the Moslems were
-victorious; the infidel troops were broken, and obliged to retreat. A great
-number of the fugitive host perished by the edge of the sword: the whole
-of their fortifications, their stores, six large cannon and other warlike
-apparatus fell into the hands of the victorious Moslems. After having
-obtained this splendid victory, the Páshá sent out parties to scour the
-country, who returned with an immense number of captives and a great
-deal of spoil. Two thousand heads, and two hundred living infidels were
-sent under guard of cannon into the interior of the empire as trophies of the
-Moslem victors. A proclamation was issued by the Páshá, that if ever the
-infidels should again assemble such another host, they should meet with a
-similar or severer fate; but it had no effect.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>News from the East.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The ungrateful Sháh of Persia marched this year, with a numerous army,
-from Kazvín, in Irák, against Abdulmumin, Khán of Uzbek, and proceeded
-as far as Khorassan. The Khán advanced to the borders of Jiorján to meet
-the invading army; but finding his troops not sufficiently strong to give the
-Sháh battle, he retreated to Nishapúr. The Sháh followed him as far as
-Damghan, and after having reduced the cities of Sebzevár and Isfaráyan in
-the district of Nishapúr, he returned victorious to Kazvín.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Concerning learned Men.</i></h3>
-
-<p><i>Al Mevleví Mustafa ben Mohammed.</i>—Mustafa ben Mohammed, one of
-the most learned men of the age in which he lived, was born in the month
-of Ramazán 940 of the Hijrah, when his father was cazí of Ipek, in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">6</a></span>
-Romeili; and after having studied under the learned Kází Zádeh and
-Sachlí Emír, he attended, in 963, Abúlsa’úd Effendí, and was appointed
-head of an academy in 967, with a salary of twenty akchés attached to his
-office. In ten years afterwards he was salaried by Alí Páshá. In Shabán,
-A.H. 993, he fell into a lingering illness, which for some time prevented
-him from active duty. In 998 he was so far recovered as to be able to take
-upon himself the office of cazí of Tripoli. In the month of Sefer of this
-year he was deposed, and soon afterwards died at Aksheher, of a severe
-cold he had caught. He was much celebrated for his great learning, and
-was a man of generous and mild dispositions. He made a collection of all
-the common errors, and translated into Turkish Kútb Mekín’s History of
-Yemen (Arabia Felix). He left behind him also several poems in Turkish.</p>
-
-<p><i>Mohammed Elvání</i>, commonly called <i>Ván Kúlí</i>.—This venerable prelate
-was greatly celebrated for his attainments in learning. In his pursuit after
-knowledge he studied first under Hamid Effendí, and afterwards made the
-round of forty seminaries. In the end of 977 he became reader to Mohammed
-Páshá, and afterwards the same in Alí Páshá’s Khánegáh and ancient
-academies. In 979 he was appointed Muftí of Rhodes, and in 981 was
-removed from Thesalonica, where he had acted as chief judge, to Kutahia.
-In the end of 991 he retired on a pension of eighty piastres, but was created
-cazí of Medina in 998; and in the month of Rajab of this year he was
-translated into the eternal world. His virtues were no less conspicuous
-than his learning. His letters relative to evidence and the mode of government,
-as well as his splendid notes, are sufficient to shew his depth of
-learning and erudition. He translated the Seháhi Júheri (<span lang="ar" xml:lang="ar">صحاح جوهري</span>) into
-Turkish, which was placed in Sultán Mohammed Khán’s mosque. He
-translated also Imám Ghazáli’s Treatise on Alchemy.</p>
-
-<p><i>Almevlevi Alí Ben Abdí</i>, called also <i>Bitlí Alí</i>.—Bitlí Alí’s father was called
-Abdí Tchelebí, and was brother to Muftí Jeví Zádeh Sheikh Mohammed
-Effendí. Bitlí Alí was born in 938. He studied the lives of the learned
-doctors under Sinán Effendí. In 963 he became thoroughly acquainted
-with the ancients, and was soon afterwards competent for reading lectures
-in colleges. In the month Sefer of 981 he was made Fetva of Rhodes: in
-983 he was cazí of Sehen: in 993 he held the same office in Brúsa: and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">7</a></span>
-in Shabán 998 he became judge or cazí of Constantinople. In the following
-year he was deposed, and in the month of Shabán 1000 he died. He was a
-man of highly respectable connections, and was possessed of marked
-sincerity and greatness of mind.</p>
-
-<p><i>Abdulkádír Ben Emír Gísúdárí.</i>—Yálánjek Effendí, son of Sachlí Emír,
-was helped forward in his career after learning by Sinán Effendí, and in 981
-he became rector of Pírí Páshá’s academy. In 989, after having been one
-month president of the Consistory in Sehen, he was appointed cazí of
-Merœsh and Kutahia. In the month of Shevál, 995, he was translated to
-the jurisdiction of Tabríz; but in consequence of the violence of his tongue
-he was afterwards ejected. In 999 he was made cazí of Yenísheher, and
-in Rabia II. 1000 he was deposed, and soon afterwards died. He was
-a rash and violent man, and easily precipitated into passion. He wrote the
-Zeíli Shukáïk (<span lang="ar" xml:lang="ar">زيل شقايق</span>), but his composition is weak, and his style incorrect.</p>
-
-<p><i>Almevlevi Mohammed Aïdín of Ak-Hisar.</i>—This prelate, after having
-studied the various sciences, attended the lectures of Abú Iliás Isa, and
-afterwards was sent to study under the very able Ja’fer Effendí. In 963,
-after having perfected himself in every branch of useful knowledge, and
-having been for some time in the jurisdiction of Egypt, he was made high
-priest of Medina. He died about the end of the year 1000, and was buried
-in the burying-ground of Medina. Three years after his death his poems
-and other scientific works were collected together. His explanations of the
-sacred word (the Koran) are short but nervous. Besides a variety of other
-writings on various subjects, there are also two or three in Persic. The
-compendious discourse to silk merchants belongs to him.</p>
-
-<p><i>Almevlevi Shemaï.</i>—Shemaï, when once his mind was enlightened by
-the seeds of knowledge, though a partaker of human vanity, contemplated
-the end of his life and made the best of it. Free from all worldly
-cares and entanglements, he presented a lively picture of religion and virtue
-to all ranks. About the end of the year 1000 his glorious soul was translated
-into heaven. He was a very able instructor, and left behind him an
-excellent treatise on morals. He translated into Turkish the Diván of
-Háfiz, the Gulistán, and the Bústán.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">8</a></span></p>
-
-<p><i>Almevlevi Sevdí.</i>—This worthy prelate was a native of Bosnia, and was
-much distinguished for his high attainments in learning. After having
-made himself acquainted with the various branches of education he retired
-on a small income, and taught the domestics belonging to Ibrahím Páshá
-in his own palace; and in this employment finished his earthly course
-towards the end of the year 1000. He left behind him remarks on commerce,
-which are of great importance to the merchant, besides a number of
-moral sayings, and various valuable translations.</p>
-
-<p><i>Almevlevi Abdur-rahím.</i>—This great man was the younger brother of
-Kanalí Zádeh Alí Effendí. After he had perfected his education he was
-employed in the service of Abdulkerím Effendí and Bostán Effendí; and
-from being intimate with Hasan Beg Effendí, rector in the Queen-mother’s
-academy, he became related to Abú-saúd Effendí, by which means he
-raised himself greatly in importance. But Abú-saúd, neglecting the respect
-due to him, sent him into the service of Arab Zádeh Abdulbákí, cazí
-of Brúsa. At length, however, in 959 he was appointed travelling judge
-by the Beglerbeg college of Adrianople, with a salary of twenty piastres.
-In the cities of Romeili, whither he had gone, he manifested his great zeal,
-and acquired public notoriety by his talents. He was raised to the cazíship
-of Ancora, and died towards the end of the year 1000, whilst he filled
-the same office in Begsheher. He was a man of excellent character, and
-was much regretted.</p>
-
-<p><i>Al Sheikh Mohammed al Bokhárí.</i>—This man was a native of Bokhárá,
-where he studied the divine sciences. After having made himself thoroughly
-acquainted with the learned men of his day, he travelled to Constantinople.
-In Romeili and in Silistria he made arrangements for founding several establishments.
-He died towards the end of the tenth century of the Hijrah,
-and was buried in the principal sepulchre in the Forum. His splendid
-achievements are well known to the world.</p>
-
-<p><i>Al Sheikh Mohammed Effendí.</i>—In the city of Brúsa he was distinguished
-by the appellation of Kowaklí Imám, and because he was the son of an
-Imám he was called also Kowaklí Zádeh, a name by which he was more
-generally known. After having perfected his education he was for some
-time in the service of the learned Merhebá Effendí, where he made himself<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">9</a></span>
-eminent by reading and studying the belles lettres, and in making himself
-acquainted with the Persian language. His talents and acquirements brought
-him into notice, for he became tutor and companion to Alí Páshá, one of the
-beglerbegs of Egypt, and to Ferhád Páshá, the grand vezír. He was for a
-while, also, in the service of Sheikh Chelebí, the philosopher, and secured to
-himself, by his prudent conduct, the friendship and respect of the best part of
-society. He lived for some time, it is said, in a cell in Bokhárá in the exercise
-of devotion. Towards the end of the year 1000 he passed from this
-vain world into the next. Sivásí Shemsí Effendí collected his books, which
-show him to have been a most profound adept in the ocean of science.
-There were, besides those we have now mentioned, an immense number of
-learned men throughout the Ottoman dominions, such as Nasúhí Effendí
-of Aksheher and other great and celebrated orators like him, but of whom
-we cannot speak particularly. It is hoped, however, that in the course of
-writing this history, other great men may be adverted to. This much is
-sufficient to awaken the envy of the Christians.</p>
-
-<div class="poetry-container">
-<div class="poetry">
-<div class="stanza">
-<div class="line">If this does not please you—</div>
-<div class="line">Turn away your face: never mind it.</div>
-</div></div></div>
-
-<hr />
-
-
-<h2><span class="smcap">EVENTS of the year 1001, H.</span></h2>
-
-
-<p>Menlá Ahmed Effendí, about the end of the month Sefer, was deposed,
-and Bostání Zádeh Mohammed Effendí was appointed to succeed him in
-the jurisdiction of Romeili. On the 8th of Rabia I. the ambassador of
-the Sháh of Persia, and on the 25th the governor of Gilán, Ahmed Khán,
-reached Constantinople. The latter of these, Ahmed Khán, governor
-of Gilán, having come with the view of imploring the protection of the
-emperor, the great men of the state went forth with great pomp as he was
-coming into the harbour to meet him. He was conducted to the palace of
-Yúsuf Páshá, near Kirk-cheshmeh, where all the honours due to his rank
-and office were shown him. But as it was on account of escaping the
-molestations of Sháh Abbás he had taken refuge under the royal shadow,
-he conceived that the royal favour bestowed on him was less than what he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">10</a></span>
-had anticipated, and therefore, grieved and afflicted, he requested to be
-allowed to go to Baghdád. His request was complied with: a suitable
-salary was allowed him, and in the month of Rajab he set out on his
-intended journey. Having many friends and adherents in Shirván, however,
-he directed his steps thither with the view of endeavouring to effect
-a change in his own favour, but had no sooner reached the confines of
-Gunja than the governor of that place seized his person for having dared
-to depart from the path which had been assigned him, and put him in
-prison.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The Spáhís create a disturbance in the Diván.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Whilst the new grand vezír, Síávúsh Páshá, was actively employed in the
-duties of his office, a very serious disturbance took place. On the 23d of
-Rabia I. the pay of the troops was issued, when the Janissaries received
-the full amount of what was due to them; but there not being sufficient
-money to pay the Spáhís the whole of their salaries, they became discontented,
-raised a great noise, assaulted the royal diván, clamorously demanded
-the head of the high treasurer, Emír Páshá, who, on account of
-his great wisdom and prudence, was much respected by the emperor, and
-stoned their own ághás. The affair came before the royal presence, who
-ordered forthwith an advance of a hundred yúks (about 100,000 dollars)
-from the royal coffers, but the obstinate soldiery would not accept of it,
-whilst they became more violent and unruly. Three times did the chief of
-the royal messengers and the superintendant of the household troops go
-forth to try to pacify them, and to advise them to take their allowance.
-“Take your pay,” they said, “and leave off your unreasonable demand
-with regard to the head of the treasurer:” but this speech was replied to
-by a shower of stones. The military judges now stepped forward, and with
-the same view said, “Your pay has been advanced: the treasurer is a descendant
-of the Prophet: how is it possible that you thirst for his blood,
-contrary to all law and justice?” This had no effect. The military judges
-again advanced with the royal letter, containing an exhortation to obedience,
-which they read to the tumultuous soldiery, but these turned a deaf
-ear to it. The vezírs made the next attempt at restoring order, but they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">11</a></span>
-were met by a shower of stones, and were obliged to retire. The orator of
-the Suleimániyeh, Emír Mohammed Effendí, and the orator of St. Sophia,
-Ibrahím Effendí, with a number of other súfís, were now called, and being
-seated before the vezírs, were informed of the events which had just taken
-place. These sages, on learning the state of matters, made two attempts,
-by exhortation and advice, to still the tumult, but with no better result
-than the efforts had which had preceded. After all these fruitless attempts
-about twenty Seids (descendants of Mohammed) came forward, and remonstrated
-with the Spáhís about the guilt of seeking to encompass the death
-of an innocent descendant of the Prophet. But they, too, descendants of
-Mohammed as they were, were hailed with another volley of stones, which
-actually wounded two of their number. At length the high treasurer,
-seeing no effort whatever could restrain the soldiery, resolved on presenting
-himself before them. With this view he folded a green cloth round his
-turban, and said he would meet his fate, be it what it might. This resolution
-so alarmed the <i>chaúshes</i> and members of the diván, that they raised a
-tremendous lamentation, and thus deterred him from his rash purpose.</p>
-
-<p>One of their number, however, who was any thing but friendly towards
-the lord high treasurer, addressed the grand vezír thus: “How long will
-it be that you will screen this treasurer? On a former occasion you did
-not hesitate to deliver up Mohammed Páshá, who was a beglerbeg and a
-vezír. This man is only a treasurer: deliver him up, and you will put an
-end to the present tumults.” One of the military judges, Bostání Zádeh,
-on hearing these sentiments was perfectly astonished, raised his voice and
-said, “What! is this diván become so far heretical, as even to agree to
-permit the head of a descendant of the Prophet to be struck off and hurled
-upon the ground? What madness and insanity is this! Cease, I beseech
-you, from this rashness, and let justice take her own course.” This short
-but energetic speech had the desired effect on the mind of him to whom it
-was directed.</p>
-
-<p>In the mean time a royal mandate was sent to the ághá of the Janissaries,
-requiring him to repair to the diván, whilst the Janissaries were ordered to
-surround the forum. The immense multitude of ruffians who had rushed
-into the court continued their tumultuous noise and uproar till the after<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">12</a></span>noon;
-but at last the ághá of the household troops succeeded in awing this
-unwelcome concourse, and inspired them with such a degree of terror as
-caused them to give way. The members of the diván, and other servants of
-the court, perceiving the Spáhís were awed, seized what weapons they could
-find. One took hold of a cudgel, another of a culinary implement, and a
-third of a garden rake, and turned with fury on the Spáhís, who, through
-fear of the Janissaries, had turned their backs, and sought to make their
-escape as fast as they were able. Such, indeed, was the crush and pressure
-in trying to get out of the court, that three hundred and fifty persons were
-trampled to death, and the rest hardly escaped with their lives. Thus did
-God, in his wise providence, defeat the wicked purposes of this lawless
-multitude, and peace and good order was again restored. The ághá of the
-Janissaries dispersed the crowd of spectators which had assembled on this
-occasion, and thus cleared the way for the members of the diván, who all
-returned to their respective homes. The dead bodies of the insurgents were
-thrown into the sea.</p>
-
-<p>The emperor was so very much pleased when he learned the fate of the
-insurgent Spáhís, and the conduct of the grand vezír, Síávúsh Páshá, that
-he presented him with a robe of honour. The money which had been furnished
-for paying the Spáhís was distributed as on former occasions; but
-the lord high treasurer was deposed, and Hájí Ibrahím Páshá was appointed
-in his stead. Borhán Effendí was made treasurer of Anatolia.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The Grand Vezír, Síávúsh Páshá, deposed.</i></h3>
-
-<p>After the insurgent Spáhís were chastised and punished, and the grand
-vezír was graced with the robe of honour, as a token of his majesty’s approbation,
-he (<i>i. e.</i> the grand vezír), next day rode round the city and laid
-a heavy tariff on commodities in the market-place, and then returned, with
-great pomp and show, to his palace. On the 25th day of Rabia II., however,
-the emperor’s chamberlain waited on him, demanded, in the name of
-his master, the seals of office, and sent them to the formerly exiled, but now
-renowned Khoja Sinán Páshá. Síávúsh Páshá, who but yesterday was
-clothed in a robe of honour, and admired, is to-day, to the astonishment of
-the vulgar multitude, debased!</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">13</a></span></p>
-
-<p>Sinán Páshá, the new grand vezír, entered upon the duties of his office
-on the first day of Jemadi I. This is the third time he became premier.
-The following able councillors held their situations in the diván at this time,
-and were accordingly arranged as follows: Ferhád Páshá, who had been
-deposed from the office of grand vezír, held the second; Ibrahím Páshá,
-the third; Jeghaleh Zádeh Sinán Páshá, the fourth; Jeráh Mohammed
-Páshá, the fifth; Boyálí Mohammed Páshá, the sixth; and Khusur Páshá,
-the seventh.</p>
-
-<p>On the 15th of Shabán the ceremony of circumcision was performed on
-the young prince, Mirzá Haider, and a splendid feast was given to the
-great men of the state in the palace of Mohammed Páshá.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>A rupture between the Ottomans and the Austrians.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The rupture just now announced took place when Hasan Páshá, formerly
-mentioned, commanded on the frontiers of Bosnia. Before alluding directly
-to the result of this rupture, it is necessary to observe, first, that Mustafa
-Páshá, son of Ahmed Páshá, who had been formerly governor of Semendria,
-had his father’s palace in the At-maidán pulled down, on the ruins of
-which Sultán Ahmed’s mosque was built. This Mustafa Páshá, when he
-was commander in the Sanjak of Kilis, was in the habit of committing
-depredations on the frontiers of the infidels’ dominions; and this also provoked
-the Germans and Croatians to cross their respective boundaries, and
-to commit atrocities against the Osmánlís. The Beglerbeg of Bosnia,
-Hasan Páshá, entered the country of the Croatians, as we have already
-observed, and erected two fortresses there, which he named Novograde.
-On one or two occasions he succeeded in defeating the infidels, and thus
-acquired some considerable degree of glory. When he communicated this
-intelligence to the Ottoman court, he stated at the same time, that if the
-enemy should assemble in greater numbers in future, the Bosnian troops
-alone would not be able to cope with them, and therefore requested that
-the troops of Romeili might be sent to his aid. The former grand vezír,
-Síávúsh Páshá, conferred on a relative of his own, Kirli Hasan Páshá, the
-government of Romeili, and appointed him to afford the aid which Hasan
-Páshá deemed necessary. When Kirli Hasan Páshá, with his Romeilian<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">14</a></span>
-troops, reached the Sanjak of Serim, he learned that Sinán Páshá had been
-created grand vezír. It is necessary to observe here, however, that when
-Sinán Páshá was formerly grand vezír, the válí of Bosnia, Hasan Páshá,
-gave him his house in Constantinople, but the Páshá refused to give it back
-when he was deposed. The circumstance of Hasan’s seeking back his
-house offended Sinán Páshá and put him into a complete rage.</p>
-
-<p>About the end of the Ramazán of this year Kirli Hasan Páshá was translated
-to the vezírship of Temisvar, and his son, Mohammed Páshá, was made
-governor of Romeili in his father’s stead.</p>
-
-<p>Hasan Páshá, proud of the succours he had reason to anticipate, and, in
-addition to his eruptions for the last two years, in violation of the existing
-treaty of peace, went and besieged a fortress called Siska, in the enemy’s
-country. The infernal infidels, in consequence of this infringement of the
-peace by Hasan Páshá, collected an immense army, the command of which
-was given to the accursed wretch, Zerín Oghlí, ruler of Katpaz. With this
-mighty army, furnished with all sorts of apparatus of war, he marched to
-the frontiers of Bosnia.</p>
-
-<p>Hasan Páshá, in the mean time, becoming hopeless as to the aid which
-had been promised him, and not suspecting that the enemy was on his
-march to attack him, threw two bridges over the Kupa, near Yení Hisár,
-and marched over into Croatia. Hearing of the movements of the enemy,
-he hastened to prepare to give them battle, although he had only about ten
-thousand Bosnians under his command. Being a very brave and fearless
-man, he acquired very great glory by his skill in military tactics on this
-occasion.</p>
-
-<p>The enemy having asked assistance from Maximilian, brother of the Emperor
-of Austria, received a large augmentation of forces, raised by the
-great princes of Germany, and thus became much more formidable. This
-vast multitude, many of whom were covered with steel, resembled the
-raging waves of the sea. The brave and veteran Páshá resolved on encountering
-the enemy, and commanded Ghází Khoja Mimí Beg, father of Serkhúsh
-Ibrahím Páshá, celebrated in war, to cross the river and reconnoitre
-the enemy. He did so; and when he returned, he assured Hasan Páshá
-that it would be altogether ruinous to give battle to so superior a force<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">15</a></span>
-as the enemy possessed. When Ibrahím delivered this disheartening report
-Hasan happened to be playing at chess, and, after hearing him patiently
-to the end of his tale, said, with a stern voice, “Curse you, you despicable
-wretch! to be afraid of numbers: out of my sight!” and immediately
-mounted his horse, passed his troops across the bridges he had before
-erected, and prepared for the conflict, which was not long in commencing.
-The infidels gained, at the very commencement, an evident advantage;
-which Zerín Oghlí no sooner perceived than he gave orders for a general
-assault, which proved fatal to the Osmánlís. The Páshá of Kilis, Sultán
-Zádeh Mustafa Páshá, mentioned above, perished. The troops of Izvernick
-were routed: those of Usk fell into confusion and were repulsed; but
-the veteran troops of Novo, well skilled in the use of muskets, maintained
-their ground for a while, slew a great number of the opposing káfirs;
-but the son of Zerín, by an artful manœuvre, succeeded in driving them
-back, and cut them to pieces. The Moslems were now obliged to retreat
-to their bridges, when a most terrible conflict ensued, in which Khoja
-Ghází Mimí Beg perished. The brave Hasan Páshá himself also met
-with his fate, having fallen into the river with one of the bridges, which
-had been cut to prevent the pursuit of the enemy. Such was the result of
-this terrible day. Though Hasan had acted throughout with the utmost
-skill, and had fought with unequalled bravery; though his military prudence
-had never once forsaken him, yet such was the immense superiority
-of the enemy’s forces, augmented besides by forty thousand Germans, that
-it does not appear surprising that the Moslems were defeated. Eight thousand
-Moslems fell or were drowned. The nephew of Rustem Páshá, Mohammed
-Beg, and three other Sanjak princes, perished along with Hasan
-Páshá in the river at the falling of the bridge. The victorious infidels
-retired from the field of battle in triumph.</p>
-
-<p>When intelligence of this unfortunate day reached the court of Constantinople,
-the ocean-like zeal of the emperor was stirred up within him, and at
-once led him to determine to prosecute the war with vigour and without
-delay.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">16</a></span></p>
-
-<h3><i>The Grand Vezír, Sinán Páshá, determines on carrying the war into Hungary.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The grand vezír, Sinán Páshá, ambitious of acquiring fame similar to
-that which Ferhád Páshá, the conqueror of kingdoms, had acquired, found
-now a sufficient stimulus to awaken his zeal. The Austrians having, for
-the last twelvemonth, neglected sending their accustomed tribute; the
-defeat and discomfiture of the veteran Hasan Páshá by the most consummate
-general of the enemy, and in which defeat he himself, Mustafa
-Páshá, and several other princes, besides many thousand Moslems, had
-fallen martyrs, roused the indignation of the vezír, and at once led him to
-determine on carrying the war into the Hungarian dominions. Winter
-arrived, however, before the vezír had accomplished the whole of the
-preparations for the intended expedition, which he had resolved on conducting
-in person, and therefore was advised to postpone his departure till
-the spring. But the vezír was not to be moved from the resolution he had
-formed: none of the considerations which had been advanced to cause him
-to put off had the least effect in turning him from his purpose, and in fifteen
-days afterwards the whole of his apparatus was in movement, <i>i. e.</i> on the
-12th of Shevál, 1001 of the Hijrah.</p>
-
-<p>Although Sinán Páshá had succeeded, in so short a time, in making the
-necessary preparations for the war, yet it was not customary, unless the
-emperor himself went forth to war, that the lord high treasurer and ághá of
-the Janissaries should go forth; and therefore twelve thousand Janissaries,
-destined for the war, were put under the command of a deputy. Six regiments
-of paid troops remained behind. The salary of the troops who
-were on the eve of marching was paid to them at the vezír’s palace, and on
-the 18th of Shevál the grand vezír commenced his march, leaving behind
-him Ferhád Páshá as governor of Constantinople.</p>
-
-<p>The grand vezír reached Adrianople about the beginning of the eleventh
-month of the year, where, after a few days rest, he recruited five hundred
-men, experienced in the use of arms, and sent them off with his other troops,
-and under proper leaders, for Belgrade. When he came to Wazansha, at
-the request of the inhabitants, he appointed proper persons to commence
-building a couple of inns, a mosque, two baths, and a magazine for mer<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">17</a></span>chants;
-for which splendid and beneficial purpose he advanced thirty thousand
-dollars from his own private purse towards defraying the expenses.
-The place was formerly a miserable wretched hole, but by transplanting the
-inhabitants of two villages to it, it acquired in time respectability. After
-passing through Philippopolis and Sophia, he caused a palanka and an inn
-to be erected at a place called Batchina, in the district of Yaghodina, a dangerous
-and difficult pass, and exposed to banditti. On the 7th of Dhu’lhijja
-he reached Belgrade, and after having ordered a distribution of provisions,
-&amp;c. to the various troops, he sent off his military stores by water to Buda.
-On the 17th he reached the plains of Sirim, and on the last day of the month
-he arrived at Usk, where without loss of time he made preparations for
-attacking Besperim and Palaha. In the month of Moharrem, 1002, he
-crossed the bridge of Usk, and after four days’ rest he received information
-from Bodin (Buda), that the Emperor of Germany, and other infidel princes,
-were posted with an army of twenty thousand men below Yanuk. This
-information accelerated the Páshá’s movements; and after holding a council
-of war, it was determined that, without loss of time, they should march
-against Besperim and Palaha. The Beglerbeg of Romeili, Mohammed
-Páshá, was ordered to proceed to Buda and transport thence six large
-cannon, two field-pieces, and other stores, to Alba Julia (Weissenburg,
-in Siebenbürgen); and the commandant of Buda, Hasan Páshá, was also
-ordered, at the same time, to accompany him with the troops under his
-command.</p>
-
-<p>The troops under the grand vezír halted two days in the plains of Mehaj,
-for the purpose of receiving their rations of provisions, and immediately
-after the distribution, the troops of Anatolia advanced first, and the others
-followed. The cannon and troops from Buda joined the main army when
-passing through Dallderese, and on reaching Alba Julia, the Beglerbeg of
-Bosnia, with the Anatolian troops, marched against Besperim, and encamped
-before it on the 20th of Moharrem. The commandant of Buda,
-Hasan Páshá, with the veteran borderers under his command, commenced
-the assault, and after three days’ hard fighting the infidels became disheartened
-and proposed to capitulate, which was acceded to by the Moslem
-conquerors. The Kapúdán of Besperim, his troops, and the whole of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">18</a></span>
-inhabitants, evacuated the city, when it was immediately taken possession
-of by the Moslem troops: but the peasants in the surrounding country
-remained in their villages. On Friday of the first week, after taking possession
-of it, prayers were offered up, a Sanjak Beg was appointed, and Besperim
-was attached to the jurisdiction of Buda. After a rest of four days, the
-troops advanced to besiege Palaha which, though of no great strength, was
-surrounded with extensive suburbs. Around the whole was a kind of marsh,
-and on one side was a mountain or hill covered with wood. The Moslem
-troops, in their heroic ardour after conquest, lost no time in preparing for
-commencing their operations, and after two days’ struggle the place fell
-into their hands, on the 1st of the month of Sefer, and was afterwards
-attached to Besperim.</p>
-
-<p>In the meantime information reached the Moslems that the enemy’s
-troops, which were posted below Yanuk, intended to march on Alba Julia;
-and that another body of the enemy’s troops was encamped in the plains of
-Tata. It was considered in a council of war, that as the Kasímgún
-(Michaelmas) was fast approaching, it would be more advisable to postpone
-any further attack upon the enemy till it was once over.</p>
-
-<p>About this time Haram Aghá, ághá of the Spáhís, it is said, went with
-a party of his men to the mountain called Yakúah, about two leagues
-distant from the enemy’s camp. Next morning, however, at the hour of
-prayer, he was suddenly attacked by the enemy, who poured in upon him in
-great numbers, slew him on the very carpet on which he was offering up
-his devotions, seized his banners, and killed a considerable number of his
-men. The Aghá of the Salihdárs was appointed chief of the Spáhís in
-his room.</p>
-
-<p>The Janissaries and Spáhís who were present at the late victories obtained
-over the enemy received an augmentation of salary for their valour, and
-were ordered to return to Buda; the plains of which they reached on the
-middle of Sefer, the day of Kásím, and where distribution of provisions
-was made to the various troops. After this was once over, the Ketkhodá
-of the Janissaries (<i>i. e.</i> the officer who commanded the Janissaries in room
-of their Aghá, who was not present in this war), placed two legions of
-Janissaries in the fortress of Buda, ordered his arsenal, waggons, and other<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">19</a></span>
-heavy baggage to be moved forward to Pest, sent his remaining Janissaries
-to Segdin to remain there during the winter, whilst all the other Aghás
-and writers or secretaries remained with him at Buda. Ten days after
-Kásím day, the Serdár, or commander-in-chief, gave orders to strike his
-tents, and marched for Belgrade, where he went into winter-quarters,
-which, however, he did not reach till the 17th of Rabia II. Rezván Aghá
-was sent off to Constantinople to announce the victories which the Moslem
-arms had obtained over the infidels: the young Spáhís were sent to Nikboli
-(Nicopolis in Bulgaria), and the Salihdár of Widin was ordered to take up
-his winter-quarters to the left of Belgrade.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The Enemy advances to Belgrade.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The commander-in-chief, Sinán Páshá, had scarcely reached Belgrade,
-when the Austrians appeared before it and fought an obstinate battle, but
-were at last defeated. Many thousands of them perished, and their
-cannon fell into the hands of the victorious Moslems. After they were
-repulsed, Hasan Páshá collected all the troops scattered in Buda and
-Pest, and in the country round about, and advanced to meet the enemy,
-who had put themselves in order of battle. The enemy’s troops were
-covered with steel, and had a very singular appearance. Their horsemen
-had breast-plates of iron to shield them, and even their horses seemed to
-be bound together by chains of the same metal.</p>
-
-<p>When the enemy perceived the efforts which had been made by the
-Moslems, and how they were preparing to meet them, they, thinking the
-moment had arrived when they might easily and without resistance seize on
-Buda, immediately after the first assault fled towards that city. The brave
-Hasan, however, pursued them; and falling on them in the rear hewed
-down a great many of them. The enemy, on perceiving the havoc which
-Hasan and his heroic associates committed amongst them, marked him out
-as the chief object of their hatred and vengeance, and their swords were
-directed against him; but being covered with a coat of mail, he for a
-while received no injury. Being excessively forward, and impatient in
-carrying destruction among the enemy, he received at last several wounds
-and fell from his horse. The commandant of the fortress, Ahmed Aghá, a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">20</a></span>
-man of great heroism, handed him another, and though wounded in several
-places he maintained his ground; and it was only after long and continued
-acts of the greatest bravery that those around him succeeded in getting
-him to retire from the scene of action. Those of his followers, and who
-fought on foot, maintained the struggle till night, and not one of them
-escaped alive from the field of battle. The rest of his troops fled towards
-Buda and Pest, and Hasan himself was carried in his wounded condition
-to Buda, whence he sent a report to the Serdár at Belgrade of what had
-happened, and requested immediate assistance.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Felk falls into the hands of the Enemy.</i></h3>
-
-<p>After the defeat of the army of Buda the enemy retreated, and after making
-a circuitous route, marched against Felk and besieged it. Sinán Páshá,
-son of Mohammed Páshá, who had been sent by the commander-in-chief,
-and a few strangers, five in all, moved slowly forward to Felk and perceived
-the extremity to which the besieged were reduced, and who in the end
-were necessitated to evacuate the fortress. This took place on the first
-of Rabia II. The execrated infidels robbed them of all the money and
-valuables they were possessed of before leaving the place; and what is very
-remarkable, notwithstanding this treatment, two or three hundred of them
-actually became apostates, and were content to remain in Felk. But it
-must be observed, however, that the majority of the people of Felk had a
-predilection for heresy, and therefore the conduct of the apostates now
-mentioned need not be much wondered at; though it must be confessed the
-innocent were also infected by them.</p>
-
-<p>It is also very remarkable that the spring of that year commenced sooner
-than usual by two months, but it was short. The fruit trees were soon
-covered over with blossoms, and in a short time afforded abundance of fruit.
-By this fortuitous circumstance the hateful infidels were enabled to subsist
-and pursue their hostile purposes, and they were but too successful. Several
-castles and places of strength and importance fell into their hands.</p>
-
-<p>Such of the inhabitants of Felk as chose to leave it went to Sitchan, but
-the commander and troops of that fortress were thrown into such a panic
-at hearing of the infidels that they all fled, carrying with them what they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">21</a></span>
-could conveniently take away. The enemy found it of course forsaken,
-and immediately placed a garrison of five hundred men in it. The troops in
-Sunta, in the country of Moravia, also fled for fear of the enemy, and went
-into the surrounding mountains; but their commander, and about ten men,
-had the courage to remain where they were. When the enemy appeared
-before Sunta, the commander and his ten men commenced firing their
-cannon, in order to lead them to suppose that the fortress was well supplied
-with men; and in fact this stratagem succeeded so far as to awe them;
-and a report happening to circulate that some thousands of Tátárs were on
-their march to aid the fortress, caused the enemy to retreat altogether,
-when the fugitive troops returned to their duty.</p>
-
-<p>Those other faithless runaways and heartless Martlooses (a sort of Christians),
-who had fled when the above-mentioned and other places fell into
-the enemy’s hands, joined together and formed themselves into a band of
-robbers about Wáj, and commenced committing excess and villany against
-the peasants in the country. The Páshá’s deputy, however, soon dispersed
-them, and hanged five of their ringleaders as an example of terror to others.
-Such of those vagrant fugitives as actually joined the enemy met with no
-better fate. The enemy considered them as being neither useful to them
-nor to the Turks, and therefore caused their heads to be cut off.</p>
-
-<p>In the meantime the enemy concentrated in the vicinity of Wáj, and after
-very much fighting reduced the fortress of Novograde. About the same
-time, also, some of the chiefs of Wáj failed in their courage and fled, when a
-troop of infidels came and set fire to the suburbs, and carried off what plunder
-they were able. On the 19th of Jemadi II., when the sound of the cannon
-ceased to be any more heard from Novograde, the Wajian chiefs, excited by
-curiosity, ran towards evening to Novograde, to see how matters stood
-there, and were sufficiently confounded when they saw the enemy rushing
-from all directions into the place, distressing the inhabitants, thrusting them
-forth naked and disgraced, and committing every sort of violence on these
-poor creatures. When these naked wretches, thus thrust out of Novograde,
-met the Wajian chiefs, they warned them of their danger. “Watch your
-villages and city,” said they, “the infidels will soon be at your heels. What
-do you want here? What are you gazing at? Have you not sufficient exam<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">22</a></span>ple
-in our fate?” The Wajian chiefs took the hint, and fled to Buda.
-Nevertheless, the governor of Wáj and four or five of his men had the
-courage to remain behind. The fortress of Sunta was afterwards burned to
-the ground by order of Hasan Páshá. Several of the Novogradians came
-to seek a retreat in the city of Wáj before its suburbs were burned by the
-enemy, but they were robbed and spoiled, even of their geese and hens, on
-that occasion of rapine and plunder. A party of horsemen came and
-surrounded Wáj, but the desperate inhabitants of the inner fortress were so
-excited at the conduct and rage of the infidels, that they exerted every
-nerve in self-defence, and by their heroic bravery dispersed their antagonists
-from their gates, many of whom went away wounded. The whole party
-afterwards returned to Novograde.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The Faithless are chastised.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Mohammed Páshá, son of the grand vezír and commander-in-chief, and
-Hasan Páshá, agreed together to send a report of the disasters which had
-happened; and also an account of those Begs and Aghás who had either fled
-from or had given up the cities and fortresses under their command to the
-enemy. The Aghás of Sunta, for not saving the cannon of Novograde
-before it fell into the hands of the enemy, were imprisoned and tortured. The
-Beg of Semendria, Wadanali Ramazán Zádeh, the commandant of Novograde,
-was degraded and imprisoned. The Beg of Novograde, Karah
-Kurahli Mohammed Beg, was secretly strangled by the Janissaries. But
-these severe measures were very grievous and distressing to the champions
-of the borders. The above-mentioned Mohammed Beg was one of the
-ancient heroes and most virtuous of that class.</p>
-
-<p>In Súbúska Palanka, otherwise called Shúmushka, a few horsemen
-that garrisoned it killed with their own hands their women and children
-rather than let them fall into the hands of the infidels who had come to
-besiege the place, and then by a desperate sortie made their way through
-the enemy. One or two companies of the enemy’s swift cavalry pursued
-them a whole day and night, but were at length repulsed by the arrows
-and arms of the pursued.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">23</a></span></p>
-
-<h3><i>The base and ignoble Infidels besiege Khutván.</i></h3>
-
-<p>When Novograde fell into the hands of the enemy, the Chaúsh of the
-deputy of Ramazán Zádeh was brought before the king (of Hungary, I
-suppose), but was afterwards set at liberty. This man returned to Buda in
-the month of Rajab, and informed his Moslem brethren that the emperor
-himself (<i>i.e.</i> the Emperor of Germany) was making preparations for
-coming to lay siege to the city and fortress of Buda with an army of 200,000
-swine (<i>i.e.</i> Christians). The Budians lost no time in putting every thing
-in proper order for defence, and for giving the infidels a reception. Some
-time before the Moslem army was put in motion in the spring of that year,
-and before the new year had commenced, the enemy fitted out two armies:
-the one of which was sent against Osterghún and the other to Khutván.
-It was the one which was sent against Khutván that reduced the fortress
-of Novograde, and the siege of the former fortress commenced in the month
-of Jemadi II. The Beg of Khutván, Arslán Páshá, was a man of some
-levity, but a most excellent swordsman, and the whole of the inhabitants
-were warlike and brave. By their intrepidity and quickness in firing their
-cannon many of the enemy fell in the siege. They were under the necessity,
-however, of sending to Buda for assistance, when, in compliance
-with their request, Mohammed Páshá, Sinán’s son, the Válí of Buda, and
-Hasan Páshá, on the 8th of Shabán, hastened forward to their aid with
-their respective troops. Osterghún was besieged at the same time.</p>
-
-<p>When this auxiliary army drew near to Khutván, they perceived a
-body of the enemy stationed on the banks of the river, which flowed a little
-below the city on the north side; and therefore, with the view of accomplishing
-their purpose, they on the 11th went about a mile further up the
-river in order to cross. The enemy thought, when they saw this, that the
-Moslems fled to escape them, and immediately pursued after them and got
-in front of them, when a tremendous carnage ensued. Mohammed Páshá
-and his corps of Spáhís stood back, whilst Hasan Páshá with his veteran
-borderers was left to cope alone with the infidel soldiery. In this desperate
-contest a very great number of the iron-cased infidels perished, and almost
-the whole of the heroic borderers fell martyrs. Hasan Páshá himself, like<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">24</a></span>
-a furious lion, brought incredible numbers of them to the ground. His
-clothes unfortunately, in consequence of the bursting of a shell, caught
-fire, but were extinguished without difficulty. From the explosion of
-the gunpowder he was severely injured. The commander-in-chief of
-the Moslem troops, Mohammed Páshá, son of the grand vezír, when he
-saw his brave associates sorely pressed by the superior force of the
-enemy, heartlessly and cowardly furled his banners, and returned with his
-dastardly Spáhís to Buda. Just as the remaining Moslems were about to
-retire in despair, the Beg of Ancora, Neïrání Páshá, issued most fortunately
-from Khutván with a party, who attacked the enemy with such fury as to
-drive them back with considerable loss both of men and cannon. The larger
-guns he spiked. The enemy, however, soon recovered themselves, and
-returned with greater vigour and renewed strength, and continued the siege
-of Khutván till the month of Ramazán, when they became altogether disheartened.
-The prudence and skill of the besieged was too much for them.</p>
-
-<p>In this battle 4,000 Moslems fell martyrs, and very many of the infidels
-perished. When the account of this day’s transactions was transmitted to
-the court of Constantinople, the glory and honour which Hasan Páshá had
-most certainly gained would have been honourably acknowledged; but by the
-grand vezír’s influence, the honour and distinction which ought to have been
-conferred on Hasan Páshá was awarded to his own son Mohammed Páshá.
-Besides an augmentation of authority, he received a splendidly ornamented
-sword set in jewels, and a handsome robe of fur, which was sent him by the
-emperor.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The Siege of Osterghún.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The body of troops sent to lay siege to Osterghún was afterwards largely
-augmented by those other troops which had been engaged against Khutván,
-and the siege began to assume a regular appearance in the month of Shabán.
-The peasants and villagers, encouraged by the presence of the enemy, declared
-in their favour, and committed enormous excesses. About the end
-of this month another body of the enemy attacked the city of Wáj, slew
-several of the inhabitants, and carried off about forty or fifty horsemen,
-besides a number of Martloos (Christian) women and children.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">25</a></span></p>
-
-<p>Some time previous to this, 2,000 horsemen, sent from Bosnia and Semendria,
-were appointed to settle themselves any where about Osterghún, and
-were allowed to profit by any thing the chance of war might put in their
-way. These perfidious wretches, however, entered into a treacherous correspondence
-with the enemy, who had, by that time, surrounded the city.
-They shot at the rate of 1,800 cannon-balls per day against the walls of the
-city and fortress.</p>
-
-<p>In the mean time a body of experienced Janissaries and other troops
-were sent to their assistance. Three times did the Beg of Rhodes convey
-to them, in galleys and other boats, timely aid; and completely prevented
-the enemy from benefiting by any assistance sent them by water, besides a
-variety of other important services which he had rendered to the besieged.</p>
-
-<p>The enemy, intent on reducing Osterghún, and after several days’ battering
-with their cannon, at length commenced an assault, but were driven
-back with immense loss. The Hungarians, who acted at some considerable
-distance, directed their guns against the place, and succeeded in
-laying several portions of the walls level with the ground. They now
-attempted to deceive. They told a thousand idle stories about the propriety
-of following the example of the people of Felk and Novograde, and thus to
-yield and give up the fortress; but the heroic Moslems answered: “We
-are Romelian heroes and true-hearted veterans, and shall never yield nor
-give up the place: we are resolved on continuing our resistance. Behold,
-you accursed! you deride us by saying that an army of Tátárs, riding on
-tortoises, are coming to our aid; but we are sure of immense succours from
-Buda, either to-day or tomorrow: and then we shall be swine if we don’t
-mount you all on tortoises and send you to hell.” Such was the reply
-of the besieged to the enemy, who finding their fraudulent attempts to
-deceive were in vain, pushed on the siege with all their vigour, and advanced
-to a third general assault. Among their leaders one was observed
-who was very active in stimulating the soldiery on to the assault, and who
-wore a breast-plate, and a gold chain suspended from his neck. The Beg
-of Osterghún observed to those around him, that if that execrated wretch
-could be disposed of, the infidel army would immediately retreat. “Whoever
-lays him flat in the dust,” said he, “shall receive a sanják, and whatever<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">26</a></span>
-else he may ask.” This was so sooner uttered than one Osmán, a brave
-man, and an excellent marksman, levelled his piece at the gold-chained
-infidel, cried “Yá allah,” and in a moment shot him through the breast,
-when he sank from his horse, and was dragged along the ground. The
-besiegers were now panic-struck, and retired in the greatest precipitation
-towards their fortifications; but were hotly pursued by the veteran Moslems,
-who rushed out after them, and slew very many of them. The enemy,
-however, soon rallied again. Every peasant in the country round about,
-able to handle a sword, was collected; and with this augmentation of new
-strength they again returned to the siege and work of destruction. The
-unfortunate Moslems, notwithstanding the heroism they had displayed, and
-the firmness with which they had acted, were at length, by famine and
-hard labour, reduced to complete weakness; whilst the troops acting under
-the King (of Hungary) joined the besiegers. Thus strengthened, the
-enemy began to set the city on fire in several places.</p>
-
-<p>At this critical moment an army under the command of the válís of
-Temishvar and Bosnia, and which had been sent off by order of the Serdár
-in the month of Ramazán, reached Pest in time enough to hear the sound
-of the cannon from Osterghún; but it was the middle of the month before
-the vanguard of this army advanced so far as to be discovered by the
-enemy. This new appearance of assistance in favour of the Moslems in
-the city of Osterghún so dismayed the enemy, that they immediately relinquished
-their object, forsook their tabúr or fortifications, and fled away in
-the utmost precipitation. Now was the time for taking revenge. The
-Moslems, like raging wolves, rushed out of their strong-hold, slew about a
-thousand of the enemy, did what damage they were able to their fortifications,
-took a number of captives, spiked their field-pieces, seized all the
-powder and goods they could easily carry, set fire to what remained, and
-returned to the city in triumph with the spoil they had taken. But
-the enemy, after recovering from the panic into which they had been put,
-and after the army which had come from Buda had returned back, retraced
-their steps, and again took possession of their tabúr or fortifications, exercising
-violence and cruelty on those who had been hired by the month in
-the villages belonging to Buda.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">27</a></span></p>
-
-<p>Before finishing this paragraph we must add, by way of postscript, that
-the enemy continued their hostile operations against Khutván and Osterghún
-till they learned that the grand vezír was marching with the royal
-army to Buda, when they removed to Komran, where they concentrated
-their forces. The Válí of Temishvar who had came to aid the city of Osterghún,
-and who was at this time in Pest, heard that a palanka in his
-own government had revolted and declared for the enemy. He returned
-and executed the whole of them.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The Request of the Prime Minister—the Succour of the Magnificent
-Emperor.</i></h3>
-
-<p>In consequence of the several disasters which the Moslem arms had
-sustained during the late spring, the evils and oppressions to which the
-garrisons on the frontiers had been exposed, and also because the contest
-was not yet ended, the mind of the grand vezír, when he considered all
-these things, was very much afflicted; and therefore, as the most effectual
-remedy for his grief, and for securing a more favourable state of things, he
-sent, at once, an account of the whole state of matters, and also a statement
-of the finances, and that of the army, to the court of Constantinople.
-The grand vezír found, it would appear, that military movements were a
-difficult thing to attend to, especially every time a fixed period was necessary
-to be observed with respect to those movements. Besides, the army of
-Romeili had been precluded from attending to their harvest. In short, all
-these things together had a powerful effect on Sinán Páshá’s mind, and led
-him to regret his having had any thing to do with the war at all.</p>
-
-<p>In these circumstances, and being no way prepared to prosecute the war,
-he called together his emírs, commanders of castles, chiefs of the army,
-nobles, and other great and learned men, to consult them as to the steps
-which ought, in their situation, to be adopted. But fortunately, at this
-time, the succours, as to men and money, which his letters requested from
-the government of Constantinople, were hastening towards him.</p>
-
-<p>It may be observed here, that it was not customary for the ághás of the
-Janissaries to go forth to war, except along with the emperor. On this
-occasion this rule was departed from, and Sáleh Mohammed Páshá was ap<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">28</a></span>pointed
-to conduct the Janissaries to join the grand vezír Ibrahím Aghá,
-superintendent of the armoury, with a thousand men-at-arms, and a sufficient
-number of portable tents were attached to this expedition. They set out
-for Belgrade on the 1st of Rajab. On the Segbán Báshí, the commander of
-the guard, devolved the duties belonging to Sáleh Mohammed Páshá’s office
-during his absence from Constantinople.</p>
-
-<p>Before these arrangements took place, however, Kapúdán Jeghala Zádeh
-was ordered out to sea with a fleet of five galleys carrying troops, who
-reached the Mediterranean before the middle of Shabán. Ghází Gheráí
-Khán of the Crimea, was also required to join the grand vezír, and assist
-him by his counsels and by his arms.</p>
-
-<p>About the middle of the above-mentioned month, the grand vezír, Sinán
-Páshá, began to collect his troops from their winter quarters, and commenced
-pitching his tents in the plains of Serim, when he ordered distribution
-of provision, &amp;c. to be made to the men under his own command;
-where also he was soon afterwards joined by the following chiefs: viz.
-Mohammed Páshá, Válí of Sivás; Mohammed Páshá, Válí of Merœsh;
-Alí Páshá, Válí of Vœrka; Ahmed Páshá, the serdár or commander-in-chief
-of Buda; and Ahmed Páshá, governor of Bosnia: and where, too,
-the ághá and his Janissaries, sent from Constantinople, joined his camp.</p>
-
-<p>The grand vezír and his associates in arms, after having consulted as to
-the mode of commencing their operations, resolved on attacking Yanuk
-first, and accordingly sent off their heavy baggage towards Tata. Mohammed
-Páshá, the grand vezír’s son, was appointed to command the artillery;
-the Governor of Buda, Hasan Páshá, to head the Cherkají troops or Iägers;
-the Governor of Bosnia, the advance guard; the Beglerbeg of Anatolia was
-appointed to command the right wing; another Beglerbeg was to command
-the left wing; and the Páshá or Válí of Merœsh, in conformity to ancient
-custom, was appointed to command the rear-guard.</p>
-
-<p>On the 14th of Shevál the grand army advanced to the plains of Tata.
-Tata lies in a plain in the vicinity of mountains near the Danube, opposite
-to Komran, an island in the Danube, about two leagues from Tata. The
-enemy, who had posted themselves on the opposite side of the river,
-had also extended their lines as far as Tata; but this place after three<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">29</a></span>
-days’ siege, yielded to the conquerors. A garrison was thrown into it,
-and such of the enemy as escaped from it fled to Komran.</p>
-
-<p>In the mean time the Khán of the Tátárs reached the royal camp. He
-was seated on a beautiful horse, and alighted from it at the door of the grand
-vezír’s pavilion. After having rested himself on a suitable sofa, and taken
-some refreshment, a handsome ewer ornamented with gold was presented
-before him, in which he washed his hands, and which was afterwards handed
-to his armour-bearer. The Khán was also presented with a sword adorned
-with jewels, a bridle ornamented with gold, a two-edged dagger, a club
-with an iron head, and a most beautiful charger. Five thousand pieces of pure
-gold were also presented to him. The whole of the begs or princes, and such
-of the ághás as were present on this august occasion, conducted the Khán
-to his own royal tent. The fortress of Semarin, in the neighbourhood of
-Tata, was evacuated by the enemy and taken possession of by the Moslem
-troops.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Yanuk besieged.</i></h3>
-
-<p>This fortress, formerly called Kilvár, is situate on the banks of the Raab,
-which pours its waters into the Danube, and was on this occasion surrounded
-on the land side by an immense ditch filled with water, across which was
-a drawbridge which led into the city and fortress.</p>
-
-<p>The Moslem army commenced their offensive operations by first attacking
-those of the enemy on the outside, and seized a number of prisoners. On
-the 18th of Dhu’l Kada, after the siege was regularly formed, skirmishing
-became general. The division of the Spáhís under the command of the
-Salihdár watched the trenches, and two other divisions were appointed to
-guard the camp and money-chest. A thousand men were employed in
-carrying earth from two different quarters, who daily threw a thousand
-<i>bedalooshkas</i> into the fosse. On the opposite side of the Danube, the enemy
-erected their tabúr or fortifications, directly opposite the fortress, and constructed
-also a bridge which communicated with the tabúr and the fortress,
-but which was not allowed to remain open for either man or beast. Twenty
-days thus passed away in mutual hostilities and skirmishing, when, behold,
-Duke Mathias, the brother of the Emperor of Austria, encamped in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">30</a></span>
-vicinity of Komran with an army of 100,000 German, Hungarian, and
-similar infidels. A man of high rank, a Count, son-in-law to the King (of
-Hungary), was governor of the city and fortress. On one of the first ten
-days of the lunar month (<i>i.e.</i> on the 10th of Dhu’l hijjah), ten thousand of
-these execrated wretches rushed out and slew three thousand Moslems,
-whilst engaged in performing the duties and ceremonies of their religion on
-that solemn day, and committed, besides, some other injuries. They were,
-however, soon obliged to retrace their steps and hide themselves within their
-strong-holds, but it was found impossible to get them to shut the gate and
-prevent annoyance from that quarter.</p>
-
-<p>It appeared to have become necessary, from some reason or other, to effect
-some changes. Accordingly we find, that the offices held by the son of the
-grand vezír and Hasan Páshá were exchanged, the one for the other. The
-government of Romeili was, therefore, transferred to Hasan Páshá, and
-that of Buda to the vezír’s son. Hasan Páshá, in consequence of this
-exchange, entered the trenches opposite the gate, and by a well-directed
-fire of ten field-pieces, forced the besieged to close their gate. In short,
-Hasan manifested to every unprejudiced person what force, properly
-directed, might effect.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The Moslem Warriors begin an assault.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The appearance of the Duke Mathias with his many thousand infidels
-encouraged the besieged, and supported them in their obstinacy, and
-therefore it was evidently seen that, unless the Moslems crossed to the
-other side of the river and defeated this host, they would never be able to
-reduce the place. Accordingly, and in conformity to this view of the matter,
-materials which had been ordered from Buda and Osterghún for the purpose
-of erecting three bridges, were immediately put in requisition, and every
-effort made to get them ready for immediate use.</p>
-
-<p>A party of Tátárs who had swam on their horses across to the enemy’s
-side, were no sooner discovered than they were checked by a body of horse
-and foot, which so frightened them that they turned about and swam back
-again. Several of them, however, perished. In order to prevent occurrences
-of this nature, the enemy made themselves trenches along the bank<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">31</a></span>
-of the river: but their trenches were of no use to them. Two thousand
-men volunteered their services, and crossed over in boats; and before the
-enemy had time to look about them, they made themselves masters of these
-trenches, and completely routed their occupiers. The Moslems now commenced
-with all speed to erect their bridges; and to prevent their being
-annoyed in this work, and in order to scare the enemy, they placed some of
-their largest cannon on an eminence on the brink of the river, and commenced
-firing. The enemy, blind to their preparations, again endeavoured
-to gain possession of the brink of the river: but were repulsed with immense
-slaughter, when they were obliged to fall back on their fortifications. The
-Moslems, in consequence of this victory, succeeded in finishing their bridges,
-and, under covert of the night, accompanied by a body of Tátárs, crossed
-to the other side, approached the enemy’s fortifications, put the infidels to
-flight, who, it must be observed, destroyed the bridges which they themselves
-had erected in the vicinity of the fortress. The victorious Moslems
-returned with immense booty: such as cannons, powder, arms, waggons,
-and other heavy articles, besides a great number of loaded waggons full of
-valuable stores. Three hundred boats, and four hundred cannon, were
-taken possession of in the river, besides powder, ball, and three thousand
-tents: all which became the property of the Ottomans. The Archduke
-Mathias himself was wounded; and the brother of the Duke, who commanded
-the French troops, was shot dead by a cannon-ball, and ten thousand
-other infidels perished on this occasion. Many captives were also
-taken. After obtaining this singular and splendid victory over Mathias,
-the Moslems returned to the siege, and continued their operations against
-the city and fortress till the following year, when they took it; but of this
-more afterwards, when we have said a few things with regard to the
-notorious rebel Michael, Waiwode of Valachia.</p>
-
-<p>The Waiwodas of Valachia were in the habit of providing horses and oxen
-for the purpose of conveying cannon and other apparatus of war when they
-were required to do so. But when messengers from Belgrade, in the name
-of the grand vezír, required them to supply the army before Besperim with
-three hundred of those animals, for the purpose of conveying provisions and
-money, they manifested no small degree of tardiness in complying, for which<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">32</a></span>
-they were severely reprimanded. And again, when they were required to
-send four hundred waggons with food and money to the troops before Yanuk,
-they played the same trick, for which neglect the drivers were ordered to be
-executed; but by the intervention and intercession of the grand vezír’s son,
-Mohammed Páshá, their lives were spared, but the presents which they
-carried along with them were rejected with disdain. It was inconsistent,
-it was said, that a country like Valachia should be controlled by one or
-two indolent infidels, and therefore they might expect that next spring the
-war would be carried thither. The men who had their lives spared to
-them were kept prisoners, but were afterwards set at liberty. But the
-prevaricator Michael, and this is the chief point to be observed, became so
-enraged at the disgrace and dishonour thus manifested, that the incorrigible
-wretch raised the standard of defiance, and became the ostensible instigator
-of the rebellion which afterwards broke out in Valachia in the following
-year, and to which, when we relate the events of that year, we shall advert.</p>
-
-<p>The arrival of Ghází Gheráí Khán from a country in which never infidel
-stepped, and whose splendid achievements in war it is impossible fully to
-delineate, relates chiefly to the same period.</p>
-
-<p>About the middle of Rabia II., Fatima, daughter of the august and noble
-monarch of the world, was united by marriage to the vezír Khalíl Páshá in
-the old palace. At the commencement of the same month ambassadors
-from Abdullah Khán, sultán of Transoxania, arrived in Constantinople.
-About the same time, also, the admiral, Jeghala Zádeh, sailed with a fleet
-to Messina, put the inhabitants into great fear, carried off several galleys,
-and returned. The Jews and Christians hitherto wore blue and yellow turbans;
-but it having been determined to humble and disgrace them, they
-were ordered, in future, to wear fillets made of black and scarlet cloth.</p>
-
-
-
-<hr />
-<h2><span class="smcap">EVENTS of the Year 1003 H.</span></h2>
-
-
-<h3><i>The conquest of Yanuk.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The siege of Yanuk, at the commencement of this year, 1003 of the
-Hijrah, had continued a month. By the batterings of the cannon and the
-springing of mines, both the outside and inside of Yanuk were completely<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">33</a></span>
-damaged. On the 17th of Moharrem (the first month of the year), and
-after an immense quantity of earth had been thrown into the fosse, and
-when a breach had been effected in the walls or ramparts, a general assault
-was announced. This news fearfully alarmed the besieged. They considered
-the defeat of the archduke’s army, and thought of the vast numbers
-that had already perished in the siege. Their fears increased; their
-condition, they saw, was perilous. To try to escape by means of planks
-would be both difficult and dangerous. Their courage altogether failed
-them; and many, for fear of the cannons of the Osmánlís, hid themselves
-within the inner works in ditches. In short, all resistance ceased.</p>
-
-<p>Towards evening, two thousand of the most celebrated of these hateful
-infidels came forth and importuned the commander-in-chief to spare their
-lives. Their request was granted. Next morning their commander, the
-malignant count, came out with ten thousand men, all covered with steel,
-and said; “This German army, who have crept into holes in the earth,
-have been influenced by fear more than any thing else. Otherwise,” continued
-he, “so many thousands of muskets ought to have been adequate
-to prevent you from even looking at the place.” Thus saying, he wept
-and fell down dead before the conquerors. The remains of this royal
-count were afterwards put into a tomb and covered over with stone, when
-several rounds were fired over it. The rest of the prisoners were all shipped
-off in boats to their own country, and Senja Osmán Páshá and two thousand
-soldiers were appointed to garrison Yanuk for three years, at a stipulated
-rate of pay. A thousand Janissaries from Wáj, three hundred cannoneers,
-and a thousand armourers were also added to the above number; and every
-thing else necessary for defence was fully attended to.</p>
-
-<p>After the defeat of the archduke, Ghází Gheráí Khán marched against
-the fortress of Papa. The infidels on the approach of the Tátárs fled, and
-left the place for them to take possession of it.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Komran laid siege to.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Information from Komran apprised the commander-in-chief that, in the
-event of Yanuk being taken, Komran would yield without resistance. This<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">34</a></span>
-turned out, however, to be a false report; for when Yanuk did fall, they
-manifested no disposition to do as they had said.</p>
-
-<p>The weather was awfully cold, and the Serdár determined that if he
-should be obliged to lay siege to it, it should not be said that it was taken
-at an easy rate. He did lay siege to it; but his troops, from what they
-had endured at the taking of Yanuk, were a good deal dispirited. The
-enemy made several sorties, went as far as the Moslem trenches, and slew
-a considerable number of the most heroic soldiers of the Serdár, who now
-began to be convinced of the difficulty of his undertaking, and resolved, as
-the day of Kásim was near at hand, to relinquish his object for the present.
-Accordingly on the 7th of Sefer, after having transported his provisions and
-heavy baggage to some of the nearest fortresses belonging to the Osmánlís,
-he raised the siege and returned to Buda.</p>
-
-<p>It is related in the histories of Hasan Beg Zádeh, Alí, and Abdulkádír,
-secretary to the ordnance, that the governor of Komran cried out from the
-battlement, “Send us Hasan Páshá, Beglerbeg of Romeili, and we shall
-deliver up the fortress.” The son of the grand vezír, however, paid no
-regard to him, and merely remarked, “Let him fire his cannons if he will;”
-but the Janissaries on his saying this immediately relinquished their trenches
-and retired. Kátib Chelebí<a name="FNanchor_2_2" id="FNanchor_2_2"></a><a href="#Footnote_2_2" class="fnanchor">2</a> in his Fezlikeh denies this story altogether,
-and declares it to be a foul calumny invented by men who had been neither
-members of the diván of that day, nor present where the event is said to
-have taken place.</p>
-
-<p>On the 5th of Sefer, two days before the siege was raised, permission
-was granted to Ghází Gheráí Khán to return home with his Tátár army,
-first giving him the robe of honour which in the spring of that year had
-been sent to him, and showing him the honours due to his rank. He left,
-however, one of his mirzás with a thousand Tátárs in winter quarters in the
-vicinity of Alba Julia, or Weissenburg in Siebenbürgen.</p>
-
-<p>The grand vezír himself made his way to Buda, and after the lapse of a
-week he appointed his son, Mohammed Páshá, to remain in Buda with the
-<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">35</a></span>Janissaries and the army of Romeili. Lála Mohammed Páshá was sent with
-the army of Anatolia into winter quarters in Weissenburg. The Beglerbeg
-of Bosnia was sent with his troops to Usk. The troops of Sivás, of Diárbeker,
-of Werka, of Haleb, and of Shám, were allowed to return to their
-respective homes. The artillery and other stores were all deposited in
-Buda, and after distribution of provision, &amp;c. had been made to the troops,
-the grand vezír returned to Belgrade.</p>
-
-<p>Before leaving Buda, however, he sent off Rezván Aghá to carry tidings
-to Constantinople of the fall of Yanuk, which he reached after fourteen days’
-travelling. The news of the fall of Yanuk was the cause of great rejoicings
-in the metropolis, which were demonstrated by the roar of cannon and the
-firing of musketry. To the Serdár and to the Khán a robe of honour, a
-sword, and richly ornamented plumes, accompanied by royal letters, were
-sent to each of these personages; also robes of honour for each of the Beglerbegs
-and other dignitaries were sent off at the same time.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Concerning the bad management of the Commander-in-chief; his error and
-failure in some other matters.</i></h3>
-
-<p>There is no evidence from the records of the intendant of the finances
-what was the actual number of the troops employed in the war in Hungary;
-he merely states that thirty thousand household troops were sent thither.
-The army of Romeili was immense. After the death of Soleimán Khán,
-and before the war commenced in Hungary, the people thirsted for spoil.
-An army equal to that of Romeili, but destitute of the means of subsistence,
-was collected in that quarter. A swift, active body of troops, competent
-for every sort of depredation, and equal to a whole province in number,
-assembled. The Tátárs alone amounted to more than forty thousand. Such
-was the vast army the commander-in-chief had under his command: such
-also was their fitness for contending with the enemy, if properly and wisely
-directed.</p>
-
-<p>When, however, the pensioned Janissaries entered their trenches, the
-rest needlessly wasted their time in idleness: when the Khán and other
-chiefs proposed to commit depredations in the enemy’s territories, they were
-checked by being asked what advantage would accrue by treading down<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">36</a></span>
-one province? and yet it is a certain fact, that no power whatever could
-have stopped the army, especially after the victory gained at Yanuk, from
-reaching Vienna, had they been properly commanded. When a deputation
-came from the country about Buda, begging protection against rapine and
-plunder, they were told, that unless one province fell another could not rise.
-To this very evident defect and mismanagement in the government of the
-commander-in-chief is to be attributed chiefly every misfortune which happened
-to the Moslems. The peasants were made slaves, and villages were
-ruined. Some of the most powerful of these peasants were roused to seek
-revenge: five or six hundred of them seized on a palanka, and refused
-giving it up so long as one of them remained alive. When their villages
-and hamlets were robbed and plundered, they set fire to them and left
-them. The mills near Belgrade were taxed. No apology was offered to
-the Waivodas of Moldavia and Valachia for the heavy injuries done to
-them, but they were still more oppressed; and when they sent their usual
-presents they were rejected with disdain, and the bearers of them threatened
-with death; and this wicked and unreasonable conduct awakened the spirit
-of rebellion and revolt which afterwards manifested itself in these two provinces,
-as we shall see.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The Waivoda of Moldavia rebels.</i></h3>
-
-<p>At the time the war broke out in Hungary the Emperor of Austria sent
-letters to all the Christian chiefs, and even to the Pope, to come and aid
-him in attacking the followers of Mohammed. The Transylvanians, Valachians,
-and Moldavians entered with one consent into this confederacy,
-and commenced hostilities by making inroads on the Mohammedan population
-dwelling on the banks of the Danube. At this time the Waivoda of
-Moldavia was one who had been raised to that dignity by Sinán Páshá, but
-who, when Ferhád was deposed, was also deposed. His office was conferred
-on a young Moldavian prince who had been educated at Sinán’s expense,
-and who it was supposed had embraced Mohammedanism. When
-this young man went to take possession of his new government he was
-accompanied, according to custom, by a kapújí báshí, whilst a messenger
-was sent forward to announce his approach. Notwithstanding all this,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">37</a></span>
-however, his predecessor inspired him with such terror, that he found himself
-necessitated to apply for aid to the grand vezír, his patron. This aid
-was accordingly granted. One Mustafa Páshá, who had been governor of
-Merœsh, in Asia, was appointed to conduct a body of troops to his assistance:
-and some military ághás, of whom the grand vezír wished to get rid,
-were appointed to join this expedition, with two thousand Janissaries also.
-When this expedition reached the Danube they found it completely frozen,
-and therefore halted at Rusjuk in order to transport their field-pieces and
-heavy baggage to Yerkok on the opposite side. Whilst thus employed, and
-suspecting no danger, they were suddenly fallen upon by an army of infidels,
-headed by the deposed Waivoda, who slew their leader, a great
-number of his men, and carried off a number of others prisoners. From
-this time the rebellion in Moldavia increased day after day.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Concerning the insurrection occasioned by Michael, Waivoda of Valachia.</i></h3>
-
-<p>As the country of Valachia abounded with sheep, cattle, honey, and salt,
-the merchants and rich men of Constantinople were in the habit of advancing
-sums of money to every new waivoda on the condition of collecting from
-the peasantry articles of the above description in return. This practice
-occasioned frequently great contention. It happened sometimes, when
-the waivodas did not fulfil their engagements, that those who had advanced
-them money in the way above described, went and abused and harassed the
-begs, and created much disturbance. Michael, mentioned at the head of
-this article, was one of these waivodas who failed to fulfil his promises, and
-who was therefore one day visited by more than four thousand of this sort
-of creditors, chiefly Janissaries and principal servants of great men, who
-profited by this rapacity. They assaulted the waivoda in his own palace,
-seized upon every thing which fell into their hands, and beat and abused as
-many of his domestics as chanced to come in their way. This circumstance
-of violence and mode of assault completely wrought on the mind of the
-hateful infidel, and led him to the following method of settling with his
-creditors. He called them together, and by way of giving them his advice,
-at the same time appearing very polite, said: “If you kill me, you will of
-course lose all the property that is due to you: that is evident. Come,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">38</a></span>
-then, follow my advice, and go along with persons duly appointed into the
-province, collect what property you can, and pay yourselves out of it.”
-Manifesting for some time, however, some degree of hesitation and unwillingness,
-they at last agreed; but it turned out that the quantity they had
-collected was not sufficient to liquidate the whole of his debt, and they
-therefore pressed him to furnish the remainder. “Let the cazí of Yerkok,”
-said they, “be called, and let him examine the accounts. If he is unwell,
-his deputy, Alí Ján Effendí, may come in his stead;” for it was customary
-when any law-suit happened between any of the Mussulmans living in Valachia,
-that an appeal was made to the cazí of the above place. The cazí,
-or rather his deputy, Alí Ján, arrived and decided in favour of the appellants,
-whose receipts amounted to sixty thousand dollars. The contention
-was long, and a thousand obstacles presented themselves in settling this
-affair; but at last the sum of the debt was reduced to six thousand akchas.</p>
-
-<p>The above Alí Ján relates the following story about himself: “On
-retiring from the tribunal, and when I was outside of the city,” he says,
-“I was met by an old acquaintance, an infidel, who accosted me thus:
-‘Alí Ján, you have been my friend for twenty years: do not let the evening
-overtake you, nor remain at Yerkok; but hasten as fast as you are able
-to Rusjuk, for all hope of accommodation is at an end,’ and immediately
-went away.” The deputy, perceiving some strange commotion and troops
-hastening towards the city, mounted his waggon, and made the best of
-his way to Yerkok; but had scarcely time to give the cazí an account of the
-affair in which he had been employed, before these raggamuffian soldiery
-murdered every one of the Waivoda’s creditors and every Mussulman in
-the place, and thence marched to Yerkok, which they also attacked.
-“Seeing no alternative left me but either to fall into the hands of these
-infidels, or make my escape,” says Alí Ján in continuation of his story,
-“and being a good swimmer, I immediately swam across the Danube.
-Another person swam across at the same time, and we were the only persons
-of the inhabitants of Yerkok, amounting to four thousand men, women, and
-children, that escaped being either murdered or made prisoners. The city
-they afterwards burned to the ground.”</p>
-
-<p>These events, now recorded, took place in Jemadi 1. of 1002. Those<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">39</a></span>
-Musselmans that lived in Moldavia removed to Kili, to Ak-kermán, or to
-Korsú, as they found most convenient. Some of the people of Rusjuk who
-were present, and saw when these movements took place, sent an account
-of the whole state of matters to the court of Constantinople, but the
-Rusjukians themselves afterwards removed and dispersed themselves among
-the Balkan mountains.</p>
-
-<p>It being the winter season when these accounts reached the metropolis,
-the operations of war were deferred till the spring of the year.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Death of Sultán Murád III.</i></h3>
-
-<p>In Jemadi I. of 1003 of the Hijrah, the constitution of the deceased
-emperor, now removed from this vain world to the distant light of God,
-became so shattered and altered, as to receive no benefit whatever from the
-skill and penetration of the medical faculty.</p>
-
-<p>At the commencement of his disease, the grand vezír, Sinán Páshá went
-in to see him into the palace at the very time when the singers or chanters,
-and the females of the palace, were all collected in the royal apartment;
-and though it was an exceedingly rare thing to read or chant verses on such
-an occasion, yet, contrary to usual custom, the Emperor ordered the following
-distich to be chanted:</p>
-
-<div class="poetry-container">
-<div class="poetry">
-<div class="stanza">
-<div class="line">I am afflicted, O Fate!</div>
-<div class="line">This night me watch, and me sustain.—<a name="FNanchor_3_3" id="FNanchor_3_3"></a><a href="#Footnote_3_3" class="fnanchor">3</a></div>
-</div></div></div>
-
-<p>At the time the Emperor departed this life, two vessels from Egypt
-arrived before the royal fortress, and, according to ancient custom, commenced
-firing their guns in token of rejoicing. But such was the tremendous
-effect once and again which the concussion of the air, put in motion
-by the explosions, had upon the mirrors in the apartment next to the royal
-saloon, that they fell down from their places and were shattered to pieces.
-When these mariners, however, were made aware of what had taken place,
-and perceived the emblems of grief and affliction, their joy was turned into
-sorrow, and tears began to trickle down on their beards.</p>
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">40</a></span></p>
-<p>On the night of the 5th of Jemadi II., the remains of the Emperor were
-carried from the bed of state to the table or board on which the dead bodies
-are washed, and were afterwards consigned to a coffin and put into a
-vault.</p>
-
-<p>For nearly two weeks the vezírs and military judges could come to no
-agreement among themselves how to act, with respect to settling the
-government. At length, the Aghá of the royal house, without informing
-any of the vezírs what he meant to do, and under the pretext of needing
-some water, called the Bostánjí Báshí, Ferhád Aghá; informed him of the
-secrets that were going on, and sent him with letters to the heir-apparent,
-at that time in Magnesia, calling upon him to return and ascend the throne
-of his ancestors. Two days after the above messenger was sent off, one of
-the vezírs, Ibrahím Páshá, learning the steps which the Aghá of the royal
-house had taken, immediately sent off a letter to the prince by Súfí Osmán
-Aghá, who followed the previous messenger close at his heels. Ferhád also,
-the governor or Káímakám of Constantinople, on learning these manœuvres,
-wrote officially to the young prince about his father’s death, and also letters
-of congratulation: seeking by these means to screen himself from all suspicion,
-and, at the same time, to ingratiate himself into the prince’s favour.
-He also made several promotions; and the day after sending off the above
-letter, he caused several criminals to be taken out of prison and executed
-before the multitude, with the view of awing them, and left their bodies
-exposed. His officers of police went about the city and kept every thing
-quiet and in good order.</p>
-
-<p>The young prince, Sultán Mohammed Khán, no sooner received intelligence
-of his father’s demise than he set sail from Medeyna on the 16th of
-Jemadi II., and landed near Sinán Páshá’s summer palace. Thence he
-immediately went into the royal harem, where he had an interview with his
-mother, and made arrangements for entering into mourning. His inauguration
-was completed before Friday, the day of assembly (<i>i.e.</i> the Mohammedan
-sabbath), when it was necessary for him to attend the mosque.</p>
-
-<p>After all these things were once over, the remains of the late emperor
-were carried into the area of the palace, when Khoja Sa’d-ud-dín Effendí
-said, “We are now assembled to perform the last duty, to our late Emperor,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">41</a></span>”
-and then requested permission to perform the funeral rites. Ferhád Páshá
-obtained this permission for him from the new emperor. But before he and
-the reverend prelate had time to come out from the royal presence, the
-Muftí, Bostán Zádeh, in virtue of his office, proudly arrogated to himself
-this honour, and without further ceremony commenced performing the
-obsequies in question. When Sa’d ud dín Effendí saw this he was greatly
-displeased, and said, “The relation of the dead, the chief mourner, granted
-me the permission of performing what you, the Muftí, have taken upon
-yourself to do. It is right and proper to perform the service over again.”
-The Muftí, in reply, observed, “that it was the permission of the Lord of
-the whole universe he possessed, and therefore that what the other demanded
-was not only unnecessary, but prohibited him from attempting it.” This
-circumstance was afterwards the cause of much ill will and strife between
-these two reverend divines.</p>
-
-<p>After this unpleasant discussion between the two prelates respecting the
-right of performing the funeral obsequies over the remains of the deceased
-emperor was finally ended, his Majesty, the Asylum of the World, returned
-to the royal harem, leaving his vezírs and other grandees to accompany the
-bier of his father to the vicinity of St. Sophia, where they interred it in a
-tomb previously prepared.</p>
-
-<p>In a tumult which had taken place on this occasion, nineteen brothers of
-the emperor, all innocent and guiltless, were strangled and added to the
-company of martyrs. Early next morning the reverend Muftí performed
-the customary prayers over these martyred bodies, which were afterwards
-interred in a grave at the foot of their father’s tomb.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The late Emperor’s age.—The time of his reign.—Some of his virtues and good
-deeds described.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Sultán Murád Khán was fifty years old when he died, and reigned a
-little more than twenty years. He was the father of one hundred and two
-sons. Four of those princes who suffered martyrdom, namely, Sultán
-Mustafa, Sultán Báyazíd, Sultán Osmán, and Sultán Abdullah were the
-most distinguished, and were all of them instructed in the doctrines of
-Nawa Effendí. The others, too, were all graceful and virtuous. Sultán<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">42</a></span>
-Mustafa was a man of an extensive genius, and a great orator. The glorious
-parent of these princes when despairing of life repeated the following lines:</p>
-
-<div class="poetry-container">
-<div class="poetry">
-<div class="stanza">
-<div class="line">“What the Almighty Notary has written on my forehead, I know not;</div>
-<div class="line">“Alas! I have never smiled in the rose-bower of this world.”<a name="FNanchor_4_4" id="FNanchor_4_4"></a><a href="#Footnote_4_4" class="fnanchor">4</a></div>
-</div></div></div>
-
-<p>The lamented emperor was a man of very extraordinary attainments.
-Owing to his wisdom and prudence, all parts of the empire felt, during his
-whole reign, the benefit of his solicitude and care, of his military skill and
-heroic bravery, both in governing the empire and in vexing and punishing
-the enemies of religion and of the state. In consequence of no impediment
-having been thrown in the way of the learned men and poets of that day,
-they have favoured the world with a sober account of his life, which is contained
-and set forth in a book of contemplation called the Fatúhát Síám
-(<span lang="ar" xml:lang="ar">فتوحات صيام</span>), in which is introduced Arabic, Persian, and Turkish poetry.</p>
-
-<p>During the time the royal prince remained in Magnesia, the late emperor
-caused a noble mosque of two minarets, a school, and other religious establishments
-to be erected there, besides an inn and conservatory. He caused
-also the roof of the temple of Mecca to be supported by pillars, a canal to
-be made, and an edifice, where religious rites might be performed, to be
-erected. He transmitted many thousands of ducats to that city of religious
-fame. At Bektásh, over the grave of Yahiah Effendí, he caused a splendid
-arch to be raised to his memory.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Vezírs contemporary with Sultán Murád Khán.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Mohammed Páshá, who had continued in possession of the premiership
-ever since the days of Soleimán, was murdered in a scuffle with a furious
-mad fellow in the diván. He was succeeded in office by Ahmed Páshá, who
-died about four months after entering upon his duties in the grand vezírship.
-Lálá Mustafa Páshá, the conqueror of Cyprus and Shirván, died when he
-was governor of the Sublime Porte. Khoja Sinán Páshá, the conqueror of
-Yanuk, was his successor, and he was succeeded by Zál Mahmúd Páshá,
-<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">43</a></span>who was proprietor of the temple called Zál Páshá in the neighbourhood of
-Ayúb-Ensári. He died in office. Vezír Hasan Páshá was also carried off
-by death. Síávush Páshá was Káímakám once, and three times grand
-vezír, but died without any office. Osmán Páshá, son of Timúr Páshá, one
-of the ancient heroes, was during his premiership commander-in-chief in
-the Persian war. He reduced Tabríz, and afterwards fell sick and died.
-Mesíh Páshá succeeded Osmán, but died out of office. Ferhád Páshá was
-twice commander-in-chief in the east, and for having afterwards effected an
-advantageous peace, was created grand vezír. He was Káímakám, or governor
-of Constantinople, when Sultán Murád Khán died, as we have already
-seen. Ibrahím Páshá was son-in-law to the emperor. Vezír Jeráh Páshá
-is well known. Jaghala, son of Sinán Páshá, was both vezír and admiral
-at the same time. Boyálí Mohammed Páshá, son of Pír Ahmed: he died
-after he was deposed from the beglerbegship of Haleb. He was successively
-Remembrancer, Reïs Effendí, Chancellor and Válí of Haleb, and
-twice in the privy council. He was a man of very extensive information
-and experience. He built a handsome mosque, a school-house, and another
-edifice dedicated to a religious purpose, in Constantinople, where he
-died in the month of Ramazán, in the year 1001 of the Hijrah. Khalíl Páshá
-was son-in-law to the emperor. Hazár Páshá was Válí of Egypt. Ja’fer
-Páshá was son-in-law to Mohammed Páshá. He was an excellent vezír:
-he died lamented in 995. Hasan Páshá, the eunuch, was a potent and
-brave man: he was a native of Shirván, but was raised to the office of
-grand vezír. Vezír Alí Páshá married the widow of Mohammed Páshá, and
-died in office. Mohammed Páshá was murdered whilst governor of Romeili.
-Vezír Yúsuf Páshá was by birth an European, but of noble descent.
-He died a martyr in the arms of his domestics in his own palace near Kirk
-Cheshmeh. Vezír Shemshí Páshá was a Persian: he died in 989. Vezír
-Hasan Páshá was joint governor in the government of Romeili with Mohammed
-Páshá, who was the son of Sinán Páshá, grand vezír at the death
-of Murád Khán. Between Hasan Páshá and Mohammed Páshá, who were
-both in active service under Sinán Páshá, in the late war in Hungary,
-existed no small degree of envy.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">44</a></span></p>
-
-<h3><i>Learned Men contemporary with Sultán Murád Khán.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Hamid Effendí was mufti when Murád ascended the throne, and died
-three years afterwards. Khoja Saadín Effendí was tutor to the emperor
-when he resided in his Sanjak. After his elevation to the throne, Saadín
-Effendí became his counsellor in what concerned the well-being of the state
-and in the art of government. Cazi Zádeh Effendí was a mufti who wrote
-a comment on the law, and was a guide to salvation. Malúl Zádeh Effendí
-was military judge in Romeili and succeeded Cazi Zádeh as mufti. In
-consequence of having failed to show some acts of politeness to the emperor’s
-adviser and spiritual counsellor, Khoja Hasan Ján Zádeh Saadín,
-and for some mistakes which he had committed, he was represented to the
-emperor, and deposed. He died in 992. Tchoí Zádeh Effendí was an interpreter
-of the law, and his decrees were esteemed more excellent than any
-of those of his contemporaries. He succeeded Malúl Zádeh as the mufti.
-He was a remover of oppression and injustice. He died in 995. His son,
-Shúkhjí Effendí succeeded him in the high priesthood, but was afterwards
-deposed. Bostán Zádeh Effendí is well known. Zekeriáh Effendí is the
-most honourable of all the interpreters of the law. On going into the
-imperial palace one day to receive a robe of honour from his majesty Sultán
-Murád Khán, he was seized with fainting fits, in one of which he died,
-1001. Abdur-rahmán was contemporary with Sultán Soleimán and Sultán
-Selím, and was one of the military judges of those times in which they
-lived. He died in Rabia II. 983. Násir Zádeh Effendí died suddenly in
-984, whilst Cazi of Constantinople. Ahkí Zádeh Effendí retired from his
-jurisdiction in Anatolia with a salary of 150 akchas. He died in 989.
-Bokhárí Zádeh Effendí was deposed from his jurisdiction in Tripoli, in
-Syria, and died in 986. Mehshi Sinán Effendí retired with a salary of
-200 akchas from his office, as military judge, in Anatolia, and died in 982.
-Neshánjí Zádeh Effendí was deposed from his jurisdiction in Medina.
-Hemshíreh Zádeh Effendí died when he was lecturer in Sultán Selím’s
-academy, <i>i.e.</i> in 989. Sinán Zádeh Effendí died in 987. Kamí Ahmed
-Effendí died in the same year. Mualim Zádeh Mahmúd Effendí was
-raised from the academy of Sœhen to the office of recorder or chancellor.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">45</a></span>
-He was afterwards deposed, and died in 987, Bábá Effendí was tutor
-to Rustem Páshá. He was a pious and religious man. Sárí Kiris
-Zádeh Effendí died when he was Cazi of Haleb, in 987. Abdul Vafá
-Effendí was the son of Abú Saoúd. Ezumí Effendí was tutor to one
-of the royal princes. He died in 999. Hazár Beg Chelebí died in the
-academy attached to the convent of Brúsa. Khosrú Zádeh Mustafa
-Effendí was a man of various attainments, and an orthodox guide in
-religion. In 998 he was Cazi of Tripoli in Syria, where he caught a
-severe cold. He died at Aksheher, on his way to Turkey, in 1000. He
-was a well-informed, gentle, and humane man. He made a collection of
-all the vulgar errors, and translated the History of Kútb Mekí, and left
-several fine poems in Turkish. Vankúli Mohammed Effendí was a man of
-the most consummate skill and learning. From the academy of Sœhen he
-was raised to be Cazi of Magnesia. He held the same office, successively,
-in Thessalonia, in Kutahiah, and in Anatolia, and was afterwards raised to
-the chief Caziship in Medina. He retired from office with a salary of eighty
-akchés, and died in the latter city, in 1000. To his extensive information
-he added that of undaunted firmness, and was a perfect linguist. He
-wrote several pious epistles and translated the <i>Seháh Júherí</i>, which was
-deposited in the mosque of Sultán Mohammed Khán. He also translated
-the <i>Kimiái Sa’ádet</i>. Abdul Káder Effendí, son of Emír Gísúdárí,
-and known by the name of Yálánjek Effendí, was judge of Kutahiah,
-and afterwards held the same office in Tripoli. It was not with his
-will that he was restrained from denouncing the great men of his day;
-for which, in fact, he was at last banished the city. He was a man of
-great violence and excessive virulence. It is said in the <i>Zeíli Shukáïk</i>,
-that his composition is weak, and his sentiments incorrect. He was
-some time Cazi of Yení Sheher, but was degraded, and died in 1000.
-Mevlana Mohammed Aydin of Akhisar was some time Cazi in Egypt, and
-was afterwards chief-priest in Medina. He was a clever, excellent, and
-acute man. His poems were extant in the year 1003. There is also a
-translated compendium of his writings. He died in the year 1000, in
-Medina. Ismáíl Effendí was a complete separatist, and subsisted by teaching.
-He resembled a dervish: but having been a well-informed man, he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">46</a></span>
-wrote a commentary or paraphrase on the <i>Mesnevi</i>, the <i>Diván of Háfiz</i>,
-the <i>Gulistán</i>, and the <i>Bostán</i>, in Turkish. He died in 1000. Sevdí Effendí
-was a native of Bosnia. He was a person of great learning. After having
-travelled the whole path of literature, he was content to live on a small
-salary for teaching the domestics in the palace of Ibrahím Páshá. He died
-in the last-mentioned year. His explanations of the <i>Mesnevi</i>, and of the
-<i>Diván of Háfiz</i>, and his translations and explanations of the <i>Káfi</i>, the <i>Sháfi</i>,
-and the <i>Gulistán</i>, are still extant. Abd-ur-rahím Chelebí Kanáli Zádeh,
-was the younger brother of Alí Effendí. He too was a man of parts. He
-died in 1000. Mulla Abdul Kerím, a native of Magnesia, was Imám to
-the Sultán. He was studying in the academy of Magnesia when Sultán
-Murád Khán, son of Sultán Selím Khán, went to that quarter. The
-Imám of Magnesia having been removed by death at the time of the sultán’s
-visit, this man was appointed to succeed him in the office of Imám. After
-Murád ascended the throne of the Ottomans, he was created military judge.
-His learning and virtues, as well as his condescension to the poor and to
-strangers, are much celebrated. The following is one instance of his ingenuity
-and freedom. The Jews, both priests and laity, in contradistinction
-to all other people, would not wear orange-coloured turbans, and
-therefore could not be distinguished in the twilight of the morning and
-evening from others. On this account Mulla Abdul Kerím caused them
-to be obliged to wear scarlet bonnets. He was the means also of causing
-them to remove their dead in their burying-ground, near the Musselman
-streets in Kásim Páshá, to some other place; and, in one night, caused a
-mosque to be erected on the spot.</p>
-
-<p>He was in the habit of making poor wretched apes to perform astonishing
-feats, alleging they were only made to be instruments of sport; and
-was thus the cause of many a poor innocent creature’s death. He died in
-1002.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Reverend Doctors contemporary with Murád Khán.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Sheikh Yolluk Mohammed Chelebí was preacher in the mosque of Sultán
-Mohammed, and taught theology. Sheikh Mohammed Effendí was an illustrious
-preacher in St. Sophia, and, in fact, a brave fearless man. He was the cause<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">47</a></span>
-of serious difficulties to Sheikh Emír Effendí, who was preacher in the Soleimáníyeh.
-Sheikh Khezr Effendí was the son of a chief of a cohort of Janissaries,
-and a pious chaste preacher and a good speaker. Sheikh Tátár Ibrahím
-Effendí was a practical man and a historian: he explained and taught
-extempore in the mosque of Sultán Mohammed. Sheikh Shabán Effendí
-was a painter. He perfected himself in Emír Bokhárí’s convent, and chose
-the life of a Dervísh. His imperial majesty was in the habit of paying him
-visits. Sheikh Kúrd Effendí was a very able expositor. Sheikh Hasan
-Effendí officiated in the mosque of Khoja Mustafa Páshá. Sheikh Mohammed
-Effendí, after the death of Bábá Effendí, by the recommendation
-of Siná Allah, military judge of Romeili, was appointed to the mosque of
-Sultán Mohammed, by Ferhád Páshá. He captivated, by his lofty eloquence,
-the heart and the affections of the great, and secured the respect of the
-emperor’s tutor and his family. These things caused his patron, Siná Allah,
-to regret his having recommended him. Jaghala Zádeh and other vezírs
-were assiduous in attending the assemblies on Thursdays and Fridays to
-hear his orations. In short, so great was his fame, that even the emperor
-and the great men of the state were included in the number of his hearers,
-which increased every day. The wife of Rustem Páshá built for him a
-mosque and a small meeting-house, when of course he ceased preaching
-any more in Sultán Mohammed’s mosque. Sheikh Abú-vafá was employed
-by the Khalifs in many cities for the purpose of extending religion. He was
-in great favour with the late lamented emperor Murád-khán when he was in
-Magnesia. In consequence of his great fame he was called from that city,
-after Murád’s inauguration, to Constantinople, put in possession of a splendid
-mansion, and allowed a suitable salary. He was generally known by the
-appellation <i>Pádisháh Sheikhí</i> (the emperor’s spiritual guide). He had a great
-deal in his power, being keeper, as it were, of the emperor’s conscience;
-and it was, therefore, an easy thing to secure offices of trust and importance
-for those who found access to him. In a certain sense he was a sort of
-asylum to the members of the diván. Doubtless those who had posts, and
-who were deprived of them, found it their interest to wait upon his eminence,
-and show him the respect due to him. He died in 998.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">48</a></span></p>
-
-<h3><i>Facts relative to the new Emperor Sultán Mohammed Khán III.</i></h3>
-
-<p>On the third day after Sultán Mohammed Khán succeeded to the throne
-of his ancestors, <i>i.e.</i> on the third day after his return to Constantinople
-and after his father’s interment, the whole of the nobles and dignitaries of
-state laid aside their mourning, waited on his majesty to congratulate him
-on his elevation, and to receive tokens of his favour, which were liberally
-distributed on this occasion. To the Janissary body alone six hundred and
-sixty thousand pieces of gold were given. The Bostánjí Báshí, Ferhád
-Aghá, who brought the intelligence to Magnesia, where the young prince
-then was, of the late emperor’s demise, received in money and presents to
-the amount of twenty thousand ducats, and was, agreeably to his own
-request, confirmed in his office. Lála Mohammed Páshá, who accompanied
-Mohammed Khán from Magnesia, and who was the husband of the new
-monarch’s nurse, was rewarded with a vezírship. The soldiers who came along
-with him were registered, and a suitable provision made for them. Some
-of their ághás were made masters of the royal stables: others of them were
-made Kapújí Báshís; and others again were made colonels of regiments.
-As the office of chief judge happened to be vacant at the time we are speaking
-of, by reason of death, the emperor’s tutor, Sa’d ud-dín Effendí, was
-appointed to fill it.</p>
-
-<p>On the 27th of the month (Jemadi I.) an official was sent by night to
-the Seven Towers, who dispatched Ibrahím Páshá, who had been degraded
-and sent thither from Diárbeker, in the former reign, for having been guilty
-of tyranny and oppression. The ághás, khojas, and others who had rashly
-meddled with the affairs of government, were also brought forth. Most of
-them were sent to Egypt, and a certain allowance was given to each of them
-by way of salary: the rest were set at liberty.</p>
-
-<p>In Jemadi II. a royal order was issued permitting the pages to leave the
-royal harem (probably those pages who belonged to the late emperor), and
-to return to their own friends.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The Premiership conferred on Ferhád Páshá.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The grand vezír, Sinán Páshá, having become obnoxious to the emperor,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">49</a></span>
-in consequence of his hostility to Ferhád Páshá, who was, at that very
-time, governor of Constantinople, and who had free access to the royal ear,
-was deposed. On the 6th of Jemadi II. the premiership was graciously
-conferred on Ferhád, and an officer was dispatched to Sinán Páshá to take
-back the seals of office from him. This officer met Sinán Páshá returning
-from Belgrade, and received from him the object of his mission; whilst Sinán
-Páshá was ordered to retire to Mulghera. His deputy at Belgrade, vezír
-Satúrjí Mohammed Páshá, and the treasurer, Hájí Ibrahím Páshá, sealed
-the whole of their papers and deposited them in the fortress of Belgrade.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Insurrection of the Valachians and Moldavians.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The Waiwoda of Moldavia having marched against Bender, attacked the
-emír of that place, and afterwards laid siege to Ak-kirman. But before the
-Waiwoda had succeeded in reducing it, he was repulsed by Adel Gheráí,
-sent thither with a body of Tátárs by Ghází Khán. The firmness of the
-besiegers, on the approach of this horde, was turned into feebleness. Some
-of them were killed, some fled, some were made prisoners, and the whole
-body was dispersed.</p>
-
-<p>The accursed Waiwoda of Valachia, Michael, formerly mentioned, sent a
-body of troops to Ibrail, to distress and reduce that place. The inhabitants
-in the villages and suburbs, on the approach of these barbarians, fled into
-the fortress, leaving their dwellings to the rapacity of their invaders, who first
-subjected them to spoliation, and afterwards set fire to them. Having
-accomplished this, they erected fortifications against the fortress; but a body
-of about four thousand Tátárs crossed over the Danube on the ice, destroyed
-wholly these fortifications, and slew about one thousand of the Valachian
-army, or rather insurgents. These wandering insurgents, amounting to
-about twenty thousand naked wretches, collected chiefly out of Hungary,
-Transylvania, and Valachia, returned again to lay siege to Ibrail, and were
-accompanied by a number of field-pieces. The inhabitants, anxious to
-oppose them, went forth to give them battle, but being overpowered by
-numbers they returned to the fortress and annoyed them from thence. In
-consequence of the ice on the Danube having all melted before this second
-visit to Ibrail, and it being impossible to obtain aid from the Tátárs in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">50</a></span>
-sufficient time to stop the progress of these infidels, they commenced, without
-further resistance, to batter the fortress and to explode mines, which so
-alarmed the besieged, seeing their condition was desperate, as to lead them
-to propose a capitulation. Accordingly, Karah Shawesh Mohammed Beg
-and Mustafa Shawesh stepped out and met the Hungarian chiefs, who,
-according to their religion, swore solemnly that they should all be allowed
-to evacuate Ibrail, and retire across the Danube without molestation or
-sustaining any injury.</p>
-
-<p>When these followers of Mohammed were on the eve of crossing the
-Danube, according to the terms of capitulation, they found themselves
-necessitated to leave behind them the greater part of their property—about
-one thousand loads, which caused a great out-cry. They determined,
-therefore, to take all, and made an effort to remove what was left; but the
-perfidious enemy opposed them. They surrounded the complainants, seized
-some of the most distinguished Moslems amongst them, and made them
-prisoners: others of them they entirely robbed, and others they murdered
-on the spot.</p>
-
-<p>When this violence and perfidy was remonstrated against by Karah
-Shawesh Beg, the Hungarian chiefs answered by displaying their naked
-swords, murdering a number more in cold blood, and driving the remainder
-across the Danube.</p>
-
-<p>The accursed Michael, already too often mentioned, having killed Mustafa
-Páshá, the Beglerbeg of Merœsh, went every where exciting insubordination
-and insurrection, and plundering and murdering where he could.
-With four thousand of his raggamuffin army he penetrated into Silistria,
-but was so firmly and effectually opposed by Mustafa Beg, the governor,
-that only about one hundred of the four thousand vagrants escaped the edge
-of the sword. Thus ample vengeance was taken on them.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Ferhád Páshá makes preparations for war.</i></h3>
-
-<p>After the above-mentioned Yerkok was destroyed, letters reached the
-Sublime Porte which imported that Michael was marching at the head of
-one hundred thousand men, collected from the neighbouring princes, and
-committing devastation and plunder in the villages on the banks of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">51</a></span>
-Danube and on the shores of the Black Sea; thus exercising violence and
-cruelty on the servants of God. When this disastrous account reached the
-royal ear, the grand vezír, Ferhád Páshá, who was also commander-in-chief,
-was ordered to make preparations for war against the insurgents by the
-time the spring season arrived. Letters were sent to those chiefs on the
-borders who had maintained their integrity to join the troops of war at a
-certain place; orders were issued to prepare bridges and other apparatus
-necessary for crossing the Danube at Rusjuk, opposite Yerkok; and an
-earnest request was sent to the chiefs of Silistria, Nicopolis, and Widin, to
-furnish a sufficient number of artificers for accomplishing this design.
-Until the arrival of the grand vezír the office of commander-in-chief was
-conferred on Lála Mohammed Páshá, Beglerbeg of Anatolia, who went to
-Widin. Mohammed Páshá, Beglerbeg of Romeili, son of Sinán Páshá,
-lately in the premiership, gave up his office of commandant in Buda to
-vezír Hasan Páshá, who had been at Widin and returned to Belgrade.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The Spáhís raise a tumult.</i></h3>
-
-<p>On the 12th of Shabán, as Ferhád was leaving the diván, and intending
-to return to his own palace, he was met by ten thousand of the troops, who
-were waiting for him at the gate of the diván. These complained of not
-having been duly paid for three years’ services performed in garrisoning the
-fortress of Ganjé, and demanded payment. The grand vezír told them in
-return that their wages would be paid them from the treasury of Tabríz and
-Ganjé. “Why,” said he, “do you break the law by raising a tumult?
-Do you not know that disobedience to the supreme authority involves in it
-the guilt of infidelity?” Thus saying, he dismissed them. They, however,
-began to speak publicly of their grievances, and sounded abroad that they
-were oppressed, and in fact effected a tumult in the city. Next day Ferhád’s
-embarrassments were increased, for the whole of the Spáhís, and some
-of the Salihdárs, sycophants of Sinán Páshá, who united with them, came
-in a tumultuous manner to the door of the diván, declared that until Ferhád
-Páshá’s head was cut off they would accept no wages, and stoned such of
-their companions as ventured to ask them. The ághás endeavoured by kind
-advice to soothe them, but without any beneficial effect. The chávush báshí<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">52</a></span>
-and the deputy of the household troops tried what they could do in appeasing
-them, but were rewarded with a shower of stones, and of course were
-obliged to seek shelter. The tumult increased in noise and numbers. The
-insurgents were then told that the pay of the men of Ganjé would be forthwith
-advanced, and that all their wishes, whatever they might be, would
-be complied with. These promises also made no impression. The insurgents
-continued obstinate and determined, and threatened they would permit
-no member of the diván to stir out of the council alive before the head
-of Ferhád was given to them, and became more and more turbulent and
-vociferous.</p>
-
-<p>When the emperor was made aware of these scenes of insubordination
-and turbulence, he sent two military judges to exhort them to return to
-their duty. These two prelates were the poet Bákí Effendí and Abúlsa’úd,
-a principal effendí; but their exhortation to the mutineers had no better
-result than the former. The mutineers stamped with their feet on the
-ground, and again vociferated “The head of Ferhád!” Ferhád was now
-induced to wait on his majesty and tell him how he had acted, and how he
-had spoken to the instigators of the riots about their want of subordination,
-which conduct manifested, he observed, their utter want of religion. “Lála
-Mohammed Páshá and other vezírs were present when I spoke to them,”
-said the grand vezír, “and I am sure nothing of all that I said ought to
-have offended them. I am only one of your slaves, and though I should be
-removed out of the world, that will not reduce the number of your majesty’s
-councillors. To comply with their demands will only have the effect of
-increasing their rebellious spirit and open a door for making similar demands
-in future, which will not be so easily resisted if their present one be
-complied with. At the present moment, when neither exhortation nor
-threatening can make any impression on them, it will be most advisable
-that your majesty authorise the ághá of the Janissaries to bring out a considerable
-number of his troops and station them below the arsenal, and order
-the most powerful of the Bostánjís to be in a state of readiness at the Tímúr
-gate. If, therefore, the vezírs be molested when they retire from the diván,
-these troops will immediately, on the first signal, advance and chastise the
-insurgents for their temerity.” The emperor approved of this advice, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">53</a></span>
-promised to act accordingly. He desired Ferhád to remain with him, and
-that he would again send his vezírs to try to pacify them. “If they succeed,
-well; if not, then your method will be adverted to,” said he to his
-grand vezír, and ordered them to make the endeavour. The vezírs, however,
-no sooner showed themselves, than the audacious multitude commenced
-pelting them with stones as formerly. At this moment the Janissaries
-and Bostánjís were let loose upon the mutinous Spáhís, and dispersed
-them in all directions: not any two of them remained together, so completely
-were they awed and terrified.</p>
-
-<p>In this tumult the brother-in-law of Khalíl Páshá had his head hurt, and
-Lála Mohammed Páshá his arms, by stones which were hurled at them.
-Both of them were carried into the diván in a wounded condition by the
-ághá of the Janissaries, who related to the members of the council how
-matters stood, after which they all dismissed: Ferhád mounted his horse
-and rode away to his own palace.</p>
-
-<p>The grand vezír, reflecting on the disgrace done to him by the friends and
-sycophants of his enemies, Khoja Sinán Páshá and his son Jaghala, sought
-redress from the emperor. His importunity was not in vain, for a royal
-decree ordered Sinán Páshá to repair to Mulghera, where he had been
-before, and Jaghala Zádeh Sinán Páshá was ordered to Karahissar. Síávush
-Páshá, being also involved in raising the tumult we have described,
-was ordered to Iconium. Others who had taken a share in it were similarly
-punished.</p>
-
-<p>After peace and quietness were restored the emperor next day ordered
-100,000 dollars to be distributed among the Janissary troops, and ten of
-their chiefs were presented with robes of honour.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Ferhád Páshá prepares to set out for Valachia.</i></h3>
-
-<p>All the preparations for the war having been properly attended to, and
-all in a state of readiness, the grand vezír, Ferhád Páshá, on the 17th of
-Shabán, marched at the head of his army from the imperial city, and halted
-at Dávud Páshá. The second vezír, Ibrahím Páshá, was made káímakám, or
-vice-governor of Constantinople. The chief ághá of the Janissaries remained<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">54</a></span>
-at home according to custom, but the commander or ághá of the first legion
-of the Janissaries, with ten thousand Janissaries, accompanied the expedition
-to Valachia. Ten galleys were ordered up the Danube with cannon
-and other military stores as far as Rusjuk; but Ibrahím Páshá, the káímakám,
-in consequence of some secret enmity towards Ferhád, hindered
-as much as he could, and under various pretences, the dispatch of these and
-similar other articles necessary for the war, though he made it appear that
-he was every way active.</p>
-
-<p>When Ferhád was on his way to the scene of action he wrote a very
-earnest letter to his majesty, requesting an augmentation of troops. “The
-enemy,” said he in his letter, “are at Bekrish, and we have advanced near
-to Rusjuk, on our frontiers. The troops under my command are too few,
-and they are also much weakened by the fatigues of the long journey and
-other privations incident to long marching. The number of the enemy is
-too great for us at present to take vengeance, and we must, before venturing
-to attack them, be made better acquainted with their actual force, and be
-put in circumstances to secure success.” These sentiments of Ferhád were
-more than once expressed. Ibrahím Páshá, on the contrary, represented to
-his majesty that the army under Ferhád was on the point of deserting him;
-that they were unwilling to act under him; that what at one time had
-appeared hopeful had vanished; in short, that the whole of the army would
-rather perish by the sword than choose to continue under his banner. The
-mufti, Bostán Zádeh, joined in the fraud; and Bákí Effendí from among
-the military judges, and Jeráh Mohammed Páshá, Hasan Páshá, and Jaghala
-Zádeh, from among the vezírs, were carried away by this deceit and dissimulation.
-“It is not,” said the deceitful káímakám, “that I wish an
-investigation to be made in the case of Ferhád that I speak as I do, neither
-is it that I wish to be made grand vezír; nor is it the chief command of the
-army I seek. No: it is a duty I owe to religion, to the emperor, and to
-the empire, that forces me to express myself.” These sentiments, apparently
-good, were uttered with the view of affecting Sinán Páshá, the late
-prime minister, who was so well pleased with them that he was induced to
-distribute some thousands of gold among those who were present and heard<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">55</a></span>
-this discourse. Ibrahím’s words soon found their way to the ear of his royal
-master, who was so much affected by them that he determined on deposing
-Ferhád Páshá.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Continuation of Ferhád’s affairs.</i></h3>
-
-<p>On the 21st of Shabán Ferhád Páshá marched from Dávud Páshá, and on
-reaching Chorlí he raised about a thousand sharp-shooters, and gave the
-command of this body to one Hasan, a Spáhí. The stages by which the
-army was to march were all written down, but the troops were to halt every
-day at mid-day and take rest.</p>
-
-<p>About the 5th of Ramazán, the government of Moldavia was conferred
-on Ja’fer Páshá, who had been, formerly, Beglerbeg of Shirván, and that
-of Valachia, on Satúrjí Mohammed Páshá. The office of treasurer was
-conferred on Mohammed Beg of Yení Sheher. Twelve thousand men from
-these two provinces were ordered to be taken into pay.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Ferhád arrives on the Banks of the Danube.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The grand vezír, Ferhád Páshá, reached Rusjuk towards the end of
-Shevál, and immediately commenced preparations for erecting a bridge
-across the Danube. Artificers, brought from Nicopolis, were set to the
-work. From some prisoners who had been brought to the commander-in-chief
-he learned that the wicked and mischievous Michael had received a
-reinforcement, from Transylvania and Hungary, of about 70,000 troops,
-and that he was posted at Bekrish. About the commencement of Dhu’l
-Kadah, the Beglerbeg of Romeili, Hasan Páshá, joined the royal camp with
-four thousand troops, and brought along with him five hundred Valachian
-and Hungarian prisoners. The grand vezír and commander-in-chief, Ferhád
-Páshá, sat under a canopy supported by eight pillars, and superintended
-the erections which were carried on. The whole might have been
-completed in five or six days had it not been found necessary to extend the
-bridge to an island in the river, opposite Yerkok. To accomplish this
-object, the Sanjak chiefs were ordered to cut down trees suitable for the
-purpose, and to transport them to the spot where they were needed.
-Whilst these erections were going forward, arrangements were also made<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">56</a></span>
-to pay four divisions of troops which remained in the garrison of Belgrade;
-the Serdár himself intending, after he had chastised the rebel Michael, to
-remove to that city.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Ferhád is deposed.—Sinán Páshá raised to the Premiership.</i></h3>
-
-<p>It has already been observed how Ibrahím Páshá, the son-in-law of Sinán
-Páshá, and other sycophants of the latter, had effected a change in the
-emperor’s mind towards Ferhád. They at last succeeded in moving him to
-remove him from office altogether. Accordingly the seals of office, at the
-close of the month Shevál, were sent to Sinán Páshá, who, on being raised
-to the premiership, set immediately to work in seeking the destruction of
-his predecessor. He insinuated that Ferhád maintained a secret correspondence
-with the apostate Michael: that he meditated the utter ruin and
-destruction of the Moslem army: he accused him of negligence, infidelity,
-and treachery, and importuned his warrant: and, in order to encompass
-his death, he took the royal seal and signed a commission, which he sent to
-the deputy of the Janissaries, Ahmed Aghá, desiring him to execute this
-diabolical but earnestly desired object. He issued another order for taking
-possession of the arsenal and other stores which Ferhád had provided for
-the war. Before either of these firmáns reached the place of their destination,
-however, a friend of Ferhád had hastened, with all manner of speed,
-to inform him what was going on against him. The information had such
-an effect on the unfortunate Páshá, that his life, for a while, was despaired
-of. He was, however, able to make arrangements for his return. He
-informed a diván, called for the purpose, that he found it necessary to
-return to Constantinople, and therefore required some men to accompany
-him. He, accordingly, selected about three thousand veterans from the
-most valiant of the troops, and delivered over, secretly however, to Satúrjí
-Mohammed Páshá, his own seal, and all the stores to Mohammed Páshá.
-Having settled every thing relative to the troops that were to accompany
-him, he mounted his horse and set out for Constantinople. To avoid meeting
-the officer who had in charge the grand vezír’s firmán, he travelled by
-a different route, night and day, with the greatest speed.</p>
-
-<p>When the officer reached Rusjuk, he learned, to his surprise, that Ferhád<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">57</a></span>
-had set out two days before; but with the assistance of Satúrjí Mohammed
-Páshá, he immediately transmitted an account of this circumstance to Constantinople.</p>
-
-<p>Sinán Páshá was still in the metropolis. The Syrian troops, destined for
-the war, had arrived. Sinán informed them that a sentence of death had
-been issued against Ferhád. “His head is mine, his property yours,” said
-he, and sent off these fearless troops to intercept him.</p>
-
-<p>In the mean time Sinán Páshá busied himself in making arrangements
-for carrying on the war in Hungary. The Syrian troops, just now mentioned,
-fell in with Ferhád’s treasures, which were carried on camels.
-These they seized, whilst Ferhád himself stood on a rising ground at a distance,
-and saw what was going on. There is another version of this story.
-It says, that when these Syrians met Ferhád, he had the presence of mind
-to scatter some purses of silver and gold amongst the rapacious fellows,
-and made off with himself whilst they were scrambling for the booty thus
-thrown amongst them. The story goes on to say that the Syrians began
-to quarrel about the division of the spoil they had so very easily acquired,
-and that instead of fairly dividing it, each man set off with what fell into
-his own hands.</p>
-
-<p>Ferhád, in the meantime, succeeded in descending the mountains of
-Istrenj, and arrived at his own villa near Constantinople in the middle of
-Dhu’l hijja. Here he concealed himself, but sent all his treasures and
-jewels as a present to the emperor’s mother. This mode of applying his
-money had a wonderful effect, for the joyful news of his being about to be
-pardoned soon became public.</p>
-
-<p>The grand vezír, Sinán Páshá, reached Rusjuk, on the borders of the
-empire, before these things had transpired, and had other objects to occupy
-his attention, independent of Ferhád. But his son-in-law, Ibrahím Páshá,
-was still governor of Constantinople, and when he heard the report that Ferhád
-was to be pardoned, formed another plot for effecting his destruction,
-which succeeded, as the sequel will show. He employed one Soleimán,
-a German Jew, a well-known fellow, who succeeded in finding out where
-Ferhád had secreted himself, and afterwards sent him (probably by the
-same infamous Jew) a letter, as from the emperor, which conveyed to him<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">58</a></span>
-a free pardon. This, the poor man had no doubt, was an act of mercy
-from his sovereign, and therefore ventured out of his hiding-place and commenced
-paying visits to his friends. One morning, however, by break of
-day, his villa was surrounded, and himself made prisoner by the Bostánjí
-báshí, who conducted him forthwith to the Seven Towers. This took place
-on the 5th of Sefer, 1004. Ibrahím Páshá wrote out his indictment and
-laid it before the throne, and soon afterwards succeeded in obtaining the
-emperor’s warrant for taking away his life. Accordingly, Chobán Soleimán
-Aghá, a chávush báshí, strangled him in the Seven Towers that same night,
-before supper-time.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>A Reflection.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The late Ferhád Páshá was a man who had rendered many important
-services to his country whilst employed in the Persian war, and was one of
-those who had forwarded the elevation of the then reigning monarch; but
-he was rewarded, as we have seen, with disgrace heaped upon him, and,
-at last, with an ignominious death. The late emperor knew his value, and
-always showed him peculiar honour and respect. Sultán Mohammed Khán
-was a man who was free from guile and duplicity, and unacquainted
-with cunning and deceit; but he had not reached that degree of penetration
-which so much distinguished his father, and which would have secured
-him from putting too much confidence in his advisers, and have kept him
-from committing himself before he had made proper and strict inquiry.
-The result of the want of these qualities we have seen.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Sinán Páshá’s Operations in Valachia.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The new grand vezír, Sinán Páshá, left the plains of Dávud Páshá on the
-11th Dhu’l Kadah, passed through Adrianople, the pass of Chaluk
-Kovak, and, after encountering a thousand difficulties, reached the
-camp towards the end of the month. The above-mentioned bridge was
-in a state of completion, and about the middle of the month Dhu’l hijja,
-the grand vezír crossed over with his whole army. The troops of Romeili,
-with their Válí at their head, formed the advance guard: Satúrjí Mohammed
-Páshá, at the head of the Syrian troops, formed the right wing:
-the chiefs of Thessalonica and Nicopolis were appointed to watch the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">59</a></span>
-bridge: the ten galleys which had been ordered to convey military stores
-had reached Rusjuk, and on the 17th the army removed from Yerkok, and
-halted near a wood about four leagues distant from a narrow pass which led
-to Bekrish. A party was led forward to reconnoitre this pass, but they
-had scarcely approached it when they observed a cloud of dust, and soon
-afterwards saw the enemy’s troops advancing. The party retreated to
-the camp: the grand vezír girded on his sword, ordered planks to be
-placed over a marsh which lay in front, by which he made the Janissaries
-pass, and stationed them in a part of the wood. On the top of an eminence
-he placed ten pieces of ordnance, which did great execution, and with
-the middle division of his army he succeeded in driving back those of
-the enemy which were advancing upon him, and spiked their cannon which
-they had been obliged to leave behind them. A few only of the enemy
-were killed, but every thing was in favour of the Moslems, who now advanced
-upon them, and took their position near Kalúgirvan. The whole of
-the enemy were concentrated in the pass or valley of Bekrish, where they
-during the night lighted fires, made a tremendous noise and stir, and, at
-the same time, brought forward a great number of buffaloes.</p>
-
-<p>In the history called <i>Bahjet</i>, the account is thus related:—The Moslem
-army having halted in a marshy and woody spot near the bridge of Kalúgirvan,
-were soon attacked by a body of the enemy, whose cannon and
-small arms were most galling to them. In these circumstances, Satúrjí
-Mohammed Páshá, Haider Páshá, Hasan Páshá, and Mustafa Páshá, the
-son of Ayás Páshá, crossed the bridge with a considerable number of troops,
-and attacked them in return, and after a most dreadful conflict succeeded in
-securing ten of the enemy’s cannon, but were afterwards obliged to retreat,
-leaving their acquisition behind them. Mohammed Páshá, in the act of
-retreating, was wounded in the above-mentioned marsh. Hasan Haider
-and Mustafa sunk into the mud and perished. The grand vezír himself was
-also very unfortunate, for in this moment of confusion and retreat, he too
-was obliged to fly; and in doing so, fell into a morass. His body guards
-sought their own safety, and left him to shift for himself the best way
-he could. He got out, but soon fell into another; and in this predicament
-he continued till he was observed by a veteran Romeilian called<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">60</a></span>
-Hasan, who advanced towards him, took him on his back, and thus
-carried him out of the marsh. This hero, the deliverer of the grand vezír,
-acquired public fame for his heroism, and had the word “marsh” affixed
-to his name ever afterwards. He was, therefore, called Hasan Bátákjí,
-and became afterwards the commander of a body of heroes under Khoja
-Murád Páshá, honourably mentioned in the sequel of this history.</p>
-
-<p>On the night of the above-mentioned disastrous event, one of the Janissaries
-happened to lay down an unextinguished match upon some gunpowder,
-which, when it ignited, communicated itself to a great quantity of
-the same material which lay in its neighbourhood, and which produced so
-tremendous an explosion as to cause an universal cry of “Yá allah,” among
-the troops. The effect of this explosion on the infidel army was astonishing—for
-they supposed they were attacked by the Moslems, and to escape
-them they immediately retired. Michael hastened to Bekrish with the
-greater part of his army, whilst a smaller body made its way into Moldavia,
-but afterwards returned to join their infamous leader at Bekrish.</p>
-
-<p>The Moslems unable, in consequence of the fatigues they had endured the
-preceding day, to take advantage of the flight of the enemy, and thus gain
-the open field, retreated a little. Here they remained two days, during
-which time some prisoners were brought in, who informed them that the
-enemy had concentrated at Bekrish. Encouraged by this information,
-Hasan Páshá, on the 18th of the month, crossed over with his division,
-gained the plain beyond the valley or pass, and sent out a foraging party
-through the country, who returned with provisions, prisoners, and cattle.</p>
-
-<p>Michael, not thinking himself secure at Bekrish, retired to Terghúshta,
-and afterwards, from the same dread, penetrated the almost inaccessible
-mountains which form the boundaries of Transylvania. The grand vezír,
-now that the enemy had entirely disappeared, passed through the valley
-on the 20th and appeared before Bekrish, in the plains of which he pitched
-his tent. The churches of Bekrish were converted into mosques; and
-worship, according to Mohammedan usage, was performed in them. The
-ornaments and crosses which adorned the roofs of the churches, as well
-as the whole of the images and pictures which were placed in them, were
-totally demolished. Not a vestige of them was allowed to remain.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">61</a></span></p>
-
-<h3><i>A Council held.—A Fortress built.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The nobles and princes having assembled in the grand vezír’s pavilion,
-they consulted as to the most effectual method they should adopt to prevent
-Valachia and Moldavia from falling into the hands of the infidels; and also
-as to the difficulty there existed in keeping the inhabitants of these provinces
-under subjection. After these matters were fully discussed, it was
-resolved and agreed to: 1st, That an impregnable fortress should be built
-at Bekrish; and 2ndly, That a similar one should be erected at the pass of
-Terghúshta. After the passing of these resolutions, it was thought proper
-to transmit a report of affairs to the court of Constantinople for its approbation;
-and at the same time, the government of the country was conferred
-on Satúrjí Mohammed Páshá. When once these things were thus settled,
-the grand vezír and his nobles proceeded to the suburbs of Bekrish and
-measured off double the space of ground on which Alexandra, the Waiwoda’s
-Monastery stood, and which was formerly a fortress, and made preparations
-for commencing the first fortress mentioned in the resolutions adverted to
-above. The whole was completed in the space of twelve days after it was
-fairly commenced. But what more relates to this fortress we must reserve
-till we relate the events of the following year.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Concerning the Enemy’s Operations on the Frontiers.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Mohammed Páshá, son of Sinán Páshá, having been appointed commander-in-chief
-on the frontiers, went, at the commencement of the month
-Shevál, to Buda, where he properly housed a quantity of provisions which
-had been sent from Belgrade; and afterwards distributed troops among the
-military stations along the frontiers in that quarter. He himself went to
-Kiris Elias, where he pitched his camp. The beglerbeg of Anatolia, of
-Karamania, of Sivás, of Buda, of Temisvar, of Haleb, and of Scutari,
-the deputy-ághá of the Janissaries, the salihdárs of the Spáhís, and all
-the various troops regular and irregular, assembled at Old Buda, where a
-distribution of provisions and of other necessaries was made to them.</p>
-
-<p>About this time Osmán Páshá, beglerbeg of Yanuk, sent information
-that the Austrians were preparing to send a large army; and it so hap<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">62</a></span>pened
-that, towards the end of Dhu’l Kada, an army of 50,000 foot and
-20,000 horse laid siege to Osterghún. The Moslem serdár, or commander-in-chief,
-and the other beglerbegs, could muster no more than 10,000, and
-therefore prudently forbore attempting to offer battle to so immense a host.
-They accordingly took up their position on a hill opposite the enemy, and
-there meant to wait till they received more succour.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The Moslem Army advances to Osterghún, and are defeated.</i></h3>
-
-<p>About the commencement of the month Dhu’l hijja, the commander-in-chief,
-Sinán’s son, the beglerbeg of Buda; Súfí Sinán Páshá, the beglerbeg
-of Temisvar; Mikaeljelí Ahmed Páshá, the beglerbeg of Scutari; Teríakí
-Hasan Páshá, the beglerbeg of Haleb; Mohammed Páshá, and the beglerbeg
-of Yanuk, Osmán Páshá, advanced with the 10,000 lately mentioned
-to Osterghún, and took up their position immediately opposite the enemy.
-This was a fool-hardy step, and one for which they paid dearly: for that
-very day the battle commenced, and was continued for several days, when
-it ended in the discomfiture of the Moslem army, as might have been easily
-anticipated, considering the vast majority of the enemy. The following
-day, when the Moslems advanced to the conflict, they were encircled by a
-considerable body of the enemy, drawn up in regular order to receive them,
-but whom the Moslems, led on by Osmán Páshá, drove back, retaking at
-the same time Jegirdilen, a place of some strength, and spiked the whole of
-the cannon in it. Hitherto fortune seemed to declare for the orthodox
-army, but on the fourth day it experienced a reverse. In approaching Dipadilen,
-another place of strength, the Moslems were much annoyed by the
-small arms of the enemy, which played incessantly upon them. Here
-many of the brave Musselmans fell lifeless on the ground, and among
-them was Osmán Páshá. Another division of the Moslem army attacked
-the enemy’s trenches on the Danube, and got possession of them. Here
-they either slew or drowned in the river such of the enemy as fell into their
-hands: but alas! this act of heroism was dearly paid for; for on retiring
-from these trenches they were met by a strong augmentation of the enemy
-coming forward to the aid of those who had been in the trenches, when a
-most desperate and awful conflict ensued. The Serdár, thinking his Mos<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">63</a></span>lems
-were overpowered, turned his face towards Buda and set off. Others,
-seeing this, followed his example. Teríákí Hasan Páshá was no sooner
-made aware of the state of matters than he too ordered his tents to be
-struck, loaded his waggons with the heaviest of his baggage, caused oxen
-to be put to them and to his field-pieces—which had been kept as memorials
-of Soleimán—and moved off for Buda, whither the rest had fled.</p>
-
-<p>After this signal superiority gained by the enemy they proceeded, without
-any further resistance from the scattered army of the Serdár, to effect
-their original purpose, the reduction of Osterghún. But we must defer
-any further account of this till we relate the events of the following year.</p>
-
-<p>The Serdár Mohammed Páshá, after reaching Buda, and after his troops
-had found their way to that city, was in conformity to a resolution passed
-by a council of war, appointed to the government of Yanuk, and proper
-persons were also dismissed in order to assemble forces at Belgrade.</p>
-
-<p>When the enemy, stationed about Novograde, heard of the defeat sustained
-by the Moslems they were emboldened to lay siege to Wáj, but
-were repulsed with great loss. Finding they were unable for the task they
-had undertaken, they contented themselves with carrying off what cattle
-they could seize or drive off. But this also belongs to the affairs of the
-following year.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The Apostate Michael gains a victory.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The grand vezír, Sinán Páshá, after having seen the fortress completed,
-which he had ordered to be erected of wood at Bekrish, as before observed,
-placed a garrison of one thousand Janissaries and a thousand other troops in
-it, besides cannon and other implements of war for defence, and on the
-13th of Moharrem removed to the plains of Terghúshta. The inhabitants
-of this latter place having all fled before his arrival, he commenced building
-in it a fortress of wood, similar to the one erected at Bekrish, and ordered
-two deep ditches to be cut round it. The whole was completed in the
-space of a month; and after having placed a garrison in it, and supplied it
-with all kinds of necessary stores, he commenced his countermarch on the
-12th of the month Sefer.</p>
-
-<p>The grand vezír had scarcely reached the very first stage, however, before<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">64</a></span>
-the atrocious Michael started out of the woods and surrounded Terghúshta
-with his troops. The sound of his cannon was distinctly heard in the grand
-vezír’s camp. After three days of violent effort he took the place. Alí
-Páshá, Khoja Beg, and other persons of distinction, he caused to be fixed
-on spits and roasted before a fire: the rest of the garrison he made prisoners,
-set fire to the place, and withdrew. Information of this disaster reached
-the grand vezír the day it took place, and awakened the grief and sympathy
-of the whole army. Whilst they stood deploring the fate of the garrison,
-and of their brethren who had fallen into the hands of their merciless
-enemies, three hundred of these infidels issued out of the wood, not very
-distant from the Moslem camp, but they were all dispersed by a party of
-the Romeilian troops. The army now began to retrace their steps. After
-consulting as to the propriety of returning to Terghúshta, about which there
-existed a variety of opinion, they at last resolved on going to Bekrish,
-which they accordingly did. During fifteen days which the army was
-ordered to remain there, all the traders, whether belonging to the army or
-otherwise, were requested to remove in that space of time with their effects
-out of Bekrish, and retire to some other place of greater security. After
-this and other matters of importance were fully attended to, the guns and
-other stores belonging to this garrison were put on waggons and removed,
-and itself, so lately built, set fire to about midnight, when the troops left
-it to perish. After hastily passing through the pass of Bekrish they arrived
-at Yerkok, where they halted three days.</p>
-
-<p>On reaching this place, the grand vezír was confounded when he perceived
-that the bridge, which had been confided to a sufficient guard, across
-which ten thousand waggons and captives had passed, was now watched
-only by five. Formerly, the Moslem troops were in the habit of making
-excursions by this bridge into the country of Transylvania, and returning
-by the same with waggons loaded with spoil, thousands of captives, and
-with droves of cattle, sheep, and young horses, and which used to be sold
-in the Moslem camp. Here also a faithful custom-house officer used to sit
-and collect an impost which was levied on all such imports.</p>
-
-<p>The grand vezír was but a very few days at the above place when he
-learned that the apostate Michael was at his heels. Without waiting the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">65</a></span>
-arrival of this rebel he crossed over by night, and permitted his troops to do
-as they might be able. Before morning they succeeded in getting over part
-of their ordnance, whilst they were obliged to leave the remainder behind
-them. Whilst all were in confusion, and petrified with terror at the recent
-information, each one, concerned about himself, sought to save himself the
-best way he could. In these circumstances of confusion and terror the
-enemy appeared in the vicinity of Yerkok, and arrived in sufficient time to
-seize on all which yet remained to be passed over to the Moslem side.
-A party of the enemy, more like enraged swine, hastened forward to the
-edge of the river, and from an eminence sufficiently near, played with their
-cannon against the bridge, which soon gave way in the middle. Such of
-the retreating Moslems and baggage as were crossing at the time, fell into
-the river along with it, and were lost. Some of the unfortunate wretches
-who got hold of pieces of the bridge were carried down the stream, and
-their shrieks pierced the skies. All who had not been able to make their
-escape from Yerkok were butchered without mercy, and their blood made
-to flow in rivulets. In short, the slaughter was terrible. The cannon which
-fell into the hands of the enemy were directed, after they had burned the
-city, against the fortress. So very disastrous a retreat, as well as defeat,
-has never been recorded in any history.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The fortress of Yerkok taken.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The troops who were stationed in this garrison at this time shut themselves
-up in it, but the rabble-army, after three days’ bombardment, took
-it by storm on the 10th of the month Sefer, put every Mussulman within
-it to death, and afterwards directed its cannon against the grand vezír’s
-camp on the opposite side of the river. About this time information was
-received from Ghází Gheráí Khán, khán of the Tátárs, which apprised them
-that he had entered Moldavia with his Tátár army, and had brought the
-inhabitants of that province under subjection and promise of obedience; and
-further, that they had promised to deliver up the apostate Michael, the sole
-author of all the evils and mischief which had taken place. In the letter
-which they addressed to the khán, they requested that one of his emírs<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">66</a></span>
-might be appointed governor over them; but their chiefs not liking this
-arrangement, the thing was delayed.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Osterghún delivered up to the enemy.</i></h3>
-
-<p>In the month of Dhu’l hijja of last year the enemy, as we have seen, laid
-siege to the fortress of Osterghún, and after having defeated the army sent
-from Buda to oppose them, they redoubled their efforts against the above
-place, which at last the Moslems were necessitated to give up. This took
-place on the 1st, or about the beginning of the month Sefer. About forty
-or fifty Mussulmans, who were allowed to leave Osterghún, went by water
-to Buda.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Vishégrade is taken by the enemy.</i></h3>
-
-<p>After the reduction of Osterghún the enemy surrounded the fortress of
-Vishégrade, a place of considerable strength, not far from the above, and
-which, through the treachery of one Osmán, who had been degraded from
-the rank of an ághá of the Janissaries, was delivered over to the enemy;
-but the inhabitants and the garrison were allowed to retire to Buda. The
-above-mentioned apostate Osmán, in order to ingratiate himself with the
-King of Hungary, went and pointed out the vaults in which the Moslems
-had preserved their gunpowder, and which till then had not been discovered.
-The enemy carried the whole away in boats.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The Grand Vezír deposed.—Lála Mohammed Páshá made Grand Vezír.</i></h3>
-
-<p>When accounts of the ill fate of the expedition conducted by the grand
-vezír into Valachia, of the pusillanimity of his son, who permitted Osterghún
-to fall into the enemy’s hands; and who was the first who fled from
-the field of battle, and shut himself up within the fortress of Buda, were
-received at Constantinople, the whole of the Moslem population and the
-grandees of the state were roused to madness and indignation; and when
-the emperor was formally informed of these disgraceful circumstances, he
-immediately ordered the grand vezír, Sinán Páshá, to be deposed and to go
-to Mulghura. On the 16th of Rabia II. the seals were transferred to Lála<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">67</a></span>
-Mohammed Páshá, but who, on account of his bad state of health, was never
-able, with the exception of the day he had the honour of kissing the emperor’s
-hand, to attend to his duties in the diván. He died shortly after
-his elevation to the premiership.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Sinán Páshá is made Grand Vezír a fifth Time.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The káímakám of Constantinople, Ibrahím Páshá, of whom frequent
-though not honourable mention has been made, expected that on the death
-of Lála Mohammed Páshá, as well as on some former occasions, when a
-prime minister was degraded, that the emperor would confer the seals upon
-him. He was mistaken, and of course disappointed. The fact was,
-that the emperor had discovered before then that he was the principal
-cause of Ferhád Páshá’s murder, and was seized with a kind of horror
-and remorse, and therefore dismissed him from office and from his presence.</p>
-
-<p>The friends of Sinán, lately deposed and banished, were not idle. They
-threw a cloak over his faults, and represented his virtues and high qualifications
-for government in such a light as to induce his majesty to recall
-him from his exile, and to reinstate him (a fifth time) in his former office.
-He took his place in the diván about the end of Rabia II.</p>
-
-<p>A circumstance took place about this time which is worthy of being
-recorded. A great dispute having taken place between Ibrahím Páshá
-and his father-in-law, Sinán Páshá, the former accused the latter, in
-the presence of the diván, of maladministration, and charged him with
-being the cause of all the insurrections which had happened, by his
-having given places of trust and responsibility to men who were unfit to
-hold these offices. On another occasion Ibrahím spoke in the same strain
-in presence of the emperor, which so enraged Sinán that he said: “I am
-represented to your majesty as a person every way unfit to hold office, and
-though it be Ibrahím who has thought fit to do so, I challenge him to go
-down to the court, and there let us try the edge and strength of our daggers.”
-Thus saying, he seized him by his robes and thrust him out of
-the presence of the emperor. These were times in which rebellion and
-disorder, hatred and envy, reigned without; rudeness and asperity within;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">68</a></span>
-and had the effect of marring the tranquillity of all ranks and conditions.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Sinán Páshá’s counsel to the Emperor.</i></h3>
-
-<p>One day when the grand vezír was sitting with his imperial majesty he
-offered him the following counsel. “Sire,” said he, “it is inconsistent with
-sound policy to have a commander-in-chief in hostile countries, and it is
-incompatible for two to hold that office. In having a commander-in-chief,
-or a person of this description, it falls either to the grand vezír, or some
-other one of the vezírs, to hold it. If the grand vezír exercise this function,
-then the káímakám, in order to get himself into the vezírship, will throw all
-the hindrances he possibly can in his way, and no good will be effected.
-On the other hand, if it be a vezír who shall exercise that high office, then
-the grand vezír, for fear his services should, perchance, recommend him to
-hold the premiership, will, from mere envy, seek to hide what glory he
-may acquire in the service of his country. For how many years have
-ambition and envy of this kind been the cause of the ruin of our armies,
-and the wasting of our treasures, without producing the least benefit
-to the state, but, on the contrary, misfortune and disgrace! Do you,
-therefore, Sire, imitate the example set before you by Sultán Suleimán,
-and declare that you will, in person, take the chief command of the
-army in the present war with the infidels on the north of our frontiers.
-Do this, that, after you have gained victories, and restored the fading
-glory of the Ottomans, you may then have it in your power to make peace
-on honourable terms. The presence of the royal warrior in the midst of his
-camp will inspire the enemies of our religion and of our country with
-dread, and paralyze their efforts against us.” Khoja Sa’d-ud-dín Effendí,
-being of one mind with the grand vezír, confirmed his sentiments by an
-appeal to the practice of former emperors, who all commanded in person,
-and who, by their valour and heroism, extended the dominions of the
-Ottomans. The result was, that the grand sultán determined on joining
-his army, and on conducting it to battle in person.</p>
-
-<p>Accordingly, every preparation for furthering the views of the royal
-warrior was promptly attended to. Khoja Sa’d-ud-dín Effendí was ap<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">69</a></span>pointed
-to accompany the royal suite; and on the 1st of Rajab, 150,000
-ducats were delivered out of the royal treasury to Kara Mohammed Páshá,
-who was commissioned to proceed to Belgrade and make the necessary
-purchases of provisions for the army. Artificers were also sent out to mend
-the roads and bridges every where. Orders were issued to have all kinds
-of vessels, and all sorts of apparatus in a state of readiness on the Danube.
-The whole of the royal tents, &amp;c. were confided to the emperor’s chancellor,
-Hamza Páshá. To the chief master of the horse, Tarnákjí Hasan
-Aghá, in conjunction with a chávush, called Konáí Zádeh Mohammed,
-was committed the charge of collecting in Caramania and thereabouts the
-necessary number of beasts of burden for the war. In short, the preparations
-were decisive and complete.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Sinán Páshá’s death.—Ibrahím Páshá is made Grand Vezír.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Whilst the grand vezír, Sinán Páshá, was actively employed in carrying
-on the preparations alluded to in the preceeding section, death put an end
-to his blemished life. He did not survive the murder of Ferhád Páshá a
-full year. His death took place on the 5th of Shabán. Ahmed Aghá,
-Ketkhodá of the household troops, was deputed to carry the seals to Ibrahím
-Páshá, who happened, at the time they were sent to him, to be praying
-in St. Sophia. The learned and exalted men, Sa’d-ud-dín Effendí
-and others, besides vezírs, who were present in the temple when the seals
-were put into his hand, congratulated him on his elevation. After having
-finished their religious duties they accompanied the remains of the deceased
-grand vezír, and buried him in his own tomb, when the newly created one,
-Ibrahím Páshá, returned to his own palace.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Strife and contention between Sa’d-ud-dín Effendí and the Muftí.</i></h3>
-
-<p>On the third day after Ibrahím’s exaltation to the premiership, the
-reverend Effendí, Sa’d-ud-dín, went to pay him a visit, and to do him the
-honours due to his high office. Whilst the reverend father was sitting and
-holding friendly conversation with the grand vezír, letters were brought to
-his excellency, one of which was from Hasan Páshá, son of Mohammed
-Páshá. This letter informed him of the submission of the haughty Michael<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">70</a></span>
-and of the Boyárs of Valachia. As the exalted vezír was in the act of
-beginning to read these communications, the Muftí arrived to congratulate the
-new minister, and formed one of the company. These two magazines of
-learning and science sat, the one on the right and the other on the left hand
-of the grand vezír, resembling two lofty but firmly based mountains. These
-two august personages, being noble, were permitted, of course, to sit and
-speak in the sublime council. The papers above alluded to were put into
-the hands of the reverend Effendí, who began to read their contents in a
-loud voice, and gave his opinion freely on the points submitted to their
-consideration and judgment. But the Muftí, from motives dictated by
-envy, opposed and contradicted his reverend brother without ceremony.
-To his grave, wise, and straight-forward advice he would give no place.
-This circumstance, unfortunately, was the cause of producing a most serious
-altercation between the two reverend prelates, which put a complete stop,
-for the time being, to all further reading and cool deliberation. “Why,”
-said the reverend Effendí, “if the Boyárs of Valachia, and Michael, have
-petitioned for pardon, let no discouraging answer be returned to them.
-Let them only be required to deliver up Michael’s son, as hostage, in
-proof of the sincerity of their repentance. It is in this way, I propose,
-their letters ought to be answered.” The superior priest, or Muftí, under
-the influence of envy, opposed this judgment, and in his turn maintained,
-that no offers whatever ought to be accepted at the hands of the apostate
-Michael. The storm increased: mutual accusations ensued. To such a
-length, indeed, did these reverend fathers carry their animosity and personal
-reproach, that they completely exhausted the patience of the other emírs
-present. At length the Muftí rose up from his seat, turned himself to the
-grand vezír, and thus addressed him: “If it please your excellency, we
-have come hither for the purpose of congratulating you on your recent
-exaltation; not for contention and strife: may the most high Allah,
-therefore, bless you in your high office.” Thus saying, he returned to his
-own house. The other prelate was very much offended at the Muftí for his
-outrageous conduct, who, at the very commencement of their deliberations,
-began to oppose his opinion and advice, and then marched off in a pet.
-This, he said, was far from being honourable. However, he had this con<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">71</a></span>solation
-afforded him: his advice was adopted and followed. Orders
-accordingly were given to Músá Chelebí, the secretary, to prepare a suitable
-answer to Michael and the other Boyárs, and Sa’d-ud-dín Effendí
-returned home.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The Emperor of the Moslems prepares to set out for the scene of war.</i></h3>
-
-<p>By the time the spring arrived the preparations deemed necessary for the
-war were fully attended to, and on the 15th of Ramazán the different commanders
-were appointed. Immediately after the feast in the month of
-Shevál the royal pavilion was erected on the plains of Dávud Páshá. The
-ulemá and great men were ordered to join the royal suite, and record the
-deeds of the war. On the journey, Sa’d-ud-dín Effendí regaled the royal ear,
-in presence of his vezírs, by talking to him of foreign affairs. On reaching
-Adrianople, the reverend prelate’s second son, Izzet Effendí, a eunuch and
-cazí of Adrianople, applied to his father to importune the emperor in his
-favour for the cazíship of Constantinople. The father’s request was graciously
-granted. The grand army had scarcely commenced its march towards
-Philippopolis, when Izzet Effendí directed his course to the metropolis, but
-was disappointed. Abdul Helím Effendí, through the intercession of the
-queen-mother, was confirmed in the office of which Izzet thought himself sure,
-and was obliged to retrace his steps to the place whence he came. When
-his father had learned that his wishes respecting his son had been thwarted,
-he approached the grand vezír, and complained against the Káímakám
-Hasan Páshá, for his want of politeness, and of the disdain and contempt
-which had been shown to his son. The grand vezír went immediately and laid
-the affair before the royal presence, and added, that it had been owing to the
-intercession of the queen-mother the favour had not been granted: but
-something else he intimated ought to be conferred on the reverend priest
-as an equivalent. The monarch ordered his minister to create him a military
-judge, which was accordingly done. His father soon after this fell sick
-of a fever, but was fully restored to health by the time the city of Agria was
-taken.</p>
-
-<p>On the 8th of the month Dhu’l Kadah, the emperor removed from Adrianople,
-and after reaching Philippopolis, the fifth stage, the cazí of that city,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">72</a></span>
-Chelebí Kází, inspector of the river Ebras, gave him a splendid entertainment
-in a large pavilion erected for the occasion. During four days which
-the emperor passed in this city, nothing was seen or heard but demonstrations
-of joy. Chelebí Kází was confirmed in his office for life.</p>
-
-<p>When the emperor arrived at Batchina, Mohammed Páshá, son of Sinán
-Páshá, came with a choice body of troops and saluted him. Two days
-afterwards, Jeráh Mohammed Páshá, who was sent to Belgrade to collect
-provisions, &amp;c. for the army, came out to meet the emperor, and had the
-honour of kissing his hand. Shortly afterwards the emperor entered the
-city of Belgrade, where every thing had been prepared for the reception of
-the royal guest.</p>
-
-<p>Soon after his majesty entered Belgrade, his royal pavilion was erected
-on a small eminence opposite to the city, and demonstrations of joy were
-every where manifested by the roar of cannon and the firing of musketry.
-Provisions also were distributed among the troops, and a considerable
-quantity of the same article was sent in boats up the Danube to the fortresses
-on the frontiers. It is to be observed, however, that the emperor, who was
-exceedingly displeased with Mohammed Páshá, the son of Sinán Páshá, for
-having allowed the city of Osterghún to fall into the hands of the enemy,
-and for neglecting to watch the frontiers with greater vigilance than he had
-done, put him in prison, and confiscated the whole of his property. One
-Kishedhán Alí Chávush, a man lame in both his feet, and who had been
-appointed by the late grand vezír to be resident custom-house officer at Belgrade,
-was discovered to have been guilty of some crime or other, and therefore
-ordered to be executed before one of the gates of the city; but his
-majesty was satisfied with having him thrust into prison. Both these
-prisoners, however, were afterwards set at liberty, and Mohammed Páshá
-was reinstated in his vezírship. In consequence of the whole of his property
-having been confiscated, he was not in circumstances to enable him to
-accompany the army, and therefore remained at Belgrade. The munificence
-of his late fellow-prisoner, however, made up this deficiency to him,
-and he immediately set out and followed the royal camp.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">73</a></span></p>
-
-<h3><i>A Council held.</i></h3>
-
-<p>His majesty, the asylum of the world, removed from Belgrade, crossed
-the Save, and on arriving in the neighbourhood of Islancúmin, called
-a general council of all his princes, great lords, and high vezírs. In
-this council it was discussed whether it would be more advisable to commence
-their operations by first laying siege to Komran, or to proceed
-directly to Agria. To Jaghala Zádeh the first of these two proposals seemed
-the most proper; but the other vezírs opposed this. They said that
-Komran was a place of no note, and of no great importance: neither would
-the reduction of it reflect any great credit to their royal leader, nor very
-much intimidate the enemy. Agria, they maintained, and justly too, was
-a place of great importance, it being one of the largest and most populous
-cities of the Germans, the chief or principal one within the limits of Hungary;
-famed also for the mines which abound in its neighbourhood, and
-which are held in much esteem by the infidels. The reduction of this city
-and fortress, continued the speakers, will extend the glory and promote the
-honour of the Moslem religion. This speech had the effect it was intended
-to have; and, accordingly, the army, in order to reach Segdin, in the
-enemy’s country, passed the fortresses of Tetul and Waradin, when the ághá
-of the Janissaries was ordered to proceed with carpenters and erect a bridge
-of boats across the Danube; which he accomplished in the space of four
-days. The emperor, vezírs, and the army, after having crossed this bridge,
-waited a whole day, until all the ordnance and heavy baggage were also
-safely got across, when they proceeded to the plains of Segdin, and pitched
-their camp opposite that fortress.</p>
-
-<p>Here the royal camp was joined by the army of Romeilia with their beglerbeg,
-Hasan Páshá, a heroic vezír, at their head, and the sight of whom
-inspired the royal troops with animation and courage. His battering cannon
-he caused to be transported in boats along the Danube from Widin;
-and among other important services which he rendered on this occasion, he
-caused all the other Romeilian princes to be sent down the river Tisse to
-Segdin.</p>
-
-<p>The army was not long at Segdin before a number of letters were pre<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">74</a></span>sented
-before the royal presence by a deputation from the borders, which
-set forth the conduct of the detestable enemy in laying siege to Khutván,
-and many other grievances which these infidels had given occasion to complain
-of. The deputation added, that if immediate aid were not afforded, the
-besieged Mussulmans would inevitably fall into the hands of the enemy and
-perish.</p>
-
-<p>To prevent, therefore, the disgrace of allowing these Mussulmans to
-perish by the enemy’s sword, Jaghala Zádeh was ordered to proceed with
-a party of troops to their aid, and beat off the besiegers. But Jaghala
-Zádeh, another son of Sinán Páshá, was too tardy in his movements, and
-before he had time to arrive to afford aid to Khutván, it was in the hands
-of the abject enemy. All the men, women, and children were put to death,
-and the fortress itself was made level with the ground. The conduct of Jaghala
-Zádeh on this occasion was such as deserved the severest punishment; but
-being highly esteemed and of noble birth, he not only escaped with impunity,
-but even without reproof, a circumstance which is truly marvellous
-and confounding.</p>
-
-<p>About this same time, also, the troops created a tumult, and complained
-against Hájí Ibrahím Páshá, the treasurer, under the pretext of not receiving
-their dues; for which reason the treasurer was deposed and Kej Dehán
-Alí, a chávush báshí, was appointed in his stead. On the 18th of the
-Moharrem the troops were all paid their wages, each man receiving his
-usual allowance.</p>
-
-<p>After the army had reached the vicinity of the fortress of Sonluk they
-disembarked their serpent and dragon-mouthed cannon, which they had
-conveyed thither by water, and transported them on sledges drawn by
-oxen towards Agria, as also their heavy baggage. The royal camp, after
-three other stages were accomplished, reached, without being observed, an
-open field in the skirts of the city, where the necessary quantity of arms
-and ammunition was immediately distributed among the troops.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Agria besieged.</i></h3>
-
-<p>It was on the 28th of Moharrem that the Sháhin-Sháh of the universe
-pitched his royal camp in the plains of Agria. The two first days were<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">75</a></span>
-employed in arranging the machinery for making the ditches and raising
-mounds, and in examining the ground.</p>
-
-<p>Agria appeared, in the distance, like a mountain. The top of the fortress
-was hid in the clouds; its towers rose one above another; and its lofty
-buildings and turrets filled the eye. The fortress itself was situated on a
-high hill, and three parts of it presented a rock, on which was built a
-wall so firmly constructed that cannon could hardly affect it. A huge
-mineral rock adjoined it on the south side, and as a guard to their outer
-works or fortifications, there was an immense deep ditch cut in front of
-them. In short, it was a place of the utmost strength—a first-rate fortress.
-There were in it at this time two princes; the one a relation of the Emperor
-of Austria, who was the commander of the Germans in it; the other
-the Prince of Hungary.</p>
-
-<p>Before the commencement of hostilities the following communication was
-sent to the two above-mentioned chiefs, and to the inhabitants of Agria.
-“Be it known to the princes and all others in the city of Agria that we
-(the Emperor of the Ottomans) have come with the intention of reducing
-it. We, therefore, call upon you, in the name of the most High Allah, to
-embrace our religion. If you become Mussulmans, then we promise you
-shall sustain no injury from us, but shall be allowed to live in tranquillity
-and in the possession of all your property. If, on the other hand, you will
-not be converted, but continue obstinate at all hazard, then we command
-you to abandon your present position, and to set out for some other country.
-In the event of your not embracing either of the alternatives now proposed,
-and prepare to offer resistance; if you fire one cannon, musket, or mortar
-at us and our army, then, by God and by God’s prophet, we shall commence
-a general slaughter, and not one of you shall escape. Let this be known to
-you.” The person who carried the above to Agria was seized as a spy and
-put into prison.</p>
-
-<p>In the meantime, however, the Moslem troops entered into the trenches
-they had before this prepared, and during the night planted their ordnance
-in the most proper position for annoying the walls and the sides of the
-citadel. When all was in a state of preparation the Moslems cried <i>Allah!
-Allah!</i> and commenced the work of destruction. Day and night the firing<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">76</a></span>
-of cannon and musketry and the bursting of mortars ceased not. The sound
-and roar of these instruments of death from both sides shook the earth,
-whilst the volume of smoke formed a black cloud above and around them.
-The brave, the heroic, the orthodox Moslems relaxed not in their mighty
-efforts, nor once turned away their faces from danger.</p>
-
-<p>After a whole week’s constant fighting, as above described, the Moslems
-succeeded in taking the outer line of the enemy’s fortifications, and drove
-the enemy within the inner one. The Moslems slackened not in pressing
-them hard; and by the constant springing of mines they at last effected a
-breach; but in consequence of a constant fall of rain for some days they
-found it impossible, though they made several heroic attempts, to scale
-the walls. The artillery, however, continued to play with effect.</p>
-
-<p>On the 18th of the month Sefer the command of the Janissaries was
-conferred on Mustafa Aghá. Next day, which was the Sabbath, and the
-19th of the month, the rain fell in torrents, and the difficulty of succeeding
-in reducing the place appeared to be greater than ever; yet by constantly
-and unweariedly, and under every difficulty, persevering in their efforts,
-they brought the besieged, about noon of that day, to capitulate for their
-lives.</p>
-
-<p>Next morning two begs and eight sons of begs came forth to the trenches
-to the vezírs, whilst Begtásh Beg, beg of Sonluk, was sent into the city as
-a hostage till the articles of the capitulation were fully settled and signed.
-This negotiation being over the commissioners were conducted into the
-imperial presence, when they informed his majesty that one or two of them
-wished to embrace Islamism. Immediately they were clothed in white
-robes, and the drums throughout the camp began to beat in token of victory,
-and great rejoicings took place. The beglerbeg of Romeili, the ághá
-of the Janissaries, the commander of the artillery, and the head of the
-arsenal, entered the city and took possession of it in the name of the Emperor
-of the Ottomans.</p>
-
-<p>On the 20th of the last-mentioned month, the commander of the Spáhís
-was ordered to conduct the weak and half-famished garrison of Agria, in
-conformity to the articles of capitulation, which guaranteed to them their
-lives, to the end of the first stage; but unfortunately for them, though the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">77</a></span>
-emperor had promised them every security, and even granted them passports,
-the men of the borders and the Tátár military, roused with indignation
-and thirst for revenge, when they remembered the fate of the inhabitants
-of Khutván, seized on what weapons lay nearest to them, and
-massacred them all before they got out from among the tents. Not one of
-them escaped, and their number amounted to about 5,000. The two princes
-who had the command in Agria were sent to Belgrade.</p>
-
-<p>The victorious Moslems commenced repairing the breaches which their
-own artillery had effected in the walls of Agria, and on the same day, <i>i.e.</i> on
-the 20th, the beglerbeg of Caramania, Khezr Páshá, and the begs of Sonluk
-and Segdin, were ordered to repair to Khutván and commence rebuilding
-it. Dilsiz Aghá was sent off to Constantinople with tidings of the fall of
-Agria. On the 23rd provisions were distributed among the various troops.
-The guns in the trenches were all conveyed into the fortress. On the 25th,
-being the day of assembly (Friday), the emperor and his suite converted
-the large churches of Agria into mosques, in which public devotion was
-performed.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The Moslems are threatened by another immense host of Infidels.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Some captives, who had been seized by Moslem spies, informed the
-Osmánlí camp that Maximillian, with an army of 100,000 foot and horse,
-composed of Bohemians, Poles, Italians, Spaniards, and others, was encamped
-in the valley of Mehaj not far from Tokái, and only three stages
-distant from Agria, where he had erected fortifications. This information
-had only the effect of awakening more strongly the enthusiasm of the
-Muselmans, who all with one voice declared they would either bring renown
-on the Muselman name, or perish for their religion. The news,
-however, turned out to be true.</p>
-
-<p>In the <i>Fateh námeh</i> it is said, that when it was known that the Ottomans
-were collecting troops on the frontiers, and marching towards Agria, an
-army of 300,000 men levied by the kings of Vienna and Spain, by the
-Pope, and the ruler of Transylvania, in short by the seven European
-monarchs, assembled also in the vicinity of Agria. This mighty host was
-furnished with one hundred pieces of ordnance, and with every kind of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">78</a></span>
-military apparatus. Its object was, so soon as the Moslem army was fairly
-engaged in carrying on the siege of Agria, suddenly to surround their camp,
-and cut them to pieces. The fate of Agria, however, reached them before
-they found an opportunity of accomplishing their object, and caused them
-to alter their manœuvres. They retreated two stages, but it was only with
-the view of deceiving. Their real purpose was, when they found the
-Moslem army had retired from Agria, to return with all their force and
-retake it: but the Moslems, who were informed of their movements, as well
-as of their purposes, resolved on anticipating them on their own ground.</p>
-
-<p>Maximillian being lame and afflicted with blindness, the crown was conferred
-on his brother, Duke Matthias, and with it the whole command of the
-army. It is related in some history, that after the Duke and the ruler of Hungary
-had united in their hostility against the Osmánlís, they debated over
-their cups about the propriety of attacking the Moslem camp. Other
-histories say, however, that it was the Austrian minister to whom the joint
-command was given.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Ja’fer Páshá sent with a body of Troops to surprise the Enemy.</i></h3>
-
-<p>After it had been fully ascertained what the enemy meditated to do,
-Ja’fer Páshá, one of the most illustrious vezírs, and an eunuch, was dispatched
-with a chosen body of various troops to surprise the enemy in their
-strong-hold. Ja’fer Páshá, on leaving the camp, began to reflect what the
-issue of the expedition on which he was sent might be, and therefore sent
-out spies, who brought him intelligence with regard to the numerical force
-of the enemy, which was immense. Ja’fer Páshá, on receiving the above
-intelligence, sent word to his Majesty that his offering to contend with such
-a vast multitude with so small a force as he possessed, could only terminate
-in disgrace and ruin. For his own part, he said, the thought of his
-own life gave him no concern, and that at all times he was ready to
-sacrifice it, when necessary, for the honour and glory of the Mohammedan
-Faith: to proceed to the assault, therefore, under such circumstances,
-could not fail, as he had before observed, to throw disparagement on the
-Supreme authority: the great men in the camp however said, that this
-story was a mere pretence; and, in order to remove it, proposed sending<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">79</a></span>
-the governor of Romeili with his Romeilian troops to his assistance.
-This proposal was accompanied by bitter reproach, and of course was
-very discouraging; yet Ja’fer Páshá, notwithstanding all this untoward
-aspect of things, attempted to face the enemy with the forces he had.
-After having girded on his arms he divided his artillery into two divisions,
-and having rescued his men out of the mud into which they had sunk,
-conducted the whole to a secure spot, but from which the enemy could not
-yet be observed. It was not long however before they began, like black
-mountains, to make their appearance, and seemed as if they covered the
-whole surface of the plains of Mehaj. Ja’fer Páshá, with a select body
-of borderers, ascended an eminence in order to get a view of the enemy’s
-camp, which had the appearance of an extended sea, whose raging billows
-beat against the shore. Though the troops of Ja’fer Páshá amounted only
-to three thousand, he resolved, few in comparison though they were, to
-attempt something, and prepared to engage some of these iron-cased
-infidels. They on perceiving his boldness dashed towards his standard and
-knocked it down. The contest became general. Ja’fer himself fought
-most desperately, though almost up to the breast in mud and water; and
-continued thus to show his bravery, till all who were about him either
-perished or fled from the contest, and he himself was nearly taken prisoner:
-such was the heroic boldness which this brave man evinced on this
-occasion of unequal battle. Several of the ághás came up to him and
-begged him on bended knees to retreat. “It was no bravery,” they
-observed, “for a handful of men to contend with a host; it was not
-necessary, in order to escape the reproach of the enemy, to throw one’s self
-into utter ruin and destruction: it was impossible for a small number of
-men, however valiant they might be, and where there was not <i>one</i> to a
-thousand, either to resist such a vast multitude as that with which they
-then contended, or even to make an impression upon it. Return,” they
-still continued, “return to the Moslem camp, and do not be the cause
-of the destruction of troops whom no one will blame. Such conduct can
-never advance the general interest.” This exhortation had not the desired
-effect on the mind of the valorous chief. It was night before he consented
-to yield to their entreaties. One Ahmed, in consequence of the darkness<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">80</a></span>
-of the night, led his horse to the gates of Agria. The whole of his
-ordnance and heavy baggage fell into the hands of the enemy. About
-thirty or forty of the men perished; and had not night come on, not one of
-those who had entered the lists with the iron-cased soldiery would have
-escaped alive. Their retreat was however marvellously quick, for they
-performed in one night a journey of three days.</p>
-
-<p>The emperor, on receiving intelligence of the above disaster, which was
-now become public, was displeased with Ja’fer, reprimanded him for his
-adventurous mode of attack, which ought to have been made during the
-night, deposed him from all his offices, and granted his principality to
-Mohammed Páshá, Sinán Páshá’s son.</p>
-
-<p>On the morning after the disaster above described took place, the grand
-vezír, the reverend prelate, Sa’d-ud-dín, the vezírs and other magnates
-assembled in the royal pavilion, in order to take into grave consideration
-the propriety of giving the enemy battle or not. In this august assembly
-most of the grandees opposed the experiment of offering the enemy battle.
-The excellent and reverend Sa’d-ud-dín, however, formed an exception.
-He rose and addressed the assembly in the following heroic speech:
-“Doubtless, it is right,” said he, “to give battle to the enemy of our
-religion and perish to a man, rather than suffer their insult to pass unnoticed
-and with impunity: for should they perceive any unwillingness on our
-part to meet, or if they see us begin to retrace our steps, then most
-assuredly they will attack us. To act in this way, would be like alluring a
-bird into a gin. More especially,” continued he, raising his voice, “was
-it ever heard that an emperor of the Ottomans turned away his face from
-danger!” And even after the members who composed this council entered
-the royal apartment, he continued to express the same sentiments and with
-the same freedom—and again added: “the situation in which this fortress
-(Agria) is situated, is far from being favourable to our engaging with them
-in so narrow a space. Should they, for instance, succeed in placing their
-artillery on the surrounding hills, we shall find it hard work to resist them.
-The plains where the enemy now lies encamped afford ample space for
-performing heroic exploits: thither let us march. This is the first and only
-thing which ought to be attended to. We must attack them and not they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">81</a></span>
-us.” So much for the reverend prelate. The bold and heroic speech of the
-veteran priest made a deep impression on the heart of his royal master, and
-awakened within him that innate bravery which he had inherited from his
-ancestors.</p>
-
-<p>It was proposed by some in the assembly, that Hasan Páshá, the válí
-of Romeili, should be appointed to conduct the next attack. This was
-opposed. To conduct so important an expedition as the one now contemplated,
-it was absolutely requisite, not only that the whole of the army
-should be called into requisition, but that the emperor himself should be its
-conductor. This last proposition met with the royal approval, when the
-discussion, of course, came to an end. The Reïs Effendí immediately sent
-off dispatches to Sultán Fateh Gheráí, brother to the Tátár khán, in which
-he instructed him to be on the look-out for such stragglers as might chance
-to fall in his way.</p>
-
-<p>After the above-mentioned assembly or council broke up, the grand
-vezír Ibrahím Páshá entered into the fortress, and made a selection of such
-pieces of ordnance as could most easily be made use of in the approaching
-conflict. Among other arrangements which the grand vezír attended to,
-he appointed Súfí Sinán Páshá and Lála Mohammed Páshá, governor of
-Anatolia, with his provincial troops, to take charge of the garrison or
-rather fortress of Agria. Towards evening he returned to the emperor’s
-pavilion, when a note from the reverend prelate was put into his hand;
-it imported, that if the Anatolian troops were to occupy the fortress of
-Agria, his majesty, when he entered the field of battle in consequence of
-this arrangement, would necessarily be defenceless on one side. “This,”
-said the sagacious prelate, “is a dangerous thing. If the enemy should
-even attempt to get possession of Agria, its present garrison is sufficiently
-able to hold out till succours can be sent to them. From the garrison, in
-the day of battle, no aid can be expected. It is therefore proper that the
-troops of Anatolia, according to ancient custom, be appointed to form the
-right wing.” Lála Mohammed Páshá was, accordingly, ordered to be in
-readiness with the troops under his command.</p>
-
-<p>After having made a distribution of provisions to those employed in
-repairing the breaches and appointed to garrison the fortress, many of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">82</a></span>
-whom were very ill off, the zealous, the orthodox army stood fully prepared
-to take the field.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The Orthodox Army advances to attack the Enemy.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Early in the morning of the 1st of the month of Rabia II. after the troops
-were all properly adjusted, and when his Majesty, the asylum of the
-world, had mounted his steed with pomp and great glory, the moslem,
-the orthodox legions, commenced their march, which they continued till
-after mid-day, when they happened to halt at the very place at which Ja’fer
-Páshá halted, when he was sent to surprise the enemy, as before related.
-The grand vezír lost no time in advancing a little farther, in order to
-reconnoitre the enemy’s camp and apparent strength; and having made his
-observations, he determined in his own mind on commencing hostilities on
-the following day. He reached his own tent towards evening, and after
-having offered up his devotions, he was suddenly put into a state of
-surprise by the appearance of a royal letter which was brought to him from
-the emperor, and which was as follows: “I appoint thee, my lálá or
-adviser, to be commander-in-chief in this war: may I not return to Constantinople?”
-The grand vezír, as may easily be conceived, was utterly
-confounded and astonished at this sudden and unexpected change in the
-emperor’s views, and hastened to consult the Reïs Effendí on the subject.
-They were not long together, however, when a messenger arrived to call
-them to the emperor, who wished to see them. They proceeded to the
-royal pavilion together, and it was about supper-time when they reached
-it. Here they were met by Ghaznafer Aghá, the steward of the royal
-house, who took the vezír aside and conversed with him privately, and
-both afterwards entered into the royal apartment, and laid themselves down
-to sleep there. It was not long after they had laid themselves down, when
-behold, sixty-three iron-cased captives, which were sent by Fateh Gheráí
-Sultán, were arranged before the royal pavilion. The object in sending
-these prisoners was to elicit from them information respecting the enemy,
-and the grand vezír and Ghaznafer were soon on the spot to put the proper
-interrogatories to them. The grand vezír said to Ghaznafer in their hearing,
-“Let the money promised by our gracious emperor be paid to these men,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">83</a></span>
-and let them have security afforded to them of their personal safety.” The
-ághá replied, that he would do all these things. This stratagem of the vezír
-and the ághá had the effect intended, <i>viz</i>. that of making the prisoners tell
-all they knew concerning their late associates in arms. They confirmed the
-account, more than once received before, of the confederacy formed among
-the European powers for annihilating the Ottoman dominions; and moreover,
-that Zughmund, the bán or chief of Transylvania, was amongst the enemy.
-The prisoners, after having given the above information, were immediately
-slain, and the grand vezír returned to his own tent.</p>
-
-<p>Early the following morning, the 4th of the month, the troops were
-again put into motion; but they left their heavy baggage behind them.
-The emperor, with his right and left-hand troops, marched at a slow pace,
-and halted at so great a distance from the enemy as to secure himself from
-the reach of their cannon. This, however, was considered to be a disgrace;
-and it was after showing him the impracticability of any contact whatever
-at such a distance, that he ventured a little farther in advance, when he
-ordered a general halt.</p>
-
-<p>The royal personage now took up his position in front of his own standard,
-and was supported by six divisions of his troops. The vezírs, according
-to their rank, stood on his left, and the reverend prelate Sa’d-ud-dín and
-two military judges on his right. The whole of their cattle and such heavy
-baggage as they were obliged to carry along with them, were put under
-the charge of a party of cavalry in the rear. The Janissaries, full of
-enthusiasm, and ardent for contest and battle, were placed in advance.
-The cannon-waggons were all chained and bound together in front of the
-monarch and his royal suite. Hasan Páshá, Válí of Romeili, and the Beglerbeg
-of Temisvar, took up their position on one side; and the Beglerbeg
-of Anatolia, Lála Mohammed Páshá, the Beglerbeg of Caramania, the Beglerbeg
-of Haleb, and the Beglerbeg of Merœsh, in conformity with ancient
-custom, took up their position on the other side (<i>i.e.</i> these chiefs commanded
-the right and left wings which were composed of their respective troops).
-The advance guard was put under the command of Jaghaleh Zádeh.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">84</a></span></p>
-
-<h3><i>The Battle of the first Day.</i></h3>
-
-<p>After the two hostile armies were once confronted, Sinán Páshá, belonging
-to the Cherkess (Circassian), Fateh Gheráí and Murád Páshá, the Beglerbeg
-of Diárbeker, besides some other valiant and heroic chiefs, rode forth in front
-on their prancing horses, and giving the cry of war, rushed forward, sword
-in hand, to the bloody conflict and to death. They were, however, very
-much impeded in consequence of the marshy nature of the ground. This
-marsh, which resembled a small river, and which could only be forded at
-certain places, was occasioned by water which issued from the valley of
-Mehaj, and in which the enemy’s camp was strongly fortified. The conflict,
-however, was begun, and became hotter and hotter. The vezírs
-stepped alternately forward and encouraged and animated the divisions, as
-they moved onwards to the mighty contest, and returned again to the
-emperor and reported progress. In consequence, however, of the enemy’s
-cannon doing execution at a great distance, the orthodox troops were not
-able to get sufficiently close to their antagonists. About mid-day a cannon-ball
-passed over the emperor’s head, but fortunately it did harm to
-no one; though it clearly showed that the emperor’s person was in a dangerous
-situation, and therefore his majesty was conveyed to a tent which
-belonged to Yúnus Aghá, the commander of the cavalry, who afterwards fell
-a martyr. The well-ordered divisions, nevertheless, maintained their ranks
-unbroken, and continued firm.</p>
-
-<p>On the opposite side of the marsh there was a dilapidated church which
-formed a covert to thousands of the enemy, and against whom the Cherkajís
-had hitherto directed their efforts. It happened, however, that the
-body defended by this church rushed forth to the amount of several thousands,
-and like wild swine, or as if enraged with wine, commenced fording
-the marsh or river, in the intention of coming into close quarters with their
-assailants. At this favourable moment, the Moslems showered volleys of
-ball amongst them, and Jaghaleh Zádeh, who was posted behind a hillock,
-coming up at the same time with his Cherkajís, did immense execution,
-wounding and killing vast numbers of them: so much so indeed, that he
-almost filled that part of the marsh with their carcasses. Their drums and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">85</a></span>
-kettle-drums were seized, and such of their officers as were taken alive,
-were conducted before the royal presence. Those of them who escaped
-were terror-struck, and endeavoured to regain their strong-hold, but were intercepted
-by a body of Tátárs who made them all prisoners, and brought
-them bound in chains to the emperor, who commanded that their bonnets
-(<i>i.e.</i> their heads) should be made to roll on the ground.</p>
-
-<p>Fortune, hitherto, declared herself in favour of the orthodox army; but
-night coming on, and the atmosphere becoming dark and cloudy, both sides
-retired from the conflict for the night. Several of the Musselman veterans
-threw down their burdens on the spot, and waited with cheerfulness of
-mind for a renewal of the contest. Others, however, pitched their tents and
-went to rest. But, in fact, such was the tumult and confusion altogether,
-that the greater part of the cavalry chose to rest all night in their saddles.
-The sentinels were every where placed, and silence at length ensued, till
-the following morning when the battle was renewed.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The Battle of the second Day.—The Defeat of the Enemy.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The morning at length arrived. It was the 5th of the month, and the
-day of the Sabbath (Saturday). His imperial majesty was on horseback
-by daylight; the drums were ordered to beat; the victorious troops
-were arranged in proper order; and, placing their confidence in God,
-they advanced with boldness to meet the enemy of their religion. They
-perceived that none of the enemy occupied the position where the church,
-which yesterday afforded them shelter, stood, but that a great number of
-them had concentrated themselves near a church on the plain, about half
-a league distant from the left ford, finding it impracticable to defend the
-other fords. The orthodox army, like the raging sea, rushed forward,
-crossed the river, and prepared to attack their fortifications: the Janissaries
-put their hands to their muskets; the field-pieces were properly stationed,
-and each man stood in his place ready to commence at the first signal.
-The emperor himself did not cross the river, but remained in a tent which
-was erected for him on the bank. Jaghaleh Zádeh, who commanded the
-Cherkajís or vanguard, took up his position immediately in front of the
-enemy.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">86</a></span></p>
-
-<p>Notwithstanding all this hostile attitude in which the Moslem, the orthodox
-troops, arrayed themselves before their enemies, they, singularly
-enough, never once showed their faces till about mid-day, though in fact
-they had made every preparation. Suddenly, however, about that time
-of the day, their foot soldiery came pouring forth in chariots, and after them
-the iron-cased dragoons, troop after troop, to the amount in all of fifteen or
-sixteen thousand, and formed, as it were, an irresistible barrier. Their
-field-pieces were placed in the most excellent order. At every step almost
-they fired their muskets and discharged their cannon, and continued
-advancing on the Moslem army like a horde of swine, whom even <i>Rustam</i>
-and <i>Zál</i><a name="FNanchor_5_5" id="FNanchor_5_5"></a><a href="#Footnote_5_5" class="fnanchor">5</a> would hardly think of resisting. Their columns resembled
-mountains of iron, and their lines seemed incapable of being broken. The
-right wing of the Moslems gave way, and were thrown into confusion: the
-left, composed of the household troops, after making a mighty and heroic
-resistance, was overpowered, when the enemy forced their way to the
-Moslem side of the marsh. At this moment of vehement struggle and
-impetuous movement, the Tátár troops advanced and supported their chief
-Fateh Gheráí, and thus checked, in some degree, the progress of the enemy.
-That part of the enemy which had succeeded in throwing the right wing
-into confusion made a strong effort to reach the royal tent, and was only
-restrained for a short time by the Romeilian troops, brought up by Hasan
-Páshá, who with the utmost celerity attacked them in the rear, but was
-again repulsed by the briskness of the enemy’s fire. The Spáhís, weakened
-by the fatigue they had undergone, and hopeless of victory, were obliged
-to withdraw. The rest of the troops, perceiving the field thus clear of their
-companions in arms, conjectured at once that the emperor had fled, and
-therefore immediately turned about, some taking the road to Belgrade, some
-to Buda, and thus leaving the enemy complete masters of the field. The
-victorious enemy now commenced the work of spoliation: they entered
-the Moslem tents and laid their hands on every thing which came in
-their way. Five thousand of these wretches came within bow-shot of
-the emperor’s sejada, or prayer-carpet, when the most desperate struggle
-ensued. Musselman and Káfir, laying aside their muskets, betook them<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">87</a></span>selves
-to their swords, and fell to cutting and slashing each other with the
-most deadly animosity. The vezírs and nobles rallied round his majesty’s
-person, and defended him with the most heroic bravery; and when some of
-the execrated wretches endeavoured to cut the cords of the royal tent, the
-ághás who were within it rushed out and slew them. It was a period
-which might be called an antetype of the day of the resurrection, wherein
-these Moslems, a mere handful, evinced the warm and genuine feelings of
-their loyal hearts. The reverend prelate, Sa’d-ud-dín, was not wanting in
-his duty: he translated, explained, and enforced the following sentiment:
-“Victory is gained by patience, and after difficulty comes prosperity,”
-which was calculated both to console and tranquillize the afflicted monarch’s
-mind: he augured, also, a happy reverse.</p>
-
-<p>The despicable but now triumphant infidels, thinking themselves perfectly
-secure from any further annoyance from the defeated Moslems, were
-intent only on acquiring spoil. God did not let them, however, escape
-without a mark of his signal vengeance. They dispersed themselves among
-the tents of the royal camp in search of booty, and thus became divided.
-Their minds were engrossed wholly in this way, and it so happened, by the
-providence of God, whilst fearlessly thus employed, that the grooms, cooks,
-muleteers, camel-drivers, grooms, and other servants which remained in the
-camp, perceiving the scattered condition of their vile visitors, seized, some
-on axes, some on knives, or whatever other weapon fell into their hands,
-and fell upon these regardless spoliators, and slew as many of them as they
-were able. This unlooked-for retaliation so terrified these robbers that
-they all fled, and never halted till they got beyond their own fortifications.
-The cry that the infidels were routed was now sounded, and spread like
-wildfire every where. The affrighted Moslems returned from their hiding-places
-and commenced pursuing the fugitives, and slew immense numbers
-of them. According to the most authentic accounts it appears, that in this
-pursuit the pursuing army, lately vanquished but now triumphant, killed
-no less than 100,000 of these infidels. The victory was most decisive: the
-fear of the Moslems so seized upon them that they fled in all directions.
-The Moslem pádisháh (emperor) was declared conqueror in the battle of
-Mehaj: his righteous cause triumphed, and the fame of Islamism and that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">88</a></span>
-of the Ottoman empire was raised to the highest renown. Never at any
-former period did any emperor, by so simple and so extraordinary a means,
-acquire so much glory. Some, however, have given a very different account
-of this battle.</p>
-
-<p>The Defterdar (treasurer or recorder) Ibrahím Effendí, who himself was
-present in this war, relates it thus: On the morning of that day (<i>i.e.</i> on
-which the Moslems were defeated, but afterwards became conquerors, as
-above related), the Moslem army directed their movements towards the
-church situated near the lake; but finding the enemy had retreated within
-their fortifications they advanced, after having crossed the ford in that
-quarter, towards the enemy’s strong-hold, keeping their cannon in the rear.
-The enemy, keeping close within their fortifications, did not venture to show
-themselves till near mid-day, when they began to issue forth in multitudes.
-1st. The German foot soldiers, all of them covered with mail and carrying
-arms. 2d. Another body of the same race covered with breast-plates of
-iron, carrying arms called muskets, which were capable of discharging
-ten, fifteen, or twenty drachms weight. 3d. A body of Hungarians, consisting
-of one hundred companies, each company amounting to five hundred
-men, on foot and carrying fire-arms. 4th. The Hungarian cavalry, whose
-display of standards and flags made them resemble a mountain covered with
-trees. Besides all these there were also Germans, Bohemians, Poles,
-and men of other nations, who were mounted on horses, and carrying some
-three, some four, some five Hungarian fire-arms. The whole of this immense
-army exceeded fifty divisions.</p>
-
-<p>This immense number of troops is stated in the infidels’ own history of
-events belonging to the period referred to. The karals (kings) and dukes
-of different nations and states who aided the Emperor of Austria in this war,
-caused the number of their respective troops to be taken down, and the
-whole put together amounted to more than two hundred legions, besides
-another army which they say had not reached the field of battle. But to
-continue. The hostile divisions advanced, maintaining as they did so a
-constant fire of musketry and other fire-arms. Murád Páshá and the Bostánjí
-báshí, Alí Páshá, were sent to support Sinán Páshá; but the dreadful
-effect of the musketry was such that they found it impossible to withstand<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">89</a></span>
-it, and therefore retraced their steps across the marsh, when they dispersed
-themselves through the fields. The enemy continued to press forward, with
-drums beating and the constant roar of cannon and of musketry, directly towards
-the royal camp. Hasan Páshá and his Romeilian troops were ordered
-to take up their position at the head of the ford on the right, and oppose
-them; but this effort proved ineffectual. The showers of musketry which
-were poured in amongst them prevented their maintaining their ground for
-a moment, and therefore they retired and joined the main body. The fearless
-and inconsiderate infidels no sooner reached the royal camp, though the
-Moslems were by no means broken and dispersed, than they recklessly
-gave themselves over to the work of spoliation and plunder. Two regiments
-of them made towards the imperial treasures, dispersed the Janissaries
-and Spáhís who had been appointed to guard them, drew out the
-coffers from the tent in which they were placed, threw down their cross-bearing
-banners, and began to dance for joy; but their joy was not of long
-duration.</p>
-
-<p>These disastrous appearances altogether were truly afflicting, and to none
-did they appear more so than to Sa’d-ud-dín Effendí. He counselled his
-majesty to continue firm and to maintain his position. “Such is the state
-of matters at present,” said he to his majesty, “and such they frequently
-were in the days of your illustrious progenitors; but depend upon it,” continued
-the reverend prelate, “depend upon it, that by a Mohammedan
-miracle the Mohammedan people, God willing, will yet obtain the victory:
-keep up, therefore, sire, your spirits, and be of good courage.” It is related
-that the emperor was informed of the disasters which befell his army whilst
-he was sitting on horseback, and the reverend prelate standing at his stirrup,
-to whom he dictated a humble and earnest supplication, which the prelate
-offered up to God. The Germans have recorded that this prayer or
-supplication was heard.</p>
-
-<p>Of the enemy’s entering the royal camp, and of their having given themselves
-over to the work of spoliation, we have already spoken. The enemy
-were astonished beyond bounds at the sight of the vast riches and wealth
-which the Osmánlí camp presented to their view. In fact, their eyes had
-never before seen such a quantity of wealth. In their thirst and greediness<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">90</a></span>
-to acquire the valuables they every where saw around them, they forgot,
-or laid aside the art of war. The repulsed Moslems, seeing how their
-enemies were engaged, and watching their every motion, began to reflect
-how they might recover their property which their enemies were busily
-employed in appropriating to themselves. Just at this moment, and towards
-evening, an army raised up by God himself accomplished the destruction
-of these wretches. The grooms, cooks, and other menials who belonged to
-the camp, and who still remained in it, were roused to indignation. Some
-seized on axes, some on spades, or similar instruments, and fell, with undaunted
-fury, on the robbers, and slew many of them. The barbarians, by
-this circumstance, were panic-struck, and began to run away. The cry
-now resounded that the enemy had fled: the Moslems, who through fear
-had fled from the field of battle, returned at this exhilarating sound, fell
-with exasperated rage on the fugitives, and killed every one they were able
-to overtake. Not a few even of those of them who wore chains perished from
-fear and palpitation of heart. It may be affirmed, without incurring the
-charge of overstepping the bounds of truth, that fifty thousand of these
-hateful wretches fell by the edge of the sword. Very many of them stuck
-in the mud, and were there beheaded. Twenty thousand of their cavalry
-perished in one short hour on the right of the camp, by the heroic bravery
-of Sinán Páshá and his men. Vast numbers of them were drowned in the
-marsh. To complete their ruin, Fateh Gheráí, with his Tátár troops, pursued
-them even to their own fortifications, where they attempted to offer resistance,
-but again their courage failed them. They left all, and escaped only
-with their heads to the surrounding mountains. Ten thousand ducats, ninety-seven
-pieces of ordnance, with the whole of their magazines of powder,
-their mortars, their light guns, and in short, the whole of their arsenal fell
-into the conquerors’ hands. Thus did these wretches meet with retributive
-justice. To have slain so many in so short a period, it has been observed,
-could not have been the work of mere mortals. Those who were eye-witnesses,
-and who related these other facts, declared, that there was no comparison
-between the number who died in actual battle to the number that
-perished otherwise.</p>
-
-<p>This victory was gained on the 5th of Rabia II., 1005 of the Hejirah.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">91</a></span></p>
-
-<h3><i>The Premiership conferred on Jaghaleh Zádeh Sinán Páshá.</i></h3>
-
-<p>After having finally defeated and put to flight the enemy, as above related,
-Jaghaleh happened to reach the emperor before the grand vezír, Ibrahím
-Páshá, had time to do so, and said to him: “Sire, your slave has been the
-means of obtaining this glorious victory;” and boasted of himself at no
-allowance. The reverend prelate, and Ghaznafer Aghá, who witnessed his
-vanity, or who at least heard him tell of his exploits, thought it would be
-but justice to confer the seals of office on him, and therefore induced the
-emperor to promise to send them to him.</p>
-
-<p>Being now, as he thought, firmly established in the office of prime
-minister, he caused himself to be congratulated as such, and to have his
-hand kissed. It was not long, however, before it began to be rumoured
-that Jaghaleh was the very first who had taken flight. In the meantime,
-the grand vezír also arrived and confirmed the joyful tidings which had just
-a little before been communicated to the emperor; but this had not the least
-effect in making him alter the resolution he had come to with respect to the
-seals of office: neither did he give any hint of it to the grand vezír himself,
-who, soon afterwards, returned to his tent and devoted himself to the duty
-of conferring gifts and presents on those who had signalized themselves with
-him in the battle, not knowing that he was deposed. He also sent off couriers
-to recall such of the Moslem fugitives as had not returned to their duty.</p>
-
-<p>The following day, as Ibrahím was on the eve of accompanying Jeráh
-Mohammed Páshá and Ja’fer Páshá to the field of battle, and examining the
-ground lately occupied by the enemy’s camp, as well as all the tents and
-other furniture which they had been under the necessity of abandoning, the
-reverend prelate hastened to the royal tents to enquire of Ghaznafer whether
-Ibrahím still retained the seals or not, and wondered much whether his
-majesty was sincere in what he yesterday proposed: “it would have been
-better,” he added, “if his majesty had rejected Jaghaleh’s request.” The
-other replied, he did not know what the emperor had done with respect to the
-seals. The prelate observed that the change might occasion, at some future
-period, a disagreeable tumult and uproar. Ghaznafer Aghá, the emperor’s<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">92</a></span>
-chamberlain, said he was afraid to say any thing further about the matter to
-his royal master, but that he was a witness of his royal master’s attachment
-to Ibrahím.</p>
-
-<p>In the midst of this conversation between the emperor’s spiritual guide and
-his chamberlain, the grand master of the horse went boldly into his majesty’s
-presence, and related to him the whole of the prelate’s conduct in
-this affair, and asked what evil he had seen in Ibrahím that he should be so
-summarily dismissed. “As for this Ghaznafer,” said he, “he is a Frank by
-birth, and of the same race with Jaghaleh, the son of Sinán Páshá. It is
-right and proper therefore,” continued this grand master of the stables,
-“to make enquiry into Ibrahím’s conduct. Let him be called into your
-own presence, hear his account, and you will then be convinced that the
-insinuations which have been made are false.” Whilst this officer went out
-to order a horse for his majesty, that he might go forth and examine matters
-on the field in person, the reverend prelate renewed his efforts in favour
-of Jaghaleh; and the result was, that the emperor, after a few moments of
-reflection, ordered an officer of the Kapújís to proceed and take the seals
-from Ibrahím and give them to Jaghaleh. This latter officer hastened to
-Ibrahím’s tent to fulfil his commission; but not finding him there, he proceeded
-towards the field of battle whither Ibrahím had gone, and met him
-returning to the Moslem camp. He told him the purport of his mission,
-received the seals, and went and delivered them to Jaghaleh.</p>
-
-<p>The late victory and glory acquired by the Moslem army having been
-acquired under the auspices of Ibrahím Páshá, it may easily be conjectured
-that Jaghaleh did not much enjoy his promotion. His imprudence and mismanagement,
-in short, his whole conduct created him many enemies; but
-we shall hear of him afterwards.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The Fugitives punished.</i></h3>
-
-<p>After Jaghaleh was confirmed in the premiership, he commenced an inquiry
-with respect to those of the Moslems who had fled in the day of battle,
-which inquiry continued for the space of three successive days. The result
-of this inquiry was, that 30,000 were discovered to have deserted their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">93</a></span>
-colours, and were therefore not only cut off from receiving pay and provisions,
-but permission was given to slay them wherever any of them might
-be found. Those who did return, in consequence of the late grand vezír’s
-invitation, were miserably and cruelly put to death. Yúnus Aghá, in whose
-tent the emperor took refuge during the action, the Aghá of a regiment and
-many other worthies, he caused to be beheaded. This Yúnus was master
-of the horse to the grand vezír, Sinán Páshá, and was honoured by his
-majesty’s entering his tent on the day of battle, as already related. Much
-innocent blood was made to flow by the instrumentality of the new vezír,
-which roused a spirit of general murmuring against him. By his imprudent
-and violent conduct in trying to rectify the evil, he not only gave
-greater prominency to it in the sight of the enemy, but confirmed those
-Muselman troops who fell into the hands of the enemy in their terror of
-him, and inclined them to stay where they were, or caused them to seek
-refuge in their provinces. He executed all those who fell into his hands,
-and confiscated their property. When he returned to Belgrade he degraded
-Sohráb Páshá of Egypt, a man of great rank and office, and made
-him wear old and tattered garments.</p>
-
-<p>So great indeed was the consternation into which his intolerable government
-plunged every one of the military, that very many of them fled to
-Anatolia, which so roused the inhabitants of that country that they were
-constrained to rise in their behalf, and thus caused a rebellion which
-only terminated with his downfall. Among the many instances of his
-maladministration, the following was by no means the least: He removed
-Ghází Gheráí Khán, Khán of the Tátárs, from holding the supreme authority,
-and placed Fateh Gheráí in his room, a circumstance which
-caused great disorder and tumult among the Tátárs, and finally led to the
-murder of the latter.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The conquering Moslems return to Agria.</i></h3>
-
-<p>After the contemptible enemy had been defeated and routed, as before
-related, the drums were kept beating and rejoicings celebrated till supper-time
-that night. Next day a diván was summoned, and congratulations
-offered on account of the success which the Muselmans had achieved.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">94</a></span>
-They remained three days in the valley of Mehaj after the troops were all
-gathered together. The command of the Janissaries was conferred on Tarnákjí
-Aghá. The ninety-seven pieces of ordnance taken from the enemy
-were transported to the fortress of Solnuk, or distributed among the Beglerbegs
-and Begs of Sanjaks, and other divisions of the army. On the 11th
-of Rabia II., the whole army returned to Agria. About the middle of the
-same month, Alí Aghá, Aghá of the household troops, was sent to Constantinople
-to announce the success of the Moslem arms. One thousand Kúl
-Oghlí and one thousand Agria Janissaries were registered and left as a
-garrison at Agria: and Tarnákjí Aghá, and three thousand Janissaries were
-left there also as an army of observation. The Beglerbeg of Romeili, Válí
-Páshá, and one thousand Janissaries were appointed to garrison Buda.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The Emperor returns to Constantinople.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Towards the end of Rabia II., the emperor, the asylum of the world,
-left Agria, and passing through Solnuk, Segdin, and Waradin, arrived at
-Belgrade, where he rested two days, appointed the fourth vezír, Hasan
-Páshá, commander-in-chief of the army, and afterwards set out for the
-metropolis.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Jaghaleh, the grand vezír, deposed.—Ibrahím is re-appointed.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Jaghaleh Zádeh Sinán Páshá’s maladministration secured him, as might
-easily have been prognosticated, the hatred and aversion of all ranks, high
-and low, prince and people. As soon as the emperor had reached the
-place called Khurmán, near Adrianople, he dispatched Omar Aghá, secretary
-to the Chávush Báshí, to receive back the seals from Jaghaleh, and to
-deliver them to Ibrahím Páshá, his predecessor in office. Jaghaleh himself
-was exiled to Aksheher, beyond the Hellespont, where he was doomed
-to spend his days in obscurity and inactivity.</p>
-
-<p>Ibrahím Páshá was no sooner reinstated in the premiership than he waited
-on his majesty, and paid him all due acknowledgment for the honour conferred
-on him. On returning to the camp, he banished Mohammed Aghá,
-master of the horse, the writer of this account; besides several other
-favourites of the late grand vezír, whom he turned out of office. Ghází<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">95</a></span>
-Gheráí, the ex-khán, was reinstated in the regal dignity over the Tátárs of
-the Crimea. Hasan Páshá, the son of Mohammed Páshá, who was lately
-made commander-in-chief, was deposed, and Satúrjí Mohammed Páshá appointed
-in his stead. Thus did Ibrahím Páshá compensate his own friends
-for the injuries they had sustained in consequence of his deposition. Even
-the reverend prelate Sa’d-ud-dín Effendí was not allowed to escape without
-feeling the effects of the new vezír’s displeasure. He was deposed from his
-high office, and to prevent him from carrying on intrigue and fraud with the
-learned body of which he was a member, he was obliged to live a recluse
-life, even that of a hermit.</p>
-
-<p>The services and heroism of Jaghaleh Zádeh we have already contemplated.
-We have seen how he attributed the victory gained over the infidels at
-Mehaj to his own bravery and proper management; how he endeavoured to
-throw the services of Ibrahím Páshá into the shade, and, in short, how he succeeded
-by fraud and artifice to get himself created grand vezír. It is said
-that the emperor, when he first petitioned to be made prime minister, demurred;
-and that it was only after he represented the great interest he possessed
-among the troops, who doubtless would create a tumult in his favour,
-if he was not raised to the dignity of the premiership, that his majesty at last
-agreed to confer the seals on him. In fact, he did not scruple even to assert
-that there were not wanting signs of this disposition in the soldiery at the
-very time he was speaking to the emperor, and thus urged him to a compliance
-with his wishes. Jaghaleh was a man of great intrepidity, but
-wrathful. His heart was unacquainted with gentleness and compassion. In
-consequence of his reckless and horrible cruelties towards the unfortunate
-fugitives, and other crimes, the hearts of all were turned against him, and
-his downfall was sought. When Ibrahím was again raised to the grand vezírship,
-new life seemed to be transfused throughout all ranks; and all rejoiced
-at Jaghaleh’s misfortunes. The chancellor, Alí Chelebí, who wrote a detail
-of the victories obtained in the conquest of Agria, and in the battle of
-Mehaj, wrote it in the name of Jaghaleh, as if he really were the conqueror,
-and praised him in the most extravagant manner. For this he was not
-only sharply rebuked, but also deposed. Okjí Zádeh was appointed in his
-stead.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">96</a></span></p>
-
-<p>When his majesty reached Dávud Páshá, on his return, he was there
-met by the Káímakám Hasan Páshá, the eunuch, and the mufti, who
-came thither with a splendid escort to congratulate his majesty on his
-return, and on the successes which had attended the Moslem arms. On
-the 6th of Jemadi II. the grandees and nobles preceded the army in
-solemn procession to the imperial city, and conducted his majesty to his
-royal palace, and for three successive days and nights the whole exhibited
-nothing but demonstrations of joy. Núh Páshá was appointed to the
-government of Caramania; and as a mortification to the reverend prelate,
-so frequently mentioned in the course of this history, and latterly
-so very unfortunate, his eldest son, Mohammed Effendí, was deprived of his
-office of cazí, in Anatolia, which was given to Kúsh Yahiah Effendí, who
-had been deposed from the jurisdiction of Mecca. Two days after these
-changes and new appointments had taken place, the prelate’s son-in-law, the
-governor of Romeili, Yahiah Effendí, just mentioned, and the poet, Bákí
-Effendí, met and consulted together how they might succeed in again
-bringing Sa’d-ud-dín into notice and favour. They got the chancellor,
-Okjí Zádeh, to draw out a document in his favour, recommending him to
-the cazíship of Mecca. But the grand vezír, the prelate’s enemy, succeeded
-in getting some of the Aghás about the queen-mother to hinder
-this document finding its way to the royal presence, and kept it back two
-days.</p>
-
-<p>In the meantime the reverend prelate was made acquainted with what
-was going on in his favour, and sent his slaves and other property to the
-empress, supposing she would, by her interference, prevent his being sent
-to any place distant from the metropolis. He was mistaken: for an answer
-to the above document or petition was sent to the petitioner, which intimated
-that the reverend prelate, to prevent his exercising fraud and deceit
-in future, should retire to a cell, and there pass the remainder of his life
-in religious meditation. The learned body of the Ulemá, however, ventured
-to oppose the grand vezír, and therefore entered into consultation with the
-mufti, Bostán Zádeh, as to the way they should act.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">97</a></span></p>
-
-<h3><i>Concerning Fateh Gheráí.</i></h3>
-
-<p>After the conquest of Agria, and the subsequent victory gained at Mehaj,
-when Jeghala Zádeh Sínán Páshá was raised to the premiership, as recorded
-in former sections of this work, he, in his imprudence, caused Ghází Gheráí
-Khán to be removed from holding the khánship of the Crimea, and put his
-brother, Fateh Gheráí, in his place; alleging that Fateh Gheráí had rendered
-very great and important services in the late war, and therefore
-ought, as his reward, to ascend the throne of the Tátár kháns. Fateh
-Gheráí, more virtuous than the prime minister, strongly dissuaded the premier
-from his purpose, urging as a powerful reason, that were he to accede
-to the proposal, he would thereby be invading the rights of his brother; of
-one who had been to him, he said, not only a kind brother, but a father
-also. The grand vezír’s solicitations, however, were too powerful to be
-long resisted, and therefore he consented to be made khán. The new vezír,
-Ibrahím Páshá, however, reversed this arrangement, for he was no sooner
-reinstated in the premiership, than he meditated the re-installing of Ghází
-Gheráí in his former dignities. He therefore called a council of the vezírs
-and the other magnates of the state, and laid this subject as a matter of discussion
-before them. This council prepared papers, which stated that
-Ghází Gheráí had filled the Tátár throne with dignity, that he had the
-esteem and good will of his tribe, and that the whole of the tribe had paid
-a cheerful obedience to his sway; whereas, the papers went on to say, that
-if Fateh Gheráí were allowed to usurp his authority and place, a rebellion
-would doubtless be the consequence: besides, it was further stated, that to
-place Fateh Gheráí on the throne of the Tátárs would be to deprive the
-other, the lawful sovereign, of his just rights and titles without his own
-consent, or even without any shadow of reason whatever, and thus make
-him appear unworthy of holding the office of khán.</p>
-
-<p>Accordingly, letters were prepared in the name of both these princes
-and committed to one Khundán Aghá, a Circassian, with instructions to act
-according to circumstances. He was instructed, for instance, that if he
-perceived, on his arrival in the Crimea, that the Tátárs still adhered to
-Ghází Gheráí, he was to deliver to him the letter addressed to him; and on<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">98</a></span>
-the contrary, if he saw that they were in subjection to Fateh Gheráí, he
-was in this case to deliver to him the one addressed to him, and invite
-Ghází Gheráí to come to Turkey.</p>
-
-<p>Khundán Aghá set out with these two royal letters and landed at Kafa,
-in the Crimea, but found on his arrival there that Ghází Gheráí had already
-embarked for the imperial dominions, though he had not yet sailed. The
-officer, forgetting his instructions, attached himself exclusively to the interests
-of the ex-khán, and without further inquiry delivered the packet
-addressed to him, and exercised, besides, other unwarrantable liberties.
-The ex-khán, on receipt of the above packet, disembarked and returned
-to Kafa, took advantage of the frauds exercised by the officer,
-showed the documents from Constantinople of which the officer was the
-bearer, and, lastly, announced himself as recalled by these documents to
-the exercise of the khánship.</p>
-
-<p>When Fateh Gheráí perceived what was going on to his prejudice, as
-now mentioned, he bestirred himself in order to thwart the purposes and
-endeavours of the ex-khán. He, too, produced a royal mandate, which he
-said had been sent to him, and which confirmed him in the khánship.
-Hence arose a very serious dispute between these two royal brothers respecting
-the khánship: the Tátárs became divided. Abdur-rahmán Effendí
-maintained, that as Fateh Gheráí’s document was more recent, it ought
-to be regarded as the only one which had any claim, and as dispossessing
-Ghází Gheráí for ever of the throne of the Tátárs. The mufti of Kafa
-thought otherwise. He said that all the imperial commands which had
-been received acknowledged Ghází Gheráí as the legitimate sovereign of the
-Crimea; that they confirmed him in the exercise of regal authority; and
-that the document which Fateh Gheráí had presented was altogether doubtful,
-if not an artifice to impose upon them. One single paper, letter, or
-written document, he further maintained, was not sufficient of itself for
-them to act upon; and to do so would be both injudicious and imprudent.
-There can be no doubt, continued the mufti, that to disobey or disregard
-the imperial authority, as vested in the person of Ghází Gheráí, will be considered
-as obstinacy and rebellion. After having delivered this speech he
-gave forth judgment in favour of Ghází Gheráí, rejecting Fateh Gheráí’s pre<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">99</a></span>tensions
-altogether as spurious. The whole of the tribe followed the high
-priest, and declared in favour of Ghází Gheráí, leaving Fateh Gheráí the
-victim of astonishment and surprise. Some forward persons, more zealous
-than prudent, insisted that he, Fateh Gheráí, should do homage to his elder
-brother and make an apology to him. The simple-hearted prince, influenced
-by the arguments which were employed to incline him to do so,
-went to his brother and did as he was required; but it proved fatal to him.
-On coming out from his brother’s presence he was met by a body of mirzás,
-adherents of the former, who fell upon him and murdered him, cutting him
-to pieces. Not satisfied with this, they also extirpated the whole of his
-family, leaving neither root nor branch.</p>
-
-<p>Ghází Gheráí having been reinstated in the regal authority, the Mirzás
-and Tátárs yielded obedience to his firmáns, and all rancour and dispute
-was at an end. Fateh Gheráí, it must be acknowledged, was an excellent
-man, a great hero, and well qualified to fill a throne. By Jeghala’s uncalled-for
-interference in his favour he eventually lost his life, and his whole
-family were rooted out from the face of the earth.</p>
-
-<p>Ghází Gheráí, now absolute and supreme, commanded a fortress to be
-erected in the heart of Circassia, which was afterwards fully completed.
-Khundán Aghá returned with great joy to Constantinople, and related the
-success of his mission to the Crimea; but the emperor was so very much
-displeased with him for the conduct he had pursued, that his case was deferred
-for future consideration.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>New appearances of hostilities.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The loss of Yanuk on a former occasion, the conquest of Agria, and the
-immense loss sustained in the valley of Mehaj this year, were disasters, no
-doubt, which must have sensibly affected the Emperor of Austria. He soon
-showed that this was really the case; for the grand sultán had scarcely
-returned to his metropolis, when the Austrian emperor again assembled
-another vast army, which was ordered to march on Yanuk. Satúrjí Mohammed
-Páshá, who was appointed commander-in-chief, wrote a statement
-of the ill condition of the troops under his command to the grand vezír, who
-again laid it before his majesty. Accordingly, stores of all kinds and ten
-thousand ducats from the imperial coffers were immediately voted for his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">100</a></span>
-use. The grand vezír himself made a present of his own horses and beasts
-of burden, and the other vezírs followed his example. Five regiments or
-legions and ten thousand Janissaries, under the command of Alí Aghá, the
-deputy of the ághá of the Janissaries, were appointed to take the field.
-Ahmed Effendí, son of Etmekjí, was appointed military treasurer, and one
-thousand yúks of money were put under his charge for the purpose of defraying
-the expense of the war. The troops of Romeili, of Anatolia, of
-Caramania, of Sivás, of Diárbeker, of Merœsh, and of Ruka, were all
-ordered on this expedition. Letters were also issued to the Tátár Khán,
-ordering him to be present with his troops.</p>
-
-<p>The serdár or commander-in-chief, after the above arrangements were
-fully attended to, commenced his march to Adrianople, reached Sofia on
-the 7th of Dhu’l hijja, and the plains of Belgrade on the 29th of the same,
-which concluded the year.</p>
-
-
-
-<hr />
-<h2><span class="smcap">EVENTS of the Year 1006 H.</span></h2>
-
-
-<p>On the 2nd day of the new year, <i>i.e.</i> the 2nd of the month Moharrem,
-the commander-in-chief entered Belgrade with his army, and there they
-rested for the space of twenty days, during which time provisions and other
-necessaries were distributed among the various troops.</p>
-
-<p>The beglerbeg of Anatolia, Mohammed Páshá, joined the grand army
-with his provincial troops on the 8th of the month, on which day the whole
-camp moved forward, crossed the Save, and marched towards Serim. The
-Serdár followed on the 23rd, and joined his camp in the plains of the last-mentioned
-place. The beglerbeg of Bosnia, Háfiz Ahmed Páshá, joined
-himself and his provincials to the grand army at Zemún, and Murád Páshá,
-the válí of Diárbeker, at Usk. The beglerbeg of Romeili, Válí Páshá, and
-the beglerbeg of Buda, Mikaeljelí Ahmed Páshá, met the grand army at
-the head of the lake, near Buda.</p>
-
-<p>Information having been given that the enemy had laid siege to Yanuk,
-it was determined, in a council of war, to march to the relief of that fortress.
-Ten pieces of ordnance, small and great, taken from the fortress of Buda,
-were put under the charge of the troops under Válí Páshá and Ahmed
-Páshá. The grand army reached the plains of Dál on the 20th of the
-month, where it encamped; and here also it was joined by the beglerbegs<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">101</a></span>
-of Sivás and Ruka, with their respective troops. Here also they received
-information confirming the intelligence they had formerly obtained respecting
-the siege of Yanuk. By some prisoners which were brought in they
-were assured that Maximillian, with forty or fifty thousand troops, was
-busily engaged in the reduction of that place. This information induced
-the Moslem army to go over to the little island called Komran.</p>
-
-<p>In the meantime, however, the veterans of Yanuk having a favourable
-opportunity offered to them did not let it slip. They impetuously rushed
-out of their strong-hold, seized about one thousand prisoners, and slew
-twice that number.</p>
-
-<p>As soon as the pieces of ordnance were brought forward, the Moslems
-removed to Tata, placed their guns against it, and commenced firing them
-on the 26th of the month Sefer. This fortress had undergone the same fate
-with Yanuk, and was now in the hands of the enemy. It was therefore
-considered of importance to attempt its reduction.</p>
-
-<p>Towards the end of the month, the household troops were divided into
-two divisions. One division was stationed near Osterghún, and the other
-near Komran, as armies of observation. Mines were laid with the utmost
-diligence; but to enter the breaches which had been effected was found
-too difficult a task, owing to the steepness of the place. When the attempt
-was made, the veterans who did so were driven back by the bursting of
-shells, and by the stones which were hurled at them. But though they did
-not succeed in entering the breaches, they did not fail to distress the besieged
-by their field-pieces and mines. Such, in fact, was the effect this mode of
-operation had on the minds of the besieged, that they supposed that if they
-continued to hold out one day longer, they would fall victims to their own
-temerity and obstinacy; and, therefore, under cover of night, they left the
-fortress, fled through the rushes and long grass, which grew in abundance
-about the place, and made their way towards the fortress of Komran.
-Mohammed Páshá, the beglerbeg of Anatolia, having that night the charge
-of the watch, perceived their motions, pursued them with vigour, slew a
-number of them, and made others of them prisoners. But it is necessary
-to observe, that in consequence of the abundance of rushes and long grass
-which grew along the sides of the lakes and in the channel between it and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">102</a></span>
-Komran, many of these heathens escaped by hiding themselves among
-them.</p>
-
-<p>The place was taken on the 1st of Rabia II. after the enemy had abandoned
-it, and those of the enemy who besieged Yanuk also fled. The
-breaches made in the fortress of Yanuk were repaired in about eight days,
-and afterwards about a thousand measures or bags of flour were deposited
-in it. The garrison who had charge of it, and who were hired to keep
-possession of it, came with their officers to the commander-in-chief, and
-told him they had fulfilled their engagements, demanded their stipulated
-hire, and, at the same time, to have their names enrolled as worthy of promotion.
-They were continued in the garrison for another year, and their
-case was represented to court.</p>
-
-<p>On the 8th, the grand army was joined, whilst encamped at the head of
-the lake, by Núh Páshá, the beglerbeg of Caramania, and on the 10th the
-whole camp removed to Old Buda.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>A Council held.—The army marches on Wáj.</i></h3>
-
-<p>In the meantime the inhabitants of Buda sent in a representation to the
-Serdár of the danger in which they considered themselves. They stated, that
-ever since the reduction of Osterghún, Buda became, by that event, a frontier
-city, and was, therefore, more in danger from the enemy. They insisted
-that that was the only time for recovering so important a place. “The
-summer,” they said, “is nearly at an end, and the enemy are not so numerous
-as on former occasions. God willing,” they added, “the vanquishing
-of it will not be difficult. If, on the other hand,” the Budians still
-speaking, “you will not attempt what we think you should attempt, we
-will in such a case send letters of complaint against you to court. This is
-what we will do.”</p>
-
-<p>In consequence of this representation by the Budians a council was immediately
-held, and the subject seriously discussed. The Janissaries decidedly
-opposed the measure as altogether out of time. They alleged that the
-time of the year for making trenches and raising mounds was past. Osterghún,
-they said, was not of such importance as some other places, and therefore
-they did not think the request of the Budians should be complied with.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">103</a></span>
-The Serdár, when he perceived that the Budians insisted on his following
-their advice, turned round upon them and said: “if you all come forth
-and assist in making the trenches and mounds requisite in such an enterprise,
-and with heart and hand engage to labour in the undertaking, we
-with the whole of our Moslem army will return to lay siege to Osterghún.”
-The Budians promised to comply.</p>
-
-<p>It so happened, however, that, after the head of artillery had embarked
-twenty badlooshkas (a kind of ordnance) and ten pieces of large cannon
-on board the transports which lay in the river (Danube), and all were in a
-state of readiness to march, a heavy fall of snow, about a cubit deep, fell
-during the night, which at once put a stop to the whole of the enterprise.
-It was agreed on all hands to postpone the expedition to some future but
-more advantageous period.</p>
-
-<p>On the 12th of the month Teryákí, Hasan Páshá arrived in the camp and
-informed the Serdár that the prince of Transylvania had attacked Temiswar.
-In consequence of this intelligence, the beglerbeg of Sivás, Mahmúd
-Páshá, the beglerbeg of Ruka, Alí Páshá, and the beglerbeg of Adna,
-Mohammed Páshá, were all ordered with their respective troops to march
-to the aid of Temiswar. About the same time, also, the Moslems learned
-that a body of the enemy’s troops had passed Osterghún, and had gone
-towards Wáj. This determined the Serdár to alter his plans, and to march
-against them. In the space of five days the Moslem army passed through
-the plains of Pest; and on the 15th of the month crossed the bridge of
-the above place, when a tremendous fall of snow, the very next day, began
-to fall, and occasioned much pain and uneasiness to the troops. On the
-18th, the army halted at a place called Armúdlí. Here they waited for the
-arrival of their ordnance, which had been embarked as before mentioned.</p>
-
-<p>In the meantime a party of Tátárs brought into the camp about twenty
-prisoners they had seized, and who informed the Serdár of the state of the
-siege carried on against Temiswar. On the 21st, they encamped before the
-fortress of Wáj. A considerable body of the enemy lay encamped on a
-narrow kind of pass a little above Wáj, on the Danube. On the land side
-they were guarded by a ridge of high mountains, and by an extensive ditch
-in front. Within this trench or ditch they had erected ramparts and bas<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">104</a></span>tions,
-and were every way supplied with all sorts of implements of war.
-The Moslems finding it impracticable to attack them in front, or on the
-mountain side, determined to attack them from behind. They, accordingly,
-made arrangements with this view. The advance guard of the Moslems,
-after four days’ march round the mountain, advanced on them in the rear
-within the range of their artillery, and were met by a few companies of
-Hungarian troops who feigned resistance, but who soon retired within their
-works—thus seeking to bring the Muselmans within the range of their
-artillery.</p>
-
-<p>The beglerbegs of Anatolia, of Caramania, of Bosnia, of Sivás, with
-their respective provincials, formed the right wing: the troops of Romeili
-and of Buda formed the left: the Janissaries, with the commander-in-chief
-at their head, formed the centre: the beglerbeg of Diárbeker,
-Murád Páshá, and the beglerbeg of Uskudár, Delí Nasúh Páshá, were
-attached to the advance guard. On the following morning (<i>i. e.</i> the
-morning of the fifth day after commencing their march round the mountain),
-and just as hostilities were about to begin, a celebrated Spanish captain
-belonging to the Spanish infantry in the enemy’s army submitted himself to
-the Osmánlís and embraced Islamism. In the meantime, the Moslems considered
-that if they could succeed in dispossessing the enemy’s foot soldiers
-of their position on the heights of the mountain, who were very annoying
-to the Moslems, they would be sure of gaining the victory. To accomplish
-this desirable object, some of the most daring of the Janissaries and <i>Atoghláns</i>
-rushed upon them with knives and other similar instruments in
-their hands. These were supported in their attempt by the Bosnian and
-Budian troops who were engaged with those of the enemy stationed on the
-out works. The beglerbeg of Romeili was sent forward with a detachment
-to succour those combatants, and by his dexterity succeeded in forcing
-a considerable number of the enemy into the open field, where a great many
-of them perished. This, however, only made room for more of them. They
-issued forth, troop after troop, and by their cannon and muskets, it must be
-acknowledged, committed serious mischief among the Moslems immediately
-in contact with them, and whom it was found absolutely necessary to aid
-by a body of Salihdárs. On this detachment having been sent forward to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">105</a></span>
-aid the Moslem combatants, Maximillian, the commander-in-chief of the
-infidels, came forth with his mighty hosts, who, along with the guns on
-the fortifications, very much distressed them; though they continued to
-fight manfully till night came on, when the drum warned them to retire.</p>
-
-<p>Those troops who attacked the infidels on the heights of the mountain
-were led on by Delí Nasúh Páshá, the páshá of Uskudár, and who, descending
-from his horse, fought on foot with the utmost bravery. It
-would be impossible to relate all the heroic deeds which he and his veteran
-associates achieved on that day. The day following, however, the Moslems
-offered no battle, but attended to their sick and wounded, and interred
-those martyrs who had fallen in the mortal contest. On the second day they
-again commenced their military operations. The troops of Romeili and
-Buda, supported by other divisions, presented themselves before the enemy’s
-fortifications, when another desperate struggle commenced, which lasted
-till night, as on the former day; but which, alas! brought no victory
-to the Moslem arms. The Osmánlís now thought it advisable, seeing they
-had been unable to conquer, and because the winter had set in, which
-was unfavourable for warlike operations, to retire and seek their safety
-in retreat. But lest injury should happen to the bridges on the Danube
-and the Drave should they retire in confusion by them, they chose another
-way of saving themselves; and accordingly sent off their heavy baggage
-on the 28th, and soon afterwards commenced their retreat, which they accomplished
-without sustaining any serious injury. Such was the result of
-this campaign.</p>
-
-<p>The orthodox troops, with their Serdár at their head, returned by Armúdlí
-and Pest, and encamped before the mills near the island of Koyún
-(or Sheep Island).</p>
-
-<p>Whilst the camp continued at this place, another deputation arrived and
-presented themselves before the serdár, and informed him of the progress
-of the Transylvanians against Temiswar. The beglerbeg of Sivás Mahmúd
-Páshá, with the Bosnian troops and some Romeilian chiefs, were appointed
-to march to the aid of Temiswar, which they did on the 2d of the
-second Rabia.</p>
-
-<p>The troops under the serdár, however, began to murmur about their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">106</a></span>
-pay; yet those of Yanuk were very active; for they erected a bridge across
-the Danube in the space of three days, which the serdár crossed on the
-5th of Rabia II., and marched to Kiris Elias, where he halted. Here he
-learned that the enemy had broken up their camp, and had returned to their
-own dominions. On the 8th he reached the plains of Hamza-beg, where the
-beglerbeg of Buda took his leave of him and departed. Here also the
-Serdár granted the whole of the troops leave to disperse, and went himself
-directly to Belgrade, which he reached towards the end of the month; and
-from that city he sent a statement of the campaign to the court of Constantinople.
-The beglerbeg of Caramania, Nasúh Páshá, and the beglerbeg
-of Bosnia, Teryákí Hasan Páshá, remained at Buda: as also did the
-válí of Merœsh. A thousand of the troops were placed in the garrison.
-The rest of the troops, after they were allowed to disperse, sought winter
-quarters, some in Romeili, some in Anatolia, some in Bajka, some in Súmber.
-The menials of the camp were also permitted to disperse, but their
-ághás remained at Belgrade.</p>
-
-<p>Proposals of peace with the infidels were at this time attempted, but
-without any happy result. Khoja Murád Páshá, Hábel Effendí, cazí of
-Buda, and Alí Páshá, the son-in-law of Murád Páshá, went to the plains of
-Wáj, after the retreat of the Moslems, and endeavoured to negociate an
-honourable peace: but the infidels’ noses were in the wind (<i>i.e.</i> exercised
-caution), and the Moslem negociators were obliged to return without accomplishing
-the object of their mission.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The Grand Vezír, Ibrahím Páshá, deposed.—Khádum Hasan Páshá succeeds
-to the premiership.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Satúrjí Mohammed Páshá, the commander-in-chief in the late campaign,
-in order to exonerate himself from any blame which might attach to him
-for not having been so successful in the late war as had been expected,
-represented his want of success to the failure of the Tátár khán’s fulfilling
-his injunctions to come to his assistance, and to the smallness of the
-number of troops which acted under him. This statement made no pleasant
-impression on the mind of the emperor, who was by this time but too much
-displeased with the grand vezír for the part he had acted towards this<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">107</a></span>
-khán on a former occasion, as we have already related in a preceding chapter.
-On this account, therefore, as well as for some offence which the grand
-vezír had given to the queen-mother; and also on account of some handsome
-presents which Khádum Hasan Páshá had made: and moreover, because
-Ibrahím’s capacity for governing had become more and more disputed, the
-emperor, for these reasons, one day called the mufti into his royal presence
-and began his conversation thus: “I purpose,” said the monarch, “to
-make a change in the premiership: whom do you think worthy of being
-elevated to that station?” The reverend mufti replied, that if he meant to
-dismiss his servant Ibrahím, it must, of course, be for some crime. What
-is that crime? The emperor, having thought a little, said “that there was
-no end to his crimes,” and adverted to the part he had acted with regard to
-the two Tátár princes. “Was it, think you,” said the sublime monarch,
-“a crime of small magnitude that he should have been the means of the
-death of Fateh Gheráí, and all its consequent evils?” The reverend mufti,
-after hearkening to this apostrophe, proposed Jeráh Páshá, the senior vezír.
-The emperor demurred, and said Jeráh had no capacity for managing affairs;
-and that therefore he preferred giving the office to Khádum Hasan Páshá,
-whose superior wisdom and prudence was spoken of through the whole city
-of Constantinople. The reverend mufti bowed, joined in his praises, and
-exaggerated his endowments.</p>
-
-<p>On the 23d of Rabia II., after the sitting of the diván, the ketkhodá of
-the household troops, Abdullah Aghá, was deputed by his majesty to wait
-on Ibrahím and receive back the seals from him, and to present them to
-Khádum Hasan Páshá. Ibrahím Páshá went to live in his own garden,
-near the new emporium at Uskudár.</p>
-
-<p>Khádum Hasan Páshá, in consequence of his splendid gifts and presents
-to the queen-mother, and of his many promises of rendering service to the
-state, was raised, in the course of that passing week, to the dignity of
-grand vezír. This man, as might easily have been anticipated, was attentive
-to nothing but his own aggrandizement, and how to increase his own
-wealth. During the whole time he continued in office, he sold places,
-received immense bribes, and amassed vast riches. When any one asked
-him for a situation he used to say: “Do you know to whom I shall give<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">108</a></span>
-the presents you have sent me?” and other similar impertinent questions.
-This exalted personage, however, soon fell under the execrations of the
-people, and became every day more and more hated and despised, but yet
-no one was able to oppose him.</p>
-
-<p>One day, when his majesty went to St. Sophia, to offer up his devotions
-in that temple, some desperate fellows approached him and requested permission
-to slay his minister. His majesty, thinking it was out of mere ill will
-they had so petitioned him, did not give his consent, and they immediately
-desisted from their purpose. The emperor, however, mentioned the
-circumstance to his mother, who let Ghaznafer Aghá into the secret, and
-with him she concerted the overthrow of the prime minister. He maintained
-that Hasan Páshá not only openly received bribes, but that he had also cut
-off the supplies of the queen-mother; that he had published complaints
-against her among all ranks of the community, and thus made her the
-subject of conversation; that by these and similar means he sought to
-rouse her servants to rebellion, and herself to be removed to a distance
-from the court, in order that he might obtain absolute power. All this
-representation, or rather accusation, was confirmed by the ághá of the
-Janissaries, Ternakjí Hasan. The emperor issued orders to investigate into
-the fact. But those who were appointed to do this returned a verdict
-similar to the above statement of accusation, or at least confirmatory of it.</p>
-
-<p>In the meantime the reverend mufti, Bostání Zádeh, died, when Hasan
-Páshá conferred the duty of expounding the law on the poet Bákí Effendí,
-in conjunction with Karah Chelebí Zádeh. But the emperor not approving
-of his choice, appointed Khoja Sa’d-ud-dín Effendí, with a part of whose
-history we are already acquainted, and whom we saw lately condemned to
-live the life of a hermit, to be mufti in room of Bostání Zádeh. Notwithstanding
-this, however, Hasan Páshá wrote three times officially on this
-subject to Bákí Effendí, and tried what he could to prevent Sa’d-ud-dín
-succeeding to the muftiship; a circumstance which awakened old but
-buried animosity and unpleasant correspondence between the old prelate and
-the grand vezír. The conduct of the latter roused the emperor’s anger,
-and without further delay he installed the old reverend prelate into the
-office of mufti.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">109</a></span></p>
-
-<p>Khoja Effendí (<i>i.e.</i> Sa’d-ud-dín), the new mufti, Ghaznafer Aghá, and
-Ternakjí Aghá, all three joined in accusing Hasan Páshá. They represented
-his conduct with regard to the queen-mother, and the other enormities of
-his life, in such a clear light before the emperor, as showed him to be worthy
-of death. He was accordingly seized on the 2d of Ramazán, conveyed
-on board a vessel, and was conducted to the Seven Towers by Ferhád
-Aghá, the chief of the Bostánjís, and in five or six days afterwards he was
-strangled during the night. The ághá of the Janissaries, Ternakjí Hasan
-Aghá, sealed the doors of his palace, and transferred the whole of his property
-to the imperial coffers; but it did not amount to what was anticipated.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Jeráh Mohammed Páshá raised to the premiership.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The grand vezírship having again become vacant, there was some disposition
-shown to recall Ibrahím Páshá to that important office; but by the
-dexterity of the reverend prelate, his old enemy, this was thwarted, and
-Jeráh Mohammed Páshá was appointed to fill that high station.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The enemy gains advantage at Yanuk by stratagem.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The city and fortress of Yanuk about this time was put under the government
-of Mahmúd Páshá, who had formerly been ághá of the Janissaries,
-and subsequently beglerbeg of Fajir. The enemy permitted no grain of
-any kind to be brought or conveyed to Yanuk, but in order to corrupt and
-pervert the inhabitants, as well as the troops who were in it, they permitted
-great quantities of wine to be carried thither both in boats and
-waggons. In consequence of this traffic in wine, the people of Yanuk
-acquired the habit of drinking, and so very relaxed did they become, that their
-ramparts and gates were no longer watched with that care and vigilance
-which was the case before wine was introduced amongst them. Regardless
-alike of the Páshá’s warnings as of every other advice, they vainly confided
-in the natural and artificial strength of the place, and were no longer the
-active vigilant men they used to be.</p>
-
-<p>The beglerbeg of Yanuk was in the habit of receiving from the sanják of
-Petcheví an annual quantity of grain, amounting to two or three hundred
-waggons, but which, when returning, were frequently intercepted by the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">110</a></span>
-enemy, who on all such occasions carried off the oxen. In this way above
-five or six thousand of these animals had been stolen at various times, and
-driven away into the enemy’s dominions. This great loss the people of the
-sanják of Petcheví were obliged to sustain; but other districts fared worse,
-and had not even so much as one left them. In fact, some of the peasants
-were under the necessity of ploughing their lands by their own strength and
-that of their wives.</p>
-
-<p>About the commencement of the month of Ramazán this year, the enemy
-committed great cruelty and excess. They attacked several hundreds of
-waggons which were carrying provisions to Yanuk and Agria. The escort
-of cavalry which accompanied these waggons, on seeing the enemy, fled,
-leaving the poor drivers to shift for themselves. The number of these
-amounted to about three hundred, who were either killed or made prisoners.
-Between one and two thousand oxen and waggons were carried off by the
-enemy.</p>
-
-<p>The two thousand regular troops, and the two thousand Kúl-oghláns,
-which had been left to garrison Yanuk, had most of their families in
-the districts of Petcheví, Koban, and Alba Julia, and were therefore
-strongly inclined on this account to abandon Yanuk altogether. The
-fortress of Tata, which the year before had been demolished, and its inhabitants
-destroyed, was allowed to remain in its state of ruin and dilapidation.</p>
-
-<p>The people of Yanuk appeared to be bound over by some spell or infatuation
-not easily accounted for, if we except their propensity for wine,
-which brought its own punishment. A swine of the name of Palghi,
-kapúdán of Komran, sent some thousands of his foot soldiers to surround
-Yanuk, whilst he himself with a thousand or two of cavalry made his way
-towards its gate. The inhabitants and garrison were in a profound state of
-inactivity and carelessness, and knew nothing of the enemy’s approach.
-The gate was barricaded only with a single bar of fir wood, and their drawbridge
-was not let down. Some few of these apostate infidels who came to
-attack the place approached about midnight to the gate, and feigned an
-alarm. The centinel, a boy, awaking from his sleep, asked, “Who’s there?”
-They replied: “We are come from Petcheví with provisions, were very<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">111</a></span>
-near meeting the enemy, and have with much difficulty escaped to this
-place. They are still in hard pursuit of us, and will soon have us in their
-power, unless you open your gate and let us in. Open then the gate,
-and let in the waggons loaded with provisions.” As this conversation with
-the watch ended, the rest came forward with their wooden mortars
-and placed them in front of the gate, whilst the boy said he would run and
-inform the kapújí, and did so. The treacherous enemy lost no time, for
-the centinel was scarcely gone when they attacked the gate, splintered
-it to pieces, and rushed in on the devoted people: some were lying drunk,
-some asleep, and all in a state of total negligence and unconcern. Now the
-work of destruction commenced. The troops in it saw when it was too
-late their danger, but the sight of the enemy only roused them to madness.
-They fought with the most desperate fury, and perished in the conflict.
-Thus did Yanuk fall into the hands of the execrated enemy. The stratagem
-succeeded.</p>
-
-<p>It has been said that the commander of the Janissaries of Yanuk was
-brought alive, but in a state of drunkenness, before the above-mentioned
-impious Palghi, kapúdán of Komran, and that ten or fifteen thousand pieces
-of gold were found in his possession. After interrogating him, the story
-goes on to say, as to what he meant to do with such a quantity of money,
-and asking him why he had not laid it out on the garrison, or if he thought
-that his money would watch the fortress, the commander caused his head to
-be cut off and fixed upon a pole. The same account also states that, notwithstanding
-the general carnage, five or six Muselmans made their escape to
-Buda; the rest were totally annihilated. The beglerbeg of Buda sent a
-report of this disastrous affair to the commander-in-chief, which reached
-him on the 29th of Shabán.</p>
-
-<p>The wooden mortars or guns above alluded to were something in the
-form of a cannon—large mortars made of bronze, and surrounded by five or
-six iron rings on the outside. Each mortar had two ears of the same metal
-with itself, and the whole piece or apparatus was placed in a wooden frame
-or case about as large as a small mat or carpet (about the size of a hearthrug)
-and four or five fingers thick, and in which these ears were fixed.
-The point of the mortar was seen outside of the frame, and when it was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">112</a></span>
-charged with powder a circular plate was firmly fixed to its mouth by
-ropes or straps. These mortars were placed on two-wheeled carriages,
-which were provided with a long rod or pole behind them to prevent the
-wheels or carriage, when the mortars were discharged, from diverging
-from the proper line. Such were the instruments employed on the above
-occasion.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The Moslems determine on attacking Warad.</i></h3>
-
-<p>When the winter season was nearly over, and the approach of spring at
-hand, Satúrjí Mohammed Páshá, who had taken up his winter quarters in
-Belgrade, and still retained the office of commander-in-chief, though in the
-last campaign he had accomplished nothing of importance, but permitted Yanuk
-to fall, and who seemed pleased with the apology which the Tátár khán
-thought proper to offer for his negligence, determined on renewing hostilities
-as soon as the season should permit. Accordingly every preparation necessary
-for the undertaking was seen to, and his camp was soon pitched in the
-plains of Belgrade. A great quantity of money and of troops were on this
-occasion ordered to be sent to him.</p>
-
-<p>In a council held at Constantinople it was declared, by persons well
-acquainted with the state and condition of the frontiers, that the fortresses
-of Lipa, Yanwa, Warad, and Jena, in the jurisdiction of Temiswar, had
-been seized on by the enemy, and that if active measures were not timely
-adopted, Temiswar would most assuredly be wrested also from the Moslem
-grasp.</p>
-
-<p>Whilst the council was employed in consulting about these matters,
-official documents were received from the commander-in-chief, which confirmed
-the statements before made. It was the opinion of the grand vezír,
-Jeráh Mohammed Páshá, that as the enemy was in possession of the districts
-about Yanuk and Osterghún, the commander-in-chief should direct
-his movements against the Transylvanians, who had, as before observed,
-invaded the jurisdiction of Temiswar. As the frontier fortresses in that
-quarter were all well furnished with men and provisions, he observed, it
-seemed most prudent on this account to make Transylvania the scene of
-the war. They all agreed that unless the Transylvanians were thoroughly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">113</a></span>
-chastised, it would be impossible to keep Valachia and Moldavia in a state
-of subjection. The royal mandate for commencing this war was issued and
-sent to the commander-in-chief, accompanied by a robe of honour. At the
-same time letters, and also money, according to ancient custom, were sent
-to the khán of the Tátárs, desiring him to assist the serdár with a Tátár army.
-The feudal tenantry in Turkey who held superiorities sold them, received
-double wages, and took their dependants. Five hundred yúks of money
-from the imperial coffers were sent along with the camp, and the above
-tenantry for the serdár. They departed from Constantinople for Belgrade
-in the beginning of Shabán, which happened to be his majesty’s birth-day.
-The camp of the serdár was erected on a hill called Khúnkár, in the plains
-of the last-mentioned city, on the 12th of Ramazán. On the 23rd of Shevál
-Válí Páshá, the beglerbeg of Romeili, who had wintered at Uskúb, joined
-the commander-in-chief’s camp at the above place. On the 14th of
-Dhu’l kada the serdár himself joined his army; and, after having had information
-as to the certainty of the Tátár khán’s approach, sent off couriers
-to the different cazís along the Danube, ordering them to have provisions in
-readiness.</p>
-
-<p>After it had been fully resolved on to carry the war into Transylvania, a
-bridge was commenced on the 9th of Dhu’l hijja at a place or promontory on
-the Danube called <i>Táshluk Búrún</i>, somewhere below Belgrade, and which
-was completed in eighteen days, though it extended 1,850 cubits in
-length.</p>
-
-<p>On the day the army began to cross over into the country of Transylvania
-the serdár received certain information that the Tátár khán with his army
-had reached Rusjuk. The provincial troops of Caramania and Merœsh, with
-their respective chiefs, who had been sent to garrison Buda, passed
-through the plains of Belgrade and followed the grand army into Transylvania.
-Towards the end of Dhu’l hijja the Moslem serdár or commander-in-chief
-joined his army, which halted in the plains of Petcheva; but we
-must defer relating the history of this war till we review the events of
-the following year.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">114</a></span></p>
-
-<h3><i>State of affairs in Bassra.</i></h3>
-
-<p>It was during this year that the hidden natural corruption and depravity
-of Seyid Mobárek manifested itself, and when thousands of detestable and
-wicked wretches joined in the rebellion which he was the means of exciting in
-the jurisdiction of Bassra, who committed every sort of devastation in the
-cities, towns, and villages throughout the provinces of Bassra and Lahsa,
-killing, destroying, and plundering where they were able. The government
-of Baghdád having been conferred on the celebrated vezír, Hasan Páshá,
-about the commencement of Ramazán, he was also appointed commander-in-chief
-over all the forces in Baghdád, Sheherzúl, and in all the places
-appertaining to them.</p>
-
-<p>Some time before this appointment took place, however, the inhabitants,
-when they first became aware of the cruelties practised by these rebels, sent
-an embassy to the Sháh of Persia, beseeching him to send them succour to
-enable them to resist the encroachments of the rebels. Their request was
-complied with: he sent them three hundred Kizilbáshes under the command
-of three leaders, but who in fact became more terrible oppressors than
-the faction had been whom they came to repel. The cure was worse than
-the disease. A representation of this circumstance was communicated to
-the court of Constantinople, who about the end of Dhu’l hijja wrote expressly,
-and in the most peremptory manner, to the sháh in reference to
-these matters.</p>
-
-<p>Among the appointments to office which took place when Jeráh entered
-on the premiership, the following may be mentioned. Jeghala Zádeh Sinán
-Páshá was created kapúdán or lord high admiral; and Khezr Páshá, from
-among the vezírs, was honoured with the government of Egypt. It belongs
-to this period to mention, also, that in consequence of the beglerbeg of
-Caramania having been employed with his provincial troops in the Hungarian
-wars, the country was in a great measure left naked and without
-protection. About three thousand insurgents took advantage of this, and
-collected together in the absence of the governor and his troops, and committed
-the most horrid excesses; but the inhabitants uniting together opposed
-them and slew the greater part of these reptiles.</p>
-
-<p>But of all the remarkable events which had taken place during this<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">115</a></span>
-period, the following is the most astonishing. It has been recorded by the
-pen of some one in a collection of facts, that on Friday the 18th of Rabia II.,
-about mid-day, the lady of Bekerbeg, the beglerbeg of Shám Sheríf (the
-noble city of Damascus), a woman of high rank, called Ayesha, the daughter
-of a respectable officer in the army, was delivered, after only three months
-pregnancy, of two male children, and shortly after she brought forth
-twelve more, fully formed, but not living, female children; in all two
-males and twelve females. Such a phenomenon as this was is certainly
-not beyond the range of possibility; but physicians denominate such occurrence
-<i>an error in nature</i>.</p>
-
-
-
-<hr />
-<h2><span class="smcap">EVENTS of the Year 1007, H.</span></h2>
-
-
-<h3><i>Account of the late expedition continued from last year.</i></h3>
-
-<p>We have already, in a former section, noticed the purport of this expedition,
-and left the grand army encamped in the plains of Petcheva. On
-the 25th of Dhu’l hijja of that year they reached Betchgarak, where they
-halted for some time.</p>
-
-<p>About the middle of the thousand and seventh Moharrem (<i>i.e.</i> about the
-middle of the month Moharrem, 1007 of the Hijrah), Válí Páshá, beglerbeg of
-Romeili, died; and Mohammed Páshá, beglerbeg of Anatolia, who had been
-stationed at Usk, was appointed to succeed him, and immediately joined
-the grand army. Mohammed Páshá was succeeded at Usk by Súfí Sinán
-Páshá, beglerbeg of Agria; and he again was succeeded by Bektásh Páshá,
-governor of Solnuk.</p>
-
-<p>At Betchgarak, a place rendered sacred by the death of the late beglerbeg
-of Romeili, the army remained full fifty-five days waiting for the
-arrival of the Tátár khán and his subsidiary troops.</p>
-
-<p>During the stay of the grand army at this place, it happened that messengers
-arrived from Buda who informed the commander-in-chief that the
-fortress of Tata had been taken by the enemy, and immediately after this
-other messengers brought him intelligence from Alba Julia that Pulata was
-besieged. Without loss of time, therefore, and in the utmost haste, he
-issued orders to the troops of Semendria to march to Buda and strengthen
-that garrison.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">116</a></span></p>
-
-<p>In the meantime, information reached the Moslem camp that Ghází
-Gheráí Khán, with his Tátár troops had arrived in the neighbourhood; and
-on the 26th of Moharrem the khán joined the royal army with forty-five
-thousand men. The Moslem serdár, on his approach, went out with great
-pomp and shew, to meet his royal highness, and to perform the honours due
-to him, and which were usual on such occasions; he also prepared a
-splendid entertainment for him and his suite. The royal khán, in his turn,
-made a suitable acknowledgment to the serdár and to the other magnates
-of the Moslem camp. After the entertainment was over, the serdár conducted
-his royal highness to his pavilion, and returned to his own. He
-caused, however, another tent to be erected for the khán near his own, and
-one for his females; and provided them with every thing necessary for their
-accommodation and comfort. To each of one hundred of the khán’s mirzás
-a robe of honour was given: but to the royal auxiliary himself a splendid
-robe, an embroidered coat, two Agria horses, and a saddle and bridle richly
-ornamented with gold and precious gems were presented.</p>
-
-<p>On the 27th, the commander-in-chief or serdár, the princes and commanders
-of regiments went to pay their respects to his royal highness, when
-a royal mandate which had been received from Constantinople was read in
-the presence of these august personages. After the mandate was read, the
-khán, the serdár, and the other dignitaries present, stood up, offered up a
-prayer, and then immediately entered into consultation as to the best means
-for accomplishing the object of the expedition. The question as to the route
-they should take formed one of the topics which occupied their minds on
-this important occasion. After a good deal of conversation on this subject,
-the chiefs of the borders observed, that there were three roads which penetrated
-Transylvania. The first led to the fortress of Lipovah; the second,
-to Sibish and Loghúsh; and the third, to Warad. His royal highness
-Ghází Gheráí observed, it would be most proper to go by the one which
-could be shown to be the most eligible for the transporting of cannon and
-heavy baggage, and on which they could most easily defend themselves in
-the event of being attacked. One of the most distinguished of the border
-leaders replied by saying: “Sire, the roads of Sibish and Loghúsh, and
-of Lipovah, are both difficult and dangerous, and afford no means of de<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">117</a></span>fence
-against the enemy should they be disposed to attack us. The road
-leading to Warad, on the contrary, is broad and open, and on this account,
-as well as others, it is the most preferable one: besides, it is the only one
-of the three in which we can most efficiently as well as conveniently, accomplish
-our object—the chastising of the Transylvanians.” “But,” said the
-khán, “will the infidels of Warad not endeavour to intercept or ensnare
-us? In the event of their attempting any of these expedients, is there no
-danger, and shall we not be obliged to relinquish our object? In the
-event of our succeeding in reducing it, can we keep possession of it after
-we have taken it?” He asked further, whether the reduction of the place
-would likely occupy much time. With the view of doing honour to the
-prowess of the serdár, it was replied, though falsely, that two or three
-pieces of ordnance were quite sufficient for the purpose of accomplishing
-the reduction of Warad; and that, afterwards, they could advance against
-Zighmund (probably the prince of Transylvania). This representation
-weighed with the council. Etmekjí Zádeh, the defterdár of the expedition,
-attended to every thing necessary for the attempt, and provided the army
-with apparatus for occupying the fortress.</p>
-
-<p>In consequence, however, of the great length of time which had elapsed,
-since leaving Belgrade, including the fifty-five days they had to wait for the
-khán, the half of the season for carrying on hostilities was past, but still they
-were determined to do what they could. About the middle of the month
-Sefer, one Yúghen, an ághá of Temiswar, and one who was well acquainted
-with the roads, was appointed to conduct the Moslem army to Warad.
-They reached a fortress on the river Murish, called Jenad, before which
-they sat down and prepared for laying siege to it. After the firing of a few
-guns, however, its inhabitants and garrison became dismayed, abandoned
-it, and fled to the mountains and thickets adjacent. This fortress, of course,
-was immediately taken possession of, whilst the Tátár troops pursued the
-fugitives; killed some, and took most of the rest prisoners. One hundred
-and fifty of these vile wretches were brought to the door of the serdár’s
-tent, and there beheaded. Jenad was put under the jurisdiction of prince
-Ibrahím Shikshái, inspector of Belgrade.</p>
-
-<p>From Jenad the army marched to a palanka called Dilagúsh, and thence<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">118</a></span>
-proceeded to Arad, of which, finding it deserted by its inhabitants, they took
-possession.</p>
-
-<p>Shortly after this, messengers arrived from the prince of Transylvania
-with letters to his highness, the khán of the Tátárs, requesting conditions
-of peace, or rather requesting the khán to intercede with the Ottoman
-emperor and endeavour to bring about a peace. About the same time also
-a great quantity of rain fell, which exceedingly annoyed the Moslem troops.</p>
-
-<p>On the 9th of Sefer Mustafa Páshá, the beglerbeg of Erzerúm, joined
-the grand army with his provincials. On the 11th, the whole army crossed
-the Murish, but experienced the greatest difficulty in doing so. They marched
-along its banks for several stages, and stopped at a bridge near a deserted
-palanka, called Ordúbek. At length, after experiencing a thousand hardships
-in crossing rivers and passing through extensive marshes, they arrived
-in the plains of Warad on the 24th of the month, where they were joined
-by the beglerbeg of Wán, Yúsuf Páshá having previously been joined,
-whilst at Ordúbek, by the army of Gula. Two badlooshkas also, the one
-from Gula and the other from Temiswar, were sent to them. The Tátár
-khán, on the army’s leaving Jenad, took a different route with the intention
-of distressing and annoying the peasantry throughout the country, and
-joined the grand army again at Warad.</p>
-
-<p>The fortress of Warad, before which the Moslem army took up its position
-on the 29th, was situate on the boundaries which separate Germany
-and Transylvania, was very strong, and surrounded by suburbs and villages.
-So very large and extensive a place was Warad that it could easily contain
-twenty thousand troops. Its gardens reached from the suburbs to Pest, and
-its country houses and other dwellings were no less extensive in number, it
-is conjectured, than the number which at that time were between Constantinople
-and the gardens of Dávud Páshá. It is impossible to describe
-accurately the whole of the gardens and orchards, and the multitude of the
-inhabitants of Warad. Some one or two years before the period we are
-now speaking of, a German army of several thousands took possession of it,
-and had it in subjection when the orthodox army, under the grand vezír and
-commander-in-chief Jeráh Mohammed Páshá, appeared before it. The
-suburbs and villages were inhabited by Hungarians.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">119</a></span></p>
-
-<h3><i>Warad besieged.</i></h3>
-
-<p>When the Tátár troops advanced to attack the suburbs of Warad, the inhabitants
-came boldly forth, and for a whole day and night fought with
-courage. But the Tátárs no sooner succeeded in setting fire to their dwellings
-than they retired, put their families into waggons, and tried to escape
-through their postern gates. The Tátárs pursued them with vigour, slew
-the grown-up, made the young prisoners, and returned with immense booty.</p>
-
-<p>Immediately after these things, the khán of the Tátárs, and the serdár of
-the Moslems, and other great men in the army formed themselves into a
-council of war, and took into consideration whether they should proceed
-onwards and desolate the country, or stop where they then were and endeavor
-to vanquish the fortress of Warad. The whole council were
-unanimous in thinking the latter plan the most advisable. So important
-and so strong a place, and so very near the frontiers of the Ottoman dominions,
-and which at once formed a key to Germany and Transylvania,
-they unanimously considered ought not to be allowed to remain in the hands
-of the enemy, and they therefore determined at once on reducing it.</p>
-
-<p>On the first of Rabia II., therefore, the army entered the suburbs, the
-houses of which were well-built and handsome, and instead of preparing
-themselves trenches, took possession of them. With the three pieces of
-ordnance which they had brought along with them, they began battering
-the fortress; but they found, when it was too late to rectify their mistake,
-they had commenced a work far beyond their strength, and one which
-they had not maturely considered. They discovered their rashness,
-but not in sufficient time to correct their mistake. The object of the expedition
-into the country, at the commencement of their operations, was to
-lay it waste, and therefore they did not encumber themselves with many
-cannon, that they might the more conveniently traverse the territories of
-Transylvania, and thoroughly chastise the inhabitants. They had no more
-cannon, therefore, than the three now mentioned: neither were they
-provided with any apparatus for carrying on a siege. This want they now
-began to feel when it could not be easily and speedily remedied; and to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">120</a></span>
-subdue a place of such great strength as Warad possessed, would require,
-they saw, an immense length of time. The serdár was most sensibly
-touched when he discovered his error, and was seriously affected by the
-mistake he had committed. He now began, though too late, to reflect, that
-this same fortress, in former days, had withstood, for the space of forty-five
-days, the utmost efforts of one of the earlier kings, without being vanquished.
-Seeing he had no chance of succeeding without a sufficient number of
-cannon, he wrote to Súfí Sinán Páshá, beglerbeg of Agria, to join his camp,
-and to forward without delay ten pieces of ordnance and other apparatus
-from the fortress of Agria. In consequence of remissness or fraud, however,
-this order was not complied with; or if complied with, was too late to be
-of any use to the besiegers. All the powder and ball which could be found
-in Gula and in the palankas round about, were expended without making
-any impression on Warad. Two mines were also sprung, but with no better
-effect.</p>
-
-<p>The Tátárs, at this time, requested permission to range the country, and
-commit what devastation they could, but the serdár refused to give his
-consent; saying, he hoped to God they would yet take Warad, and they
-would afterwards proceed together. It happened also, in the mysterious
-providence of God, that for the space of forty days it rained successively,
-and the rain which thus fell ran in torrents through the plains and
-valleys. The ground everywhere round Warad became soft, and in several
-places marshes were formed. The ditches which the Janissaries had prepared
-were all filled with water and clay, and the Janissaries themselves
-were forced to retire to their tents. The whole of the army in these adverse
-circumstances became completely discouraged, particularly the officers.
-The stream which issued from the city swelled to such a degree as to become
-unpassable. In fact, it was at last impracticable to go from one tent to
-another. The winds also rose so awfully high as to tear away the very
-poles of the tents out of the ground, and the cattle sunk to their bellies
-in the mud. The troops also were for several days without meat, but this
-want was supplied by a great number of sheep which had been driven to
-the plains of Warad. The most of these sheep were sent thither by the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">121</a></span>
-peasants of Solnuk, and nearly filled the whole country round Warad.
-The cursed prince of Transylvania, they were also informed, had secured
-himself in inaccessible mountains.</p>
-
-<p>The Moslem army were thus exposed to all the inclemency of the weather,
-and to every possible hardship, and distressed and annoyed by the water
-which ran in torrents through their camp. In short, all this accumulation
-of adverse circumstances completely overcame the spirit of the Moslem
-troops: they became totally heartless, and could do nothing. In the
-midst of all these indescribable distresses they were informed by messengers
-from Buda that no fewer than 80,000 of the enemy had attacked and
-destroyed Old Buda, and that at that very moment their large cannon were
-employed in battering Buda itself. They added, that if immediate aid were
-not afforded, Buda could not fail to fall into the enemy’s hands. They had
-heard at an earlier period of the same day on which this news was brought
-them, that a heavy body of the enemy had passed through Yanuk and Wáj,
-and had gone to Old Buda. The persons who brought the above intelligence
-maintained it was of no use to send one or two thousand men; it was
-absolutely necessary, they said, that the serdár should go in person with
-his whole army.</p>
-
-<p>These sad and unwelcome messengers astonished and confounded the
-afflicted serdár and his suffering army by the intelligence they brought him.
-But his misfortunes were only increasing. The very adverse circumstances
-in which the Moslem army were placed, and the advance of the enemy
-against Buda, afforded a favourable opportunity to the treacherous Michael,
-of cursed memory, to cross the Danube, to attack the vezír Háfiz in Nicopolis,
-causing him to seek his safety in flight; and to commit the most
-dreadful depredations. This information became no sooner public, and its
-truth confirmed, than it increased, of course, the embarrassments of Satúrjí
-Mohammed Páshá, the commander-in-chief. But they had still to increase:
-Tata, Besperim, and Papa also fell into the hands of the hateful infidel
-enemy. These things were more than sufficient to confound all judgment.
-They were awful, terrible, and afflictive beyond expression: nevertheless,
-the serdár still bore up under all the misfortunes of the campaign. He
-determined, notwithstanding his perilous condition, to afford what aid he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">122</a></span>
-could to the quarter above mentioned. Yet in a council afterwards held,
-and in which the khán and the other magnates of the army were consulted,
-the difficulty of sending foot soldiers became quite apparent. Not only the
-distance but the difficulty which such troops would have to encounter in
-crossing rivers like seas, the Danube, and the Tise (Tibiscus), was clearly
-discerned to be beyond the power of any but horsemen to accomplish. It
-was therefore agreed that a party of some thousands of the Tátár rangers
-should be despatched without any further delay as far as Pest, where they
-were to spread a report that the khán and the serdár would soon appear
-with their respective troops, and afford them effectual aid. This measure,
-it was conjectured, would have the effect of strengthening such as had not
-fallen into the hands of their enemy, and of discouraging, if possible, the
-latter. The Tátár detachment proceeded.</p>
-
-<p>In the meantime, the commander-in-chief was still looking in vain for the
-arrival of the cannon from Agria. But, alas! he was disappointed. Súfí Sinán
-Páshá arrived in the camp empty-handed. On being interrogated why he
-did not send the ten pieces of cannon as commanded, he returned for answer
-the senseless excuse, that no buffaloes could be had to transport them.
-It can easily be imagined what was the grief and affliction of the Moslem
-army, but it cannot be described. The whole of the provisions which they
-had been able to find in the vicinity of Warad was consumed, and the
-Tátárs were obliged to bring from a great distance to the camp what
-flour or grain they were able to find. A keil (measure) of barley was sold
-from three to five pieces of gold.</p>
-
-<p>The serdár, it must be acknowledged, was the cause of the long delay of
-the Moslem army before Warad, and of course, at least in some degree, of
-the evils to which they had been subjected. We have already observed
-how he refused to allow the Tátárs to go on a predatory excursion through
-the country, saying he hoped God would give him the victory in a day or
-two. He was miserably mistaken in his hopes, and accomplished nothing;
-at least nothing good, as we have seen. The weather now became so very
-cold that the men could keep neither hands nor feet warm. Perceiving,
-therefore, that Warad was not to be subdued by the means which he possessed,
-and as he had caused it to be reported about Pest that he had raised<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">123</a></span>
-the siege and had gone to Solnuk with the view of succouring Buda, the
-serdár began to retreat. In consequence, however, of the rivulets every
-where having swollen into rivers from the late rains, the páshá of Temiswar,
-Ismael Páshá, was instructed to advance and erect bridges for the army;
-but he did not erect even one; the army had therefore, in consequence
-of this neglect, to do the best they could. They crossed no fewer than
-twelve rivers, three of which, however, had bridges over them, of the
-above description, by means of rafts, and underwent immense difficulty and
-danger at every one which they crossed. Numberless poor animals perished
-in these waters, and the troops suffered most severely from the cold. The
-flour which they carried along with them was spoiled and caused disease
-among the men, and they were therefore obliged to throw it away. Their
-three pieces of ordnance they succeeded in getting across these rivers by
-means of strong ropes, and Khoja Murád Páshá, who was beglerbeg of Diárbeker,
-Mohammed Páshá, beglerbeg of Haleb, and Súfí Sinán Páshá, in order
-to encourage the troops, put their own necks into yokes, and helped to drag
-them onwards. The distance between Warad and Gula was about three
-days’ journey, but required twelve days on this occasion to accomplish it,
-during the whole of which time they suffered a thousand difficulties. Hundreds
-of men were left on the road by reason of the cold or hunger, or
-sunk into the mud.</p>
-
-<p>The army was met by Iskander Beg, who was afterwards created páshá,
-and the ketkhodá of Teryákí, Hasan Páshá, in the plains of Gula, who
-confirmed the intelligence they formerly had received that Besperim,
-Polata, and Tata had fallen into the hands of the enemy, and earnestly
-requested the serdár to send off, as soon as possible, what succours he was
-able to the aid of those places which had been enabled still to hold out.
-The serdár gave him fine promises and sent him away next morning.</p>
-
-<p>The army moved from Gula (Julia) to Solnuk. At both these places
-they were obliged to pay a piece of gold for a loaf of bread. They expected
-that at the latter place, where they halted a whole day, boats with
-provisions would have been waiting for them; but in this also they were
-grievously disappointed. When the troops saw that no boats with provisions
-had arrived by the river Tise (Tibiscus), they were roused into rage and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">124</a></span>
-commenced a tumult. Some of the Janissaries rushed upon the serdár’s
-tent and pulled it down about his head. Each of them had taken a piece
-of wood in his hand, with which they so belaboured the poor commander-in-chief
-that he lay half murdered. They broke his skull with their bludgeons
-and his arm with a stone, and afterwards commenced the work of spoliation
-in his kitchen. It is certain that if some of the other officers had not come
-to his assistance, they would have cut him to pieces. The tent of the treasurer,
-Etmekjí Zádeh, shared the same fate: it was not only thrown down
-but robbed, and he himself only escaped with his life, which was entirely
-owing to the intervention of some of their superiors. They now abandoned
-the idea of proceeding to Buda. Towards evening the serdár was seen stepping
-round the tents, and seemed as if afraid and ashamed to enter his own.</p>
-
-<p>In consequence of all these disastrous events and distressing circumstances,
-the strong fortress of Buda was committed to God, and the Moslem
-army marched towards Segdin. Here they fortunately fell in with a number
-of boats loaded with provisions on the Tise, when a distribution of provisions
-immediately took place, which refreshed and recruited the much-weakened
-strength of the army, at least in some degree.</p>
-
-<p>The accounts of the burning and destroying of the city or suburbs of Buda,
-and all the evils which befell its inhabitants, must be reserved to a future
-chapter. In the mean time, however, the unfortunate serdár, pressed down
-and grieved with the misfortunes which had befallen his orthodox army,
-became quite changed in his constitution. His soul was vexed within him:
-his body became poor and lean; and in this broken-down condition he
-retired to Belgrade. His royal highness, the khán of the Crimea, went to
-Sonbúr, and his troops went into winter-quarters in the sanják of Segdin.
-The beglerbeg of Romeili was sent with his provincials to the sanják of
-Petcheví. The Janissaries and other troops, after having been paid their arrears,
-were also sent into winter quarters. The money necessary for paying these
-arrears had to be borrowed from the rich men and merchants of Belgrade.</p>
-
-<p>These arrangements were no sooner over than a very heavy fall of snow
-fell, and a most intense cold commenced.</p>
-
-<p>Thus ended this unfortunate campaign. No advantage was gained, but
-much loss was sustained.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">125</a></span></p>
-
-<h3><i>Concerning the fall of Besperim, Polata, Tata, and the siege of Buda.</i></h3>
-
-<p>At the time it was first determined to carry the war into Transylvania,
-the five thousand cavalry and the twelve thousand foot soldiers, sent last
-year from Europe to Maximilian, the commander-in-chief of the infidels,
-and an army of more than sixty thousand foot and horse soldiers, composed
-of Germans, Hungarians, and other nations, under Maximilian’s brother,
-the archduke Mathias, assembled near Yanuk, and resolved on aiding and
-supporting the prince of Transylvania. When the Moslem serdár, however,
-laid siege to Warad, as before mentioned, the prince of Transylvania retired
-to the mountains, and there fortified himself among inaccessible rocks. On
-this account the imperial troops were not so necessary, at least such a
-powerful augmentation as that above alluded to; therefore when the enemy
-perceived that Buda was left in a defenceless state in consequence of the
-expedition which had entered Transylvania, they immediately marched
-against that place. This was the most proper time, said they to themselves,
-to endeavour to take Buda; and though they should not happen to
-be successful in the attempt, yet they would at least effect a manœuvre in
-favour of Warad, and thus save it from the grasp of the Moslems, who had
-now commenced laying siege to it.</p>
-
-<p>These mighty hosts of the enemy on their way to Buda reduced the
-fortresses of Besperim, Polata, Papa, and Tata, all of them places of
-strength which belonged to the Ottoman empire; and in Rabia II. they
-encamped before Old Buda with more than forty pieces of ordnance and
-other apparatus of war. The greater number of the enemy’s troops was
-transported thence in boats on the Danube to Buda itself, to which they
-laid siege in this same month. After a few days of hostile operation they
-laid the walls of the city even with the ground. When they had accomplished
-this they commenced attacking the citadel both from the land and
-water at the same time. On the seventh day of the siege the bloody contest
-was renewed at sun-rise, and continued till the going down of the same.
-The beglerbeg of Merœsh, Sinán Páshá, and the ex-beglerbeg of Papa,
-Semender Páshá, who had come from Alba Julia to aid the Budians; these
-two heroes from among the besieged died martyrs on this day of unpa<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">126</a></span>ralleled
-cruelty and blood. Teryákí Hasan Páshá, governor of Bosnia,
-and Mohammed Beg, beg of Semendria, were wounded; and many others
-whose days were numbered fell by the hands of these infidels.</p>
-
-<p>This numerous host of vile idolators continued their attacks unremittingly,
-and maintained a continual brisk fire, which so completely annoyed the
-besieged that they found themselves necessitated to give way and retire
-from the city, and seek shelter in the inner fortress. This movement they
-accomplished during the night season, but by doing so they left the city entirely
-naked and defenceless. The following morning the infidels occupied
-the vacant city, and with all imaginable speed erected their forty pieces
-of heavy ordnance on batteries against the inner fortress, and commenced
-directing more than one thousand shots per day against it, besides the
-springing of numerous mines. Night and day this machinery was employed
-without interruption, and every other effort they could devise, in
-trying to reduce the inner fortress. The besieged, however, held out manfully.
-The place had been previously strengthened and put in a condition
-of defence; but they sent off one messenger after another with letters to
-the serdár and to the khán, when lying before Warad, calling on them to
-come to their aid; and assuring them if they did not come, Buda would
-fall a prey to the enemy. But the serdár was unable to afford them the
-relief they required. With part of their forces they lay before Warad, and
-the rest had scattered themselves through the country. However, the khán
-sent them a chosen body of about seven thousand Tátárs under the command
-of Shubá Mirzá. These were soon followed by Bektásh Páshá, governor
-of Agria, with his Agrian troops; and these again by two Tátár
-sultáns, with twenty thousand Tátár troops, which his royal highness had
-succeeded in collecting for the same purpose. Kalkái Selámet Gheráí, the
-brother of the khán, who had just at that time returned from a plundering
-excursion, was likewise sent forward to Buda with the party under his
-command, and which amounted to several thousands. The beglerbeg of
-Buda, Mikaeljelí Ahmed Páshá, succeeded to the beglerbegship of Sinán
-Páshá, who perished in the siege of the city as before observed; and Soleimán
-Páshá, the beglerbeg of Temiswar, who was at that time in the
-Moslem camp along with the serdár, succeeded to the beglerbegship of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">127</a></span>
-Buda. This last, and a few hundred chosen veterans, besides seven
-Sanjak begs, set out for Buda, which, by the time they had reached it, had
-been forty days exposed to the efforts of the infidels. It was the opinion of
-the acting commander-in-chief in Buda, Ahmed Páshá, that it would be
-impossible for them to maintain Buda, and, at the same time, protect Pest;
-he recommended, therefore, that the garrison and people in Pest should
-join the besieged in Buda.</p>
-
-<p>Whilst this imprudent project was in contemplation, the beg of Solnuk,
-commonly called the <i>Earless</i> Osmán Beg, a chief who had formerly manifested
-a variety of heroic deeds at Timúr-kapú, reached Buda with a valiant
-band of borderers from Solnuk in sufficient time to frustrate the proposed
-project. Taking some of the men of Pest along with him, he hastened
-towards Buda; forwarded a number of cannon; the other troops formerly
-mentioned joined him: and, on his appearing with this accumulated army
-before the citadel of Buda, the troops within it were encouraged to come forth
-and receive their deliverers. All these together formed a very considerable
-army, and were now in a condition to cope with their enemies. Accordingly
-they were not long in employing the force they had thus mustered, and with
-one consent attacked their bitter foe with such vigour and resolution that
-they soon forced them to raise the siege and to retire. Before they were
-expelled the city, however, they burned and destroyed its temples and
-mosques, large buildings, and public streets; and then withdrew to the
-valley of Wáj.</p>
-
-<p>Thus, God Almighty saved the fortress of Buda from the hand of malice
-and injustice.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Khádem Háfiz Ahmed Páshá routed at Nicopolis by the odious Michael.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Háfiz Ahmed Páshá having been appointed to guard the banks of the
-Danube, made Widin his head-quarters. Ramazán Zádeh, the governor
-of Adna, who had been appointed along with him to the same service,
-removed from Widin in Rabia II. of this same year, and went along with a
-number of Sanjak begs towards Rusjuk and Selistria, places within the
-jurisdiction allotted to them, but stopped at a place not far from Nicopolis,
-called the plains of Sinadin.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">128</a></span></p>
-
-<p>When the odious and hateful Michael had learned that an expedition had
-been sent into Transylvania, he feigned to have repented of all his wicked
-deeds, and retired from public view. But he no sooner heard of the fate of
-that expedition than he again began to exercise his cunning to the prejudice
-of the Osmánlís. Accordingly, he sent a messenger, a despicable wretch
-called Dimoo, to crave in the most humble and abject manner conditions of
-peace from Háfiz Páshá. The deceitful messenger had no sooner found
-access to the Páshá, and told the purport of his errand, than he granted
-permission to the odious wretch Michael to come and prostrate himself
-before him.</p>
-
-<p>On that same day, the Páshá was employed in fitting up and adorning his
-tents on the banks of the Danube, but ordered a boat to be held in readiness
-for conveying Michael across when he arrived. Soon after the deception
-had thus far succeeded, a number of waggons covered over with scarlet
-cloth appeared at some little distance from the Páshá’s camp, which the
-fraudulent messenger when interrogated concerning them said were
-waggons conveying presents and treasures to the Páshá.</p>
-
-<p>Whilst the Páshá and his men stood contemplating the loaded waggons
-as they approached nearer, and suspecting no danger, suddenly a body of
-troops made their appearance, and fell upon the astonished gazers without
-allowing them a moment’s warning for self-defence. These were Michael’s
-troops, and they amounted to more than twenty thousand, whilst those
-under the command of Háfiz did not exceed three thousand, and most of
-them, at that moment, were without any sort of defensive weapon whatever.
-The waggons which were said to have been conveying treasures and presents
-to the Páshá, turned out to be cannon which they carried. The Moslems
-finding themselves thus miserably duped, and seeing they were unable to
-resist such a force, had no alternative left them but either to perish by the
-hands of these barbarians, or to seek their safety in flight. This last
-appeared the most advisable, and they endeavoured to accomplish it. The
-Páshá, in a state of madness, mounted his horse, and all who were fortunate
-enough escaped to Maternevi. Alas, many of the followers of Mohammed
-fell martyrs on that sad day. The whole of their property and wealth fell
-into the hands of Michael the apostate, and of those wretches who followed
-him.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">129</a></span></p>
-
-<p>The odious Michael, after having gained the advantage in the manner
-above described, marched on Nicopolis, and laid siege to it; but he was at
-length repelled. The struggle between the besiegers and the besieged
-lasted twenty days, but the barbarians were at last obliged to retire without
-having effected their purpose, and went towards Bekrish.</p>
-
-<p>The unfortunate Páshá, like the rest of his men, lost all he had. It has
-been said that some of Michael’s men brought him the garments and shash
-which Háfiz usually wore, and that in derision of the Páshá he put them
-on a decrepid old woman, whom he presented, thus dressed, before his men,
-telling them, that he had caught the Moslem Páshá, and thus excited their
-mirth at the poor Páshá’s expence.</p>
-
-<p>The Páshá, however, made his way to Nicopolis, and repaired the
-breaches which had been effected by Michael on that fortress. When on
-the point of going into winter-quarters at Hazargrade, he received information
-from the court of Constantinople that he was succeeded in the command
-on the banks of the Danube by the fourth vezír, Mahmúd Páshá. He
-accordingly returned to the metropolis about the middle of Jemadi II.,
-and was honoured with the dignity and office of fourth vezír in room of
-Mahmúd.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The grand Vezírship conferred a third time on Ibrahím Páshá.</i></h3>
-
-<p>When the want of that success which had attended the late campaign
-had been fully considered, and that Satúrjí Mohammed Páshá, the commander-in-chief,
-had effected no good, or had acquired no advantage whatever,
-but, on the contrary, had been the cause of much evil; that it was
-owing to his want of military skill that Buda was allowed to be laid siege to,
-and in a great measure destroyed; and, in short, that it was to him and to
-the grand vezír, Jeráh Páshá’s, mismanagement, conjointly, the whole of the
-misfortunes which befell the orthodox troops during the late campaign were
-to be attributed, it was considered wise to remove both from their respective
-offices. Ibrahím Páshá, though more than once deposed from the grand
-vezírship, was yet considered a man of great talent and strength of mind,
-fully competent to fulfil the duties of the premiership, and at the same time
-those of commander-in-chief. He was therefore again created grand vezír,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">130</a></span>
-and the seals were accordingly sent to him. This appointment took place on
-the 9th of Jemadi II. Jeráh Páshá was sick when this resolution passed,
-and did not of course attend the diván on that occasion. He was,
-however, carried to the palace of the chancellor, where the accusation
-against him was read to him, and he was informed, pro formâ, that he was
-deposed.</p>
-
-<p>Four months after Ibrahím’s appointment to the premiership, it was
-determined that he should assume the office of commander-in-chief also,
-and proceed to Hungary. Kapúdán Khalíl Páshá, the káímakám, and
-Jeghala Zádeh, Sinán Páshá, the second kapúdán, attended to the necessary
-arrangements for the new army, which the grand vezír and commander-in-chief
-was to conduct to Hungary. This new army left Constantinople on
-the 27th of Shevál. Tarnákjí Hasan Aghá, ághá of the Janissaries, commanded
-six divisions of the household troops: the victorious banners were
-unfurled, and a declaration of war was immediately issued.</p>
-
-<p>Hasan Beg Zádeh informs us in his history that the winter was so excessively
-cold when Satúrjí Mohammed Páshá, the late commander-in-chief,
-commenced his journey back, that it was with great difficulty he was
-enabled to reach Constantinople. On his arrival there, he found Ibrahím
-Páshá firmly installed in the office of grand vezír, and busily employed in
-the discharge of the duties of that high and important station. It was said,
-however, that in consequence of the asylum of the world having hesitated
-about advancing from the home treasury the necessary supply of money
-required for carrying on the war, the noble commander-in-chief delayed
-his departure for some time; and that, as a last resource, he had applied to
-the emperor’s spiritual guide in the most earnest manner to get his master
-to grant the supply required. The reverend effendí, in the greatest haste,
-and under the pretext of calling a council, wrote to all the great men to
-meet, and to them he made a representation of the urgency of the commander-in-chief’s
-demand. The empress-mother also lent her aid, and the
-thing at last was agreed to. Borhán Effendí was appointed defterdár to
-the army: Lám Alí Chelebí defterdár to the governor of Constantinople:
-Okjí Zádeh was made secretary: and Mudehí Chelebí was appointed
-Reïs-ul-ketáb. Other appointments also took place. The all potent com<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">131</a></span>mander-in-chief
-and the ághá of the Janissaries proceeded on their march
-towards the seat of war. On reaching Selivría, Abúlsa’úd Zádeh Effendí
-died, and the Muftí Effendí, through the intercession of the father of the
-emperor’s principal eunuch, was appointed to the presidency of Romeili;
-the grand vezír had, however, appointed before this Ma’súm Effendí to
-the same office. Músá Chelebí, son of Mohammed Effendí, was deposed
-from the office of high treasurer, and Borhán was appointed in his stead.
-The latter, after having provided for the army as far as Adrianople, returned
-to the metropolis. The ághá of the Janissaries, Tarnákjí Hasan Aghá,
-separated from the grand army at Chatalija, and marched his troops by way
-of Kirk Kilis to Belgrade.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Satúrjí Mohammed Páshá murdered. Etmekjí Zádeh imprisoned.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Ibrahím Páshá, on his journey to Hungary, reached Adrianople in the
-space of twelve days after his departure from Constantinople, whither
-Etmekjí Zádeh Mohammed Páshá, who had been degraded from the office
-of treasurer, which he held during the last war, had also come, but who
-kept himself concealed. By means of Ibrahím’s lieutenant, Mohammed
-Ketkhodá, he was introduced to the serdár or commander-in-chief, and by
-means of large presents he got himself appointed high treasurer in room of
-Borhán, whom the serdár contrived to send to Uskúb. But this, however,
-was only the affair of a month; for a royal letter soon arrived which ordered
-him to be apprehended and the whole of his property to be confiscated.
-This order was issued in consequence of a report which had been sent to
-his majesty respecting his conduct and demerit; and the result would have
-been equally the same some time before it did take place, had it not been
-secretly delayed for awhile.</p>
-
-<p>Hasan Beg Zádeh says, that when the serdár had arrived in the plains of
-Philippopolis he received some account of some manœuvres carried on between
-his royal highness the khán of the Tátárs and his predecessor, Satúrjí
-Mohammed Páshá. They had concocted a scheme prejudicial to the interests
-of the Ottoman empire; the result of their manœuvring, however, was
-fatal to Satúrjí. The serdár passed through Philippopolis and arrived
-in the plains of Sofia, where he halted, and sent for the ághá of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">132</a></span>
-Janissaries, who was a stage or two in advance, and held a consultation with
-him relative to some important affairs connected with the object of the expedition.
-The ághá afterwards returned to his troops. The commander-in-chief,
-it is to be observed, however, had received injunctions from the court of
-Constantinople to deprive Satúrjí of his life, the execution of which was committed
-to the ághá above-mentioned, who was also instructed to accomplish
-this commission on his arrival at Belgrade, where Satúrjí then was. This
-said ághá made all the haste he was able; and on the 12th of Dhu’l hijja,
-when he reached Hisárjik, near Belgrade, the serdár, Satúrjí Mohammed
-Páshá, sent some of his ághás and other officers with their troops as far as
-the plains of Belgrade to meet the ághá; unconscious all the while that
-his head was devoted. His friend, the khán, had sent him an invitation
-to come to him, and even warned him of his danger, but his mind was totally
-indifferent to all danger; in consequence, moreover, of his having received
-some friendly letters which had been sent him in the name of the new
-serdár, though the serdár neither wrote nor sent them, he heedlessly confided
-himself to the very person instructed to take away his life. The ághá,
-to accomplish the deed, prepared a feast and invited Satúrjí and his great
-men to dine with him at Hisárjik. On their arrival they were individually
-presented with a robe, and other tokens of respect which were conferred on
-them. Whilst they were thus cheered and elated by the kindness of their
-host, and harbouring no suspicion in their minds, this very host suddenly
-drew out of his pocket the royal document or rather death-warrant, and
-caused his soldiers, who were in readiness to obey, to slay the whole of his
-guests in cold blood. Thus ended the unfortunate and afflicted life of Satúrjí
-Mohammed Páshá. The cheerful feast became to him and his associates
-the feast of death. His lieutenant, Ibrahím, was sick, and did not accompany
-his superior; and when he learned his fate, he went on board a vessel
-with Satúrjí’s khatíb, his friend, and put himself under the protection of his
-royal highness, Ghází Gheráí, khán of the Crimea. He so terrified the
-khán with the horrible stories he related to him, that he resolved on setting
-out for his own country, and was only prevented from doing so by some of
-his own mirzás, who were not so easily alarmed.</p>
-
-<p>In the meantime the commander-in-chief continued his march towards<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">133</a></span>
-Belgrade; and when he arrived at Batchina a messenger from the ághá met
-him and informed him of the fate of Satúrjí. His whole property, and that
-of his lieutenant, were seized and registered; at the same time orders were
-also given to take possession of Etmekjí Zádeh’s property, who was still at
-Belgrade, in order that that, as well as the property of the other two, might
-be examined. On the 17th of Dhu’l hijja the grand vezír and commander-in-chief
-reached the plains of Belgrade.</p>
-
-<p>Etmekjí Zádeh, who, we have seen, was ordered to be imprisoned and
-his property confiscated, lay without hope at this very time in prison at
-Belgrade; but some who were well acquainted with the state of affairs,
-and the necessities of the army in regard to their being properly supplied
-with every thing requisite for their expedition into the enemy’s country, as
-well as Etmekjí Zádeh’s fitness for this and similar objects, obtained his
-release, and had him reinstated in his former office. By the vigilance which
-he manifested in the discharge of his duty he afforded no ground of uneasiness
-or discontent to the Moslem troops, as he had done in the late campaign.
-He took good care that the treasury and other departments under his inspection
-and management were properly attended to.</p>
-
-<p>The grand vezír remained at Belgrade till about the end of the month
-last-mentioned (Dhu’l hijja), and saw that all the magazines and storehouses
-were well filled with all sorts of provisions: he also put a number
-of boats into a state of preparation.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Strange conduct of the new Grand Vezír Ibrahím Páshá.</i></h3>
-
-<p>It is related by Alája Mohammed Aghá that he himself, at the time
-Satúrjí Mohammed Páshá was killed, was present with Ibrahím Páshá when
-on his way to Belgrade. His words are: “I was present in an assembly,
-called together by the Páshá, when it was announced that Satúrjí Mohammed
-Páshá was murdered. The Páshá fell into a great rage, and asked
-furiously who had brought the intelligence. ‘It is false: it is totally without
-foundation,’ said he, and then again asked the person who announced it:
-‘whence and from whom have you received this story?’ When the informer
-was about to say that he had been a witness to the deed, the commander-in-chief
-broke out again in a furious rage and said: ‘behold, this infidel<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">134</a></span>
-utters falsehood in our presence; by the head of the emperor, if this story
-turns out to be false you shall be punished with death.’ After having
-thus exhausted his fury upon the informer, he turned to the persons who
-composed the assembly, and thus addressed them: ‘Muselmans, what an
-unlikely story is this! That an ághá of the Janissaries should be guilty of
-the murder of so celebrated a vezír as Satúrjí, without the emperor’s permission
-and unknown to me, is unworthy of a moment’s belief: it is false.’
-So great, indeed, was the rage into which he put himself, that he actually
-foamed at the mouth like a rabid animal.” The same historian goes on to
-say, that at this time he stood before him, and on the páshá’s beckoning to
-him to approach him he obeyed. “Go,” said the grand vezír, “and whereever
-you find Etmekjí Zádeh take him to your tent and make him your
-prisoner.” The narrator adds: “I immediately went in search of him and
-found him in the tent of the ketkhodá. On asking him to accompany me
-he got up, and we talked together till we arrived at my tent, when I invited
-him to step in. He immediately appeared confused”—for this Alája Mohammed
-Aghá was the chief executioner—“and asked the reason of his
-inviting him into his tent. On informing him of the nature of the firmán
-which had been sent to me regarding him, he instantly sent a person to
-inform the ketkhodá of what had happened to him. The ketkhodá got
-into a violent passion at the conduct of the ághá, and went directly to the
-serdár and complained of him. The serdár swore he knew nothing of the
-matter, and said it was false. ‘What is the ághá of a regiment,’ said he,
-‘that he should, without my permission, be so bold as to put a defterdár
-into confinement;’ and many more words to the same effect. He then
-called the ághá, asked him if he had done so and so, and by whose authority
-he had so acted; and turning to the members of his diván, said: ‘look, ye
-members of the diván, what times have appeared, that an ághá of a regiment,
-without right or necessity, should take it upon him to imprison a public
-functionary of so high rank as that of Etmekjí Zádeh! I will certainly
-have him slain.’ After having thus poured contumely on the poor ághá,
-he looked him in the face, and exclaimed: ‘you infidel;’ then pressed his
-thumb in the palm of his hand, and ordered him to be conveyed to prison:
-but he soon caused him to be released again.” The same narrator says,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">135</a></span>
-there was no end to the strange, deceitful, and injurious actions of which
-this ághá was guilty. Etmekjí Zádeh found opportunity afterwards, however,
-of getting the aforesaid ághá examined; his property, even to his bed,
-sold, and himself degraded in the public estimation.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Some other events of this year.</i></h3>
-
-<p>By some delusion of the devil, a fellow, under the pretext that he was
-Sultán Soleimán, son of Selím II., who had been put to death, began to
-exercise royal authority in one or two cities and villages in the neighbourhood
-of Constantinople; but he was seized, his head cut off, and his miserable
-body suspended from a tree.</p>
-
-<p>This year, in the month of Rabia II., five French galleys, laden with
-troops and military stores, entered by mistake into the harbour of the island
-of Scio, and overpowered the garrison of that place. In consequence of a
-strong gale of wind, however, these galleys were driven from their moorings,
-and finally out to sea. Four hundred Frenchmen were thus left upon
-the island, and these the inhabitants, after the galleys had disappeared,
-slew with the edge of the sword.</p>
-
-<p>In the month of Ramazán the emperor of Túrán (Scythia), Abdulkhán,
-by means of his superior army took possession of the kingdom of Khorasán,
-but was soon afterwards called to visit the world of spirits, when his son
-Abdulmo’min reigned in his stead. The Usbek Tátárs not having been
-satisfied with his administration, however, murdered him, and called Núrud-dín
-Mohammed Khán, surnamed <i>Telún Khán</i>, to the government of
-Túrán and Khorasán.</p>
-
-<p>This same year also, the sháh of Persia, Sháh Abbás, marched his forces
-against him into Khorasán, and slew him at Herat. He subdued also the
-whole of that province, which contained twenty-four places of strength.
-Under a show of justice, and of fidelity to the Ottoman court, he sent an
-embassy to Constantinople, making an offer of them as a present to the
-emperor.</p>
-<hr />
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">136</a></span></p>
-
-<h2><span class="smcap">EVENTS of the Year 1008. H.</span></h2>
-
-
-<h3><i>Account of Ibrahím Páshá’s further operations.</i></h3>
-
-<p>In the beginning of Moharrem (the first month of the Mohammedan year)
-the commander-in-chief Ibrahím Páshá, after having given orders respecting
-all the boats and vessels at Belgrade, marched forward in the utmost haste
-to the plains of Zimnún, where he encamped. On the 18th he reached
-Usk, where he remained nearly a whole week. On the 24th he crossed
-the bridge of that place, and reached the plains of Mehaj on the 27th.
-Here he was joined by Mohammed Páshá, the beglerbeg of Romeili, and
-by Alí Páshá, the beglerbeg of Rika. On the 29th the serdár reviewed
-his army.</p>
-
-<p>His royal highness, Ghází Gheráí, khán of the Crimea, having been much
-afflicted in consequence of the death of Satúrjí Mohammed Páshá, and
-having been also very much perplexed on account of the share he had had
-in his affairs, did not, on this occasion, join the grand army with his auxiliary
-Tátárs. The fear he had entertained on this score, as well as on
-account of some other parts of his conduct, strongly inclined him to retire
-to his own country, lest he should be incarcerated, and thus meet a fate
-similar to that which his late coadjutor, Satúrjí, had met. In this moment
-of perplexity and doubt his mind was completely relieved by the sight of
-handsome presents, which were brought him by Ahmed Páshá, of Michaelej,
-Mohammed Páshá, beglerbeg of Sivás, and by the ághá of the Salihdárs,
-who also, with great deference and respect, invited him to join the grand
-army.</p>
-
-<p>After a week’s halt at Mehaj, the grand army, on the 7th of Sefer, moved
-forward to Banús, and were there met by Bálukjí Zádeh Mustafa, accompanied
-by a messenger from Transylvania. On the 11th, the army encamped
-at the head of a lake near the banks of the Danube, where the commander-in-chief
-was apprized by letters from his royal highness Ghází Gheráí,
-that the court of Vienna had sent him proposals of peace. On the 21st
-he encamped in the plains of Ján Kúturán. On this day (about the 19th of
-August) commenced the season of autumn. On the fourth day after the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">137</a></span>
-above date, his royal highness reached the opposite shores of the Danube,
-when his excellency the commander-in-chief stepped into a boat and crossed
-over to pay him his respects. At this stage, two pieces of cannon, which
-had been abandoned by the enemy, were brought to the royal camp by the
-warriors of Alba Julia. On the 27th, the army encamped with great eclat
-in the plains of Kiris Elias, near Buda, and the Tátár army went to Pest,
-which lies on the other side of the Danube. The navy which was ordered
-from Belgrade also arrived. The inhabitants of Buda were inspired with
-courage and joy at the sight of such an army and fleet as those which now
-presented themselves before them. The beglerbeg of Buda having also
-arrived with provisions from Kupán, orders were issued that same day for
-commencing a bridge across the Danube. For accomplishing this object,
-a considerable body of men were sent to Kizil-hisár to cut down trees.
-Orders were also issued to put the grain and flour which had arrived into
-granaries in Buda. The bridge above-mentioned was finished in four days,
-and the grand army passed over to Pest. The serdár crossed over on the 7th
-of Rabia II., having previously formed the resolution of attacking the contemptible
-infidels, who happened to be posted at Jegirdilin, opposite to
-Osterghún. On the same day, a beautiful horse, with rich furniture, a
-splendidly ornamented dagger, and a number of other costly presents, were
-sent to his royal highness, Ghází Gheráí, khán of the Crimea. On the
-same day also, Jánbúlád Zádeh Hasan Páshá joined the royal camp with the
-troops under his command. On the 10th of the month, the grand army
-reached Amrúdlí. But the infidels of Wáj set fire to this place during the
-night, and fled. On the 21st, whilst the grand army remained encamped
-in the vicinity of Wáj, messengers arrived from the enemy’s camp, proposing
-that the Moslem grand army should postpone any further movement for the
-space of three days, in order to bring about, if possible, a pacification.
-When the third day arrived, the messenger waited first on the khán, and
-afterwards on the serdár, when Murád Páshá, Ahmed Aghá, belonging to
-his royal highness the khán, and Mohammed Ketkhodá were appointed
-commissioners, and ordered to proceed to the enemy’s camp or tábúr, and
-negociate a peace. They returned, however, in two days afterwards without
-having accomplished any thing; and the Moslem army, without any<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">138</a></span>
-further delay, put themselves again in motion, passed under Novograde,
-situate on a hill, without having sustained the least injury from the cannon
-of that fortress; and arriving at a new palanka near Waragil, on the banks
-of the Danube, opposite Vishégrade, they found it deserted by the enemy’s
-troops who had held it in possession. The inhabitants endeavoured to escape,
-but were all either killed or made prisoners. This palanka was surrounded
-on three sides with a morass: the whole of its cannon and powder fell into
-the hands of the Moslems, who set fire to the place and burned it to the
-ground. Waragil, on the following day, was evacuated, in like manner,
-and burned: nothing but the badness of the roads saved the infidels of
-Waragil from experiencing the fate of those of the palanka.</p>
-
-<p>By this time, the infidel army discovered, as they thought, that the
-Moslems meditated an attack on them about the 20th, and conjecturing they
-would endeavour to cross by the two bridges which they had erected below
-Osterghún, they stationed some of their bravest men in that quarter, in
-order to resist them. The serdár, however, pursued the plan he had first
-formed, and without a moment of unnecessary delay, made towards Jegirdilin,
-where a considerable number of the enemy was concentrated. Mohammed
-Khetkhodá thought it would be more advisable to postpone any attack
-on the enemy for a day or so, and the khán was of a similar opinion. The
-serdár, therefore, delayed; but on the 22nd he entered with his grand
-army the plains of Jegirdilin, which so terrified the infidels that they
-quickly crossed the river and concentrated themselves somewhere below
-Jegirdilin, but found that the two bridges which had been erected there
-had been cut down. A number of sick men whom they had left behind
-were all put to the sword: the grand army advanced upon Osterghún.</p>
-
-<p>In order to deceive the Moslems, and to retard their progress, the project
-of negociating a peace was again had recourse to. The serdár having
-received letters to this effect, he appointed Murád Páshá, Mohammed
-Khetkhodá, and Ahmed Aghá to proceed to the head-quarters of the enemy
-and negociate with the Archduke Matthias, the Palfi, and the Groof. The
-Moslem commissioners laboured to get Agria exchanged for Osterghún,
-but their proposals were received with coldness, and insurmountable objections
-started, so that the Moslem commissioners had to return without<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">139</a></span>
-accomplishing any thing. Both parties, indeed, withdrew from the conference,
-and the enemy retired to Komran.</p>
-
-<p>The commander-in-chief, in a council of the khán’s omerá, determined, in
-consequence of the royal firmán for carrying on the war this year having
-restricted him to a depredatory mode of warfare, on putting this method
-into execution. Accordingly, he sent off a number of warlike troops along
-with a Tátár army into the enemy’s territories, to destroy and seize what
-they could.</p>
-
-<p>On the 2nd of Rabia II. the army crossed the rivers Abyúl and Warad,
-and on the 5th reached the lake of Segmehal, near Uiwar. The predatory
-army before-mentioned succeeded in making a number of captives,
-and seizing some cattle, but by no means to the extent so powerful
-an army was expected to have done. Whilst the serdár remained at
-Segmehal, the beglerbegs went to Uiwar, and there learned for certain that
-the enemy had retired to Komran.</p>
-
-<p>As the winter was setting in, the ághás of the regiments were put in
-mind of this, and instructed to return home. In the Nokhbeh Tarikh it
-is said, the grand army returned on the 28th of Rabia II. to Jegirdilin,
-passed by Filk and Khutván, and arrived at Pest on the 6th of Rabia II.,
-when each hired soldier received, in lieu of provisions, two pieces of gold.
-On the 14th they reached Buda, when his royal highness, Ghází Gheráí,
-khán of the Tátárs of the Crimea, took his leave, and set out for his own
-dominions. The exalted commander-in-chief did all he could to dissuade
-him, but in vain. His royal highness was certainly not well pleased, and
-when he was urged to remain he replied, that the time for the Tátár army
-to retire had arrived; and accordingly he set off. It does not appear that
-there was any particular intimacy between the khán and the serdár, though
-the latter was not wanting either in politeness or attention. The fact is
-(for what reason does not appear), that the khán was never once pleasant,
-nor even showed an agreeable countenance. He never once entered the
-serdár’s tent, and their intercourse, for the most part, was on horseback.</p>
-
-<p>The grand army, after passing through Geshgæmida, Sonbúr, and Baj,
-arrived on the 22nd at a place opposite to Fúidwar, where they were met
-by kapújís from Constantinople, who brought the serdár intelligence of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">140</a></span>
-death of the learned and reverend prelate, Sa’d-ud-dín Effendí, and of the
-appointment of Sinán Effendí in his stead; also that Yúsuf Páshá, whilst
-conducting back the boats and vessels to Belgrade, had been attacked by a
-party of the enemy, in which struggle Yúsuf Páshá fell to rise no more.
-On the 25th the army reached Agria, of deceitful name,<a name="FNanchor_6_6" id="FNanchor_6_6"></a><a href="#Footnote_6_6" class="fnanchor">6</a> where they halted
-a few days to thwart any further mischievous purpose which the enemy
-might have against their boats. It began to be reported that the odious
-Michael had subdued the whole of Transylvania. On the 29th letters
-were brought to the serdár which confirmed this report. On the 3rd of
-Jemadi II. the serdár crossed the bridge of Waradin, at which place he
-caused the household troops to be paid their wages. On the 7th he reached
-the plains of Belgrade. Here the ághá of the janissaries, Tarnákjí Hasan
-Aghá, took his leave of the serdár and departed for the metropolis. The
-troops of Anatolia and the rest of the army were allowed to go into winter
-quarters at Belgrade.</p>
-
-<p>By the good providence of God the army, notwithstanding the great heat
-and droughts, returned without having sustained any particular hardships in
-this campaign.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The French soldiers stationed at Papa join the Osmánlís.</i></h3>
-
-<p>About three thousand of the French troops who had been sent to assist
-the Germans against the Osmánlís, were appointed to garrison the fortress
-of Papa. Having been in this fortress for about a whole year, and having
-received no wages for the service which they had rendered, they quarrelled
-with the Hungarian soldiers of that place, had frequent sharp skirmishes
-with them, and at last slew them. On this account they applied to Mohammed
-Páshá, beglerbeg of Romeili, who was at Buda, and offered to
-deliver up Papa to him if he would agree to pay them the wages which
-were due to them. They made a similar application to Dervísh Páshá, beglerbeg
-of Bosnia, and who was stationed at Alba Julia. Mohammed Páshá
-complied with the request of these Frenchmen, and sent his lieutenant,
-<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">141</a></span>Abdí Aghá, with four hundred men, and also the beg of Alba Julia, Arnáúd
-Hasan Páshá, with his troops to support the above renegadoes against
-all who came against them, and to avenge the death of their brethren. The
-Moslem aid which was thus sent them did it effectually; for they slew all
-who came to oppose them, carried away with them all their wives and
-children, and distributed them for slaves among those of the troops who had
-been most active. Three of the most respectable and most honourable of
-these captives they sent, under the charge of Hasan Páshá, to Belgrade.
-In the meantime a statement of the amount of wages due to the Frenchmen
-by the Austrian government, and which amounted to fifty thousand
-pieces of gold, and for which they had stipulated to deliver up Papa
-to the Osmánlís, was sent off to Constantinople without any unnecessary
-delay. The government readily agreed to the proposal; but before the
-money could be sent to them, the Germans surrounded Papa with cannon
-and soldiers, so that, in fact, neither the money nor any thing else could
-be sent to them. The poor Franks remained more than a month in this
-besieged condition, and thinking it hopeless to wait any time longer in
-this state of suspense and danger, they, under covert of the night, secretly
-left the fortress, and tried to escape to the mountains near Alba Julia, about
-six leagues distant. Not being acquainted with the road, they were soon
-overtaken by German and Hungarian soldiers, who slew the greater part of
-them. Nevertheless, five or six hundred of them, who escaped falling into
-the hands of their pursuers, eventually found their way to Alba Julia in a
-very weak and wounded condition. Five hundred of them remained at Alba
-Julia, and the remainder went or were sent to the serdár or commander-in-chief.
-This account of the Frenchmen of Papa is taken from the Fezliké,
-but Hasan Beg Zádeh and Abdulkádír relate the story somewhat differently.</p>
-
-<p>From their account of the fact it appears, that the French who had garrisoned
-Papa had written to Dervísh Páshá, proposing to deliver up that
-fortress on the condition of receiving a sum equal to what was due to them
-by the Austrian government; also of being received into regular pay, and
-that pay to be regularly paid to them at the end of every three months. Their
-number amounted, they stated, to two thousand, and they promised to
-be every way serviceable to their new masters, provided their offer was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">142</a></span>
-accepted. Sixty thousand ducats was the sum they demanded, which
-the exalted serdár agreed should be advanced to them, and immediately
-sent an account of the whole affair to the court of Constantinople. The
-money required, and ten thousand ducats in addition, for paying travelling
-expenses, were sent to Dervísh Páshá, who sent it to the Franks. To the
-principal or leading man among these Franks, who was a cardinal, a gold
-chain was sent along with the sixty thousand ducats. As soon as the money
-and the gold chain were delivered to the Franks, they put the Osmánlís in
-possession of Papa and immediately joined Dervísh Páshá. They were afterwards
-escorted by one of the ághás to Belgrade, where they entered into the
-service of the Turks. The exalted serdár some time afterwards showed them
-very great respect in the siege of Kaniza, they being the very first who
-entered the trenches on that occasion. The same night on which they entered
-into these trenches, the serdár gave them fifty thousand ducats over and
-above the pay which was due to them. This race was found most active
-and useful in the following campaigns, and were always preferred to other
-infidels. Several hundreds of them afterwards accompanied Sultán Osmán
-Khán in his wars, and were most serviceable to him whilst engaged against
-the northern nations. These French or Franks did not kill in the ordinary
-way. Such of the Russians and Cossacks as fell into the hands of the
-Moslems were delivered over to these Franks, who first fixed them alive on
-spits, and then roasted them before a fire, turning them round and round
-till they perished by the process.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Laudable qualities of Ibrahím Páshá.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Petchoghli says that Ibrahím Páshá, the commander-in-chief, was a
-man of exemplary humility, possessing great benignity of nature and extreme
-meekness. So great was his compassion and commiseration when
-any one was brought before him for any crime, that he not unfrequently
-betrayed weakness. On a certain occasion, when some peasants were
-brought into his presence for rising up against the cazí of Púzgha and
-murdering him, he took the blame to himself, and gave them a certificate
-which signified that he had given them permission to perpetrate the crime
-of killing the cazí. The reason he alleged for having acted thus was, that if<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">143</a></span>
-the peasants of the borders were too strictly dealt with, they would, to
-escape the process of examination, go over to the enemy. He manifested on
-several occasions similar compassion and forbearance towards many of the
-enemy when they were brought before him.</p>
-
-<p>It belongs to this part of our history to observe, that in Rabia II. of this
-year, the janissaries of Shám (Syria) having exercised excessive oppression
-towards the poor inhabitants of the province of Haleb under the pretext of
-raising taxes, the governor, Hájí Ibrahím Páshá, beglerbeg of Haleb, in
-order to suppress this mode of oppression, caused seventeen of these Syrian
-janissaries to be seized and put to death. This circumstance, however, gave
-rise to very serious commotions afterwards, and was the cause of the shedding
-of much innocent blood.</p>
-
-<p>The Georgian nation also revolted this year. Simon, the Hákim or governor
-of this province, a faithless infidel, raised the standard of rebellion
-and suddenly attacked Gúri, which he soon obliged to submit to him; and
-afterwards razed part of the city to its foundation. By the assistance of
-God, however, the governor-general of Tabríz and Ván, Ja’fer Páshá, succeeded
-in getting him into his power, put him in irons, cut off the head of
-Alexander, another of the Georgian princes, seized upon his sons, and sent
-them along with Simon to Constantinople. Simon was confined in the
-Seven Towers, but soon afterwards embraced the Moslem faith. He died
-during the reign of Sultán Ahmed Khán.</p>
-
-<p>Among the events which took place during this period, the following is
-worthy of being remarked. There lived in Constantinople a certain Jewess,
-who by means of an unlawful traffic acquired notoriety, and was the means
-of seducing and corrupting several individuals of some note. Her corrupt
-practices awakened the displeasure of the spáhís, who raised a tumult, and
-prevailed upon the governor of the city, Khalíl Páshá, to deliver her up, in
-order that the evil of which they complained might be removed. The
-governor, who seemed to have some fear of this wretch’s wickedness,
-and thinking it probable the queen-mother might hear of her, ordered
-Kazánjí Zádeh, a Chávush báshí, to go and demolish her dwelling. He did
-so; and not only caused her children to be seized, but also hurried them
-and her away to the governor. They had no sooner reached the stairs of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">144</a></span>
-senate-house than the spáhís lost all patience, drew their weapons, and
-murdered every one of them. Their odious carcases were thrown out
-into the Meidán. But the perpetrators did not stop here. They cut off
-the Jewess’ hands, the instruments of bribery and corruption, and nailed
-them to the door of some of those who had been involved in her crimes.
-The emperor, however, was much offended at the shameless violence
-which the spáhís had exhibited, and therefore removed Khalíl Páshá from
-his office for not having restrained them. He appointed the eunuch Háfiz
-Páshá in his stead.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Concerning Abulhelím.</i></h3>
-
-<p>This person, commonly called Karah Yázijí, or Scrivano, was one of the
-principal actors in the rebellion which began to rage in the east.</p>
-
-<p>Whilst the Moslem army was necessarily employed in repelling the
-aggressions of the Hungarians and protecting its frontiers from the inroads of
-these and other infidels, several insurrections broke out in the east. Karah
-Yázijí, known by the name of Abdulhelím, the commander of a cohort,
-headed a band of lawless and disaffected peasants, and unfurled the standard
-of rebellion in the district of Rohá.</p>
-
-<p>This same Yázijí was formerly beglerbeg of Ethiopia. Towards the
-close of 1007, when Hasan Páshá was called on by the court of Constantinople
-to give an account of his maladministration in Anatolia, the deputy of
-Caramania, Mohammed Chávush, went with a thousand men to chastise
-him; and after an hour or two’s fighting, dispersed Yázijí and his band of
-rebels. Yázijí fled to Iconium.</p>
-
-<p>When the government of Constantinople heard of these things, it appointed
-Mohammed Páshá, the son of Sinán Páshá, and third vezír, to the
-office of commander-in-chief of all the Asiatic troops; and he immediately
-sailed for Alexandria.</p>
-
-<p>When the new commander-in-chief arrived in the vicinity of Iconium,
-he found that Hasan Páshá was two stages in advance of him, and had
-joined himself to Karah Yázijí, who had subverted the fortress of Rohá.
-Mohammed Páshá soon surrounded Rohá, and was not long in forcing
-Yazijí to terms of accommodation. Yázijí was promised permission to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">145</a></span>
-return to his own sanják on condition of his first delivering up Hasan
-Páshá, which he accordingly did by letting him down by the wall of the
-fortress: thus sacrificing his friend to save himself. Yazijí, without any
-further ceremony or security, set off for Amasiah (a city in Cappadocia),
-that being the sanják assigned to him.</p>
-
-<p>It has been said of Karah Yazijí, that on finding that all his lead was
-expended during the siege, he caused dollars to be melted down and made
-into balls; and that it was only after these had been also expended he was
-necessitated to sue for peace. Hasan Páshá was carried in chains to Constantinople,
-had his hands and feet cut off in the diván, was afterwards
-mounted on a beast of burden and exposed through the streets of the city,
-and lastly, was empaled at the Woodgate as a public spectacle.</p>
-
-<p>Karah Yazijí not thinking himself secure, and fearing Mohammed Páshá
-might be disposed to take vengeance upon him for his former practices,
-again commenced to exercise cruelty and to excite rebellion; and it was
-only after Mohammed Páshá’s lieutenant and several other ághás had
-perished by his hands, that he was at last overpowered by the serdár,
-Mohammed Páshá, himself. He now fled into the district of Sivás, and
-fortified himself in the mountains which border on that district. The
-winter season having arrived, Mohammed Páshá went into winter-quarters
-at Diárbeker, determining that as soon as the winter was over he would
-pursue the fugitive into his strong-holds.</p>
-
-<p>In the meantime, however, Mahmúd Páshá, beglerbeg of Sivás, went to
-Constantinople, and not only succeeded in obtaining a suspension of
-hostilities against the wicked rebel, Karah Yazijí, but was himself, in consequence
-of his representation, again received into favour. He made it
-appear that his rebellion was owing to Mohammed Páshá’s tyranny, and
-that it was on this account he had gone into the mountains. He, in fact,
-represented him as a man worthy of important trust. The mufti and the
-káímakám were so thoroughly persuaded of the truth of this representation,
-that he was not only forgiven, but advanced to the sanják of Chorum.
-When Mahmúd returned to Sivás, he and Karah Yazijí were both employed
-in quelling the turbulence and insubordination which existed throughout
-the country. The commander-in-chief, Mohammed Páshá, was recalled.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">146</a></span>
-Hasan Beg Zádeh says that Chelebí Kází, the son of Siná allah Effendí’s
-brother, had received large sums of money from Karah Yazijí, and that he
-eagerly laboured by his representations, not only to procure a pardon for
-Yazijí, but also obtained the sanják of Chorum for him. He used his
-utmost efforts also to get Mohammed Páshá removed from office.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The state of Yemen.</i> (Arabia-felix.)</h3>
-
-<p>After the beglerbeg of Yemen, Hasan Páshá, had completely subdued,
-in a series of battles, the rebels of that country who had raised the
-standard of rebellion against the Ottoman government, the chief amongst
-them, who appeared in the name of Imám Mehdí, and several other Arabs,
-suffered death by decapitation; and the whole of his followers were
-visited by retributive justice. The governor of Kokbán, Mohammed, and
-the governor of Haja, Abd ur rahmán, having returned to their obedience,
-afforded their aid to Sinán, the deputy, who was there left to quell all disturbance,
-and things soon became quiet and settled.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Ibrahím Páshá’s movements against Kaniza.</i></h3>
-
-<p>About the return of spring, and after the celebration of a religious fast,
-which was about that time observed at Belgrade, the exalted serdár, or commander-in-chief,
-pitched his camp in the plains of that city, where he remained
-for the space of a month, making all the necessary preparations for
-commencing a new campaign, and also to afford time to the other troops to
-join the royal camp. Tarnákjí Aghá, the ághá of the janissaries, the ághás
-of other regiments, and officers of artillery, left the metropolis for Belgrade,
-about the commencement of Dhu’l hijja of the last year, and reached the
-royal camp towards the end of the same month. In consequence also of
-royal letters which had been transmitted to his highness the khán of the
-Crimea, he furnished a considerable supply of Tátár troops; and it was not
-long before the serdár was informed that the troops which his royal highness
-Ghází Gheráí, khán of the Crimea, had supplied, and which amounted to
-several thousands, had arrived, under the command of a sultán, in the
-neighbourhood of Belgrade.</p>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">147</a></span></p>
-
-<h2><span class="smcap">EVENTS of the Year 1009, H.</span></h2>
-
-
-<p>All things being now in readiness, the grand army removed from the plains
-of Belgrade, crossed the Save towards the end of Moharrem, and encamped
-in the plains of Zimnún; whence boats loaded with provisions were forthwith
-sent to Buda. On the grand army’s arrival at the seventh stage of its
-journey, it was determined to march upon Usk, with the view of reducing
-Osterghún.</p>
-
-<p>It is necessary to observe, that the infidels of Kaniza (Canischa, in
-Hungary) were in the habit of perpetrating murders and committing robberies
-on both sides of the Drave and of the Danube, and, in short, had
-become very proud and exceedingly troublesome. Persons either going to,
-or coming from, the mills of Belgrade, were frequently attacked or carried
-off. About this time, or a little before it, they burned down to the ground
-a palanka called Púrnawar, not far from the bridge on the Save, by which
-the Moslem grand army had crossed that river, and committed some other
-devastations besides. Tarnákjí Hasan Páshá, who had been removed from
-Buda, and who at this time lived at Petcheví, no sooner heard of these
-cruelties than he immediately set out with a party of his followers in
-pursuit of the incendiaries, and on coming up to them on the banks of the
-Drave, they fled across a bridge, and afterwards destroyed it. This did not
-save them; for Hasan Páshá and his men crossed the river on rafts, again
-pursued the fugitives, killed some of them, made others of them prisoners,
-and the remainder of the vile incendiaries perished in the Drave, and so
-went to hell. The páshá and his men, after having performed these praiseworthy
-exploits, repaired with flying colours to the camp of the grand
-army, carrying their prisoners along with them, and for which service the
-serdár immediately granted the páshá his due meed of praise. He made
-some enquiry of the captives relative to the condition and strength of the
-enemy, to attack which the Moslem army had so far advanced. The exalted
-serdár, in a council of his great officers, when the subject concerning the
-reduction of Osterghún was adverted to, said: “Behold, great preparations
-have been made, many difficulties have been overcome, and just as we were
-on the eve of entering the enemy’s territories, these infidels of Kaniza have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">148</a></span>
-destroyed the bridge by which the Moslem army was to pass on its return.
-I am much concerned on this account, and therefore think it of the utmost
-importance that Búbofché, which is not far off, should be first reduced.
-This effected, we shall be able to command the whole of this quarter by
-placing a garrison in it, and, at the same time, keep the road to Buda
-open.” All the military chiefs, princes, and ághás approved of this proposal,
-and the serdár’s mind was bent on vanquishing Kaniza. Accordingly,
-Hasan Páshá, after the above consultation, set his men in order, crossed the
-bridge at Usk, and sent his heroes towards Búbofché.</p>
-
-<p>At this juncture of affairs, Dimoo, the odious Michael’s messenger, arrived
-in the camp with letters and presents for the court of Constantinople, (for
-Michael had submitted himself before this to the Osmánlís,) and along
-with the reïs effendí, Hamza Effendí, set out for that city on the 16th of
-Sefer, the day on which the army crossed the bridge of Usk on its way to
-Shuklúshka, where they took among other things an eighteen wakáyat
-cannon.<a name="FNanchor_7_7" id="FNanchor_7_7"></a><a href="#Footnote_7_7" class="fnanchor">7</a> From Shuklúshka, a considerable number of troops under the
-command of the beglerbeg of Diárbeker, Murád Páshá, and Ketkhodá
-Mohammed, were ordered to advance upon Búbofché and lay siege to it.
-On the arrival of the army before Búbofché, the infidels made some little
-display of courage, by impetuously rushing forth upon the Moslems, who
-had just commenced the siege. In this sortie, one of the Mohammedan
-leaders fell a martyr, <i>viz.</i> the beg of Sigetwar, Delí Nasúh Beg. After
-they were repulsed, the Moslems commenced filling up the ditch which
-surrounded it, and in three days afterwards the serdár appeared with the
-grand army before Sigetwar. The contemptible enemy within this fortress,
-when they heard that the serdár was coming to attack them, were so powerfully
-overcome by terror that they yielded it up without resistance.
-Mohammed Ketkhodá conducted them all to Novograde, on the lake Platten.
-In the meantime, the serdár passed through Petcheví from Shuklúshka, and
-halted at Sigetwar. From each of these fortresses he took some pieces of
-cannon, and on arriving before Búbofché he found it occupied by his own
-troops.</p>
-
-<p>In a council held at Búbofché some concern was expressed regarding
-<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">149</a></span>Buda, when Hasan Páshá said: “Thank God, Búbofché has been conquered
-on very easy terms. It was the key, on this side, to Mekumúriah,
-and the places of strength on the sea of Platten. Kaniza is the strong-hold
-of the infidels in that quarter. If it can be easily reduced, a great advantage
-in such a case will be obtained. Let us, therefore, whilst the enemy
-in that quarter has no suspicion of our movements, advance and take it at
-once.” The rest of the chiefs concurred in these sentiments of Hasan:
-but the serdár again expressed some doubts respecting the safety of Buda
-and the country adjacent. The chiefs, however, were decided. “Let
-Hasan Páshá,” said they, “be sent to Buda and attend to its safety: we
-are determined on marching against Kaniza.” Hasan Páshá, accordingly,
-set out that very day for Buda. Lála Mohammed Páshá, the beglerbeg of
-Romeili, and who had occupied Buda, was ordered to join the royal camp
-with the troops under his command. Taking five large pieces of cannon
-from Buda, and a party of those Frenchmen formerly mentioned, he
-marched by way of Kopan to join the grand army. On his way thither,
-he came upon a palanka, which after two days’ fighting he took, and
-destroyed every soul he found within it: for those who occupied this
-palanka were peasants who had thrown off their allegiance to the Ottomans.
-The palanka called Lawah they found deserted, took possession of
-it, and soon afterwards joined the royal camp, which had now arrived before
-Kaniza. The serdár, on leaving Búbofché, and arriving in the plains of the
-palanka of Perezancha, issued orders to the Tátár troops to commence their
-depredatory mode of warfare, and on the 1st of Rabia II. appeared with
-his grand army in the plains of Kaniza, where he was joined by Lála Mohammed
-Páshá and his provincials, as before observed.</p>
-
-<p>This Kaniza (or Chanisca) was a very strong place, situate in an island
-in the river Brak, which issues from the lake Platten, and unites itself with
-the Drave. It was most difficult of access, being surrounded on two sides
-by wood and marsh, which reached to both branches of the river. Cannon
-could have no effect upon it, on account of the earthen mounds which
-served as out-works for its protection: neither was it found possible to make
-any impression upon it by the springing of mines. Nevertheless, the
-serdár, putting his confidence of success in God, gave orders to form the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">150</a></span>
-siege. Every day four or five hundred balls were directed against it, but
-without any advantage whatever. Seventeen days were spent in battering
-it at the gate which opens towards Sigetwar with no better success. At
-length they constructed, by means of branches of trees, a path across the
-river sufficiently strong and broad to bear a waggon, but it stood only one
-day. This temporary path or bridge was called Lassa, and was a second
-time renewed.</p>
-
-<p>On the 15th day of the month, about mid-day, the Moslems were put
-into a state of consternation and surprize by a most tremendous report, and
-the sight of huge pieces of rock and earth, as large as the human body, flying
-through the air, and for the space of two hours Kaniza was enveloped in
-smoke and dust. After the smoke and dust had cleared away, they perceived
-that one of its two mighty towers had been carried away. It would appear
-that the preceding evening, when some of the Moslem prisoners who had
-been there confined, had been sent to fill up some breaches which by this
-time had been effected, they saw the door of the powder-magazine standing
-open, when one of them conveyed a lighted match into this magazine, and
-so placed it that it might, in the course of some hours, reach the powder.
-This then was the cause of the Moslems’ surprise. More than one thousand
-kantars<a name="FNanchor_8_8" id="FNanchor_8_8"></a><a href="#Footnote_8_8" class="fnanchor">8</a> were thus ignited, and produced the explosion described, carrying
-off by its irresistible force the tower already mentioned, the prison in which
-lay one hundred and seventy Moslem captives, women and children, the
-arsenal, and the palace of the prince or governor, and himself along with
-it. For several days after this catastrophe no guns were fired from the fortress,
-but they continued the use of their musketry.</p>
-
-<p>In their distress and great amazement they sent word to the king (of
-Hungary), informing him of what had befallen them, and beseeching him
-to render them his aid.</p>
-
-<p>Ferdinand, emperor of Germany, who had collected his troops with the
-view of visiting Buda, heard that Hasan Páshá was there, and therefore
-came with his whole army, which amounted to forty thousand foot and
-horse, to the aid of Kaniza. His advance guard appeared on the 28th,
-and the whole army took up its position in the neighbourhood of Kaniza.
-<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">151</a></span>The Moslem cavalry, eager to meet these infidels, advanced upon them; but
-such was the briskness of the enemy’s musketry, that they were obliged to
-retire. The janissaries now left their trenches, though the Frenchmen
-remained in theirs, and advanced in their turn, but were soon forced to
-retrace their steps and fly. The courage of the Moslem camp was supported
-by the unfurled banners of the begs and governors at the head of their
-respective troops. The enemy took good care, however, not to play the
-same game they had played at Mehaj after the fall of Agria, <i>i. e.</i> by rushing
-on the Moslem camp. They so placed their guns as to make them tell more
-effectually upon the orthodox army; but fortunately the balls passed over
-their heads. A whole day was spent in hard skirmishing, when, towards
-night, the enemy retired within their fortifications, and spent the whole of
-that night in strengthening their position by means of ditches, mounds, &amp;c.
-Next morning, the infidel foot soldiery, with their cannon in front of them,
-advanced to the charge. The Moslem commander-in-chief mounted on
-horseback, arranged a body of his men behind a marsh: the janissaries
-and the beglerbegs with their respective troops stood ready in their places.
-The enemy continued to advance. The begs and páshás fell back upon the
-janissaries, who also retreated. The standard-bearers and brave commanders
-maintained their ground, but afterwards took shelter in the woods.
-A fog coming on prevented them from discovering the movement of the
-enemy, and they had nearly fallen victims when they returned from
-the wood. Night coming on, the sound of drum recalled the enemy to
-their fortifications. The following morning, the 1st of Rabia II., the
-Moslems determined on a general battle. The beglerbegs mounted their
-horses, and the foot and horse soldiers advanced; but the enemy had placed
-before daybreak a number of men in various parts of the wood, who
-showered so plentifully on the Moslems as they advanced to the assault,
-that they were fairly staggered. Many of these orthodox men fell martyrs
-on this occasion, and were thus hurled out of time.</p>
-
-<p>When the Moslem army had thus advanced to give battle to these pagans
-they supposed the Moslem camp was wholly deserted, and therefore endeavoured
-to throw provisions and gunpowder into Kaniza; but they were
-completely hindered from doing so by the exalted serdár, who appeared<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">152</a></span>
-with a party of cavalry and a body of Janissaries ready to intercept them.
-The Janissaries, however, as on the two former occasions, fled like a flock
-of sheep put in terror by a wolf, and hastened back to the camp. The
-serdár endeavoured to rally them, and to recall their courage by calling out
-to them, “My brave fellows, why do you act thus cowardly?” but all in
-vain. The serdár, seeing he could make nothing of his janissaries, turned
-about with those around him, and entered into personal engagement with
-the hateful enemy, whose sharp-shooters were only hindered from reaching
-the Moslem camp by a marsh which intervened. The exalted serdár had
-only about three or four hundred spáhís and salihdárs around his person
-when he entered the place of general conflict: many of them fell at his
-side. The serdár himself went behind a rising ground and stood there.
-Shortly afterwards the ághá of the janissaries came running up to him, and
-letting down his sword exclaimed, that all was lost. The exalted serdár,
-without even looking at him, ordered the beglerbegs of Romeili and Anatolia,
-and the commander of the artillery to advance with four divisions and relieve
-those troops which had been engaged. The serdár, when he saw that the
-greater part of his men were in active operation, and that few had remained
-around his own person, was sorely grieved, and actually became bent with
-pain. The troops, however, rallied again, and once more made a vigorous
-attack on the enemy, in which the horse of the commander of the artillery
-fell, but he was soon supplied with another. The janissaries were very
-saving of themselves; not above forty or fifty of them showed their heads
-beyond their tents. Some of the cannoneers brought forward five falconets
-and two large field-pieces, and commenced firing them in front of the serdár
-with such effect upon the enemy as to cause them to draw together, and
-thus prevented them from entering into the Moslem camp. The approach
-of night, however, warned both armies to retire from the contest. Very
-many of the enemy perished in this day’s struggle for conquest. The infidels,
-it may be observed, never again ventured from their strong-hold. On
-the following day, the 3rd of the month, the Moslem foot and cavalry advanced
-again to meet the foe, and attacked them even in their own fortifications:
-at night they returned to their camp. On the fourth the Moslems
-held a consultation as to making a general assault on the fortifications of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">153</a></span>
-enemy. Two thousand Tátárs, who had been reserved in the camp, were
-sent out to make what reprisals they could, and seized a number of waggons
-laden with provisions for the enemy’s camp. When the enemy saw that
-their provisions were cut off; that every road to their camp was watched
-by these Tátárs; and that they could find no means by which they might
-get Kaniza supplied with gunpowder; they on the 5th abandoned their fortifications
-altogether, and made off with themselves about the middle of the
-night of that date, leaving only a small quantity of spoil behind them.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Kaniza taken.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The Moslem army returned to the siege of Kaniza, and continued it seven
-days after the enemy’s troops had fled. The besieged, finding that the army
-which had purposely come to their assistance had been obliged to fly in disgrace,
-as just now related, and being much weakened by the incessant efforts
-of the besiegers, as well as by the efforts they were continually called on to
-make in their own defence, became discouraged.</p>
-
-<p>Yánush Towán Beg, who had succeeded the late prince that was killed
-by the explosion formerly mentioned, went along with one Muklúsh, a
-cavalry officer, to a certain place of the fortress, from which they saw but
-too clearly that the host which had come to their aid had fled. “All hope
-of safety is now gone,” they said: “our gunpowder is expended, and these
-Turks will take Kaniza by force if we do not yield in time. It is far more
-advisable to deliver it, and save our lives before they do so, and give us no
-quarter.” The Hungarian part of the garrison were willing to adopt this
-counsel, but the Austrian part of it continued obstinate for awhile, yet
-soon afterwards concurred with the rest. Such was the way they consulted
-among themselves.</p>
-
-<p>On the evening of the 13th, which was the evening of the Sabbath, a
-tremendous rain fell; yet the Moslems continued their hostilities till daybreak
-next morning, when it was announced that they were, on the following
-day, to commence a general assault. Every preparation for this
-mighty effort was made; but when the besieged saw the conquering Moslems
-moving on to the assault they hesitated no longer; they immediately
-hoisted a flag of truce over their gate, and the sound of their voices, im<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">154</a></span>ploring
-for mercy, reached the skies. They requested that Khoja Sinán, of
-Petcheví, a trustworthy man, should be sent to them as a pledge of their
-security. This was accordingly acceded to, when immediately two or three
-of their chiefs, German and Hungarian princes, wearing gold chains about
-their necks, came forth to meet the exalted serdár, who presented them with
-robes, and granted them passports at their own request. These princes
-observed, that it was because they had no gunpowder they had submitted;
-“otherwise,” said they, “you would not have reduced Kaniza. But,”
-added they, “are the conditions on which you allow us to depart to resemble
-those promises you made to us at the taking of Yanuk and Agria, when you
-sent an army after us to murder us?” The exalted serdár gave them his
-solemn oath that, with the exception of their cannon and other arms, which
-now belonged to the emperor of the Ottomans, every thing else they were
-at full liberty to take along with them, and to depart in peace. They again,
-in consequence of this grace which the serdár had shown to them, said, “We
-have two hundred horsemen and one thousand five hundred foot soldiers in
-the garrison, besides women and children, who require the means of conveyance.”
-The exalted serdár immediately ordered two hundred camels to
-be provided for them for the purpose of conveying their property and wives
-and children. On the following day they evacuated Kaniza, delivered over
-the keys of the city to the serdár, loaded the camels which the serdár had
-provided for them with their families, goods and chattels, even to their
-geese and hens, plates and cradles, and set out on their journey; and halted
-at a small distance.</p>
-
-<p>In the meantime the head of the arsenal, and the commander of the
-artillery, Mohammed Ketkhodá, entered into the fortress of Kaniza, and
-took possession of it. Fifty-one pieces of large and twenty-five of small
-cannon were found in it. The churches were converted into mosques. The
-victorious troops entered into a friendly intercourse with the men who had
-lately evacuated Kaniza, and made some purchases of provisions and of
-such other articles as they had to dispose of. Mohammed Páshá, governor
-of Romeili, and Mohammed Ketkhodá conducted them as far as the fortress
-of Kapernak, about three days’ journey, when they were met by a party of
-their own kind from that fortress, and who made some splendid presents to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">155</a></span>
-the two chiefs, besides giving cloth to the other officers of the party who
-conducted them sufficient for one hundred garments, and as much as would
-make one for each of the camel-drivers.</p>
-
-<p>Hasan Beg Zádeh, who was present in this campaign, and who published
-an account of it, was appointed to write an account of the victory, and
-to send it by couriers to all parts of the empire. By the reduction of
-Kaniza, many other districts and towns, besides Kish, Komar, and Perzencha,
-were added to the Ottoman dominions, and were properly and regularly
-supplied with rulers, judges, and garrisons.</p>
-
-<p>When the secretary of customs, Abdí Effendí, who had been appointed to
-carry the news of the victory which had attended the Moslem arms to Constantinople,
-arrived there, three days and three nights were dedicated by
-appointment to public rejoicings. Orders were also sent to all the other
-great cities to follow the example of the metropolis. A robe, a sash, and
-a richly-ornamented sword and dagger, a splendid tent, besides other
-valuable presents, were ordered to be sent to the serdár or commander-in-chief,
-Ibrahím Páshá, along with a royal letter expressive of his majesty’s
-approbation. Splendid swords and daggers, and also robes, were at the
-same time sent to all the beglerbegs in the royal camp. To the historian
-of this campaign, Hasan Beg Zádeh, a robe and a sword were also sent.</p>
-
-<p>It is but just to observe, what the warriors who were present in the late
-wars knew to be true, that the orthodox armies were on two occasions in
-very great straits, and had suffered much, <i>viz.</i> at Agria (at Mehaj near
-Agria) and at Kaniza. On the first of these occasions the orthodox troops
-had to contend with an army composed of soldiers belonging to the seven
-kings (<i>i.e.</i> to all the European powers). The second was at Kaniza, and
-which we have endeavoured to describe; but which was much more disastrous
-to the orthodox troops, on the whole, than the former. Seven
-successive days’ hard fighting, from morning till evening, and in which the
-enemy maintained the superiority till God himself inspired their powerful
-enemy with terror, when they all fled, was of itself no easy task. Forty-three
-days, from first to last, were also spent in the arduous undertaking of
-reducing Kaniza, which was forced to capitulate only in consequence of the
-misfortune which had happened to its powder magazine, and which left<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">156</a></span>
-the place almost a naked rock in the midst of a marsh. The troops also
-suffered greatly from the want of provisions, and which could not be obtained
-even for money. A wakáyet of salt could not be had for a dollar:
-so great was the scarcity of all sorts of provisions on this memorable
-occasion. The janissaries (who certainly do not appear to have deserved
-any praise) were on the point of retiring altogether, and would not, most
-assuredly, have remained in the camp another day, had not the fortunate
-events which we have described above, taken place. Such were the difficulties
-which the orthodox Moslem army had to encounter in these wars.</p>
-
-<p>Kaniza, after having been put into a state of thorough defence, was, with
-its dependencies, put under the command of the beg of Kústandil, Alája
-Eili Hasan Páshá, and its spiritual jurisdiction was conferred on Kádurí
-Effendí. Twenty odás, with their officers, under the command of Sefer
-Aghá, a Segbán báshí, were left to garrison it; besides three thousand more
-who were to act in the capacity of spáhís. Sigetwar, Petcheví, Shuklúsh,
-Usk, and Kaniza, were all put under the supreme jurisdiction of the above-mentioned
-Hasan Páshá. To each of the plebian troops two pieces of
-money were given, and they were all registered among the troops of Buda
-and Agria. The serdár, on his return from Kaniza, halted near Perzencha,
-where he ordered a new apalanka to be erected. Having crossed the Drave
-near Yakúah, he passed on towards Usk, where he permitted his army to
-disperse. The beglerbeg of Romeili, with his provincials, was sent into
-winter-quarters at Perizrin; and the beglerbeg of Anatolia, with his troops,
-were sent for a similar purpose to Banialúka. The ághá of the janissaries
-was allowed to return to Constantinople, and the victorious serdár
-himself returned to Belgrade.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Hájí Ibrahím Páshá defeated by Kara Yazijí</i> (Scrivano).</h3>
-
-<p>We have already had occasion to notice the conduct of the notorious
-rebel, Kara Yazijí, and how in consequence of intrigue and false representation,
-he was appointed to the sanják of Chorum. In consequence of this
-odious rebel’s having returned to his former doings, Ibrahím Páshá was sent
-from Constantinople with communications to Hájí Ibrahím Páshá, a vezír of
-the sixth rank, who was to conduct an army against the rebel, and who<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">157</a></span>
-also had been appointed commander-in-chief in room of Hasan Páshá, who
-had been removed from the government of Baghdád. In the event of
-Hasan Páshá’s prolonging his stay at Baghdád, he was further instructed to
-proceed with the Anatolian troops, and endeavour by every effort he could
-employ to get the above-mentioned rebel and his brother, Delí Husein, into
-his power. Hájí Ibrahím Páshá, accordingly, went with his army in search of
-these men, and fell in with them at Cæsarea, at the head of twenty thousand
-insurgents, where he offered them battle, and which they did not decline
-accepting. The contest was severe and bloody, and Ibrahím was finally
-obliged to seek his safety in retreat. The victorious insurgents pursued him
-with an ardour worthy of a better cause, slew fifteen officers, and more than
-one thousand janissaries in the pursuit. It was with much difficulty
-that Ibrahím escaped into Cæsarea, and those of his followers who had not
-been so successful, fell victims to the fury of the insurgent army.</p>
-
-<p>This event which we have here recorded is said, in some histories, to have
-occurred in 1008 of the Hijrah; but most of them place it among the events
-of the year we are now noticing, <i>i.e.</i> 1009. Besides, the orders which
-government had issued respecting this infidel, and which were sent to the
-inhabitants of Cæsarea, are dated on one of the first ten days of Rabia II.,
-1009 of Hijrah.</p>
-
-<p>The story concerning Gira, the Jewess and her children, before noticed,
-is mentioned in the Fezliké of Hájí Khalífeh as having taken place last
-year, but the author of the history we have followed in relating the account,
-and Kara Chelebí Zádeh Azíz Effendí, place it where we have placed it.
-One of the sons of this infamous Gira, however, embraced the Moslem
-faith, and thus escaped the death which the whole of the rest of his family
-suffered. He went under the name of Iksák (lame) Mustafa Chávush.
-He died in the khán or inn of Devlet Sultání Ibrahím. The whole of the
-effects of Gira were confiscated by the government, and it is said they
-amounted to a very great sum. Her wares, independent of her jewels and
-estates, were sold for more than five hundred <i>yúks</i> of money.</p>
-
-<p>The káímakám, or governor of Constantinople, Khalíl Páshá, on account
-of some connivance he had with the Jewess whose tragic end we have
-related, met with strong opposition from the spáhí tribe, and was therefore<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">158</a></span>
-removed from his high office, and was succeeded in it by Khádem Háfiz
-Páshá, in the month of Shevál of this year; but who ten days after was
-succeeded by Yemishjí Hasan Páshá. The reason for this last change must
-now be explained.</p>
-
-<p>During the time the Moslem army lay before Kaniza, Dimoo, the messenger
-of the odious Michael, arrived at the Moslem camp with proposals to the
-Ottoman government respecting the fortresses of Yanwah and Lipovah, and
-was forwarded by the commander-in-chief to Constantinople; the reïs-effendí
-was also sent along with him, bearing communications from the commander
-in-chief.</p>
-
-<p>The káímakám, Khádem Háfiz Páshá, remembering the stratagem which
-Michael had practised on Háfiz Ahmed Páshá at Nicopolis, by means of
-this said Dimoo, as before related, the anger of the Páshá was raised to a
-high degree when he saw this messenger of deceit, and consulted the mufti
-concerning him. The mufti gave it as his judgment that no proposals
-whatever ought to be received from the odious Michael, nor any agreement
-entered into with so infamous a wretch, who, along with his deceitful ambassador,
-ought to suffer death. The káímakám, after hearing the judgment
-of the high priest, and without further ceremony, took summary
-vengeance on this satellite of mischief, by binding him to a tree and punishing
-him according to the nature of his crimes. Besides this act of summary
-justice exercised upon the person of Michael’s messenger, and which
-was construed into an act of contempt manifested towards the grand vezír
-and commander-in-chief, Ibrahím Páshá, who had forwarded Dimoo to
-Constantinople, the káímakám, at the very time Ibrahím was carrying
-on the siege of Kaniza, sent off a chávush with orders to make inquiry
-about matters on the frontiers, without once manifesting any regard to the
-authority of the commander-in-chief, to whom all these affairs properly belonged.
-This instance of open contempt awakened the displeasure of
-the grand vezír, which, no doubt, was heightened by the conduct of the
-káímakám towards Dimoo, whom he had sent to court, led him to seek
-revenge. The chávush he confined in prison at Belgrade, and immediately
-wrote to the queen-mother, and to the ághá of the sublime court, a statement
-of the káímakám’s conduct, pointing out to them the evils that would<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">159</a></span>
-result from the plan pursued by Khádem Háfiz Páshá, both as it respected
-themselves and the enemy. No messenger, he maintained, if such a
-method as the one above described was to be pursued, would either come
-from the enemy to them, or go from them to the enemy. In short, no consultation
-whatever, he insisted, could be entered into, if the persons of messengers
-were not to be respected. It was as much as to say, at least in the
-instance adverted to, that no confidence whatever was to be placed in
-either the sayings or doings of the commander-in-chief, or any trust in
-his majesty’s minister-and much more to the same purpose. His statement
-was laid before the throne, when immediately Khádem Háfiz Páshá
-was turned out of office, and Yemishjí Hasan Páshá appointed in his
-stead.</p>
-
-<p>The new káímakám was no sooner installed in office, than a royal letter,
-no less fitted to embalm the heart than it was to console the mind, was sent
-to the exalted serdár, Ibrahím Páshá, in return.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The odious Michael’s troops defeated.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Forasmuch as the countries of Valachia, Transylvania, and Moldavia having
-been, for several years past, disposed to rebellious out-breakings, and
-as the injurious and odious Michael had been the means of fostering and
-prolonging this spirit of insubordination among these different nations, it
-was necessary to try to put a stop to this mischievous wretch. Accordingly
-vezír Mahmúd Páshá, who had been sent to these quarters, and Shabán
-Páshá, the beglerbeg of Cyprus, who had been appointed to guard the banks
-of the Danube with his galleys, passed over, with their respective men, into
-the country of Valachia and repaired the fortress of Yerkok, and rebuilt its
-bridge over the Danube. Whilst employed in carrying forward these works,
-they sent their troops upon a depredatory excursion into the country of
-Valachia, and who not only committed great devastation throughout the
-country, but also completely robbed and laid desolate the mansion and premises
-which belonged to Michael himself. When the Moslem army were
-advancing towards the cities of Bekrish and Terghúshta, Michael, his vezír,
-and the commander of his army, the bán of Karah Chewah, met them
-with a very considerable force; but the Moslems soon gained a complete<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">160</a></span>
-victory over these infidels, and slew the greater part of them. The heads
-of his commanders, his gilded banners, his drums and kettle-drums, were
-all sent to the royal diván. Michael was defeated in two other battles; his
-followers were either killed or dispersed; all his ammunition and guns were
-seized, and he himself, despairing of escaping with his life, perished by his
-own hands.</p>
-
-<p>In consequence of some confusion which had arisen with respect to the
-value of the coin, the new species, prepared by Yemishjí Hasan Páshá,
-appeared on the 5th of Rabia II. of this year. The ducat, which formerly
-went for two hundred akchas, now circulated for one hundred and twenty;
-and the dollar for eighty akchas.</p>
-
-<p>Information reached the capital in the month of Rajab that Ja’fer Páshá,
-the governor of Tabríz, had departed this life.</p>
-
-<p>By a prohibition of the emperor, in the month of Shevál, the hidden
-and shameful practice of using fermented liquor was suppressed.</p>
-
-<p>Simon, the governor of Georgia, according to the Fezliké, was brought
-this year, (not last year, as elsewhere stated,) to Constantinople, and confined
-in the Seven Towers.</p>
-
-
-
-<hr />
-<h2><span class="smcap">EVENTS of the Year 1010, H.</span></h2>
-
-
-<h3><i>The grand vezír, Ibrahím Páshá’s death.—Yemishjí Hasan Páshá succeeds
-him in the premiership.</i></h3>
-
-<p>We now begin to detail the events of another year; but before doing so
-we have to mention that the grand vezír and commander-in-chief, Ibrahím
-Páshá, having formed the project towards the end of the last year of concluding
-a peace with the enemies of his country, deputed Murád Páshá and
-Mohammed Ketkhodá to proceed to Osterghún, and there treat with
-Ferdinand’s commissioners. A thousand Segbán troops, with coloured
-feathers in their bonnets, under the command of the beg of Semendria,
-accompanied the embassy.</p>
-
-<p>Towards the end of Dhu’l hijja (the last month of the Mohammedan year),
-the commander-in-chief pitched his tent in the plains of Zimrún, opposite
-Belgrade, and watched with anxiety for the arrival of Alí Aghá, brother-in-<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">161</a></span>law
-to Ghaznafer, who succeeded to the ágháship of the janissaries.
-Tarnákjí Hasan Páshá was appointed to the government of Kaniza. It is
-said that Murád Páshá and Mohammed Ketkhodá went to Usk.</p>
-
-<p>The Commander-in-chief’s strength was now weakened by disease, and
-the signs of his mortality became quite apparent. In this condition he sent
-for his uncle’s son, Morteza Páshá, and delivered over to him his most
-important earthly concerns; and on the 9th of Moharrem (the first month of
-the Mohammedan year) he departed this life, and his soul fled to the
-Paradise above. Morteza Páshá and Etmekjí Zádeh, the defterdár, sealed
-up the whole of his effects. The beglerbeg of Romeili, Mohammed Páshá,
-by this time had left his winter-quarters and had come to Alája Hisár,
-where he heard of the death of the commander-in-chief. This message
-was brought to him in great haste, because the late serdár had appointed
-him to take the command of the army in the event of his death. The following
-day, after the usual washings were over, and the funeral service performed,
-Mohammed Páshá consigned the remains of Ibrahím to a tomb
-adjoining the mosque of Bairám Beg. The account of Ibrahím’s death, and
-a statement of the affairs of the borders, were forthwith dispatched to
-Constantinople, and laid before the foot of the throne and before the
-members of the diván.</p>
-
-<p>In the meantime Murád Páshá and Mohammed Ketkhodá, who had
-been appointed to proceed to Osterghún with the view of negotiating a
-peace, finished the building of a palanka at one end of the bridge of Usk,
-which the late serdár had authorized to erect. They afterwards received an
-order of government to remain at this palanka.</p>
-
-<p>Some few days after the decease of the late serdár, the ághá of the
-janissaries arrived at Belgrade, and immediately removed the remains of
-Ibrahím to Constantinople, where they were interred in the temple of Sháh
-Zádeh.</p>
-
-<p>According to one account, the news of Ibrahím’s death first reached
-Constantinople about the 20th of Moharrem, when the seals were sent to
-the káímakám, Yemishjí Hasan Páshá. After his advancement to the premiership,
-he spent twenty days in preparing for his journey to Belgrade.
-By some means or other he was allowed the tents, pavilions, the equipage,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">162</a></span>
-the military arms, and, in short, the beasts of burden which had belonged
-to his predecessor. He even married his relict, the princess Ayesha.</p>
-
-<p>The new grand vezír still postponed his journey to Belgrade, and at
-length pretended it was too late in the season to proceed to that quarter.
-“Nothing of importance,” he said, “could, by the time he could arrive
-there, be accomplished.” He maintained, that no warlike operation was
-immediately called for in the present circumstances of the frontiers, or from
-the aspect presented by the enemy. Lála Mohammed Páshá, who succeeded
-in the command after the death of the late commander-in-chief, he further
-said, should be confirmed in the serdárship, proceed, if necessary, with
-the force under his command, and open the campaign. Thus did the
-new grand vezír excuse his own tardiness, and try to dispense with the
-necessity of his own departure. The Sheikh-ul-Islám, Siná-allah Effendí,
-thought otherwise. He maintained it to be absolutely requisite that the
-new grand vezír should proceed without a moment’s delay to Belgrade, and
-urged this sentiment with great warmth even before the emperor. The new
-grand vezír had no alternative left him but to proceed: but for this interference
-of the high priest the grand vezír never ceased to employ every
-stratagem he could against him, and at length had him deposed. In the
-military and ecclesiastical departments he made what changes he pleased:
-particularly in the first, and that too as far as Adrianople; though this
-department properly belonged to the Sheikh-ul-Islám Effendí. He advanced
-some, deposed others, as his fancy directed, and some he degraded. The
-Sheikh-ul-Islám Effendí, the high priest of the religion of Mohammed,
-felt his displeasure, as well he might have anticipated, after having expressed
-himself in the manner he did. Khoja Zádeh Mohammed Effendí was
-created mufti in the room of Siná-allah Effendí. Bostán Zádeh Effendí and
-Shemish Effendí were succeeded by Abdulhelím Effendí and by Isaád
-Effendí. The cazí of Constantinople, Ketkhodá Mustafa Effendí, was replaced
-by Mustafa Effendí of Adrianople, who was succeeded by Yahiah
-Effendí. The seventh vezír, Khalíl Páshá, was made káímakám, and Háfiz
-Ahmed Páshá was made third vezír. Tarnákjí, who had been deprived of
-his ágháship, but afterwards appointed to the government of Baghdád, had
-to resign his situation to Mohammed Páshá, son of Sinán Páshá, and Hasan<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">163</a></span>
-Páshá was made vezír at Constantinople. Hamza Effendí was made chancellor
-in room of Okjí Zádeh. All these changes were effected by the new
-grand vezír.</p>
-
-<p>On the ninth day of the month Sefer, the grand vezír and commander-in-chief,
-Yemishjí Hasan Páshá, left Constantinople with great pomp and
-show, but did not encumber himself with tents or any heavy baggage.
-Persons were previously appointed to proceed in advance and have booths
-of branches of trees prepared at every station for his army. By this
-mode of quick travelling he was enabled to reach Belgrade by the 27th of
-the month, when he took possession of his predecessor’s tents which had
-been erected in the plains of Zimún by the late grand vezír himself. This
-was the first time he had entered a tent from the day he left Constantinople
-till his arrival at Zimún.</p>
-
-<p>The new grand vezír lost no time in attending to the duties of his station
-and office. Provisions were distributed amongst the troops, and full fifteen
-days were spent in arranging matters for commencing another campaign.
-Before detailing the events of that campaign, we must first advert to the
-success which the enemy had obtained at Alba Julia, and some other affairs,
-but which properly belong to the events of the preceding year.</p>
-
-<p>The fall of Kaniza was a heavy loss to the enemy, and afflicted them very
-much and universally.</p>
-
-<p>Towards the end of winter the Duke Mathias, with his Austrian and
-Hungarian commanders, came to the plains of Yanuk, where he assembled
-an army of forty or fifty thousand men, composed of Germans, Hungarians,
-Bohemians, and Polish troops. Twenty pieces of ordnance and ten sháhí
-(royal guns) were attached to this mighty host, which marched upon Alba
-Julia. Information having reached Belgrade, a short time after the spring
-commenced, that the enemy had laid siege to Alba Julia, the commander
-sent off, to the aid of the above place, the beglerbegs of Romeili and Anatolia
-with the Bosnian army; but before these auxiliary troops had time to
-cross the bridge of Usk, Alba Julia was taken by the enemy, after a siege
-of nine days. Alba Julia was no sooner taken than the enemy supplied it
-with a sufficient garrison, and afterwards concentrated its whole force at a
-place in its neighbourhood.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">164</a></span></p>
-
-<h3><i>Concerning Tarnákjí Hasan Páshá’s going to Kaniza.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Some time after the reduction of Kaniza, Tarnákjí Hasan Páshá having
-arranged matters at Buda, left the care of that fortress to the defterdár,
-Munker Kúshí Mohammed Effendí, and set out, towards the end of winter,
-to Belgrade, to pay a visit to the serdár, Ibrahím Páshá. This visit was not
-made in vain; for he succeeded with Ibrahím to have himself appointed to
-the government of Kaniza, and the defterdár, Munker Kúshí, to retain his
-charge at Buda. After his appointment he left Belgrade and went to take
-charge of his new government, but was not long at Kaniza before he heard
-of the death of his benefactor, Ibrahím Páshá. In a state of grief, occasioned
-by this intelligence, he left Kaniza and pitched his camp at a place
-called Ghurizghár, not far from Sigetwar. A wonderful event happened on
-the day on which he made the transition alluded to. It was excessively hot
-and sultry: suddenly, in a moment, an unusual loud sound was heard in the
-air, and so terrible as to frighten the horses. Everywhere they perceived
-immense companies of crows in the air, above the tents, fighting with each
-other, and which, after having fought their battle, as described, set out
-directly towards Kaniza. About an hour after this wonderful scene another
-of equal wonder presented itself. A host of eagles, similar to that of the
-crows, made their appearance above the tents, performed the same sort of
-manœuvres as their predecessors had done, and followed the same direction
-which they had taken. Those who witnessed these strange phenomena were,
-as may well be imagined, awfully surprised and confounded: but Hasan
-Páshá was a man of great prudence and caution. “It is a warning and a
-sign from God,” said he, in a solemn tone of voice; “it is an intimation of
-two engagements with the enemies of our religion.” After having repeated
-these words he called his deputy, who, at that time, was Iskender Páshá,
-and desired him to proceed to Belgrade and send him word who had been,
-or was to be, appointed commander-in-chief; and also to request him, whoever
-he might be, to send a reinforcement of troops to Kaniza. After having
-dispatched this messenger, he himself returned to Kaniza, and paid all due
-care and attention to put it into a state of defence and security. He sent
-persons, also, to the sanjáks of Sigetwar, Petcheví, and Púzgha, to collect<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">165</a></span>
-provisions for the garrison; also others to spy out the condition and strength
-of the enemy. These latter messengers brought him the intelligence that the
-enemy had assembled an immense army at Yanuk, and that eighty thousand
-Franks were expected to join them from Frangistan. The páshá sent out
-other spies, and waited with anxiety for their return.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The enemy return to lay siege to Kaniza.</i></h3>
-
-<p>It is to be observed that before this, an augmentation of troops, amounting
-to sixty thousand, foot and horse, supplied by Austria, Spain, and France,
-had been shipped at a port belonging to Venice, and disembarked on the
-shores of Croatia. The brother of the Roman pontiff commanded the Italian
-troops (the troops supplied by Spain, probably). Zerín Oghlí Majar, the
-beglerbegs of Aslobin, of the Black Herzog, with King Ferdinand at their
-head, met the above-mentioned European troops at Warashdin, in the country
-of Mekomúriah, and brought forty pieces of large ordnance along with them.</p>
-
-<p>In a council of war held on this occasion at Warashdin, they were all
-nearly unanimous in thinking it most advantageous to lay siege to Kaniza.
-Zerín Oghlí replied, in opposition to general opinion, that first of all, the
-fortresses of Perzencha and of Búbofché should be reduced; the ruined
-fortress of Sekish rebuilt and garrisoned: then to go and take the fortress
-of Kushwar, which would have the effect of dispersing the inhabitants of
-Koban and of its vicinity, <i>viz.</i> those of Barcan. “That appears to me,”
-said he, “to be the plan we ought to adopt. After we have accomplished
-these, let us support the German and Hungarian army stationed near Alba
-Julia. If the Moslem serdár should venture to attack them, we shall, in
-such a case, be ready to assist them; if he should attack us, then they will
-be ready to come to our assistance.” This counsel of Zerín Oghlí was rejected
-and the first opinion adhered to. They determined on reducing
-Kaniza.</p>
-
-<p>All this various information was carried to Hasan Páshá by his spies, and
-he was immediately induced, without divulging a syllable of what he had
-heard to any one, to issue orders to his begs and commanders to prepare
-for entering the country of Mekomúriah on a depredatory excursion on the
-shortest notice; and to have their arms and provisions in readiness. These<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">166</a></span>
-begs and commanders throughout his government obeyed, and assembled
-with their troops in the fortress of Sigetwar. This order to his begs and
-commanders was given under the pretext that the enemy was marching
-towards Buda.</p>
-
-<p>In the meantime the enemy’s troops advanced within one stage of Kaniza,
-where they halted three days for the arrival of their artillery. They thought,
-from the movements which they had perceived among Hasan Páshá’s troops,
-that they had actually gone towards Buda, and that, therefore, Kaniza would
-be obliged to yield without much resistance. “Never mind; let the Turks
-go to Buda,” said they among themselves; “we shall see what state Kaniza
-is in.” Thus saying, they sent out some spies, who when they returned
-confirmed them in their blindness. “The Turks,” said the spies, “have
-not the least idea of our approach; but Hasan Páshá, the governor of Kaniza,
-says, our army has marched on to Buda; and that he is therefore preparing
-to enter into the country of Mekomúriah on a predatory excursion.”
-Such was the import of the report of the spies; and it had the effect of
-filling the infidels with joy. After considering all these appearances, apparently
-in their favour, they advanced to the siege.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The grand vezír and commander-in-chief, Yemishjí Hasan Páshá, marches
-against the enemy.</i></h3>
-
-<p>After the grand vezír had reached Belgrade he learned that Alba Julia
-was besieged by the enemy’s troops, and therefore sent off a body of men
-to its assistance. This auxiliary army had scarcely reached the bridge of
-Usk, when information reached him that Alba Julia was taken by the
-enemy. Immediately after this the news of Kaniza’s being besieged was
-also communicated to him.</p>
-
-<p>The experienced páshás at Usk entered into consultations as to the plan
-they ought to adopt in the present circumstances. Some of them proposed
-to go to Kaniza; others of them thought this unnecessary. Every one had
-his own opinion: they were fairly divided. After much and long disputation,
-it was at length observed, that if they should go to Kaniza, it was
-more than probable the enemy’s army at Alba Julia would pursue them.
-They would thus be exposed to two armies at once, each of which was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">167</a></span>
-very powerful. In this case (said the speaker), it would not be an easy
-thing to give an answer. Better that we march to Alba Julia; and after
-we have defeated our enemies there, continued the speaker, we, on our
-return, will march to the aid of Kaniza.</p>
-
-<p>This counsel was agreed to; and, accordingly, letters were issued, giving
-information of the resolution the páshás had come to. They commenced
-their march towards Alba Julia, and on reaching Jankúterán they were
-joined by the division which the grand vezír had formerly sent forward to
-the aid of the Alba Julians, and also Munker Kúshí Mohammed Páshá with
-the troops of Buda. In another council held at this place they unanimously
-agreed to attack the enemy at once and with vigour. Having taken eight
-badalooshkas and four large cannon from Buda, they advanced in the
-greatest haste, and reached the plains of Alba Julia on the first of Rabia II.</p>
-
-<p>The enemy lay between two mountains, and had an immense ditch in
-front. The Moslem army advanced, threw a bridge over the river which
-issued from a lake, crossed this river on the following day, and attacked the
-enemy in their tabúr or fortifications. The great and small guns were put
-into immediate requisition. On the following morning, at daybreak, the
-combatants on both sides were in motion, and the work of destruction was
-again renewed and carried on till the darkness of the night made it necessary
-for both parties to retire.</p>
-
-<p>According to Hasan Beg Zádeh’s account of this battle, it would appear
-that the janissaries, on the last of the days above-mentioned, when led on
-to the attack by the commander, had fled before the opposing foe, and were
-on the very point of making the commander their prisoner. God protected
-him.</p>
-
-<p>Petcheví says, that Mohammed Ketkhodá having secured an advantageous
-position, slew immense numbers of the enemy. The enemy now advanced
-in four columns, each column five hundred strong, and drove the Moslem
-cavalry off the field. The salihdárs were ordered to advance to oppose
-their progress, but were unable to effect any thing: night, however, came
-on, when both parties retired from the conflict for a few hours, but it was
-soon after renewed with double fury. In this day’s work of death, towards
-evening, Mohammed Ketkhodá and Mohammed Munker Kúshí Páshá, the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">168</a></span>
-governor of Buda, whilst advancing with their divisions to an attack, fell in
-the field of battle.</p>
-
-<p>According to Hasan Beg Zádeh and Abdulkádír’s accounts of this battle,
-it appears that the Romeilian troops had been ordered to support the attack
-in which the two chiefs now mentioned met their death, but that, in consequence
-of some rancour which their commander, Mohammed Páshá, entertained
-against Khetkhodá, they had failed: neither did any of the other troops,
-they say, offer to do it. Petcheví says, however, that he himself was present
-and an eye-witness: his words are, “I was standing beside the páshá
-and looking at the contest. The páshá (<i>i.e.</i> the beglerbeg of Romeili) was
-not aware when this attack was made, and therefore could not have rendered
-them any aid. After the return of the divisions which they had led
-on to the attack, the martyrdom of these heroes was announced to him, and
-he was excessively grieved that they had advanced to that attack without
-having given him notice of it. Any account of the matter differing from
-this is false.”</p>
-
-<p>On the night of the last battle the enemy altered their position; for when
-the Moslems, next day, moved slowly to meet their antagonists, they found
-them closely concentrated in a narrow pass in the road which led to the
-fortress of Polatah. Finding them thus situated, and seeing they had succeeded,
-during the night, in casting a deep trench, the Moslem army did
-not again offer to attack them. Under pretence of winter having set in
-they retired altogether from the scene of contest and battle.</p>
-
-<p>The government of Buda was conferred on the beglerbeg of Romeili,
-Mohammed Páshá. Four thousand janissaries, under the command of a
-túrnají báshí, were ordered to accompany Mohammed Páshá to Buda. On
-their return to that fortress they passed through the country of Segdin.
-Winter having come on, preparations for assisting Kaniza were immediately
-commenced.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Kaniza is besieged.</i></h3>
-
-<p>We have already mentioned the manœuvre practised by Hasan Páshá,
-governor of Kaniza, and the arrival of the infidel army within a stage or one
-day’s journey of the above city and fortress.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">169</a></span></p>
-
-<p>On the 8th of Rabia II., five thousand of the above army appeared in
-the vicinity of Kaniza, on the road which led to Vienna. The governor
-gave the strictest orders to the head of the artillery not to fire on them,
-and forbade any of the cavalry to venture out: for the object of this hostile
-party, he observed, was to seize prisoners where and how they could. Let
-the foot soldiers, continued he, meet them with their fire-arms and contend
-with them; and he immediately placed a number of effective men at each of
-the gates. The order of the governor was obeyed. The heroes who went
-to dispute the progress of the enemy, manfully maintained the bloody contest
-till mid-day, when the enemy retired to their tábúr, leaving many of
-their men, as well as of their horses, on the field of battle. Ferdinand was
-informed of the result; but, it would seem, knew nothing of the attempt
-they had made, and strongly reproved them for it.</p>
-
-<p>Next day (the 9th), Ferdinand himself called one of his princes,
-ordered him to advance with a party, and by all means endeavour to seize
-some prisoners. This was the very object the party, the day before, had in
-view. This second party advanced till they were under the very guns of
-the fortress, and contended with the heroes formerly mentioned till the
-hour of afternoon prayers, when they, instead of retiring as on the previous
-day, stopped and cried out: “by the religion of Mohammed, if
-you have only one gun fire it.” The heroes, in compliance with the instructions
-of their governor, replied, that though they might have such, yet
-that they had till then refrained from using them, and had spared their
-lives. The enemy believed this, and rejoicingly went and told it to Ferdinand
-the king. The king immediately called a council of his great men,
-and communicated this intelligence to them. On the following day (the
-10th), he sent forth a party a third time, who fought more desperately than
-on either of the preceding days. On this occasion they again requested
-the Moslems to fire a gun, that their king might hear its report in his camp
-or tábúr. The former answer was returned to them, with this addition:
-“We are here but for a few days, like strangers. Would a man live in a
-desolate island-like place as this? Our emperor has many thousand palankas
-like this Kaniza.”</p>
-
-<p>It is to be observed, however, that when Hasan Páshá desired it to be<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">170</a></span>
-said that there were no cannon in Kaniza, his ághás opposed it by saying,
-it was improper to mention it to the enemy; “for,” said they, “if the
-enemy should happen to be either unwilling or afraid to attack us, this
-saying will most assuredly have the effect of inducing them to do so.” The
-Páshá replied: “attend you to my orders; there is something that you do
-not yet know: I know when to employ the cannon: I reserve them till
-then.” But to return. The infidels returned, as on the former occasions,
-and informed Ferdinand what they had heard from the Moslems about there
-being no cannon in the fortress of Kaniza. Ferdinand, elated by this intelligence,
-called a council of his great men. “Let us,” said he, “send
-out spies, and if the intelligence which they bring us correspond to what we
-have just learned, then we will certainly root them out. We will, afterwards,
-order our movements according to any method which Prince Mathias,
-now below Yanuk, may see fit to adopt.” So much for Ferdinand. Some
-of his counsellors, however, ventured to think differently. “Let us
-first,” said they, “lay siege to Sigetwar and take it: let us, in fact,
-take every one of the fortresses as far as Usk, and root out the Turks from
-everyone of them.” Zerín Oghlí, who was present in this sage assembly
-of warriors, was asked to give his opinion. He did so. It was as follows:
-“In the reign of Sultán Soleimán Khán I was shut up in this fortress
-(Sigetwar). The out-works of the fortress can be easily taken, but the
-citadel is peculiarly strong. It will require forty pieces of cannon for each
-one of its batteries before any impression can be made upon it. It was
-after having thrown a hundred thousand loads of earth into the lake, by
-which it is surrounded, and as much again above its surface, that Sultán
-Soleimán was enabled to surround the fortress and take it by force. If your
-strength is sufficient for an exploit of that kind, and if the Turkish troops do
-not turn upon you, then you may perhaps succeed. One thing I know, that
-if you are able this year to deliver Kaniza out of the hands of the Turks, you
-will accomplish a feat which will be without a parallel: for, you must
-know, there is shut up in it an enchanter whose artifices elude all detection.
-For twenty years past we have been obliged to drink his poisonous draughts.
-Every time they announce that he is either sick or dead, he is sure to appear
-in one or other of our provinces and perpetrates immense evil. Hitherto no<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">171</a></span>
-one has been able to withstand him. He has completely vanquished, by his
-artifices, every one who has opposed him.” Zerín Oghlí having finished
-his long speech, one of the Frank princes, who had hearkened to it, said:
-“This man (Zerín Oghlí) is not acquainted with our method of war, or he
-is an ally of the Turks, and tries to intimidate us.” Zerín’s speech was
-henceforth disregarded by the council, and Ferdinand said “that next
-day, at all events, they would advance upon Kaniza: if the Turks abandoned
-it, good and well; if not, we will lay siege to it. Let these treacherous
-Hungarians (the inhabitants of Kaniza) see what will be the fate of the
-fortress of Kaniza. After Kaniza is once disposed of, then we shall take
-vengeance on them. They have every where instigated the sword of the
-Ottoman to deeds of blood.”</p>
-
-<p>On the 11th of Rabia II., about mid-day, this vile army of infidels, with
-the beating of drums, sounding of cymbals, blowing of trumpets, and ringing
-of bells, approached with great pomp, and with inverted arms, the devoted
-city and fortress, and took up its position on the banks of the river
-Berk, on the road which led to Vienna. A short time after they had thus
-taken up their position, they perceived a number of waggons which happened
-to be conveying provisions from Perzentcha to Kaniza, but which the
-infatuated infidels thought were waggons come to carry off the population
-of that city, and therefore gave orders not to meddle with them in going
-in; determining to pursue them when they again came out, and murder the
-whole of the people they might find in them. They were, however, completely
-deceived. It is a curious fact, but true, that the men who had
-escorted these waggons went to the governor, after having safely entered
-Kaniza, and asked him what was the meaning of the mighty army they had
-observed on the banks of the Berk—for surely, said they, they are not
-enemies. The governor pleasantly replied, that they had come on a visit:
-“but now that you have all safely got into the fortress,” said he, “they
-shall be served with a feast of red-hot melons without delay.”</p>
-
-<p>The wisdom of the páshá in giving orders not to fire on the enemy, as
-before observed, appeared most conspicuously to every one: for had he
-ordered his guns to be fired at the enemy when they urged him to do so, it
-is clear the waggons with provisions would certainly not have been allowed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">172</a></span>
-to enter into Kaniza, but would in all probability have fallen into the hands
-of the enemy, as well as the troops which escorted them. But to return.
-The páshá called the heads of the artillery, and asked them how many
-cannon there were in the place. Nearly one hundred, small and great, was
-the answer. “Well then,” said the governor, “let them all be charged,
-and as soon as you hear <i>Allah! Allah!</i> discharge the largest, and immediately
-afterwards, and at once, let the others be discharged in the midst of
-the enemy.” The guns were accordingly loaded, and the well-known signal
-waited for.</p>
-
-<p>In the meantime the páshá bowed the knee twice in humble prayer. The
-signal was at length given: the largest, and immediately after it the rest,
-were fired, the roaring thundering noise of which made the earth to quake.
-The enemy, as might well be imagined, were struck with terror, and perceived
-when it was too late their mistake. Ferdinand was standing, at the
-moment a volley of shot from the batteries of Kaniza was poured in amongst
-his army, talking with four of his princes, three of whom were shot dead
-on the spot. Many thousands besides perished. This feast of red-hot
-melons made the enemy think of retiring across the river; and whilst in the
-act of doing so they were hotly pursued by the Moslem heroes, who fought
-with them till the night closed upon them. The enemy having again encamped
-in the direction of Sigetwar, the princes came forward and said to
-King Ferdinand, “Behold, sire, the stratagem the Turks have laid for us!
-Let there be no quarter shown to them: let us destroy them root and
-branch, and make them a spectacle to the world.” The king replied, that
-he would see how they themselves should act: it was the day of vengeance.</p>
-
-<p>They now put their cannon in order, entered into the trenches, and from
-this moment the siege of Kaniza may be said to have been properly begun.
-Their first act of hostility, after commencing the siege, was the discharging
-of three cannon, none of which did much injury. The first passed harmlessly
-over the fortress: the second was not quite so harmless, for it passed
-through the páshá’s palace, killed one of his relations, and then rebounded
-towards Sigetwar: the third touched the odá of the ághá of the janissaries,
-but did no injury. They afterwards, at once, and from six different places,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">173</a></span>
-discharged forty large pieces of cannon, the noise of which seemed to indicate
-the total annihilation of the place.</p>
-
-<p>When the enemy had laid siege to Kaniza, or at least when they first
-appeared before it, Hasan Páshá called a council of his grandees, to whom
-he observed: that though there was no scarcity of gunpowder, or any want
-of water, and though they had abundance of provisions, yet it was proper,
-he said, the commander-in-chief, Yemishjí Páshá, before he removed from
-Belgrade, should be made acquainted with their circumstances. Two
-heads of odás, one called Ahmed and the other Mohammed, were appointed
-to accompany Karah Punjeh, a veteran of the borders, and one who was
-well acquainted with all languages, with this intelligence to the commander-in-chief.
-They left Kaniza by night, passed through Sigetwar
-and Shukulwish, and arrived on the fourth day after leaving the above city
-at Belgrade, when they laid the passport of their mission before the commander-in-chief.
-The latter, after holding a council, wrote letters to Hasan
-Páshá, assuring him that he was on the point of coming to his assistance,
-and dismissed the messengers. On the return of these messengers to
-Kaniza, they found it so closely besieged that not even a bird could wing its
-way into it without being discovered. The two odá báshís remained at
-Sigetwar whilst Punjeh disguised himself, and by this means conveyed his
-despatches into Kaniza, which had the effect of animating the hopes of the
-besieged. But to return. The enemy having commenced, as before observed,
-a regular siege, their efforts became unremitting. Every day witnessed
-more than a thousand balls directed against the walls of Kaniza; but the
-brave veterans within filled up during the night the gaps which these horrible
-cannon effected in the day-time, with their bed-clothes, and such other
-things as they could find. The heroic páshá went about every where, and
-stimulated and encouraged the besieged. For the space of a whole week
-they had not shut their gates, and the foot veterans continued to make
-regular sorties against the besieging foe. Their cattle also went in and out
-regularly, and the enemy did not succeed in taking even so much as one of
-them, much less any prisoners.</p>
-
-<p>The enemy having made no speed in their method of operations, thought
-proper to change it. They recrossed at a place called the ford of Mohammed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">174</a></span>
-Khetkhodá, and in the direction of Sigetwar effected mounds and ditches
-to the number of fourteen, leaving, in the direction to Vienna, where they
-had first taken up their position, five pieces of ordnance and six thousand
-troops. After having accomplished these manœuvres, they now began to
-throw vast quantities of rushes into the Berk, over which a covering of
-wicker-work was placed. Over this again they finally, though it took
-them more than forty days to accomplish, made a kind of road or bridge
-corresponding in breadth to one of their ditches, with which it communicated.
-They carried their materials by means of light barrels made of fir,
-which were easily dragged by two men. After having extended this road
-or bridge to the walls of Kaniza, to which they firmly fixed it by means of
-iron rods, and when all things were nearly in a state of readiness for commencing
-an assault, Hasan Páshá, who was no careless observer of their
-manœuvres, and who knew when and how to baffle the enemy, sent a few
-heroes, who had volunteered their services, in a boat by night, when the
-infidels were drowned in sleep, to set fire to their huge labour, and which
-they punctually did. The bridge, and every living infidel who happened to
-remain on it, perished in the flames.</p>
-
-<p>Some time before this event in the history of this memorable siege,
-Hasan Páshá wrote again to the commander-in-chief by the aforesaid
-Punjeh. In these communications he urged Yemishjí Páshá to come at
-least to Sigetwar, that by doing so he might encourage the spirits of the
-besieged. “If this fortress should happen to be taken out of our hands,”
-said he, “it will not easily again be retaken, and you will find some
-difficulty in exonerating yourself.” Karah Punjeh proceeded with this
-message, taking his two former companions along with him from Sigetwar,
-where they had stopped, and met the serdár at Usk. Instead of complying
-with the earnest request of Hasan, and fulfilling his former promise, the
-serdár only sent him an encouraging letter, telling him he was on his march
-to Alba Julia, but would, on his return, afford him the aid he demanded.
-Karah Punjeh returned to Kaniza, and delivered, secretly, his dispatches to
-Hasan Páshá, who, on reading them, immediately had them copied, and
-added, as if from the serdár, that he would soon arrive to the aid of the
-garrison. Next day he called a council, made this copy, or rather forged<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">175</a></span>
-letter, to be read in their hearing, which produced all the effect the sagacious
-páshá wished. The people were overjoyed, and resolved, every man
-of them, to hold out, at the expense of life and all that was dear to them,
-to the very last; but they anxiously looked for the arrival of the serdár.</p>
-
-<p>The enemy, after the burning of their bridge, tried to repair their loss
-by building another, in which labour they spent another twenty days;
-but it also met with the fate of the former. Finding themselves thus a
-second time foiled in their attempts, they commenced building boats of
-fir-wood at the head of the Berk, which they covered over with boards,
-over which they again placed cow-hides, with the view of preventing the
-small arms of the besieged injuring those on board of them. After having
-launched this flotilla, each of which carried one hundred men, the infidels,
-on the night on which this took place, began to make great rejoicings.
-Hasan Páshá, in the meantime, and on the same night, sent out a party to
-try and seize some prisoners, who returned with two. On their being presented
-before the páshá, he asked one of them, privately, the cause of the
-enemy’s rejoicing; and was answered that it was owing to the great success
-which had attended their arms at Alba Julia. “How comes it to pass,”
-asked the páshá, “that all the prisoners which we have hitherto taken
-belong to your nation (Germany)? Are there no Hungarians and Croatians
-among you?” “Why,” answered the prisoner, “the Hungarians are favourable
-to the Turks, and therefore none of them are allowed to straggle
-from the camp.” The páshá again asked him what number of Hungarians
-there might be in the army? He was told, that besides Croatians, there
-were about thirty thousand in it. After having thus questioned the first
-prisoner, he called the other and questioned him in the same way, and he
-returned similar answers to those given a little before by his fellow prisoner.
-The páshá, with a stern voice, ordered the prisoners to be led forth, and to
-have their heads struck off; secretly intimating, however, to Karah Omar,
-to whom this order was given, to take the prisoners and show them the one
-hundred and fifty pandúrs and the five hundred Hungarian horsemen who
-had accompanied the waggons of provisions which had entered Kaniza about
-the time the siege was begun, and whom the páshá had retained. “Tell
-them,” said the páshá to Karah Omar Aghá, “that they are all Hungarians,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">176</a></span>
-and that we expect a thousand volunteers of the same race to join us in two
-or three days more. Say to them,” continued the sagacious páshá, “that
-you yourself are one of their nation (Germany), but that you have been in
-the service of the páshá since your youth; that you have a thousand men
-under your command; that you have got so much property that you cannot
-think of relinquishing it: that you will be extremely happy if the German
-army succeed in taking Kaniza, but that there are many amongst them who
-wish for no such thing; that there is provision in the garrison of Kaniza
-sufficient for a whole year to supply the number of inhabitants within it,
-who amount to thirty thousand Turks alone; that there is abundance of
-gunpowder in it also: then invite them to wait till the ice is formed, when
-you will let them away. Our páshá, you will say to them, desired to have
-your heads, but I have interceded with him in your behalf: I now release
-you, and you may go when you please; but be sure to tell your superiors,
-when you reach your own camp, of the kindness I have shown to you.”
-Karah Aghá acted his part most masterly, gave them some pieces of white
-bread, and sent them away, secretly, as it were, in a boat to their own
-army. These two men had no sooner reached their companions, than they
-went to inform Ferdinand of the history of their captivity, which very much
-grieved him. The intelligence which the two captives seemed to have in
-their power to communicate was any thing but pleasing to King Ferdinand;
-and it was no less astonishing, when compared with his former information,
-than it was unwelcome and distressing.</p>
-
-<p>One morning, about this time of the siege, a voice was heard as if coming
-from the enemy’s camp, which said, “Do not fire any of your guns; we
-(there were more than one) have something to tell you.” “What is it?” was
-the reply. “Why,” said these early visitors, “be it known unto you that
-your commander-in-chief, Yemishjí Hasan Páshá, has been completely defeated
-and routed at Alba Julia. The heads of Mohammed Ketkhodá and
-of Mohammed Páshá, the governor of Buda, have been sent to our commander-in-chief,
-thanks be to God. Behold, here they are!” and then
-held them up to the view of the besieged Moslems at the end of long poles.
-“To-morrow,” continued the early vagrants, “tomorrow our whole force
-will be brought to bear upon you. In whom is it that you place your<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">177</a></span>
-reliance? Your commander-in-chief has been defeated and has fled. Deliver
-up this city and fortress, which belongs to our king, and save yourselves
-from certain and inevitable destruction. Your governor, Hasan Páshá, is a
-vain man, and seeks to ruin you: pay no further regard to him. Save yourselves
-and your property; for the king promises to secure both if you hearken
-to our advice. To-morrow, when Duke Mathias returns to us from Alba
-Julia, no mercy will be shown to you. If you stand in doubt with respect
-to the two heads now exposed to your view, let any one of your number,
-who was acquainted with their possessors, come forth and examine them,
-and satisfy himself. He shall sustain no injury: on the contrary, our king
-will confer favours upon him.”</p>
-
-<p>These tidings greatly alarmed the inhabitants. “The serdár has been
-defeated; our provisions and our gunpowder will fail us if that mighty
-army should come against us,” said the frightened inhabitants to Hasan
-Páshá, the intrepid governor, who had a mind ready to act in every emergency.
-“My brave veterans, you all know,” said he, “that the accursed
-enemy has promised us nothing. Do not let the sight of the heads of the
-infidels, or their threatenings, by any means terrify you. I have a few
-things to say to you—hear me, therefore, patiently. Renew your engagements
-with me. Whether the heads which the infidels have shown you be
-really the heads of the persons they have said they are, is yet to be discovered.
-To ascertain this, let us send Karah Punjeh, who will bring us
-correct information on this point. And should it even turn out that they are
-the very heads of the two men above-mentioned, that is no reason why we
-should be any way discouraged. It is not on their account we have shut
-ourselves up in Kaniza. Long live the emperor! If the meanest slave
-were desired to sacrifice his life, he would willingly give his head, as those
-men gave theirs. We are here for the defence of our religion, though
-now cooped up within the narrow limits of this place. But I have some
-reason to think that this city and fortress, God willing, will not fall into
-the hands of the enemy. One of my reasons is as follows. When Ibrahím
-Páshá was, on a former occasion, employed for the same length of time we
-have been besieged in reducing a fortress, he would never have gained the
-victory, had he not said: ‘if God will prosper my undertaking, I shall<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">178</a></span>
-devote this place to the illuminated city, Medina;’ when shortly afterwards
-it fell into his hands. It is hoped that he who has devoted himself to the
-Sultán of the prophets will not fall before the infidel. Another reason
-is: the enemy commenced the siege on the night of the 12th Rabia I.,
-which is the birth-night of our prophet. There is, therefore, hope to his
-followers, who have been besieged on the very night which is held sacred to
-the memory of him who came into the world on that night to bless it, and
-is the rejoicing of all the prophets. Again: you, every evening, sound the
-Mohammedan signal or watch-word, <i>Allah! Allah!</i> and though the enemy
-were at once to discharge his forty pieces of cannon, yet God will manifest
-his care over those who trust in his name. I pray God, that as he has not
-permitted us to fall into the hands of the enemy, so this hateful army may
-never get away in safety.” This speech of the páshá had a powerful effect
-on the minds of the besieged, who were not only animated by it, but also
-prognosticated important good from it. He again counselled them to pay
-no regard to the words of their morning visitors, who had no other object,
-he said, but that of deceiving them. “Show them your swords,” cried he
-again, “and these dastardly fellows will see what metal you are of.”</p>
-
-<p>The páshá, after having delivered the animated speech which we have
-here recorded, proposed sinking the two heads into the river, on the banks
-of which they were still exposed. He had scarcely spoken, when a cherí
-báshí came forward and proposed to direct a cannon against them. “Do
-so,” said the páshá, “and God prosper you.” The cherí báshí immediately
-pointed the cannon called Bulbul at them, and in a moment the two heads
-were at the bottom of the river. The infidels to whom the charge of the
-heads had been given, and who spoke in the ears of the besieged the speech
-on the occasion of their being first presented to them, returned to their camp
-vexed and disgraced. The successful cannoneer was honoured by the
-páshá with an annual pension.</p>
-
-<p>When Ferdinand was informed of the result of his messengers’ embassy,
-he became enraged, and said he would present ten villages to any one who
-would bring him a prisoner from Kaniza. None of the infidels, however,
-though they did all they could to accomplish the king’s wishes, were able
-to succeed. God prevented them.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">179</a></span></p>
-
-<h3><i>Arrival of the Archduke Mathias.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Early in the morning of the day the events of which we have just described,
-a movement was discovered among the enemy’s troops, and soon
-after their foot and horse moved in the direction of Komran. About mid-day
-the archduke, with his army and heavy baggage, made his appearance,
-and soon encamped. His army, one division after another, took up its
-position, and displayed immense pomp; no doubt with the view of inspiring
-the besieged with an idea of their might, and thus of dispiriting them.</p>
-
-<p>These manœuvres and movements being over, the duke called a general
-council of his great men, in which a variety of matters were discussed.
-No one, however, could give him anything like a correct account of Kaniza.
-Ferdinand declared, weeping, that in all his life he had never met nor seen
-people like the Kanizians. “Whenever we speak in a friendly manner to
-them,” said the indignant Ferdinand, “they brandish their swords.” The
-duke replied in very harsh terms: accused him of having acted himself some
-way or other treacherously, or “you are not,” said the noble duke, “acquainted
-with the operations of war. I have been up the country, and
-have reduced a city like Alba Julia, and have contended all this while with
-Turkish armies. Several of their chief men I have beheaded. It is now
-three months since you commenced your operations, and you have not been
-able to take so much as one palanka.” Such were some of the subjects
-which occupied the noble duke’s great council. Ferdinand and his officers
-were indignant at the treatment they had received from the archduke, and
-proposed, as they had nothing, to leave him and his troops to carry on the
-siege which they had so inauspiciously begun.</p>
-
-<p>After the dismissal of the above-mentioned diván, the archduke tried his
-own skill in manœuvring. He sent a message to the besieged, the purport
-of which was: that their commander-in-chief, Yemishjí Hasan Páshá,
-after having been defeated by him (the duke), had gone to Sigetwar; that
-there were now two mighty armies ready to co-operate against them; that
-the seven (European) kings were present, and sent them their salam (salutations);
-that if they were determined to maintain their integrity to their
-own sovereign, they might do so, and yet deliver up Kaniza to its legiti<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">180</a></span>mate
-sovereign; that the winter had arrived, when they would have no
-chance whatever of being supplied with provisions. “Leave, then Kaniza,”
-continued the duke’s messengers, “in peace and safety; not a hair of
-your head will we injure;” and much more in the same strain, and
-requested a favourable answer. The besieged, however, appeared to be
-firm and fearless. They brandished their swords in token of defiance,
-which so provoked the messengers that they cocked their pieces, but afterwards
-retired expressing their contempt. It is certainly true, however, that
-when the Turks in Kaniza saw the immense number of the enemy’s army
-they became afraid, and seemed disposed, through fear, to yield to the
-enemy. They dreaded that as soon as the messengers returned to Mathias,
-he would become so enraged as never to stop till he reduced the city and
-fortress, and killed them all.</p>
-
-<p>From the continued effect of the cannon on the walls of Kaniza, in
-several places they were, at length, laid even with the ground. The enemy
-found means of secretly preparing a kind of bridge and other apparatus.
-The boats which they had built were launched, and all throughout the
-camp were ordered to stand to their arms. Three persons were deputed by
-the enemy to go and endeavour, by offering money, to get one or more of
-the besieged to desert. These persons made a display of their ducats, and
-said that they expected that a Turk or two would come and take them into
-the place, because they meant to become Muselmans. Hasan Páshá, who
-saw through their design, said their object was to try to get some one
-or more to desert to them, and ordered a cannon to be pointed towards
-them. The signal for discharging it was given, when, in a moment, the
-men were carried off by the shot, and both fell in one place. The archduke
-was excessively chagrined when he heard the result of this third
-mission. Two thousand eight hundred chosen men, all volunteers, were
-put into a state of readiness for scaling the walls. To encourage them he
-promised to give ten villages to the first who should succeed in climbing
-the ramparts, and forty villages to the man who would bring him Hasan
-Páshá. The following day was appointed for attempting this heroic
-plan.</p>
-
-<p>Hasan Páshá was not idle. His plans were deeply and wisely laid. As<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">181</a></span>
-soon as the enemy had set their boats afloat, he caused openings to be made
-in the mound which surrounded Kaniza, exactly opposite the place at which
-this fleet of boats was to touch, and placed large cannon, all charged, in
-these openings, but in such a way as not to be discovered.</p>
-
-<p>After the Páshá had seen all this accomplished, he called his principal
-soldiers to him, offered up a short prayer, and afterwards addressed them
-thus: “My brave fellows, let not the greatness of the multitude of the
-enemy any way terrify you. God willing, we shall be revenged on them.
-Every time the enemy has lighted the torch of war, God, in his goodness,
-has invariably extinguished it again in their discomfiture. Let me see you,
-therefore, act your part with bravery and true heroism: let us all, in faithfulness
-to our religion, be firm, and oppose them with courage. If we
-perish in the conflict, we shall be saints in heaven. Our heroes, both in
-this world and at the day of judgment, are truly honourable and worthy
-of esteem. Be then united and firm in your efforts in your own defence,
-and exercise with boldness the weapons in your hands. Let your activity
-manifest itself in boldly resisting and repelling the efforts of the hateful
-enemy to make you slaves. I have the utmost confidence the enemy’s
-machinations will be completely frustrated.” In this way did Hasan Páshá
-encourage and animate his troops and followers. These brave men and their
-companions in arms entered into solemn compact, bade each other adieu,
-attended to all their various duties of friendship and domestic affairs, as
-well as those of eternity, and every thing seemed to bid defiance to the
-utmost effort of the foe in trying to reduce Kaniza. After all things were
-fully and properly attended to, they all, with firm and courageous hearts,
-returned to their respective stations, and, like envious lions, stood ready to
-grasp at their invading foe.</p>
-
-<p>Meantime the enemy was busy. During the night season they accoutred
-themselves in their various arms, and one division after another took up
-its position in the trenches formerly prepared, till they were completely
-filled; the boats were all manned with volunteers, and at daylight the
-signal-gun was fired, the sound of which seemed to awaken heaven and
-earth; and the ball passed over the wall at the gate leading to Sigetwar,
-which was forty feet high, and was stopped by the odá of Mahmúd Chor<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">182</a></span>bájí.
-The enemy, immediately on this signal-gun being fired, commenced an
-assault from five different places at once. When their fleet of boats had
-sailed down opposite the fortress, the cannons which had secretly been
-placed in hollows in the mound which surrounded Kaniza, opened upon
-them, and soon sent them, with all on board of them, to the bottom of the
-river. This powerful, but unexpected reception, astonished the infidels
-completely, but it had also the effect of rousing their fury to a greater
-height.</p>
-
-<p>When the besieged Moslems first perceived the tumultuous assault of the
-enemy, they were a little staggered and disheartened; but Hasan Páshá, the
-heroic vezír, stepped in before them and stimulated their courage. “My
-brave lions,” said he, “this day is a day of peculiar effort and exertion:
-turn not away your faces from the contest, but be firm and inflexible for
-one hour longer, and this impoverished straggling host will be vanquished.”
-This speech, like all his former speeches, had its desired effect upon the
-minds of the besieged, who became more determined than ever to sell their
-lives as dearly as possible; and they resolved to fall victims for the sake of
-their religion, rather than yield up the city and fortress of Kaniza. Every
-assault of the enemy was, therefore, resisted with such desperate bravery
-and courage as to outmatch every thing. The commander of the janissaries
-and chief of the cavalry, Sefer Aghá, performed the most astonishing feats
-of bravery. He was, at that time, only a segbán báshí, but was afterwards
-raised to the dignity of a páshá.</p>
-
-<p>In the meantime, the artillery of the garrison committed the most tremendous
-havoc among the infidels; but they were no sooner hewn down
-than their places were filled up by others sent forward to maintain the
-struggle. The awful sound which proceeded from the combatants on both
-sides is indescribable. The confused noise of drums and trumpets, the
-clash of arms, the thunder of cannon and musketry, and the bursts of mortars,
-baffle all description. Heaven and earth trembled. The carnage of
-that day was so awfully terrible that the compassionate angels in the seventh
-heaven looked down on the scene with astonishment and wonder, and entreated
-God to scatter and confound the associates of idolatry.</p>
-
-<p>The awful conflict we have just now endeavoured to delineate continued<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">183</a></span>
-with unremitting fury till midnight, when it pleased God to vouchsafe his
-omnipotent aid to the besieged orthodox. At this moment the enemy retreated
-to their fortifications, as if panic-struck, leaving behind them
-eighteen thousand of their fellows, undistinguished and without name.
-Among the wounded lay the brother of his holiness the Pope. He was
-struck by a musket-ball, and soon afterwards perished. This execrated
-wretch commanded thirty thousand troops.</p>
-
-<p>After this remarkable success which had attended the Moslem arms, the
-veterans approached the páshá, kissed his hand, and pronounced their
-benedictions on his head. The wonderful páshá, on the other hand, was
-all kindness, in return, for the honour shewn to him; and a thousand
-expressions of praise and good wishes were uttered on this memorable
-occasion.</p>
-
-<p>When the eyes of the Moslems were opened to a clear view of the advantages
-which God had afforded them, their hearts rejoiced. The awe and
-terror with which the sight of so immense and desperate a host as that which
-the enemy presented to their view sometimes inspired them, now vanished
-completely from their minds. The heart of each of them became firm
-and strong, like the tower of Alexander, and all of them demanded to be
-allowed to assault the enemy in their turn.</p>
-
-<p>After the victory had declared itself in favour of the orthodox Moslems, as
-above described, Mathias and Ferdinand called their princes, and held a
-council of war. “Although Kaniza was well supplied with water,” it was
-said in the council, “the want of provisions, however, would soon so press
-upon both its inhabitants and its garrison as to force them to yield. If
-Turkish troops should happen to come to their aid in their present circumstances,
-and we are able to beat them off, then Kaniza would doubtless
-yield without further resistance. Let us winter here,” continued the speaker,
-“but before the winter season breaks let us send away our cannon.” The
-governor of Malta, Don Juan, observed, “that if the cannon be removed,
-the Turks will rush forth, and leave not a man of us alive upon the earth.
-Besides,” continued he, “though those Turks stationed at Sigetwar may
-at present have no intention of attacking us, they will, most assuredly,
-come and do so, when they hear we have sent away our cannon. Without<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">184</a></span>
-cannon, we shall not be able to stand any time before them, and as to handling
-the sword, we can have no chance whatever with them.” Such was the
-manner in which this council of Austrian officers reasoned. They agreed to
-continue the siege; they increased the number of their guns; they erected
-a mound round Kaniza, and commenced firing at the rate of two thousand
-balls per day. These did immense evil. The outer walls were totally
-demolished. The houses were made level with the ground. But the enthusiastic
-Moslems, such was their zeal, built up by night the gaps and openings
-which these heavy cannon effected by day. From the incessant fire which
-the enemy thus kept up, very many of the Moslems fell martyrs during this
-period of the siege, in consequence of their unsubdued zeal.</p>
-
-<p>The garrison now began to experience a scarcity of powder. The páshá
-called his artillery officers and the governor of the castle, and conversed
-with them concerning this matter. The latter informed him, that the
-enemy, on their lately retiring, had left an immense quantity of sulphur and
-saltpetre behind them, which they had carefully removed into Kaniza. It
-was very easy, he added, to make gunpowder out of these materials.
-Uzun Ahmed, belonging to the fifth division of janissaries, a Persian youth,
-and who had been accustomed to make this article, came forward and
-informed the páshá of his skill in gunpowder, saying, at the same time,
-it could easily be made by mixing the above-mentioned materials with fine
-charcoal made of the nut-tree. Charcoal made of the willow, however,
-would answer the purpose, he said. With this last-mentioned sort of
-wood Kaniza was surrounded, and, accordingly, orders were immediately
-issued to cut down for this purpose a sufficient quantity, which was burned,
-and afterwards powdered in a mortar. A sufficient number of persons were
-appointed to this department of labour, and every day they delivered new-made
-gunpowder in such quantities as was required.</p>
-
-<p>But before proceeding any farther, we have to mention the desertion of
-two of Hasan Páshá’s domestics, which bears on this part of our history.</p>
-
-<p>One night, after the enemy had fully resolved on continuing the siege,
-two of the páshá’s under-servants, both of them Hungarians by birth, set
-off secretly to join their countrymen in the enemy’s army. This circumstance
-very much distressed the besieged, for they had every reason to fear<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">185</a></span>
-these deserters would inform the besiegers as to the state of the place.
-Hasan Páshá, always ready to take those advantages which his own fertile
-mind was ever sure to point out to him, quieted the fears of his followers,
-and gave them the most pointed instructions to do what they could in trying
-to seize one or two prisoners. They brought him several, to whom the páshá
-addressed himself thus: “I have lately sent two confidential servants to
-your prince, do you think they have met with his highness?” “Yes,” was
-the answer; and then added: “that the karal (the king) asked them as to
-the number of troops in Kaniza, when they said they did not know, but that
-they were exceedingly numerous, and that provisions were becoming very
-scarce in it. Keep up your fire,” said the two deserters, “for you have
-every chance of succeeding.” Hasan Páshá again asked them what they
-supposed might have been the number of Turks which had lately routed
-them? Some said twenty, some thirty thousand, answered the prisoners.
-The páshá then gave orders to have their hands and heads cut off, and
-delivered them over to Karah Omar Aghá, but previously instructed him to
-act towards the prisoners as he had done on a former occasion. Omar
-knew how to act his part. He practised the same kind of deception on
-these prisoners as he had done on those mentioned before, and, after giving
-each of them a piece of white bread, sent them off in the same way, telling
-them that the Hungarian troops had entered secretly into friendly engagements
-with the troops of Sigetwar; that the páshá was on the eve of attacking
-them by night with the troops of Kaniza, whilst those of Sigetwar
-would attack them from behind at the same moment. “Give my compliments,”
-said Omar, “to the karal, and let him be attentive. In this place
-we have provisions and gunpowder for a whole year. Let the king direct
-his movements accordingly.” The prisoners returned and related to the
-karal what they had seen and heard, which displeased him very much.</p>
-
-<p>In the meantime Hasan Páshá called one of his scribes and dictated the
-following letter to the commander-in-chief, Yemishjí Hasan Páshá, wherein
-he said, after giving him all his high titles, “I have already informed you
-of the state of our affairs. Thank God, our troops are sufficient in number
-and in courage, and we have now abundance of gunpowder, though at one
-time we had reason to fear we should run short of that important article.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">186</a></span>
-The enemy, when they lately retired from our walls, left an immense quantity
-of sulphur and saltpetre, of which we prepare every day no less a quantity
-than two talents of gunpowder. Our provisions are in abundance, at least
-for three months to come. We have, moreover, entered into a friendly intercourse
-with the Hungarians in the enemy’s army. I have just now sent out
-two of my domestics, Kina’án and Khundán, two Hungarian youths who
-were brought up in my service, to converse privately with the Hungarians
-in the enemy’s army, and to tell the karal that both the gunpowder and
-provisions in Kaniza are about finished; they are also instructed to return
-as soon as they accomplish this business, or at least as soon as they can find
-a fit opportunity of so doing. These two young men will tell the enemy
-they have become renegadoes, and the infidels, I have no doubt, will believe
-them. Be you ready to assist us if we should need your aid, and as soon
-as the two men return I shall give you due notice: farewell.” This letter
-was sealed, put into a satin bag or case, this was again covered over with
-a skin, and the whole parcel put into a coarse cloth, and was given to Karah
-Punjeh, with orders to convey it secretly into the enemy’s camp, and lay
-it down where it might soon be discovered by some of the enemy, who, no
-doubt, would carry it to their karal as some valuable treasure. Karah
-Punjeh was ordered, at the same time, to make his way, so soon as he had
-laid down his packet within the precincts of the enemy’s camp, to the commander-in-chief,
-and request him to come with his troops to the aid of
-Kaniza. Punjeh proceeded with his secret despatches, dabbed the outside
-with some mud, found means of throwing it, without being observed, into
-the enemy’s camp, and set off for Sigetwar.</p>
-
-<p>The stratagem succeeded to all the extent the contriver wished it; for
-the packet was no sooner discovered than it was opened, and the writing
-within it carried forthwith to the karal. The discoverers told him where
-they had found it, but could give no account whatever as to the way it had
-been brought into the camp. The contents of the letter were no sooner
-read, than suspicion began to be entertained respecting the two deserters
-from Hasan Páshá. They were actual spies, it was said, and were therefore
-called to be examined. On being summoned they were asked what
-situations they had held under the Moslem Páshá, and what were their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">187</a></span>
-names. One of us, said they, is called Kina’án, and the other Khundán;
-we were brought up in the páshá’s service, were circumcised, and we became
-Muselmans; but now we have embraced the religion of our fathers. Was
-it true, they were asked, that Kaniza had nearly run short of gunpowder, but
-that that had been supplied? They said it was true. Why, then, said the
-interrogators, did you say, when you came to us, that they had little or no
-gunpowder? The object you had in coming to us is too evident; and
-without any further enquiry they delivered over the two unfortunate deserters
-to the executioner, who immediately cut off their heads. These two
-heads were presented before the walls of Kaniza, and the persons who had
-thus presented them called out, at the same time, that the whole of Hasan
-Páshá’s stratagem had been discovered. The people of Kaniza were no
-sooner made aware whose the heads had been than they burst out in a fit
-of laughter, and highly eulogized the wisdom of their páshá.</p>
-
-<p>There is a different version of this story; it is as follows: The páshá one
-day called together his officers, and desired them to have every gun and
-musket in the place charged with powder, and to be ready to fire them
-when a signal was given. This was to be done in token, as it were, of
-rejoicing. About midnight, accordingly, when the signal <i>Allah! Allah!</i>
-was three times given, all the guns and muskets were fired off, and the
-voice of rejoicing commenced. The intoxicated infidels, hearing these
-demonstrations of joy, ran every where in order to discover the cause of it.
-Hasan Páshá, in the mean time, called the defterdár of Kaniza, Shabán
-Effendí, a very learned man, and after consulting with him for some time in
-private, desired him to draw out a letter for the commander-in-chief, which
-was as follows:—“You have at last come to Sigetwar: may your arrival be
-propitious! The three hundred and fifty janissaries, under the command of
-an ághá; the one hundred thousand ducats; the one hundred talents of gunpowder;
-the eighty talents of lead; and the one hundred talents of biscuits,
-came all, without the least knowledge of the enemy, safe to hand about
-the middle of the night of last Monday. You have been very generous; but
-we were not in actual want of any of the things you have sent us. We had
-provisions for a whole year; our gunpowder was abundant; and we had
-thirty thousand heroic troops. At the same time, however, we have to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">188</a></span>
-request you to send with our lieutenant, Iskender, fifteen thousand chosen
-volunteers, to be here early on the morning of Sunday; but do not you take
-the trouble of coming yourself. The Hungarian princes in the enemy’s
-camp are our old friends and allies. Thousands of their subjects come over
-to us every night, and they inform us of what is going on without. We have
-also entered into compact with thirty thousand Hungarian soldiers in the
-camp of the enemy, who are under the command of the above princes. On
-Sunday morning, at daybreak, when Iskender arrives from Sigetwar, we in
-the garrison of Kaniza and the Hungarians in the camp will all at once commence
-an assault on the hateful enemy within their strong-holds. We hope
-we shall not be forgotten in your best wishes.”</p>
-
-<p>Before this, however, two men had been sent into the enemy’s camp with
-the view of seeking a fit opportunity of assassinating the karal Ferdinand;
-but by the providence of God these poor fellows fell martyrs to their zeal.
-Two other men were sent with a similar purpose; and one Samúskú was
-hired to convey a letter, similar also to the one before-mentioned, into the
-enemy’s camp. Great promises of reward were made to this man if he accomplished
-the undertaking committed to him; but when he was about
-half way he threw down the letter on the road, and set off for Perzencha;
-next day, however, one of the enemy’s cavalry happened to pass that way
-and found the letter. After looking at it, he perceived it to be written in
-Turkish, brought it immediately to the karal, and told him he had taken it
-by force from a Turk he had met on the road; but that whilst looking at the
-writing, in order to discover what it might be, the Turk had escaped. An
-interpreter was called to decypher the contents of the letter. The interpreter
-said it was a letter from Hasan Páshá to the commander-in-chief, and that
-it contained some things which it would be improper to make public; he
-therefore went aside and explained to the karal the whole of the secrets in
-it, which absolutely astonished and counfounded him to such a degree, that
-he did not know what to say or do. He called his vezír, and consulted with
-him on the subject of the letter. The vezír said, “our trusty friend, Karah
-Omar, among our enemies, sent us information, you well remember, before
-this, of the defection of the Hungarians. What he said is clearly verified.
-What steps shall we take?” “The very first thing to be done,” said Fer<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">189</a></span>dinand,
-“is to collect the whole of our tents into one place, surround them
-with a ditch, then hold a general council, and afterwards slay every one of
-these Hungarian princes; and if the Turks should offer to attack us, we will
-give them battle.” Thus saying, he rewarded the bearer of the letter with
-great honours and said, “that had it not been for this letter, so opportunely
-brought him, he must have fallen into very great difficulties. Christ has had
-compassion on us,” said he; and then ordered the tents to be collected
-into one place, and a mound to be thrown up around them, as before stated.</p>
-
-<p>Hasan Páshá, perceiving the motions of the enemy, sent out a party by
-night in order to seize one or two prisoners: they returned with two, and
-presented them before the illustrious páshá. The páshá spoke kindly to
-them, and then inquired of them as to the state of affairs in their camp. The
-prisoners related what they knew: they informed him concerning the impression
-the letter which had fallen into the karal’s hand, as above described,
-had had on his mind, and that the whole of the Hungarians had
-fled, leaving all their tents and baggage behind them. This news had
-such an effect on Hasan’s mind that he clasped his hands together.
-But it was only in appearance. He wet his eyes, and appeared to weep.
-He asked again and again, whether the account they had given was true.
-The prisoners affirmed it as frequently; and added, that they themselves
-had seen the Hungarian tents taken possession of by the rest of the army.
-Hasan caused a black cloth, moistened with the juice of onions, to be
-brought to him, with which he occasionally wiped his eyes. This at once
-gave him, in the sight of the prisoners, the appearance of one weeping and
-mourning, but it was no more than appearance. After having satisfied
-himself with questioning the prisoners, he ordered their heads to be cut off,
-delivered them over to Karah Omar, and instructed him how to act. Omar
-played his part to perfection. After dealing with them in the same manner
-as he had done, in similar cases, on two former occasions, which the reader
-will remember, he sent them away secretly; telling them, at the same time,
-of the páshá’s intended plan of attacking them on the morning of the following
-Sunday. “There can be no doubt, now that the Hungarians have
-fled,” said the artful Omar, “but the páshá will pay you a visit in the way
-I have said. Go your ways.”</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">190</a></span></p>
-
-<p>The prisoners returned to their own camp, informed Ferdinand of their
-history, and what Karah Omar had said to them. Ferdinand was particularly
-grateful to this man, Karah Omar, who had so frequently duped him;
-ordered bastions to be every where erected along his ditches; promised
-each of his artillery-men a reward of a hundred ducats, by way of stimulating
-their zeal; in short, the enemy began to fire double the number of shots
-they had formerly done.</p>
-
-<p>We have already related the enemy’s determination of wintering at
-Kaniza, and what preparations they had made for this purpose: also, how
-Karah Punjeh had deposited the deceptive letter in the enemy’s camp, and
-his subsequent journey to the commander-in-chief to obtain aid for the
-Kanaizians. The serdár made many promises; ordered the troops under
-his command to be paid their wages, and said he would set out next morning
-for Kaniza. His officers, however, remonstrated against his resolution,
-by alleging that the weather being so very bad the thing could not be
-even attempted. The serdár appeared determined, and swore to the messengers,
-Karah Punjeh and his two companions, that though the army to a
-man should refuse to go to the aid of Kaniza, he and his own suite would
-most assuredly go. The messengers returned with this answer.</p>
-
-<p>The enemy, as before observed, had surrounded their camp with a ditch.
-The Austrian and other European troops were separated from the Hungarian
-army, and the former were determined to reduce Kaniza, whatever it might
-cost them. The Italian and French soldiers had become so very inveterate,
-that they said they had come from their own country to die, and that,
-therefore, they would not remove one step from Kaniza before they had
-taken it.</p>
-
-<p>On the seventy-fifth day of the siege, about mid-day, the heavens became
-black with clouds, the wind blew from the south, and soft showers
-of rain began to fall. Previously to this not a drop had fallen for the space
-of three months. The rain now increased, and a most bitterly cold wind
-began to blow, which made the surface of the waters to freeze. Towards
-evening the rain became mixed with flakes of snow, and about midnight
-the rain ceased, but the snow continued to fall. This storm continued for
-three successive days and nights, and the fall of snow was so deep as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">191</a></span>
-to reach a man’s waist. The enemy was now in a very sad plight; but
-they were infatuated, and in their infatuation ceased not from their hostilities.</p>
-
-<p>At length, however, a report spread that the commander-in-chief had
-come to Sigetwar. The enemy now thought of the contents of the letter
-which had fallen into their hands, as before related, which were confirmed
-by the information which the two discharged prisoners brought them from
-Karah Omar. All was confusion and alarm, and every one became concerned
-about his own personal safety. One company after another took to
-their heels. Ferdinand tried to stop the fugitives, but without effect. The
-condition of the enemy was desperate. The cattle they had for transporting
-their ordnance had all fled towards Hungary during the storm, and their
-ordnance remained in the ditches, and could not, of course, be removed.
-Hasan Páshá knew all this, and determined on attacking them next day.
-The snow ceased, and the sky became clear and serene; but the sharp wind
-increased to such a degree as to freeze the river into thick ice. In these
-circumstances, Hasan Páshá called the famous Karah Omar Aghá, and
-ordered him to proceed with three hundred chosen men to the enemy’s
-camp, supposing they had all fled. He gave him his own standard. The
-Berk having been completely frozen over, this detachment found no difficulty
-in crossing the river, which was scarcely done when they were met by an
-infidel chief, who earnestly entreated to be taken into Kaniza. He said he
-wished to embrace Islamism, and stood before them in this imploring attitude
-with his cap in his hand. Karah Omar conducted him forthwith to the
-páshá, who perceiving his prisoner to have a richly ornamented head-dress
-on his head, gave him a chair to sit upon. “I am,” said the supplicant,
-and in answer to the páshá, “a Genoese captain, and commanded in this
-war a thousand men. Forty thousand pieces of gold, besides other property,
-I have left behind in my tent, and have come to embrace the Moslem
-faith.” Thus saying, he wept. The páshá immediately placed one of his
-extra turbans on his convert’s head, explained to him the Mohammedan
-faith, then called his warriors together, and presented the convert in
-his new dress. To Karah Omar he promised the sanják of Petcheví.
-All the cannons and arms in the fortress were now put into a state of readiness<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">192</a></span>
-for commencing a pursuit after the enemy; and the whole of the garrison
-had their eyes turned towards the enemy’s quarters. When Karah Omar
-and his men were within a short distance of the enemy’s ditches, all the
-guns and muskets in the fortress of Kaniza were discharged at one instant.
-This explosion, along with the sound of drum which accompanied it, as well
-as the cry of <i>Allah! Allah!</i> from every mouth in the garrison, made the
-poor devils in the enemy’s camp creep together with absolute terror. What
-firmness had remained with them, entirely vanished; they fled in all
-directions. Ferdinand and Mathias issued from their tents, and endeavoured
-to rally their troops on the road which led to Sigetwar. Karah Omar, on
-reaching their advanced trenches, slew nine hundred of them before they
-had time to escape, and took one hundred and fifty prisoners, whom he sent
-into the fortress. In these trenches he seized twelve pieces of ordnance,
-besides other arms and ammunition.</p>
-
-<p>Hasan Páshá despatched other five hundred men to the aid of Karah
-Omar, who, after having received this augmentation of force, conveyed the
-whole of the cannon and ammunition which fell into his hands into the
-fortress.</p>
-
-<p>Next morning Hasan Páshá, after having offered up his devotions, sat
-down on the gate opposite to Sigetwar, took out two purses, the one containing
-ducats, the other dollars, and scattered these pieces of money among
-those of his men who had been the active agents in seizing prisoners, or who
-had brought in several heads. Eighteen thousand heads, it was conjectured,
-had thus been brought to him. The páshá, without any unnecessary delay,
-sent off an account of their wonderful good fortune to the commander-in-chief,
-and immediately mounting his horse, rode to the enemy’s forsaken
-trenches, and encouraged and praised his men. Only about six hundred
-remained in the fortress: the rest were all employed either pursuing the
-fugitive army, or taking possession of their trenches. Four times did
-Ferdinand try to rally his forces and retake them; but Hasan Páshá, who
-was now master of them, turned his own guns (about forty in number)
-against him. Those of the enemy who had kept together made their way
-to Perzencha, where they found some little time to reflect on what had
-befallen them. It was now they perceived with some clearness the strata<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">193</a></span>gem
-which the Turks had so effectually laid for them. Again Ferdinand
-rallied his men, and again attempted to retake his trenches; but Hasan
-Páshá directed the guns of the fortress, as well as their own, which had
-been left on the trenches, against them with such effect as again to repulse
-them with immense slaughter. The field was literally covered with dead
-bodies. More than thirty thousand heads were again collected, and laid
-before the páshá. He desired his troops to carry on the pursuit with vigour,
-and not to lose time in searching the enemy’s tents, as they should find time
-enough for that afterwards. “The enemy, you see,” said he, “are abandoning
-their tents as fast as they are able, but let us try and surprize Ferdinand
-before he leaves his own.” Accordingly, a field-piece was directed
-against it, but the ball, though it shattered his tent to pieces, and killed a
-number who were near it, did himself no injury. Ferdinand had now no
-alternative left him but flight. Accordingly, he, and those who still
-remained faithful to him, mounted their horses, but were every moment in
-terror lest the Turks should intercept them and cut them off. In this terror
-they made to the ford of Paulet, where Ferdinand experienced great difficulty
-in crossing it, and where a hundred of his few remaining troops
-perished. Thus did Ferdinand leave the whole of his camp, his ordnance,
-his treasures, his splendid furniture, and his glory behind him.</p>
-
-<p>Hasan Páshá, after performing his afternoon’s devotions, called Meseli
-Beg and Omar Beg, and ordered them to pursue the fugitives wherever they
-could find traces of them, but prohibited their taking spoil till the infidels
-were wholly rooted out, or completely dispersed. After writing out a statement
-of the successes which had attended the Moslem arms, he sent it off
-to the commander-in-chief, and then returned to Kaniza.</p>
-
-<p>On the following morning, after offering up his devotions as usual, the
-páshá mounted his horse, rode to the camp, where he was cheered, saluted,
-and had his hands kissed by his victorious troops, whom he, in his turn,
-praised for their heroism and bravery. On entering into Ferdinand’s tent,
-he perceived a lofty throne standing in the midst of it, every where ornamented
-with silver and gold: its feet and top were garnished and variegated
-with precious stones and other jewels; a diamond was fixed in each of its
-supporters, each one of which was equal in value to the revenue of Rúm<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">194</a></span>
-(Europe or the Roman empire). On each side of this throne were twelve
-chairs decked with crimson silk, the borders of which were ornamented
-with pearls and other jewels. In front of the throne was a table about six
-cubits in length, ornamented and decorated like the former. In this pavilion
-of grandeur did the pious Hasan Páshá perform his devotions, and returned
-thanks to God for the victory with which their efforts had been crowned.
-With tears in his eyes he acknowledged it as a favour from God, and as a
-sign of their prophet’s benevolence, miraculously interposed in their behalf.
-After having ended this oration, he drew his sword and split the throne
-into pieces, sat down upon one of these, and his grandees and ághás,
-according to their rank, sat down on the chairs which surrounded him.
-He now again pronounced a long oration, and then wrote out a third statement,
-giving an account of the patience, firmness, union, and other excellent
-qualities of his men to the commander-in-chief. After having finished his
-discourse, and had sent away the report to the serdár, he asked who were
-the first who had entered into Ferdinand’s pavilion. Three janissaries and
-four borderers presented themselves, and said they were the first who
-had entered it. “Well then,” said the noble-minded páshá, “with the
-exception of the tent itself, and the arms that are in it, all the rest belongs
-to you.” As to the rest of the tents, whether they belonged to Ferdinand
-or to others, none of them were touched, but were strictly watched till
-such time as the decision of the commander-in-chief could be obtained.
-The forty-two pieces of cannon and five falconets which had been taken in
-the trenches, were most beautifully ornamented by art, each being of considerable
-value. They had the appearance of ingots of gold, and bore the
-image of the emperor and of the pope, figures, which one who saw them
-would have supposed had been executed or contrived by a skilful artist who
-had studied the Seher Sámrí.<a name="FNanchor_9_9" id="FNanchor_9_9"></a><a href="#Footnote_9_9" class="fnanchor">9</a> Besides this number of cannon, fourteen
-thousand muskets, and as many spades and mattocks were found in the
-enemy’s camp. Also several gold basins and plates: ten thousand tents
-besides those which belonged to the superior officers; weapons of all sorts
-and sizes; large and small drums, trumpets, bells, chests, waggons, and
-<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">195</a></span>carriages fell into the hands of the victorious Moslems; but the number of
-all these things together is only known to the Creator of men and angels.
-A vast quantity of articles of less value fell also a prey to the conquerors,
-but it is not possible to describe them all. As to articles of provision,
-which the enemy had left behind them, it was quite wonderful. Viands
-and wine were found preserved in silver and Chinese vessels; medicaments
-cherished by caranfil (cloves), sweetmeats, other kinds of eatables mixed
-with ferment, ginger, electuaries, and many other sorts, as much as would
-supply the garrison of Kaniza for a whole year. The whole of the cannon
-and arms were transported by order of the páshá into the fortress.</p>
-
-<p>We have already noticed that Karah Omar Aghá, after the páshá had augmented
-his party, was ordered to pursue the fugitive enemy. He did so. As
-many of the enemy as had succeeded in reaching the ford of Paulet were
-totally panic-struck, when they perceived Karah Omar with his party of men
-pressing towards them. They threw away what heavy baggage had yet
-remained to them, crossed the ford in the utmost hurry and confusion, and
-took with them what they esteemed most valuable. The Moslem pursuers
-slackened not their pace, crossed the ford after them, and coming up to
-them, slew many of them. The fugitives were now obliged, in order to
-escape with their lives, to throw away every thing by which they had been
-encumbered, and even their arms, and took to their heels as fast as they
-were able. It was not known how many of them had perished, but about
-six thousand of the better sort of them fell by the hands of their valiant
-pursuers. Several of their captains were conveyed back to the páshá; but
-as the number of the prisoners which were thus brought were too many to
-be retained, the páshá gave orders to cut off the heads of all who were
-afterwards brought in on the ditches, and to throw their bodies into the
-river. Some of the prisoners, when they were asked the cause of their
-signal defeat and dispersion, attributed it to the effect which the letters that
-had been conveyed into their camp had had on their minds. A fearful
-terror, said they, seized us, and we began to imagine we saw nothing but
-troops of Turks with green turbans coming to your aid, and attacking us in
-conjunction with you.</p>
-
-<p>In this memorable retreat, Don Juan, Hersog of Malta, finding it impos<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">196</a></span>sible
-to escape the danger of being taken prisoner, stripped off his clothes,
-wrapped himself up in a shabby coverlet, and lay four days in a ditch, pretending
-he was wounded. On the fifth day of the retreat, some men belonging
-to Zerín Oghlí, who had come from Mekomúriah to inquire into the
-state of matters, chanced to pass the ditch where this helpless Hersog lay.
-He implored them to extricate him, which they did, and carried him to Zerín
-Oghlí, who, when he learned who he was, showed him great respect, and
-sent him away to his own country.</p>
-
-<p>The loss sustained by the enemy in this campaign was truly great:
-seventy or eighty thousand infidels, at the very least, must have perished.
-Those Italian and German foot soldiers who escaped the sword of the victorious
-Moslems, fell down on the roads benumbed with cold, and remained
-there. The few naked and weeping wretches who had been so fortunate as
-to reach their own countries, did so only with their lives.</p>
-
-<p>Karah Omar Aghá of Petcheví relates the following story: “When we were
-in pursuit of the infidels, flying before us, we sometimes came up to ten or
-fifteen of them sitting and warming themselves before fires which they had
-made; but, when they saw us approaching, they started up upon their legs,
-took off their hats, and made obeisance to us. The fact is, we were weary
-of cutting and slashing the poor wretches, and therefore did not think it
-manly to kill men who were thus vanquished and suffering like those just
-now mentioned. The like of these creatures we passed, and went on
-slaughtering and hewing down all such as still had the hardihood to carry
-arms. The vast quantity of articles of value, as well as of arms, which
-the fugitives threw away, in their hurry to escape, strewed the roads every
-where, and it required two months’ time before they could be all collected
-and brought to Kaniza.”</p>
-
-<p>Karah Omar Aghá was rewarded for his services in this campaign with
-the sanják of Petcheví.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Some further account of the affairs relative to Kaniza.—The arrival of the
-Commander-in-chief at Sigetwar.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The commander-in-chief, Yemishjí Hasan Páshá, notwithstanding the
-opposition which had been manifested against his marching towards Kaniza,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">197</a></span>
-during the cold season, forced his way as far as Sigetwar. After the weather
-had become more intensely cold, a spirit of envy and insubordination began
-to manifest itself among his troops. They assembled together in a tumultuous
-manner, and attacked the Commander-in-chief’s tent with stones; and
-three days afterwards, when order seemed to have been restored, they broke
-loose and set off for Belgrade. This took place on the 12th of Jemadi II.
-However, the commander-in-chief received a letter from Hasan which announced
-to him the success which had been obtained over the enemy in
-their expulsion from Kaniza, and which gave him great joy. On the same
-day, towards evening, he received another from the same quarter, intimating
-the complete dispersion and defeat of the whole of the enemy’s army,
-a copy of which he immediately transmitted to Constantinople. He afterwards
-issued orders to the various troops to go into winter-quarters. He
-himself remained at Shuklúshka. On the 15th of the above month, one
-division of the troops, on its return, reached the bridge of Usk, and passed
-over in safety; but the next division was not quite so fortunate. Owing
-to the great and severe frost which had commenced, the river Drave was
-frozen over, and on the 20th, when the next division was crossing this
-bridge, it fell. All that were on it, at the time, perished. It was repaired,
-however, in two or three days afterwards.</p>
-
-<p>Hasan Páshá, the celebrated governor of Kaniza, went to Shuklúshka to
-pay his respects to the commander-in-chief, who, in return, showed to the
-heroic Páshá every mark of esteem, and granted a favourable reception to
-every request he made to him. The government of Kústandil was conferred
-on Meseli Beg, and Korah Omar Aghá was confirmed in the sanjakship of
-Petcheví. To each of the veteran soldiers who sustained the siege along
-with him five pieces of money were allowed, besides the provisions which
-were due. Hasan Páshá dispatched his lieutenant, Iskender Páshá, to
-court, whose arrival there gave the emperor the sincerest joy. He approved
-of the distribution and appointments which had been made, and raised
-Hasan to be one of his favourite vezírs. Three robes of honour, a richly
-ornamented sword, and three beautiful horses, were sent as presents to the
-celebrated páshá. The commander-in-chief, in like manner, conferred
-marks of esteem upon him, and sent his lieutenant, Mustafa Khetkodá,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">198</a></span>
-to Petcheví, to furnish provisions for Kaniza, and then set out for Belgrade.</p>
-
-<p>In consequence, however, of the violence of the mountain-like masses of
-ice which drifted down the Save, the bridges on that river were broken
-down, and the returning troops had to cross it in boats. In this journey
-they suffered great hardship, and had to overcome many difficulties before
-they reached Belgrade. About this time the ághá of the janissaries, Alí
-Aghá, was sent to Constantinople in order to negotiate a marriage between
-Yemishjí Hasan Páshá, the commander-in-chief and prime minister to the
-Ottoman emperor, and the sultana, the widow of the late prime minister,
-Ibrahím Páshá.</p>
-
-<p>The following is a copy of a letter from the grand sultán to Hasan Páshá
-in reference to his brave and wise conduct during the siege of Kaniza.
-After having referred to the great glory which had accrued this year, by
-his instrumentality, to the Ottoman empire, he says, that the celebrated
-name of his choice servant, his prudent vezír, the beglerbeg of Kaniza,
-Hasan Páshá, was to be inserted among the other great and celebrated
-names recorded in the annals of the empire. He then proceeds: “I have
-appointed you a vezír; and may my servants who were with you in the
-siege of Kaniza, and who, in a peculiar sense, are my children, receive a
-benediction; who, beyond all conception, exemplified the most strenuous
-courage, not regarding their own lives in their faithfulness to their religion
-and to us; who in the most arduous struggle of human exertion never once
-flinched from the dangers of either fire or water; who manfully and heroically
-maintained their ground on the batteries of Kaniza; who in open
-battle, on the field of blood, discomfited, routed the hateful enemy, and
-hewed them down whenever they attempted to rally; who caused the
-iron-cased host to fly, leaving all their valuables a prey to their pursuers;
-and, in one word, who acquired peculiar glory by their unexampled
-heroism. We therefore request that in every thing they continue
-to manifest towards you the most implicit obedience, which will secure to
-them our approbation. You will read this letter, which contains the expression
-of our will, in the presence of our brave veterans, and cause them
-to understand it. We sanction, by our royal authority, the distribution of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">199</a></span>
-money, &amp;c. to be made to our servants at Kaniza under your command. We
-commend you all to the true God.”</p>
-
-<p>The day on which this letter was read in Hasan Páshá’s diván there was
-not one in it who did not weep; and many a kind and benevolent wish was
-offered up for the happiness of the emperor of the Moslems. This solemn
-scene was afterwards changed into that of joy, the demonstrations of which
-were every where manifested. Three full months were spent in collecting
-and bringing into Kaniza the cannon, arms, ammunition, tents, &amp;c. which
-the enemy had left behind them.</p>
-
-<p>Many of the illustrious European young men who were employed in this
-war lost their hands and feet by reason of the severe frost; and several of
-them were killed in order to relieve them from pain and sufferings. The
-Franks formerly mentioned purchased, at a low price, about two hundred of
-the Spanish and Italian prisoners.</p>
-
-<p>Before the spring of the following year commenced, about three thousand
-villages put themselves under the protection of the Ottomans; and more
-than two thousand peasants came from Usk, from Púzgha, from Petcheví,
-from Shuklúwish, and from Bosnia, to repair the fortress of Kaniza. Its
-outer works these labourers greatly enlarged and strengthened with trees
-cut down for the purpose. They surrounded the whole with a line of fortifications;
-erected minarets on its walls; built a mosque, a palace, and an
-arsenal within the citadel; erected sheds over the guns, and made a new
-bath. The successful warriors, however, never ceased to make excursions
-into the enemy’s territories, almost as far as Vienna, and uniformly returned
-with much booty and many captives.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>State of matters in the East.—Concerning Scrivano.</i></h3>
-
-<p>It had been determined by the court of Constantinople that Hájí Ibrahím
-Páshá should go and have an interview with the late governor of
-Baghdád, Hasan Páshá, the commander-in-chief in the east, and, along
-with him, attack Karah Yázijí (Scrivano). Instead of paying regard to these
-injunctions, however, he marched directly to Cæsarea, where he gave the
-rebels battle, was routed, and at last obliged to take refuge in the fortress
-of Cæsarea. When Hasan Páshá heard of this terrible disaster, he, without<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">200</a></span>
-loss of time, removed to Elbastan on the 12th of Sefer of this year, met the
-rebel army at a place called Sepetlú, where he arranged his troops in order
-of battle. The enemy did not decline the combat. Early next morning
-at sun-rise the two armies commenced a bloody contest, which continued
-without intermission till after mid-day, when victory declared itself in favour
-of Hasan Páshá. The rebels were routed with great slaughter, leaving one
-third of their number, which had amounted to 30,000, lifeless on the field
-of battle, besides the whole of their tents and baggage. Karah Yázijí fled
-with the remnant of his broken forces into the Jánbeg mountains, where he
-fortified himself. The victorious páshá pursued the rebels as far as Tokat.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Some other events of this year.—Karah Yázijí dies in the mountains of Jánbeg.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Towards the end of Jemadi II. information was brought to the Moslem
-authorities by some of the rebel chiefs, that Karah Yázijí had died in the
-mountains, whither he had fled, in the month of Ramazán, but that his
-brother, Delí Hasan, had succeeded him in the command of the rebels.</p>
-
-<p>Háfiz Ahmed Páshá, third vezír and the governor of Anatolia, passed over
-to Uskadár (Scutari) and proceeded to Kutahia. On the 12th of Shevál
-the káímakám, Khalíl Páshá, was removed from office, and was succeeded
-by Hasan Páshá, who at that time was the third vezír.</p>
-
-<p>On the same day, <i>i.e.</i> on the 12th of Shevál, Yemishjí Hasan Páshá’s
-commissioner, Alí Aghá, ághá of the janissaries, who had been sent to Constantinople
-to contract a marriage between the commander-in-chief and
-Ayesha Sultáná, the relict of the late grand vezír, Ibrahím Páshá, met
-along with Yemenlí Hasan Aghá, the vezír’s own deputy, and Abdí Chelebí,
-secretary of the customs, and fixed the dowry at four thousand ducats.
-After the contract was settled and sealed, one Nesúh Aghá was sent to
-Belgrade with the marriage documents to the serdár. Nesúh, who had lost
-his commission among the spáhís, expected, on this occasion, either to be
-raised to the ágháship of the janissaries, or to be made chief master of the
-horse, what he was before; but neither of these offices could be conferred
-on him at that time: he was, however, made a kapújí báshí. This same
-Nesúh Aghá afterwards attained the rank of páshá, and became, in the end,
-prime minister; but we shall have to speak of him in the sequel.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">201</a></span></p>
-
-<p>On the 20th of Dhu’l kadah Alí Aghá left the Sublime Porte with his
-troops and marched for Belgrade.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Concerning the rebel Delí Hasan, the brother of Karah Yázijí.—Hasan Páshá,
-the commander-in-chief, falls a martyr.</i></h3>
-
-<p>It is recorded by Sháh Verdí, who had been deputy or lieutenant to Karah
-Yázijí, that when Karah Yázijí died, as already observed, his followers took
-his body, and cutting it into pieces, afterwards buried it in separate and
-distinct places, in order that the Osmánlís might not have it in their power
-to burn it.</p>
-
-<p>This same Verdí, Yolar Kapdí, and one Túyel, all three noted rebels,
-joined the insurgent Delí Hasan, after the death of his brother, when they
-left the mountains of Jánbeg with an insurgent army of several thousand
-men, with the view of intercepting and seizing Hasan Páshá’s heavy baggage
-whilst on its way from Diárbeker. The páshá not having many troops
-along with him at this time, did not venture to give battle to these desperate
-mountaineers, but fortified himself as well as he was able in the fortress of
-Tokat. The city and suburbs, however, were subjected to the cruelty of
-these barbarians, who not only robbed and plundered wherever they were
-able, but also destroyed the páshá’s beautiful flower-garden. Not satisfied
-with all these excesses, they determined to attack the citadel and seize
-the páshá himself. For this purpose they encamped on the outside of the
-city. Information of the insurgent army having determined to lay siege to
-the fortress of Tokat having reached the court of Constantinople, the governor
-of Diárbeker, Khosrú Páshá, was created a vezír, and ordered to proceed
-with the army of Kúrdistán and oppose the progress of the insurgents.
-No person, however, had sufficient courage to inform Hasan Páshá that his
-office was conferred on Khosrú Páshá.</p>
-
-<p>In the meantime the insurgents, after continuing the siege for about a
-month, had every prospect of succeeding in their attempts. Hasan Páshá
-was in the habit of going every morning and sitting on a seat in a certain
-place opposite the gate of the fortress, a circumstance which was some
-way or other made known to the rebels. They accordingly watched him,
-when one of them aimed his piece at him and shot him dead on the spot.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">202</a></span>
-Delí Hasan wished no more, raised the siege, and set out on a predatory
-excursion into Anatolia. The property of Hasan Páshá which had fallen
-into the hands of the rebels they distributed amongst them; and their power
-soon waxed so very considerable, that for the space of seven or eight years
-they ruled the country with a rod of iron.</p>
-
-<p>Yávuz Alí Aghá was made válí of Egypt this year. This same year, also,
-a letter from the king of France was received, in which complaint was made
-of the injuries which some of his subjects had sustained from pirates belonging
-to some of the Turkish islands. The Turkish government immediately
-issued the strongest prohibitions against this traffic, and threatened
-to punish with rigour every instance of transgression of this kind which
-should happen to come to its knowledge.</p>
-
-<p>We have still to observe one other circumstance before commencing to
-relate the events of the following year. During the time that Khalíl Páshá
-was governor or deputy of Constantinople, the ulemá assembled together,
-waited on his excellency, and demanded justice against the spáhís for the
-disturbance and tumult which they had been the means of raising in the
-metropolis lately. A report of the whole of their proceedings was laid
-before his majesty, who issued a royal letter relative to this meeting.</p>
-
-<p>Ibrahím Khán, the valas pádisháh, was this year subdued by Sháh Abbás.<a name="FNanchor_10_10" id="FNanchor_10_10"></a><a href="#Footnote_10_10" class="fnanchor">10</a></p>
-
-<hr />
-
-
-<h2><span class="smcap">EVENTS of the Year 1011, H.</span></h2>
-
-
-<h3><i>Hasan Páshá recovers Alba Julia.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Towards the end of the preceding year the páshá made every preparation
-for commencing a new campaign in the beginning of this year. A new
-bridge was erected on the Save: he was joined by the ághá of the janissaries
-from Constantinople about the commencement of Moharrem, and
-troops from all quarters poured into his camp. The troops that accompanied
-the ághá from the metropolis received double wages: provisions
-were distributed, and vessels laden with the same article were sent off for
-<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">203</a></span>Buda. The royal camp, in the greatest haste, removed from Belgrade and
-arrived at Serim on the 15th of the month. Badalooshka cannon were transported
-from Buda to the camp, and on the 22nd Alba Julia was put under
-siege. Lála Mohammed Páshá, from Buda, encamped on the south side,
-in front of the city; the grand vezír (<i>i.e.</i> the commander-in-chief, Yemishjí
-Hasan Páshá) took up his position on one side, and the ághá of the janissaries,
-with nine pieces of ordnance, presented himself before the gate.
-Mohammed Páshá, with the army of Romeili and five pieces of ordnance,
-and Dervísh Páshá, the beglerbeg of Bosnia, with the army of Buda, entered
-into entrenchments, and immediately erected mounds. Three thousand
-chosen men and four thousand pioneers were under the immediate eye of
-the grand vezír. After a few days of constant battering, the besieging
-army sprung four mines, which had some considerable effect, and soon
-afterwards they took possession of the large tower, but were obliged to
-relinquish it. The enemy, besides, had formed a kind of wall or mound
-within their ramparts, which served to protect them against the besieging
-army’s artillery. No great progress had hitherto been made.</p>
-
-<p>On the 17th of the month Sefer, about the hour of dinner, and the hot
-part of the day, a servant of Mohammed Páshá started suddenly upon his
-feet, seized a standard, ran in the greatest haste to the tower, and fixed it
-on its top. The janissaries and others no sooner saw this, than they immediately
-went and took possession of it, causing the few men who watched
-it to fly. The enemy, however, continued to trust to their strong bulwarks,
-and thought themselves safe. They were miserably mistaken. The Moslem
-and orthodox warriors opened upon them a brisk fire of musketry, which
-drove them from their position. Mohammed Páshá succeeded in getting
-into the city and took it. When the serdár heard that his troops had taken
-the tower before-mentioned, he ordered his tent to be immediately erected
-near it.</p>
-
-<p>The enemy perceiving the progress of the besiegers, and that they were
-assaulting them, in fact, from every quarter, fled into the inner fortress.
-This last refuge of theirs was attacked in its turn. By means of mounds
-which they soon raised for their own protection, they were enabled to effect
-some mines, which they had no sooner ignited than one of the towers was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">204</a></span>
-blown into the air and a sufficient breach made. The courage of the poor
-devils when they saw this gave way, and they offered to yield up the place.
-A certain number of their chief officers came out and received, as on
-former occasions, garments and were sent off with the rest of the military
-of Alba Julia to their own countries. The victorious Moslems, after taking
-possession of this important place, placed a sufficient garrison in it, and
-the rest of their troops returned to Buda about the end of the month last
-mentioned.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The Commander-in-chief conducts an expedition into Transylvania.</i></h3>
-
-<p>In consequence of the woiwoda of Transylvania having, contrary to all
-law and justice, entered by violence into a fortress belonging to Sekul Murish,
-one of the independent princes of Transylvania, where he seized on its
-treasures and arms, and slew the men who were in it, the above prince,
-during the winter season, came to the serdár and solicited his aid, promising
-he would, if thus supplied with sufficient means, subdue the whole
-of the region of Transylvania under the Mohammedan yoke. The serdár
-placed confidence in his promises, and therefore determined to aid him in
-person. All this had taken place before the reduction of Alba Julia, for
-which, however, the serdár was preparing when the above prince came to
-him.</p>
-
-<p>The serdár, or commander-in-chief, having fully achieved what he was at
-that time preparing for, as related in the preceding section, and having no
-reason to expect danger from any quarter, passed over from Buda to the
-plains of Pest. The infidels’ camp was at a place called Jegirdelin, opposite
-to Osterghún.</p>
-
-<p>As the orthodox Moslems used to call out every evening, <i>Allah! Allah!</i>
-so also the infidels cried out from one certain place, every morning and
-evening, the word <i>Yesú</i>, and immediately after this discharged their large
-cannon. <i>Yesú</i> is a corruption of <i>Isa</i> (Jesus) in the gospel. The sound of
-the guns fired by the infidels was heard at Pest.</p>
-
-<p>Súfí Sinán Páshá was appointed commandant of Buda, for Kází Zádeh
-Alí Páshá, the beglerbeg of Buda, who had been present at the siege of
-Alba Julia, was there wounded by a musket-ball, and carried off the field in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">205</a></span>
-a litter or sledge. This Alí Páshá came along with Hábel Effendí, the cazí
-of Buda, to the serdár, and remonstrated against leaving Buda defenceless.
-You will not be two stages distant, said they, before the infidels will come
-and surround us. The danger of this circumstance seemed to press very
-much upon their imagination, and they did not fail to paint it in lively
-colours to the serdár. “Though it be perfectly true,” said the serdár in
-return, “that we hear the sound of the enemy’s cannon, yet it would be
-very unwise to leave Ardil Oghlí (<i>i.e.</i> the prince of Transylvania) in possession
-of Lipovah and Yanovah in the jurisdiction of Temiswar. There
-are only about six or seven thousand troops in the enemy’s camp, and their
-object is to terrify the Moslem army from entering Transylvania. They
-are not sufficiently strong to offer to attack you. You have no reason
-whatever to fear they will do so; be therefore easy in your minds on this
-score.” Thus did the serdár endeavour to soothe their terrors; but Alí
-Páshá replied: “My lord, allow me to inform you that some spies sent out
-by me returned last night, and informed me that there are more than eighty
-thousand soldiers and forty pieces of ordnance in the enemy’s camp, and
-that their object is to attack Buda. Let Hábel Effendí note down what I
-have now said, and if it turns out to be false, then you may take what
-vengeance you please on me.” Yemishjí Páshá himself, a proud obstinate
-Albanian, remained immoveable in maintaining his own assertions, <i>viz.</i> that
-the enemy had no other view than merely to frighten them from entering
-Transylvania, and that they had neither strength nor intention to attack
-Buda. In the meantime, when Mohammed Páshá, beglerbeg of Romeili,
-perceived the serdár’s obstinacy, he asked to be permitted to make an excursion
-as far as Filk and Sitchan, and carry thence what plunder he might
-be able to take. His request was not acceded to; and the following day, the
-first of Rabia II., the serdár marched off for Solnuk, which he reached in
-four days, carrying along with him five pieces of cannon and one hundred
-sháhs (a kind of smaller ordnance). In four days more he crossed the
-Tise, and on the 11th of the same month reached the palanka of Sarwash.
-The troops of Julia and Temiswar joined his camp at this place; but he
-had scarcely time to hold a council of his great men, when, behold! messengers
-with evil intelligence from Buda waited upon him.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">206</a></span></p>
-
-<h3><i>Pest taken.—Buda is besieged.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The enemy had no sooner heard of the commander-in-chiefs movements
-than they began to put their cannon in order for marching. King Ferdinand
-ordered his Hungarian, Croatian, and Frank army, and various captains to
-advance before him. On arriving at Old Buda, they crossed over to the
-island of Kislar, by means of a bridge of boats, thence proceeded in boats
-to Pest, destroyed its bridge, and entered it on the side next the river,
-where there happened to be no wall. On the land side they planted their
-artillery. With the exception of a company of Moslems who had occupied
-a large tower on the banks of the Danube, and who had escaped by means
-of boats, the whole of the rest, men, women, and children, fell into the
-hands of the invaders. About five thousand of these hateful infidels were
-left in possession of Pest, whilst the rest of their army returned and encamped
-before Old Buda, and took possession of a palanka called Kiris
-Elias which belonged to it. At Gul Bábá, opposite the great earthen tower,
-they placed ten pieces of cannon, and opened entrenchments before the gates
-which open towards Vienna and Awa, and thus commenced the siege of Buda.</p>
-
-<p>The messengers who, post haste, brought intelligence of the enemy’s
-movements to the serdár, found him, as before mentioned, engaged in holding
-a council of his great men at Sarwash. The serdár, as may easily be
-imagined, became absolutely frantic with rage when he learned from the
-messenger the state of things at Buda. Without a moment’s delay, however,
-he ordered off two thousand chosen men under the command of Núh
-Páshá, the beglerbeg of Anatolia, to the aid of Buda, whilst he himself
-followed the body of his army. In four days he reached Pest, and encamped
-in its neighbourhood. Here he was soon made to perceive that the enemy
-was hotly engaged in endeavouring to reduce Buda, battering its walls
-with no less than twenty-eight pieces of ordnance; nor were they in the
-least degree alarmed by the approach of the Moslem forces. Pest, too,
-was filled with the enemy’s troops, and therefore, at that time, not easily
-taken. They also erected a kind of bridge between Kizlar áta and the last-mentioned
-place; and thus effectually hindered all communications between
-the Moslem army and Buda.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">207</a></span></p>
-
-<p>The obstinate Albanian (the commander-in-chief) now found more than
-sufficient reason to repent his having left Buda. To no good purpose whatever
-he opened ten pieces of artillery in one or two places against Pest. He
-disposed his line of entrenchments in such a way as that the people of Buda
-could easily salute their brethren near Pest. The one besieged, the other
-besieging. The Moslems, however, contrived to erect four badalooshkas, by
-means of which they broke down the bridge the enemy had erected at Pest,
-and thus prevented any further intercourse with it; but it was the cause of
-a greater increase of the enemy’s number at Buda.</p>
-
-<p>During the space of fifteen days the Moslem camp before Pest experienced
-the most dreadful hardships for want of provisions. One kíleh (a
-measure) of flour sold for twenty pieces of gold, and one of barley for
-fifteen, and when no more could be had for any price, the troops were
-obliged to be supplied, though at the utmost risk, from Buda. This was
-secretly accomplished by boats, which were sent over from under the water-gate.
-The Budians, however, began to murmur, and remonstrated against
-supplying them with an article which they themselves might soon be in
-need of. All further supply of this kind was, therefore, prohibited; but
-this prohibition was, notwithstanding, found ineffectual. Some for the
-love of money sold provisions, and others there were who sent a supply to
-their friends.</p>
-
-<p>At length, Alí Páshá, the same who counselled the commander-in-chief
-against leaving Buda when he went on his fruitless expedition into Transylvania,
-Hábel Effendí, Alí Páshá’s coadjutor, and the ághá of the janissaries,
-went to the serdár and told him plainly they would not afford any further
-supply of provisions. “If you,” said they, “continue ten days longer,
-all the provisions in Buda will be exhausted: send us, therefore, Mohammed
-Páshá with a certain number of troops, and do you go away altogether.”
-Mohammed Páshá seemed at first inclined to decline this proposal, but
-afterwards said, that he had been two years already in Buda, but that
-if he was ordered to remain another year in it he would endeavour to do his
-duty. The Budians fell upon their knees and begged him to accept of the
-office; they also petitioned the serdár himself, and kissed his beard; so
-earnest were they that Mohammed Páshá should remain with them. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">208</a></span>
-serdár condescended to grant them their request. One thousand men whose
-pay had been advanced, and one thousand feudatory troops were appointed
-to Buda, besides military stores and money. He also sent a robe of honour
-to Mohammed Páshá. After the hour of the afternoon prayers, Yemishjí
-Hasan Páshá turned his face towards his barks, moved away on foot, bidding
-adieu to scenes which reflected no honour on his military skill, prudence,
-or courage.</p>
-
-<p>Mohammed Páshá was a man of grave deportment, chaste manners, and
-an officer of inflexible firmness and of great courage. When in the siege,
-if any of his troops raised a commotion on account of the scarcity of provisions,
-he used to beat them most soundly, and then reprove them for
-their rashness. Not one, in fact, ever ventured to show him any resistance,
-such was the influence he maintained amongst his troops.</p>
-
-<p>After the serdár took his leave, the troops destined for Buda entered that
-place at the water-gate under covert of the night: their ordnance was also
-conveyed during the same period.</p>
-
-<p>Next day, the 1st of Rabia II., the commander-in-chief, Yemishjí Hasan
-Páshá, passed through Keshkemet, and arrived at Waradin. Four large
-cannon which he took with him were dragged along by his soldiers;
-but he left two of them at Sonbúr, and the remaining two at Batchka.
-Passing over the bridge at Waradin he pursued his journey towards Belgrade.</p>
-
-<p>In the meantime, Mohammed Páshá, after entering Buda, held a council
-of his officers, to whom he delivered a comforting and encouraging speech,
-and then dismissed them by telling them to go, every man, to his respective
-post. Next morning, at daybreak, five hundred horsemen were
-selected and sent out towards Awa, near which they dispersed two pickets
-belonging to the enemy. Some of them they killed, and others of them
-they made prisoners. The enemy, as before observed, had placed a number
-of their cannon at Kiris Elias, and for the space of ten successive days
-battered the walls and made several assaults, but they were uniformly met
-and repulsed by showers of musketry, and the hurling of bombs from the
-besieged. One day, when they thought they would carry every thing before
-them by one general assault, the brave and orthodox Moslems, as related in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">209</a></span>
-the Memoirs of Soleimán Páshá, rolled amongst them a number of bombs
-charged with pieces of iron, which, when they exploded, destroyed several
-thousands of the assailants, and completely repulsed them. After this last,
-but very effectual check had been given to them, they began to dig beneath
-the gate which looked towards Vienna, with the view of laying mines, and
-in the most desperate manner and with the utmost fury directed no less
-than two thousand cannon-shot against the walls, by which means they
-at last effected a large breach. The situation of the besieged was now
-truly perilous. But the brave, heroic, and orthodox Moslems were determined
-to maintain their resistance, or die in making that resistance. With
-this view, and in the solemn hour of night, they entered into a sacred compact
-with each other to devote themselves to death in defending Buda.</p>
-
-<p>On the 10th of Rabia II., and in conformity to the counsel of their brave
-commander, Mohammed Páshá, all the foot and horse that were in the
-garrison at daybreak, rushed out of Buda with the utmost impetuosity,
-and attacked the enemy unawares in their own entrenchments, with such
-heroic bravery as absolutely confounded them. The enemy’s camp or tábúr
-having been at some distance, it was not easy for those in the entrenchments
-to get aid from thence, and before any did arrive, the orthodox Moslems,
-for the space of two hours, committed such tremendous havoc amongst them
-as to clear the entrenchments of these intruders. Their cannon they
-spiked, and carried off the greater part of their gunpowder to Buda, to which
-they had retreated, exploding what they could not conveniently carry along
-with them. The cazí of Buda, Hábel Effendí, an old man about eighty
-years of age, in order to encourage the orthodox believers, such was his
-zeal, slew an infidel with his own hands, a circumstance, no doubt, that
-made a deep impression on the minds of the Musselmans, and which had a
-powerful effect in urging them on to the work of destruction.</p>
-
-<p>A shower of rain coming on about this time, and the season having been
-far advanced, the infidels, in rage and despair, raised the siege and set off
-for Osterghún, dragging their cannon along with them through the mud
-which had been occasioned by the rain. The heroic Moslems, perceiving
-their advantages, pursued the fugitive host, captured a number of their
-cannon, which in their hurry they had been obliged to leave sticking in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">210</a></span>
-mud, and brought them back to Buda. Mohammed Páshá rewarded each
-of his brave men with tokens of his esteem and approbation, and sent a
-representation of the whole exploit to the commander-in-chief, Yemishjí
-Hasan Páshá.</p>
-
-<p>Mohammed Páshá was about this time promoted to the government of
-Romeili.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Ghází Gheráí Khán arrives with a Tátár army.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The grand vezír, Hasan Páshá, (<i>i. e.</i> Yemishjí Hasan Páshá, the commander-in-chief,)
-after passing through Waradin, arrived in the plains of
-Zimrún, where he learned that Ghází Gheráí Khán, who for a good while
-past had not attended the wars, had arrived. It would appear that in consequence
-of his malicious brothers, Salámet Gheráí, Mohammed Gheráí,
-and Sháhín Gheráí, who had excited rebellion and insubordination among
-the Tátárs, one party of whom had gone into Romeili, and another to
-Anatolia, where they joined the rebel Delí Hasan, the brother of Scrivano,
-the khán had found sufficient employment at home. He was much afraid also
-that his brother, who had joined Delí Hasan, would succeed with the latter
-in endeavouring to deprive him of the khánship. On these accounts his
-highness, the khán of the Crimea, had found it impracticable for the last
-two years to render any service to the Ottomans, and thinking there was
-some reason to suspect the emperor might be displeased with him, and
-therefore depose him, he, to avert those evils, came forward with an army
-on this occasion, had an interview with the serdár in the above plains, and
-accompanied him to Belgrade.</p>
-
-<p>His royal highness the Tátár khán lodged in the mansion belonging to
-Etmekjí Zádeh, the treasurer. For two successive days the serdár and he
-entertained each other in the most splendid manner. Petcheví was pointed
-out to the khán for his winter-quarters; and Sigetwar, Kopan, Mehaj, and
-other cantons beyond the Drave, were appointed for a similar purpose to his
-men. The khán departed for Petcheví, and his men were distributed in the
-above-mentioned towns and villages. His royal highness the khán passed
-his time in every sort of indulgence and pleasure, amusing himself occasionally
-in reading the good and bad poets of Baghdád. Here he composed an<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">211</a></span>
-epistle in verse on the evils of coffee and wine. He was still haunted,
-however, by the fear of his brother Salámet Gheráí, who, he was aware,
-meditated his downfall.</p>
-
-<p>After the grand vezír had reached Belgrade, as already mentioned, he
-ordered the troops to be paid their wages. The household troops received
-their usual allowance; the feudatory troops received each man two pieces of
-money, and the foot soldiers one. The ághá of the janissaries was permitted
-to return to Constantinople, and the feudatory troops were also allowed to
-retire.</p>
-
-
-
-<hr />
-<h2><span class="smcap">EVENTS of the Year 1012, H.</span></h2>
-
-
-<h3><i>Advantage gained by the rebel Delí Hasan.—Mahmúd Páshá is appointed in
-the room of Khosrú Páshá.</i></h3>
-
-<p>We have before mentioned how the rebel Delí Hasan, towards the conclusion
-of the preceding year, murdered Hasan Páshá in the city of Tokat, and
-we have also related his subsequent march into Anatolia. The beglerbeg
-of Diárbeker, vezír Khosrú Páshá, who had been sent with the troops of
-Haleb and Meræsh, to chastise this notorious rebel, failed in the attempt.
-Some of the above troops having refused obedience to his authority, left
-him, and went to Sivás. The rest, on seeing this, under the pretence that
-winter had arrived, dispersed themselves also, and left him without a man.</p>
-
-<p>An account of these disastrous events having found its way to Angora
-(Ancyra), where the rebel then was, he hastened forward with the utmost
-boldness to attack Háfiz Páshá, who commanded in Anatolia. When Háfiz,
-who was by no means in a condition to face this formidable enemy, heard of
-his movements, he shut himself up in Kutahia. The rebel advanced and
-laid siege to the city: but after three days’ effort, in consequence of cold
-and rain, was obliged to raise the siege; but he set fire to the place, and
-set off for Karah Hisár, where he went into winter-quarters.</p>
-
-<p>As soon as the Ottoman court had heard of these inauspicious affairs, it
-appointed Gúzelcheh Mahmúd Páshá to succeed Khosrú Páshá in the chief
-command. This appointment took place in the month of Rajab.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">212</a></span></p>
-
-<h3><i>Several changes take place.</i></h3>
-
-<p>In consequence of some malicious instigation of the soldiery, Sáa’tjí
-Hasan Páshá was removed from the káímakámship, and Gúzelcheh Mahmúd
-Páshá was appointed in his stead. These changes took place on the 20th
-of Rajab. Alí Aghá, ághá of the janissaries, was also deposed, and his
-office conferred on Delí Ferhád Aghá, a bostánjí báshí. Sáa’tjí Páshá was
-conducted to the Seven Towers. On the night of the 22d, the mufti,
-Mohammed Effendí, was deprived of his high office, which was conferred
-on Siná-allah Effendí. This is the second time this reverend prelate held
-this highest office of the priesthood. On this same occasion also the cazí
-of Constantinople, Abdulmíámin Mustafa Effendí, was appointed to succeed
-the cazí of Anatolia, Abdul Waháb, who had been in Egypt, and who now
-became cazí of Constantinople in room of the former.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Concerning Ghaznafer Aghá and Osmán Aghá, ághá of the palace.</i></h3>
-
-<p>On the 23d of Rajab the spáhí legion requested his majesty, the emperor,
-to call a general diván for the purpose of taking into consideration the state
-of the empire, every where torn and afflicted with rebellion and insubordination.
-His majesty complied with this requisition. Accordingly, the mufti,
-Siná-allah Effendí, the káímakám, Mohammed Páshá, Siderín Akhí Zádeh,
-Abdul Míámin Mustafa Effendí, and the ulemá, of all ranks, in all about
-thirty in number, met in council. On the part of the spáhís, Hasan Khalífeh,
-Poiráz Osmán, and the secretary Iksámí presented themselves before
-the royal diván and spoke thus: “Sire, in consequence of the war which
-you find necessary to carry on at a distance, the glory of the royal house is
-impaired, and its dignity is diminished. The empire, from one end to the
-other, is trampled upon. The government of Erzerúm is subjected to Gusah
-Nefer Páshá’s soldiery and levends (a kind of volunteers); the government
-of Sivás is under the oppressive rule of Ahmed Páshá; Caramania is in the
-power of Delí Hasan; the sanjáks of Merzefún, of Kostamúní, and of Kankarí,
-in like manner, are in the hands of the rebels Tevíl and Karah Seyed.
-The insurgents and rebels have seized the whole world. Five or six times
-a commander-in-chief has been appointed, but no good result has followed;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">213</a></span>
-nothing has been accomplished.” After talking a great deal in this manner,
-and pointing out the injustice and corruption which had crept into the administration,
-they adverted to one or two flagrant instances as proofs of
-their assertions. It was with great difficulty that Sáa’tjí Hasan Páshá, who
-had been confined in the Seven Towers, escaped undergoing the extreme
-sentence of the law on this occasion. The fourth vezír, Tarnákjí Páshá,
-was also brought forth, and would have undergone the sentence of death;
-but in consequence of the intercession of the janissaries he was pardoned.
-The kapú ághá, Ghaznafer Aghá, who had been the means of raising Khosrú
-Páshá and Osmán Aghá, the ághá of the palace, who were afterwards presented,
-were not so fortunate. The emperor, when all these transactions
-were over, returned to the haram or seraglio, whilst the exclamations of the
-people ascended to the very heavens in his behalf. The populace soon after
-dispersed themselves.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Yemishjí Hasan Páshá returns to Constantinople.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Soon after the grand vezír, Yemishjí Hasan Páshá, had dismissed the
-khán of the Tátárs, to go into winter-quarters at Petcheví, he delivered over
-to Lála Mohammed Páshá the whole of the affairs of the frontiers. The
-magazines of provisions and other stores in Belgrade he committed to Etmekjí
-Zádeh, the treasurer, and to Mohammed Páshá; and appointed his
-own lieutenant, Mustafa Aghá, to collect provisions in the districts of Bosnia
-and Buda.</p>
-
-<p>Having heard of the late transactions in Constantinople which had been
-occasioned by the spáhís, he imagined, and not without good reasons, that
-he was in danger of losing his own life; he therefore took a company of
-unemployed servants along with him, and set out for Constantinople. On
-reaching Yaghodina he was met by Hasan Aghá, a kapújí báshí, who informed
-him that Siná-allah Effendí, in compliance with the wishes of the
-spáhís, had been created mufti. Another messenger, called Yemenlí Hasan
-Aghá, a khetkhodá of the court, brought him a letter, which stated that if
-he wished his own existence to be continued, to make all the haste he possibly
-could. He recommenced his journey immediately, but was considerably
-impeded in crossing the river Múrov, owing to the masses of ice<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">214</a></span>
-which floated upon its surface. However, he got safely over it, and when
-he arrived at Nisa he met another messenger, who brought him a letter
-apprizing him of the fate of Ghaznafer, who suffered death along with Osmán.
-At a place called Khurmán he was met by two other kapújí báshís, who
-brought him a royal letter, and another from the queen-mother, both of
-which invited him to court, and which also were sufficient tokens of their
-good-will. He immediately returned a humble answer to these communications
-by the two persons who brought them to him. On his reaching
-Adrianople he took up his lodgings for a few hours in the house of Etmekjí
-Zádeh, his own treasurer, who was then at Belgrade. Yahiah Effendí, who
-was afterwards raised to the office of high priest, happening to be disengaged
-when the grand vezír arrived, waited on him, and both together,
-about seven o’clock in the evening, set out for the metropolis. On reaching
-Selivría they were met by Yemenlí Hasan Aghá, a kapú ketkhodá, and Sárí
-Alí Aghá, superintendant of the Soleimáníyeh, who strongly charged them
-not to delay entering the palace that night, for if they did, the messengers
-assured them the spáhís would next morning completely prevent their doing
-so. The grand vezír immediately descended from his chariot, mounted a
-swift charger, and reached the royal palace about four o’clock in the afternoon
-on the 25th of the month Shabán. The emperor received him most
-graciously, and welcomed his arrival in the kindest manner. After the
-grand vezír had delivered a statement to the emperor, of the affairs on the
-frontiers, he received a visit from the káímakám, Mahmúd Páshá, who no
-sooner departed, than the two military judges came to pay their respects to
-him also. When these exalted prelates were about retiring, he desired
-them to go to the mufti and give him his compliments; “Tell him,” said
-the grand vezír, “that had it not been the night-season, I would have called
-on him to pay him my respects in person at his own fortunate mansion;
-that as I did not wish to disturb him at so unseasonable an hour of the
-night, I have preferred waiting till tomorrow, when I shall not fail to visit
-him. But be sure,” continued he, “to come back and tell me how he received
-your message.” The reverend prelates, however, did not return.
-The morning arrived, and no word whatever from the mufti, nor any account
-of the prelates. This presaged no good. He, however, ascertained<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">215</a></span>
-by some other means, that the principal actors in the late tumult had gone
-that morning to the mufti, and complained to him in the most violent manner
-against him. “This vezír,” said they, “has, by his bad management, and
-want of skill in the command of the troops on the frontiers, allowed the infidels
-to gain some important advantages over the orthodox Moslems, and
-has thus tarnished the glory and pride of the Osmánlís.” Having preferred
-this complaint, they insisted on the mufti’s giving them a decree to take
-away his life. The mufti complied. These accusers, after succeeding with
-the head of their religion, hastened away to the governor, Mahmúd Páshá,
-to show it to him. In some histories it is said that this decree was delivered
-to the soldiery by Mahmúd when the grand vezír was about entering the
-city on his return from Belgrade. However, to make the thing as sure as
-the accusers could, they went to the two military judges, and asked them
-to tell them if the instrument which the mufti had issued was legal, and if
-so, to sign it; which after some little importunity they did.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Mahmúd Páshá reports these proceedings to the Emperor, who refuses to
-sanction the deed of the Muftí.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Mahmúd Páshá, the governor of Constantinople, wrote out a report of the
-proceedings which were carrying on against the life of the grand vezír,
-Yemishjí Hasan Páshá, enclosed in it the decree of the high-priest, which
-had been confirmed by the signatures of the two military judges, and
-sent it to the emperor. In this report the cunning governor assured the
-grand sultán, that if he did interpose in behalf of his vezír serious mischief
-would inevitably be the result. The emperor, after receiving this document
-and its enclosures, caused it to be published that Mahmúd Páshá had
-stipulated with the heads of the disaffected to give them thirty thousand
-ducats, and that he, in the event of grace being shown to Yemishjí, had
-instructed them to raise a tremendous tumult. This was a sufficient answer
-to Mahmúd’s report. The emperor, moreover, declared that he had perfect
-knowledge of the whole of his vezír’s conduct, and that if it had appeared
-that he had acted unworthily of his high station, he, the emperor, knew
-how to punish him. He was much displeased with the interference which
-had been made.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">216</a></span></p>
-
-<p>After having sent this answer to the proper quarter, he called an officer
-of the court, and instructed him in the necessity there existed of his going
-that very night and taking summary vengeance on Mahmúd Páshá, and
-which he conceived would have the effect of intimidating the disaffected
-soldiery. This commission was no sooner delivered than the emperor sent
-the whole of the papers which had been sent to him by Mahmúd to his
-grand vezír. The person to whom this business had been entrusted was
-Kásim Aghá, who on delivering the above papers to the grand vezír, informed
-him that he was on his way to murder Mahmúd Páshá. Mahmúd
-Páshá, however, had got scent of the purpose which had been formed against
-him, and either hid himself or absconded. The grand vezír, on examining the
-documents which had been put into his hand, was, no doubt, greatly
-astonished to find amongst them an official decree of the highest spiritual
-authority for the taking away of his own life.</p>
-
-<p>After the grand vezír had fully weighed Mahmúd’s statement and the
-decree of the mufti, confirmed, as it was, by the authority of the military
-judges, was not only astonished and confounded, as might easily be
-imagined, but also greatly afflicted. The soldiery who had been anxiously
-looking for the emperor’s consent to his execution, no sooner heard of the
-kind reception the grand vezír had met with at court, than they began to
-vociferate loudly that they would proceed to his palace and there murder
-him forthwith. They, accordingly, rushed into the At-maidán, where they
-began to concert how they might be able to effect their bloody deed. The
-grand vezír was no sooner apprized, on the other hand, of the menacing of
-the mob, than he, in terror of his life no doubt, ordered his gate to be firmly
-barricaded, and ran to hide himself in the apartment next to that in which
-the sultana his bride lived; for the marriage was not yet consummated.</p>
-
-<p>When the spáhí mob, in conformity to their plan, had reached the gate
-of the grand vezír’s palace, they found the gate firmly shut against them,
-but which, had it not been that the night was setting in, they would have
-burst open. This circumstance, it would appear, caused them to change
-their mind, and agreeing to defer their purpose till the following morning,
-they immediately dispersed.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">217</a></span></p>
-
-<p>The poor grand vezír and commander-in-chief felt the insecurity of their
-situation, and being haunted by the horrors of a cruel and untimely death,
-which his imagination pictured to him, he, at the hour when every true
-Muselman was offering up his nightly devotions, issued from his palace in
-disguised garments, accompanied by only two faithful servants, and proceeded
-to the palace of the ághá of the janissaries, called “the Palace of
-delight.” Here he was visited by Yemenlí Aghá and Sárí Alí Aghá who desired
-him to take his ink-stand and a few sheets of paper and to proceed
-without delay to the ághá of the palace. The unfortunate vezír mounted a
-horse and went as he was directed. On reaching the palace and entering
-into the hall of audience, he there saw Hasan Páshá and the ághá of the
-janissaries with his suite busily engaged in some affairs. The latter called
-the vezír to advance, and directed him to draw out the following statement:—“That
-the present acting mufti, Siná-allah Effendí, had been guilty of
-affording countenance and protection to some of the insurgents; that his
-brother’s son, Chelebí Kází, had, in a most unrighteous manner, accepted
-of thirty thousand dollars from the rebel Scrivano; that he had caused
-Mohammed Páshá, son of Sinán Páshá, to be deposed; that he had joined
-with the multitude of spáhís in intimidating the diván; that he had caused
-the ághá of the palace and the kizlar ághá (or ághá of the seraglio) to be beheaded;
-that he had thrown the whole of the community into a state of
-excitement by his murderous persecution of the grand vezír; in short, that
-he was the moving cause of all the disturbance, insubordination, rebellion
-and violence, which had lately taken place in the city. Further: that the
-whole of the janissaries were thoroughly convinced that this high-priest
-should be turned out of his office, as a preliminary to the settling of those
-commotions which agitated the public mind; that he should be banished to
-the island of Rhodes, and his place filled by a man possessed of piety and
-orthodox principles; that Mustafa Effendí, military judge of Anatolia, should
-be the person to succeed him in his high office, because he was a man possessed
-of piety and religion, and was, moreover, continent and abstemious.”</p>
-
-<p>Such were the contents of the statement above alluded to, and which
-the grand vezír, when written out, wrapped up in a cloth and kept till the
-proper moment for presenting it should arrive. His friends also sent intima<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">218</a></span>tion,
-similar to what the statement contained, to the vezírs, ulemá, armour-bearers,
-heads of the artillery, and to all the principal persons in the community
-who were able to read; and all the faithful subjects of his majesty
-were called upon to assemble under arms at the mosque of Soleimán, and
-there wait to hear a declaration of his majesty’s will and pleasure.</p>
-
-<p>The paper containing the accusations against the mufti was sent by night,
-by a trustworthy person, to the sultán in his own private apartments. The
-morning arrived, and the multitude began to assemble in the vicinity of
-the Soleimáníyeh. The whole of the janissaries stood fully accoutred under
-arms at the foot of the stairs opposite their own barracks, and all strangers
-were ordered to withdraw. Hasan Páshá and Ferhád Aghá, the ághá of the
-janissaries, stood forward on the top of the stairs above-mentioned, produced
-a royal letter which one of them read in the hearing of the janissaries. This
-royal letter assured them of his majesty’s good opinion of them, and said
-that they did and ever should participate of his grace and favour. “From
-the days of my august and noble ancestors until this day,” it was more
-particularly stated in this royal document, “you have always conducted
-yourselves with propriety, and have never been guilty of any irregularity
-or insubordination. You have uniformly obeyed my royal injunctions
-with the utmost zeal and precision; and now I request you to aid my
-grand vezír in chastising those unruly persons who have been the cause of
-exciting turbulence and commotion in our royal city.”</p>
-
-<p>The janissaries who had been instructed how to act their part in this
-matter replied, after having pronounced many blessings on their sovereign’s
-head, that they had some certain reasonable things to advance, and begged
-they might be laid before the august throne. “The muftis of former
-days,” they said, “used to be very much attached to the royal house, but
-the present one, Siná-allah Effendí, was a traitor to the true interests of the
-Ottomans. He has been bribed by Scrivano, through his nephew, Chelebí
-Kází, with a sum of thirty thousand dollars; he has deposed Mohammed
-Páshá, son of Sinán Páshá; he joined the turbulent multitude who lately
-intimidated the diván, causing some of its principal members to be executed;
-and at this moment he is exciting the mob to be satisfied with nothing less
-than the grand vezír’s life, having even issued a decree for this purpose. It<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">219</a></span>
-is our opinion,” continued the janissaries, “that he should be forthwith
-chastised, and that Mahmúd Páshá, his chief coadjutor in this tumult, should
-be executed without delay; that the turbulent and seditious among the
-spáhí mob should be delivered up, and in the event of this being declined,
-to visit the whole tribe with summary vengeance. If they show a disposition
-to resist, then let them stand prepared for combat, for we are ready
-to meet them.”</p>
-
-<p>The grand vezír expressed his satisfaction, came forward along with the
-ághá to their view, and sat down. The vezírs ulemá, and other dignitaries
-and nobles also assembled. Sinán Páshá, son of Jeghala, declined attending,
-but a messenger who was sent after him forced him to comply whether
-he would or not.</p>
-
-<p>After these magnates had assembled in council, the names of the principal
-conspirators were all registered, their persons proscribed, and a list of them
-was sent to their chief commanders.</p>
-
-<p>Next morning, however, the discontented spáhís assembled under arms
-before the menagerie. The grand vezír ordered some ághás to go to the
-spáhí troops and demand the persons whose names had been noted down.
-If they deliver them up to you, said he, bring them hither; if not, tell them
-they must abide by the consequence. The ághás did as they were commanded.
-On their appearing before the spáhís they showed their credentials and demanded
-the persons whose names had been taken down, but the spáhís
-declared they would not give one of them up, supposing, no doubt, the
-emperor would not proceed to extremities. These ághás sent back these
-lieutenants with the ungracious answer of the spáhís. In the meantime,
-two kapújís arrived from the palace, who delivered a packet to the grand
-vezír which announced to him that the change he had proposed in the
-muftiship was most graciously acceded to. He turned about to Abdulmíámin
-Mustafa Effendí and informed him that his majesty had most
-kindly appointed him mufti. The new mufti made a suitable reply, and
-the grand vezír, after considering the whole of the contents of the royal
-communication, took Mustafa Effendí by the arm and introduced him, as
-such, to all the vezírs and magistrates present, when they all paid him
-the homage due to his elevated rank.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">220</a></span></p>
-
-<p>After all these ceremonies were concluded, the new mufti was requested
-to wait on his majesty, who entered into conversation with him respecting
-the conduct of the insurgents, who still maintained their obstinacy, and
-asked him what punishment, he thought ought to be inflicted on them.
-The mufti replied, “that the law ought to take its course; that all who
-continued to manifest disobedience to his high injunctions were rebels; and
-that the spáhís ought to deliver up, for condign punishment, the chief actors
-in the tumult and rebellion which then reigned to so terrible a degree
-throughout the city.”</p>
-
-<p>The grand vezír again addressed the lieutenants of the ághás who had
-brought him the resolution of the turbulent spáhís, and desired them to
-return and inform them of the judgment of the new mufti; then to come
-back to him, bringing along with them the proscribed persons, provided they
-gave them up. “If they do not deliver them up,” said he, “then inform
-them that the whole tribe of spáhís shall be entirely cut off from serving
-any longer in the state, and their privileges be done away with.” They
-were, moreover, to be informed, that the emperor expected immediate
-obedience; that if they did not at once show signs of regret by availing
-themselves of the overture made to them, he had determined to take summary
-vengeance on them all; that their heads would be cut off at the bottom
-of the stairs on which he, the grand vezír, stood. The officers proceeded
-with their message, and delivered it in due form.</p>
-
-<p>In the meantime, however, the grand vezír called one Devlet Aghá, a kapújí
-báshí (who was in an after reign grand vezír), and desired him to take
-forty of the household troops and proceed to the house of Siná-allah, the mufti
-effendí, seize his person, put him on board a vessel, and banish him to the
-island of Rhodes. Devlet Aghá proceeded with his party to seize the person
-of the high priest, as directed, but before he had reached his house the
-reverend father had fled and hid himself.</p>
-
-<p>Devlet Aghá not finding the object of his pursuit, called Hamza Aghá, a
-kapújí báshí, and Murád Effendí, the second recorder, and desired them to
-proceed and seal up the palace of the fugitive, Mahmúd Páshá, sometimes
-called Gúzelcheh Mahmúd Páshá. At the same time persons were sent to
-shut the gates of Constantinople, and to watch them. These proceedings<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">221</a></span>
-were announced in the At-maidán to the assembled spáhís, who became so
-terrified that they all dispersed in the greatest dismay. The ághá of the
-janissaries mounted his horse, and conducting his troops through the streets
-of the city, soon restored peace and order in all quarters of Constantinople.
-The great men and vezírs returned to their respective mansions. Ferhád,
-the ághá of the janissaries, no sooner restored order in the city than he went
-in pursuit of the rebels. The grand vezír spent the remainder of that
-day in the house of the ághá of the palace; and Ferhád, on proceeding to
-a barrack belonging to the spáhís situate near the arsenal, immediately ransacked
-it of every thing valuable, and slew a number of this turbulent tribe.
-This circumstance laid a foundation of enmity between these two powerful
-bodies, <i>viz.</i> the janissaries and spáhís. The barring and locking of the gates
-of Constantinople proved also a great inconvenience to the inhabitants, inasmuch
-as they were prevented from burying their dead in the usual way.</p>
-
-<p>Such, for a whole day and night, was the agitated state of the city, occasioned
-by the events we have related.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Poiráz Osmán and other rebels executed.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The following day, at an early hour, the mufti, the vezírs, the grandees,
-the ulemá, and others, met for consultation in the house of the ághá of the
-palace, and continued their deliberations in reference to the interests of
-religion and the benefit of the state till the hour of prayer. The grand vezír
-then mounted his horse and went to pay a visit to his august majesty, accompanied
-by the new mufti and the military judge of Anatolia, Mustafa
-Effendí, who, it will be remembered, was recommended by the janissaries
-to fill the office of the high priest. The grand vezír was preceded by a
-body of armed foot soldiers to the imperial palace, and after having had the
-honour of kissing his sovereign’s hand, the emperor entered into conversation
-with him and the other august persons that accompanied him about
-the state of public affairs. The serdár, after the above interview, returned
-in great pomp to the At-maidán, where the janissaries, who had met there
-by appointment, fired several rounds, and the cavalry went through their
-evolutions in token of joy for the success which had attended the grand
-vezír.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">222</a></span></p>
-
-<p>The mufti and the military judge, after having conversed some little while
-with the grand vezír, retired to their own homes.</p>
-
-<p>Now that peace and good order had been established, the inhabitants
-came forward in multitudes to congratulate the grand vezír on his escape
-from the snares which had been laid for him, and to express their gratitude
-for his having quenched the fury of the spáhís. On this same day, in the
-afternoon, two messengers, one after the other, arrived, and informed
-the vezír that Poiráz Osmán and Ohgúz Mohammed, two of the principal
-leaders in the late disturbance, had been seized, and that Mustafa Aghá,
-the ághá of the spáhís, was conducting these two culprits into his presence.
-In a short time they appeared bound in chains before him: the vezír
-addressed them thus: “Osmán Beg, I showed you much respect and
-attention in the late war on the frontiers; I conferred on you offices of trust
-and profit, and have heaped favours upon you. Is this, then, the return
-you make? Is this according to your solemn promises? What can be the
-reason that you have acted thus? Why have you joined yourself to my
-enemies?” Poiráz Osmán replied; “O, exalted páshá, why do you force
-me to speak? I certainly did not commit the evil you impute to me in order
-that I should afterwards offer an apology. What has happened to me has been
-my lot. I have not trampled on your goodness so as to banish from my
-view all thoughts of providence. I feel that I am every way worthy of
-punishment; at the same time I humbly request you, in the exercise of
-your consummate benevolence, not to allow me, a guilty man, to be
-strangled like a woman, but kill me yourself with your sword.” “God
-forbid,” said the vezír in return, “that we should kill a heroic man of your
-stamp, especially as we know you must have been disadvantageously placed.
-But what,” continued the páshá, “induced you to adopt the course you have
-taken? I wish you to give me an explanation;” and then urged him to do
-so. Osmán Beg replied, “When I came to Constantinople, I perceived the
-spáhís going on with their mischievous purposes, but at first declined taking
-any share in them. Kátib Jezámí and others came running about me; and
-when I tried to escape them they followed me, urging me to join them.
-They used to tell me this and that; that the mufti, all the vezírs, the
-military judge, and other great men were in the plot; that they should<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">223</a></span>
-without doubt accomplish their purpose; ‘your making yourself singular,’
-they said, ‘will not retard the execution of our plan, and your obstinacy
-will only serve to bring evil upon yourself.’ They took me one day
-to the mufti’s deputy, who invited me to a splendid feast; I assembled that
-day with the rebels, but did not, for a while, mix with them; I was afterwards
-invited by Mahmúd Páshá to wait on him. I did so, and he constrained
-me to declare my sentiments; to say on what side I was. ‘Osmán,’
-said Mahmúd, ‘we have concocted this great measure, and your not taking
-a decided share in it is not wise; and to oppose the general voice, you know,
-is not safe, especially as the conspirators have thirty thousand ducats at their
-disposal. Do not, my friend, make yourself obnoxious;’ and much more
-to the same purpose. From Mahmúd’s I was conducted to the mufti effendí,
-Siná-allah himself, and thence to the military judge. Each of the spiritual
-dignitaries employed many arguments to induce me to join them. I was
-at last, from what I had seen and heard, persuaded that all the men of
-name and power had espoused this unfortunate party’s interest, and were
-united in carrying it forward to a conclusion. The thirty thousand ducats
-were every now and then referred to. To make the story short, the devil
-tempted me; I became one of their number, and was one of the most active
-in the whole of the disturbance and insubordination which have lately manifested
-themselves.” This seems a very candid confession, but it helped
-the unfortunate culprit nothing. The grand vezír looked in the poor devil’s
-face with astonishment, and wondered at his statement. He ordered Aghá
-Mustafa to conduct the culprits into the royal presence, where the whole of
-the above facts were again elicited, and the result was, that the emperor
-ordered their heads to be severed from their bodies, which was immediately
-complied with. A day or two afterwards the insurgent Dipa kiz Rizván
-met with a similar fate; so did also Ghuzáz Alí and Burnáz Mohammed;
-but the infamous and wicked Kátib Jezámí could nowhere be found. Strict
-search for him it must, however, be confessed, was not made. It appears that
-he had collected a great quantity of gold together, had himself put into a
-coffin, and was carried over from Constantinople to Uskudár (Scutari), whence,
-with a few servants, he fled on horseback. His servants, falling in love with
-his money, however, took the opportunity, when they reached a mountainous<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">224</a></span>
-part of the country, to murder him, and took the whole of his gold to themselves.
-Whilst these wretches were disputing and maliciously contending
-as to the mode of dividing their spoil, one of their number fled from them;
-and thus the story of Kátib Jezámí was made known.</p>
-
-<p>Hasan Khalífeh, another of the heads of the insurgents who had been
-previously involved in other desperate acts, thinking himself perfectly
-secure, entered into coffee-houses, and spent part of the nights of the month
-of Ramazán in gay conversation, and in the participation of good cheer
-along with some of his friends in the above houses; but on the 11th night
-of that month, whilst enjoying his pleasure in one of these cafés, he was
-seized and hurried away into the presence of the emperor, when he was
-without mercy instantly sent to the mansions of the dead. In this way
-the whole of the ringleaders of the insurgents were disposed of: the world
-was thus delivered from their mischievous existence.</p>
-
-<p>As to Gúzelcheh Mohammed Páshá, the deputy-governor of Constantinople,
-he fled and hid himself at the very commencement of the tumult, as
-before observed; but he was afterwards discovered in the habit of a súfí,
-near the mosque built by Hájí Khosrú, a rich man, on the outside of Constantinople.
-He threw himself on the mercy of the sublime Sultán, and
-thus escaped with his life.</p>
-
-<p>New troubles, however, arose. A foundation for enmity between the
-spáhís and the janissaries was laid by the proceedings of the grand vezír,
-as before hinted. Peace and order had scarcely begun to be felt, when a
-dispute arose between these two powerful military bodies, and was carried
-on with the utmost asperity. Whenever any of the one party met any of the
-other, a battle uniformly took place. But it was beyond the walls of Constantinople
-that this hostility was most fiercely manifested. The proud
-vezír’s passion for murder and bloodshed continued unabated: his thirst
-for vengeance against the remaining objects of his hatred he never failed to
-satiate whenever he found an opportunity of doing so. He thought that
-the measure he had employed in crushing the rebellion which had been
-raised against himself had been completely effectual. He was proud of his
-own doings, and began to publish abroad in the palace of the emperor
-Alexander (the court of Constantinople) his own mighty deeds; and sup<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">225</a></span>posed
-he was every way such a favourite with the emperor that nothing he
-could ask would be refused. In this exalted state of his imagination, he
-passed five successive inglorious fast days in the greatest transports and
-joy. Having fully acquired the victory and glory which he thought necessary
-for himself, he began to increase his own abstemiousness and piety in
-a corresponding measure; but his fury and malignity for promoting the
-purposes of his own heart were in proportion to the good qualities he had
-formerly manifested. In short, he exercised violence and cruelty without
-restraint. He shed blood, and punished to excess; any one who was so
-unhappy as to displease him, however trifling the offence might have
-been, was certain of feeling his vengeance, and that was generally death.
-Without even the shadow of any rational pretext whatever, he caused one
-Alí Aghá, the brother-in-law of the ághá of the palace, to be strangled.
-The very day after this deed was committed, he went to the diván, and
-caused Tarnákjí Hasan Páshá to be singled out from among the senators in
-the diván, and ordered his head to be struck off even under the sacred roof;
-but for what crime he suffered death no one knew. The grand vezír, in
-fact, was absolute and supreme, and therefore irresistible.</p>
-
-<p>Hasan Páshá, formerly mentioned, was about this time appointed to the
-government of Baghdád, to which he repaired.</p>
-
-<p>Azím Zádeh Effendí relates, what is not at all to be wondered at in those
-days of mourning, that this same grand vezír had formed the design also of
-numbering among the slain Sáa’tjí Hasan Páshá, who had been formerly
-governor of Constantinople, but that he had the good fortune to make his
-escape to Trebisond. Háfiz Páshá, the eunuch, who formerly had been
-káímakám of the Sublime Porte, was sent by him to the Seven Towers,
-and he lay there without the hope of escape. Others besides these now
-mentioned felt his resentment, and that too for mere trifles: for neglecting
-to shew him the respect he conceived to be due to him, or if he had any
-suspicion of their acting contrary to his views of such things.</p>
-
-<p>About this same time also he began to lay his hand upon the merchants,
-and to extort money from them. By the advice of Yázijí Zádeh, he got
-the ulemá to extend his powers and privileges, by which means he exercised
-oppression and tyranny, cruelty and rapine, in every direction.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">226</a></span></p>
-
-<h3><i>Other affairs of this period.</i></h3>
-
-<p>On the 11th of Ramazán, Jeráh Mohammed Páshá was appointed to take
-the command of the troops who had been ordered to act against the insurgents;
-but this appointment was again rescinded on the 25th following,
-and Jeghala Zádeh was fixed upon. Khosrú Páshá, who had been removed
-from the government of Egypt, was appointed vezír over the emperor’s
-private property, and was ordered to take his seat in the diván; and on the
-1st of Dhu’l Kadah, he was appointed to take the command of the troops
-who served on the banks of the Danube. Ferhád Aghá having been deposed
-from the command of the janissaries, Kásim Aghá, deputy of the
-Kapújís, was appointed in his stead. Delí Hasan, the rebel-chief, who
-had gone to winter at Karah-hísár, sent his deputy, Sháh Verdí, to Constantinople,
-to solicit pardon for all his past offences, and promising obedience
-in future. Through the good offices of the túrnají báshí, who had
-recommended to employ him on the frontiers of Romeili, where he might
-have an opportunity of manifesting his courage, he was too suddenly
-received back into favour, and the country of Bosnia was rashly conferred
-on him. This same túrnají báshí accompanied Hasan’s deputy back, and
-carried with him for the reconciled chief a drum, a flag, and a robe of
-honour, which the government thought proper to send him. After having
-dispersed his rebel troops, he passed over to Romeili about the beginning
-of Dhu’l Kadah, and got the command of about four hundred men. The
-above-mentioned túrnají báshí was also sent with a body of janissaries to
-the camp of Mohammed Páshá at Belgrade, who had succeeded to the grand
-vezír in the command of the army on the frontiers, and having left Buda,
-had come to Belgrade. Here he collected his troops, and waited with some
-anxiety for the arrival of the janissaries, whom he expected the túrnají
-báshí would bring with him; and also for Delí Hasan. In the month of
-Dhu’l Kadah, Núh Páshá, the beglerbeg of Anatolia, who had succeeded
-Jeghala Zádeh in the east, and who had been appointed to the government
-of Caramania, Sivás, Merœsh, Haleb, and Adna, was appointed to conduct
-the war against those rebel chiefs who had continued their hostility, after
-Delí Hasan had reconciled himself. But when these rebels, however,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">227</a></span>
-did make peace, the sons of the khán of the Crimea, Salámet Gheráí,
-Mohammed Gheráí, and Shaher Gheráí, who had gone over to them,
-returned to the court of their brother, the ruling khán, when their unnatural
-conduct was pardoned. This took place towards the end of Dhu’l
-Hijja. On the 27th of the same month, the emperor was exceedingly
-enraged against the royal prince called Mahmúd Sultán, for some vicious
-conduct which had manifested itself in him. The true reason seems to
-have been this. One of the mesháiekh, or doctors, entered into a correspondence
-with Sultán Mahmúd, which flattered him with the prospect of
-mounting the Ottoman throne. This correspondence fell into the hands of
-the Kizlar Aghá, who informed the emperor of what was going on. The
-prince was first seized, then his mother, the sheikh or doctor, and all the
-other persons who were any away connected with the secret. This conduct,
-on the part of the persons concerned, awakened, as well it might,
-the suspicion of the emperor, who deemed it of so serious nature, that at
-the end of one month after they had been apprehended they were made to
-feel what they had every reason to dread. Mahmúd was a youth of great
-bravery and heroism. When at any time he saw his father in a thoughtful
-mood about the issue of the rebellion, which we have lately described, he
-used to say to him: “Make me commander-in-chief, and I will soon bring
-these rebels to submit, either by the sword or by acts of kindness: the
-thing is by no means difficult.” The emperor, however, did not like to
-hear him express himself in that way, and therefore prohibited the use of
-such language.</p>
-
-<p>Among the strange events of this year is the following. Abd-ur-rahmán,
-sometimes called Nedázlí, a teacher in an academy in Constantinople,
-was apprehended on the 10th Jamadi II., and put to death in the royal
-diván on a charge of impiety and atheism. Akhí Zádeh Effendí the chief-priest
-of Romeili, and Asa’d Effendí the chief-priest of Anatolia, were the
-two judges who condemned the unhappy man. Asa’d Effendí, in a letter he
-sent to Tarnákjí Hasan Páshá, says “he had never met in all his life
-such another Zendik (sadducee) as Abd-ur-rahmán. He avowed most
-thoroughly,” continues Asa’d Effendí, “his disbelief of the resurrection,
-heaven and hell, reward and punishment. I asked him to reply to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">228</a></span>
-several texts, and employed many strong and perspicuous arguments with
-the view of rescuing him from his unbelief and depravity, but he would
-not recant. So great an unbeliever was he, in his perverted judgment on
-points on which there can be no doubt! But neither was he to be considered
-as an insane person, for he argued strongly for his own views and
-mode of belief. There is no hope whatever of convincing a madman;
-and this sadducee, when he was not brought to repentance, deserved to die,
-and to this doom he was subjected. If your excellency had been here
-you would, with your own hands, have slain him. The world is delivered
-from his corrupt opinions, Muselmans from his influence, and the orthodox
-faith from the slanders of his tongue.”</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Concerning the operations of the new Commander-in-chief Mohammed Páshá.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Soon after the grand vezír’s return to Constantinople last year, Lálá
-Mohammed Páshá, whom he had left in the supreme command at Buda,
-was appointed serdár in his room, or commander-in-chief of the whole of
-the Turkish forces on the frontiers.</p>
-
-<p>Lálá Mohammed Páshá, as before hinted, left Buda and came to Belgrade,
-whence he issued orders to all the troops to assemble at his head-quarters.
-After these orders had been attended to, and the various troops
-had accordingly assembled at Belgrade, he found it would be too late in
-the year to wait for the arrival of the janissaries, whom the túrnají báshí
-was conducting to him from Constantinople, or for Delí Hasan (lately a
-powerful and mischievous rebel). In short, the season had already been
-far advanced, and therefore Mohammed Páshá returned towards Buda with
-the whole of his army. After crossing the bridge of Usk he encamped at a
-place called Kúrwah, where he received a visit from Delí Hasan Páshá,
-now the beglerbeg of Bosnia. When this man first came over to Romeili,
-under the semblance of having returned to obedience, he still cherished in
-his heart, notwithstanding this appearance, his old sentiments of disaffection.
-For some small offence which the master of the vessel in which he sailed
-from Anatolia had given him, he got into a rage and shot him dead. His
-conduct at Adrianople was still more flagrant. He collected there, by
-violence, an immense quantity of spoil; robbed the saddler of that place<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">229</a></span>
-of all the furniture he had in his premises; laid a heavy contribution on
-the inhabitants, and did not leave the place till a certain number of <i>yúks</i> of
-money had been given to him. He acted in this tyrannical way at Philippopolis,
-Sofia, and other cities through which he passed with his troops,
-amounting to ten thousand foot and horse, on his way to join the commander-in-chief.
-These troops had a most strange appearance. Many of
-them were naked-looking wretches, wearing amulets and chains about
-their necks; others of them had camel-bells fixed to their stirrups, and also
-wore amulets and chains on their backs; others were without caps or
-bonnets, and wore long hair like women, divided into tresses; others again
-had no covering for their legs. Each man of this motley crew carried a sort
-of spear, having a white flag about two spans long at the top. Thus arranged
-and accoutred, they surrounded the serdár’s tent with their matches burning
-in their hands, and crooked daggers stuck in their girdles. After having
-arranged themselves properly and being put in right order, the serdár sent
-one hundred and forty garments for the better sort amongst them, and cloth
-for as many more. Four hundred of them offered to enter the ranks of the
-serdár; but he replied he would see about it, and afterwards dismissed
-this savage-looking multitude.</p>
-
-<p>His royal highness Ghází Gheráí, khán of the Crimea, who had wintered
-at Petcheví, made an excursion into the enemy’s dominions, but had not
-been so successful in the enterprize as he at first anticipated. When the
-commander-in-chief<a name="FNanchor_11_11" id="FNanchor_11_11"></a><a href="#Footnote_11_11" class="fnanchor">11</a> was on his way from Buda to Belgrade he paid his
-royal highness a visit; but on account of some misunderstanding or other, the
-khán returned to his own dominions without offering, in any way, to assist
-the besieged in Buda, which we lately left under the command of Mohammed
-Páshá, afterwards appointed commander-in-chief. The enemy’s camp,
-below Pest, was about fifty thousand strong. They had constructed a bridge
-<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">230</a></span>across to the island of Chíl, and occupied that island with the view of preventing
-boats passing with provisions to Buda.</p>
-
-<p>When the army under Mohammed Páshá, the commander-in-chief, had
-taken up its position in the neighbourhood of the enemy’s camp, the whole
-of the enemy’s guns were directed against the Moslems, who, from the
-necessity they were under of preparing themselves trenches, were not in a
-condition to act on the offensive, or even on the defensive. The Moslems
-appeared, even to themselves, to have been in a dilemma at this time, and
-did not seem to know how to conduct their military manœuvres. They were
-aware, at least some of their leaders were so, that if they had sent out detachments
-to harass the country around Pest, the enemy would not fail to
-take advantage of this, and come and attack them when less able to offer
-them effectual resistance. As the recovering of Buda was their chief object,
-they were unwilling to retire before they had at least supplied it with a sufficient
-quantity of provisions, and thus encourage the Budians to maintain
-their heroic resistance. The opinions of the warriors, however, were various
-and conflictive: one party proposed one thing, another opposed this, and a
-third had a new plan altogether. At length, however, now that Yemishjí
-Páshá was no more at their head, they resolved on constructing bridges, and
-attacking the enemy that had taken possession of the Chíl. This was talked
-over and considered. Kúchuk Osmán Aghá, Fedái Beg, ághá of the salihdárs,
-some emírs well acquainted with the use of small-arms, and three
-thousand segbáns, with ten pieces of cannon, were ordered to effect a landing
-on the island during the night, and raise bastions, mounds, &amp;c. The commander
-of the segbáns, who acted in the room of the ághá of the janissaries, came
-forward, and said that he had ordered three or four thousand of the common
-soldiers to this service, as it was unnecessary, and even improper, he said,
-to employ the janissaries in a species of labour which was beneath their
-rank in the army. These sentiments did not sound well in the ears of
-those veterans who thought otherwise; they said that the success of the
-undertaking depended on the janissaries being employed in it. A warm
-discussion ensued, and every one gave his own opinion. One party proposed
-that Serkhúsh Ibrahím Páshá, cousin to the commander-in-chief,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">231</a></span>
-should conduct this expedition. This was opposed by another party, who
-proposed that Murád Páshá, beglerbeg of Romeili, with his provincial troops,
-should be sent. This was also rejected; and it is no wonder if the conflicting
-opinions which prevailed in the Moslem camp on this occasion
-should have proved the means of its utter ruin and destruction. From this
-very terrible result, however, they were saved, though at the expense of
-many lives.</p>
-
-<p>Dervísh Páshá, who had been deposed from the government of Bosnia,
-was finally fixed on to conduct the expedition. On his reaching a bridge
-which the Moslems had just constructed for his use, he broke out into a
-rage when he saw it, and declared it altogether defective and dangerous.
-Mohammed Páshá, when the fact was explained to him, smoothed him
-down by telling him it should be, without delay, put into a proper state.
-“I need only tell you,” said the serdár, “in order to secure your services,
-that the janissaries in Constantinople, in consequence of their having met
-with the emperor’s countenance, and that of the prime minister, have become
-excessively tyrannical and turbulent. When you reflect on this, and
-when you consider that those of the same body of men amongst us here
-have manifested a similar spirit, you will not, I am sure, flinch from the
-duty assigned you.” This speech had the desired effect. Dervísh swore
-that he regarded his own life no more than he did a draught of water. “My
-reflection forbids me,” answered he, with no small degree of generous
-warmth, “to feel concern about self, but it demands of me, on the other
-hand, to be every way alive to the interests of my government, and to the
-glory of my religion. No sacrifice can be too great for either of these.”
-Thus saying, he proceeded. By means of boats four or five thousand horse
-and ten thousand foot were conveyed across to the above island under covert
-of the night.</p>
-
-<p>It is very singular, as well as very remarkable, that at this time Mohammed
-Páshá was visited by a sort of deep lethargy, which seemed extremely
-alarming; so much so, in fact, that he could not raise his head,
-and when he opened his eyes he spoke nonsense. In the meantime midnight
-had passed away, and the troops, which had effected a descent on the
-island of Chíl, had made no trenches nor erected any bastions. The seg<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">232</a></span>báns
-who formed part of the expedition obstinately refused to open trenches.
-“We fought on the other side,” said they, “without the use of trenches,
-and we will not use them here.” The other janissaries, however, dug
-trenches for themselves.</p>
-
-<p>On the morning of the 4th of the month Sefer these unruly troops stood
-forth without order, and without any preconcerted plan, just like an army
-of locusts; and instead of acting in concert, and under regular authority,
-they spread out into small parties, and began to harass and plunder the
-country round Pest. They killed a few in these excursions, and seized a
-handful of others, with whom they returned to their camp. The bridge
-above referred to, though immense labour had been used in getting it ready,
-was not as yet fully finished. The enemy, who had been watching the
-movements of the Moslems, now put themselves in motion. They resembled
-a horde of swine following each other. The Hungarian cavalry attacked
-with fury those of the Moslems, and the bloody contest continued for several
-hours. It was very awful to see so many thousands of men in battle-array,
-some dying on the field and others drowning in the Danube. An auxiliary
-force of some hundreds of Moslems was conveyed over to the aid of their
-brethren in the island, whilst the cannon in the camp were made to play on
-the enemy with some effect. Dervísh Páshá, who commanded the expedition,
-was left with only ten pages around him; but he maintained his
-ground with matchless heroism. He tried, though in vain, to rally around
-him his troops, who were flying in all directions. Seeing himself abandoned
-by his men, and having no hope of succour from any quarter, he
-rushed in among a body of the enemy with the few who had remained
-faithful to him, and died sword in hand.</p>
-
-<p>In this very disastrous attempt no less than six thousand of the turbulent
-segbáns perished. The enemy, on perceiving the advantage they had
-gained, advanced their guns to the edge of the river, and destroyed the
-bridge which had cost the Moslems so much trouble in constructing. This
-was not all. They soon after sent over in boats a host of troops to the
-Moslem side of the river, and during the night effected a number of trenches.
-They also commenced constructing a bridge, and every thing seemed to pronounce
-in favour of the enemy. The Moslems had met with a severe check,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">233</a></span>
-and the enemy was advancing upon them. For three successive days they
-remained (<i>i.e.</i> the Moslem army) in a state of apparent inactivity, and the
-enemy had nearly finished their new bridge, when, on the fourth day, Delí
-Hasan Páshá, by order of the serdár, advanced with his troops to the
-very edge of the enemy’s new trenches; but finding it impracticable, from
-their great depth, to penetrate them, he returned. He contrived, however,
-a more effectual method; this was, to divide his men into two bodies,
-and cause them to enter in at the two ends of the trenches. Never was
-any thing more decisive. Out of ten thousand of the very best part of the
-enemy’s troops, and which had occupied these trenches, only about two
-hundred of them escaped the edge of the sword: all the rest perished. The
-two hundred who did escape, made towards their boats; but had scarcely
-reached the middle of the river, on their return to the Chíl, when their boats
-upset and all on board sunk to the bottom.</p>
-
-<p>After these wonderful and auspicious events, the serdár, Mohammed
-Páshá, raised his camp and directed his steps towards Buda; but the
-enemy, not in the least awed by the heavy loss they had just sustained,
-sent another body of several thousands to attack him in the rear. Few of
-these returned to their camp. Mohammed Páshá, who had fortunately received
-an augmentation of two thousand men from Buda, attacked the pursuing
-army from two points, and utterly defeated them. On the 12th of
-the month, when engaged in throwing provisions into Buda, the enemy
-again advanced, in the hope of thwarting the páshá’s purpose; but they
-were met with such vigour, that they were obliged to retrace their steps as
-fast as they were able. The enemy now retired upon Pest, removing, as
-they advanced on that place, the bridges which they had constructed on
-the Danube.</p>
-
-<p>The winter season having set in, the serdár directed his thoughts towards
-making arrangements for the better protection of Alba Julia and Buda.
-With this view, Hasan Aghá, the túrnají báshí, was left with a number of
-troops to watch the movements of the enemy. The válí of Romeili, Murád
-Páshá, with his provincials, was left to garrison Buda itself; and Delí Hasan
-Páshá, beglerbeg of Bosnia, was sent to Usk. On the 14th of Rabia II.
-the commander-in-chief, with the remainder of his army, returned to Bel<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">234</a></span>grade,
-which he reached about the end of the month. The troops were
-allowed to retire into winter-quarters, and a report of the whole of the
-campaign was sent off to Constantinople.</p>
-
-<p>In the month of Moharrem of this year, Súfí Sinán Páshá was recalled to
-Constantinople, and raised to the dignity of vezír. The government of
-Shám (Syria) was conferred on Ferhád Aghá, who had been deposed from
-the ágháship of the janissaries. Núh Páshá was appointed commander-in-chief
-in Anatolia, and Háfiz Ahmed Páshá was recalled from Kutahia to
-Constantinople. He arrived there on the 24th of Sefer, and brought
-fifteen thousand ducats along with him, which were all seized by the
-government. The day after his arrival he went and took his seat in the
-diván; but towards the evening of the same day, Kásim Aghá, the ághá of
-the janissaries, seized him in his own palace, sealed up his effects, and
-conducted him to the Seven Towers, whence, after eighteen days’ confinement,
-he was set at liberty, and sent off to his own villa in the neighbourhood
-of Mikhalij (Moalich). The whole of his property in Constantinople was
-taken possession of in the name of the emperor. Had it not been for the
-interposition of the vezír, Hasan Páshá, and others, he certainly would
-have been put to death. In the month of Moharrem, also, Sáa’tjí Hasan
-Páshá was appointed to the government of Erzerúm, and was sent away
-during the severity of the winter by sea to Tribazond. Núh Páshá, who
-had been appointed commander-in-chief in Anatolia over the troops who
-were to act against the insurgents in that quarter, was displaced by the
-grand vezír, Yemishjí Hasan Páshá, in consequence of an old grudge which
-he still continued to cherish against him, and Nesúh Páshá, beglerbeg of
-Haleb, was appointed in his room. Nesúh Páshá was a man of great worth,
-probity, and experience. He was ordered to go to Larenda, in his native
-country.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The grand vezír Yemishjí Hasan Páshá is deposed.—Dies by a violent death.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The grand vezír, Yemishjí Hasan Páshá, took care to appoint skilful
-commanders every where on the Turkish frontiers; succeeded in crushing
-the sedition which had broken out in the city, and in restoring tranquillity;
-tamed the spirit of his factious and turbulent troops, and took ample ven<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">235</a></span>geance
-on all his enemies. In short, Hasan Páshá, the prime minister,
-was without a rival, and acted with absolute authority. His success was
-his ruin. His insolent vapouring pride and vanity grew to such a height,
-that even the friendship of those who were most attached to him was turned
-into hatred and enmity, and their esteem into disgust. The reverend mufti,
-Mustafa Effendí, Mustafa son of Rázieh, the ághá of the janissaries, Kásim
-Aghá, besides other persons of note, began now to cherish an utter aversion
-towards this unsufferably proud and haughty vezír. These great men, and
-others of their order and rank, ventured, at last, to make a communication
-of his tyranny and misrule to the emperor; who, on receiving it, immediately
-wrote to the mufti, and others learned in the law, with regard to the
-nature of the misconduct charged against his vezír, and requested their
-opinion. These great and wise men acted their own part, and the result
-was, that both secret and open hostility began to be exercised against the
-grand vezír. It was alleged that he had the settled intention of banishing
-the queen-mother; that to accomplish this he had secured the concurrence
-of the janissaries, by promising to break open the treasury-chest of St.
-Sophia, and distributing the money in it amongst them. Kásim Aghá, to
-give this story the appearance of veracity, pretended he was able to substantiate
-the whole by credible witnesses. In short, the emperor and his
-mother were thoroughly persuaded of the truth of these allegations, and the
-following assertion had the effect of strengthening his majesty’s convictions:
-“If your majesty,” said his accusers, “were just now to send for the seals
-of office, he would refuse to deliver them up.”</p>
-
-<p>One day, when the grand vezír, without entertaining the least suspicion
-of what was going on against him, went to Dávud Páshá on a visit to the
-emperor, and not finding the ághá of the palace, felt some concern as to
-how he might be introduced to his majesty, and therefore sent in a note
-intimating he had important communications to make to his royal ear;
-instead of having been graciously invited to enter, as he expected, he was
-coolly told, he would have an opportunity of laying his communications
-before the diván. This cold reception, as well as the answer which was
-returned him, he was at no loss to interpret: he perceived at once a
-change had taken place in his majesty’s mind towards him. He waited,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">236</a></span>
-therefore, with anxiety for the meeting of the diván, which took place
-on the Saturday following. Prior to the meeting of the diván, however,
-the ághá of the janissaries wrote a note to his majesty, which insinuated
-that there was great danger to be apprehended from the grand vezír, and
-that if prompt measures were not immediately taken with him, a serious
-tumult would most certainly ensue. In the diván, he stated the same things
-at great length, and concluded by saying, “that if instant precaution
-was not taken to thwart the purposes of the proud vezír, the seditious doctrines
-he had sown among the janissaries would soon, he was afraid, be felt
-in all their mischievous consequences. Try,” continued the ághá, “and
-require him to deliver up the seals of his vezírship, and I am willing to
-forfeit your majesty’s good-will if the janissaries do not rise to a man in
-resistance.” This speech excited his majesty’s anger.</p>
-
-<p>In the meantime, the ketkhodá of the kapújís went to the grand vezír,
-and informed him how matters stood, and of the part Kásim Aghá had
-acted; and also that the military judges demanded his presence in the
-diván. The grand vezír, however, did not think proper to appear in the
-diván; but this ághá, bent on ruining him, did not leave a stone unturned
-in trying to accomplish his purpose. Towards evening, one Turk Ahmed
-Aghá, a kapújí báshí, brought the vezír a written message, which purported
-to be from his majesty. On reading this document, he set off in a sorrowful
-mood towards the imperial gardens, but contrived at the same time to
-send word to those ághás who were his friends, of the emperor’s purpose
-to deprive him of his office; and who immediately went to stir up the
-janissaries to offer resistance. They assembled themselves together in a
-tumultuous manner, hastened to Kásim Aghá’s gate, and charged him with
-being the cause of the emperor’s change of mind towards the grand vezír,
-shut him up in one of his rooms, and made his gate fast with locks and bars:
-thence they proceeded to the mufti and military judges, and threatened
-that if they did not immediately induce the emperor to restore Yemishjí
-Hasan Páshá to the premiership they would burn down their dwellings,
-and shed the blood of any who should venture to oppose them. They also
-wrote out their own sentiments, in order to present them to his majesty,
-but which they delayed sending till the following day. After having<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">237</a></span>
-menaced the reverend and learned gentleman above-mentioned, they returned
-to pay Kásim Aghá a second visit; but he had effected his escape, and
-had gone to Jeráh Mohammed Páshá. On not finding Kásim Aghá a
-prisoner in his own house as they had left him, the enraged janissaries took
-the seals of his ágháship, and conferred them on Turk Ahmed Aghá. The
-vezírship they conferred on Sárukjí Mustafa Páshá, who had been governor
-of Wán; but the seals of the premiership they meant to confer on Yávuz
-Alí Páshá, who was expected from Egypt.</p>
-
-<p>Such were the transactions which took place on the above occasion, and
-such the result. The diván, as a matter of prudence, was forbidden to
-meet for a week.</p>
-
-<p>On the following morning the infuriated janissaries, with one accord,
-proceeded to the emperor’s palace, and demanded with a loud voice that
-Yemishjí Hasan Páshá should be reinstated in the premiership. This demand,
-however, was only made to the officers and servants of the palace,
-but no doubt with the view of their communicating the desire of the janissaries
-to the royal ear.</p>
-
-<p>It happened that on that day the reverend mufti, and other spiritual
-dignitaries, had gone with their retinue to the royal palace, where they met
-the new-made ághá of the janissaries, Turk Ahmed, and whom they earnestly
-exhorted to retrace his steps, and not follow irregular courses. In short,
-this mode of address made an impression on the mind of Turk Ahmed,
-and it seems to have communicated itself to the rest of the mutineers; for
-we find the janissaries suddenly changed their minds, and said, “It is no
-matter of ours who is at the helm of affairs: the emperor may appoint whom
-he pleases.” The unfortunate grand vezír’s friends among the ketkhodás
-and chief chávushes, and some others, still maintained his cause, and continued
-for a while longer to persevere in his behalf; but they, too, when
-they saw that their perseverance would end in no good in his behalf, followed
-the example of the others.</p>
-
-<p>This unsettled state of things continued for the space of ten days, when
-ten eunuchs, under the command of the bostán báshí, by supreme authority
-suddenly seized on Yemishjí Hasan Páshá in the royal mint, dragged him
-forth into the garden of Khundán Aghá, and there despatched him, leaving<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">238</a></span>
-his friends and followers to lament over him. Thus ended the life and
-activities of Yemishjí Hasan Páshá.</p>
-
-<p>It may not be improper briefly to advert here to the cause of that
-enmity which excited Kásim Aghá against the grand vezír, and which had
-its origin in the following circumstance.</p>
-
-<p>When Háfiz Ahmed Páshá was sent to the Seven Towers, and his property
-seized, that part of it which was not considered fit to be appropriated
-to his majesty’s own use was ordered to be sold. Kásim Aghá was the
-person appointed to execute this business in the first instance; but the
-grand vezír, on the part of the diván, associated with Kásim the son
-Poghacha, the third treasurer. The latter, perceiving some disposition to
-purloin in the former, withstood him. Kásim, fired with indignation, said
-that the emperor had committed to him the sale of the confiscated property,
-and asked him, with an air of disdain, by whose authority he had
-ventured to mix in matters that did not belong to him. The other defended
-himself, and maintained that it was the special duty of the defterdárs to
-attend to matters of that kind, and not to ághás. “Why,” said Kásim,
-in wrath, “I hope it will be my lot one day to dispose in this very way
-of your property, and of the property of him who sent you hither.” The
-treasurer, who was not possessed of superabundant meekness, communicated
-these unguarded sayings to the grand vezír, and of course displeased him
-exceedingly. When Kásim, some time afterwards, appeared before him,
-he reproved him for his conduct, and threatened to be revenged on him.
-This, then, was the cause of that hostility and ill will manifested by Kásim
-Aghá, as above related, and which also led him to other actions not less
-vindictive and cruel. After the murder of the grand vezír had been perpetrated,
-he not only got the treasurer, Altí Poghacha’s son deposed, but
-succeeded also in keeping him confined in the Seven Towers for a considerable
-time, and caused the whole of his property to be confiscated—thus
-verifying, in part at least, the truth of his own prediction. Yemishjí Hasan
-Páshá’s secretary he caused to be arrested, and made him advance security
-for his future conduct. Yáishá Zádeh Hamzah Effendí, the <i>reïs-ul-ketáb</i>, or
-<i>reïs-effendí</i>, was by his means sent to prison, and the whole of his property
-would also have been confiscated, had it not been for the good offices of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">239</a></span>
-the ághá of the salihdárs, who interfered in his behalf. Kátibmim, the
-secretary to Jeráh Mohammed Páshá, was made reïs-effendí in room of
-Hamza Effendí.</p>
-
-<p>This Kásim, though only an ághá, seems to have acted with as much
-authority and controul, in fact, as if he had been possessed of absolute
-and supreme dominion over the lives and fortunes of men. We shall hear
-more of him just now, and still more afterwards.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Kásim Páshá is made Governor of Constantinople.</i></h3>
-
-<p>In consequence of the káímakám having been afflicted with the gout, he
-found himself unable to attend his duty in the diván, and therefore did
-not appear there, except on the days on which petitions were presented to
-his majesty. Hamza Páshá, the lord high chancellor, acted for him, and
-gave him a detail of all such matters as usually came before that assembly.</p>
-
-<p>One day, however, Kásim Páshá (very lately only an ághá) invented some
-means or other of getting the reverend mufti, Mustafa Effendí, invited to
-the royal palace, where the emperor conversed with him on topics of a
-general nature, and afterwards suddenly adverted to the case of the afflicted
-Jeráh Páshá; spoke of the excellent fitness of Kásim Páshá for the despatch
-of public affairs, and so forth. It now began to be circulated abroad that
-the mufti had said that Jeráh Páshá, the most laborious and active of all
-the emperor’s servants, and the most beloved among the list of vezírs, was,
-in consequence of disease, unable to attend to the arduous services which
-his responsible situation demanded, or even to be present in the diván. The
-part which Hamza Páshá, the lord high chancellor, had acted in the diván,
-was mentioned with approbation, and, in words, encouraged; but the affairs
-of government, it was said, had become so very great and numerous, that it
-was absolutely impossible for him, however willing he might be, to fulfil
-the duties of the governor or deputy of Constantinople; and therefore it
-was considered more advantageous to the state to allow Jeráh Páshá to
-retire, and appoint another able person to the deputyship. It was urged
-that Kásim Páshá was a man every way qualified for the high situation, and on
-the 8th of Jemadi II. Jeráh was informed that his further continuance in office
-was dispensed with, and that Kásim Páshá was appointed to succeed him.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">240</a></span></p>
-
-<p>Kásim Páshá entered on the duties of his high station with zeal and
-alacrity, and, along with the mufti, attended incessantly to all the variety
-of business which came before him, with the most consummate skill and
-prudence. Mustafa Páshá, one of the vezírs, on account of some impropriety
-which appeared in his conduct, was sent to Anatolia, and Kúrd Páshá was
-appointed to fill his situation in the diván.</p>
-
-<p>The mufti and the new deputy took care, however, to get their own
-friends and favourites into comfortable and snug places, by turning others
-out.</p>
-
-<p>Yemishjí Hasan Páshá was deposed in the month of Rabia II. and assassinated
-in Jemadi II. following of this current year. In consequence of
-there having been no vezír in the diván at the death of the late grand vezír,
-who was considered worthy of wearing the robes of the premier, the seals
-were deposited, in the meantime, in the treasury of the Soleimáníyeh. Jeráh
-Páshá, the deputy of Constantinople, and his successor Kásim Páshá,
-attended to the duties peculiar to the premier’s office till a new one was appointed,
-which was not long after. Yávuz Alí Páshá having been recalled
-from the government of Egypt, he appointed the oldest of the emírs of that
-province to act as his deputy, and immediately commenced his journey
-towards Constantinople. His near approach to that city was no sooner
-ascertained, than the seals of the grand vezírship were sent him by the
-hands of Kúlí Dilsiz, a relation of his own. This took place in Jemadi II.,
-about the time the late grand vezír was assassinated.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The commencement of a rupture with Persia.</i></h3>
-
-<p>This year, one thousand and twelve, is recognized in the history of the
-empire as a year of defection and rebellion. It was this year that the
-ungracious Sháh Abbás, the king of Persia, violated his engagements with
-the Sublime Porte, by stirring up rebellion and exercising tyranny and oppression
-on her frontiers. The governors and commanders on the frontier
-provinces had hitherto manifested the strictest obedience and good government,
-but now became tyrants through the influence of Persia. Neglecting
-the law of God and despising the commands of the emperor, they began to
-exercise their tyranny and oppression not only on the peasantry but even<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">241</a></span>
-on those in power. In short, the Persians succeeded amazingly in perverting
-and corrupting the hitherto faithful Moslems on the frontiers.</p>
-
-<p>Amongst those who had been thus gained over by one means or other to
-the side of the heretical Persians was one Ghází Beg, a descendant of Sháh
-Kúlí of Kúrdistán, and governor of Silmás. He and some of his followers
-dreading the resentment of the Sublime Porte, wrote letters to the
-Persian sháh to take them under his protection, and requested him to send
-them aid. The fox-like sháh, however, cunningly put off granting them
-their request for some little time, thinking it too early for bringing about
-the base designs he had formed against the Osmánlís. He, however, sent
-to Ghází Beg, by a hypocritical impure wretch of the name of Jemshíd, a
-cap, a sword, and a shawl, flattering him with every sort of promise of support
-from the sháh. Ghází Beg, thinking he had got all he wanted, began
-to force the people of his government to wear caps similar to the heretical
-one which was sent to him, instead of those they usually wore. In short,
-Ghází Beg and his associates became complete heretics and did not scruple
-to show it.</p>
-
-<p>The people of Tabríz were thrown into a state of great rage and indignation
-at this conduct, and determined on making Ghází Beg and his
-followers to feel it. They accordingly resolved on calling to their aid the
-people of Nakhcheván, a city not far from Tabríz, in the view of bringing
-the people of Silmás to an account for their infidelity and heresy. This
-mission was committed to the care of the válí of the province of Tabríz,
-Alí Páshá, who, along with others who had accompanied him, no sooner
-reached Nakhcheván, than they made known to the citizens the purport of
-their embassy. Adherence to the emperor of the Muselmans, on the one
-hand, and the chastisement of the apostate sháh, on the other, was the
-burden of their message and the subject of consultation. The enlightened
-vezír, Sheríf Páshá, válí of Reván (Erivan), in the view of suppressing the
-rising rebellion and corruption, wrote to all quarters, exhorting every one to
-lend his aid to this good work; but without any good effect. Finding his
-exhortations had not been attended to, he ordered his deputy, Osmán Aghá,
-to march with a general army against the heretics; but carefully warned
-them to show the heretics, in the first instance, forbearance and compassion.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">242</a></span>
-“If they,” said the mild páshá, “abjure their heresy and return to the
-bosom of Islamism again, well; if not, then you must commence a regular
-war against them.” The troops from Nakhcheván and those of Tabríz met
-at a place which had been previously fixed on; but before proceeding to
-extremities they, in conformity to the orders received from the páshá, first
-despatched a messenger to recall the heretics in question to their ancient
-faith. The proud and haughty apostates, however, were not to be gained
-over in that way. They had taken refuge in the fortress called Karní Yáruk,
-and from their batteries answered the Moslem messenger with the sound of
-cannon and musketry, as a token of defiance. This was enough: the means
-of recalling them to the true faith had been employed, but were contemptuously
-rejected; it was therefore proper to attempt their reduction by force.
-The Moslem and orthodox army accordingly advanced and environed Karní
-Yáruk with the view of laying siege to it, notwithstanding its immense
-elevation and great strength. With the utmost care, and avoiding, as well
-as possible, the showers of bullets and arrows which were discharged from
-the ramparts of the garrison, they succeeded in mounting so far as to place
-their standard on its walls. After employing a whole week in scattering
-fire and death among the besieged, the author of the evil began to perceive
-that all further resistance would be vain, and, therefore, leaving his wife
-and child, threw himself over the wall of the garrison, and made the best
-of his way to the sháh. His sons and followers maintained their resistance
-for a day or two longer, and then proposed to capitulate. The orthodox
-permitted them to retire to any place they chose, and to take the whole
-of their property along with them; every Osmánlí having been prohibited,
-in the strongest manner, laying a finger on them, or on their goods, which
-they were allowed to take along with them. After this fortress and a few
-others had been reduced under the Ottoman power, the troops of Nakhcheván
-and of Tabríz returned to their respective homes.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The Sháh of Persia marches upon Tabríz.</i></h3>
-
-<p>After the Kúrd, Ghází Beg, had made his escape from Karní Yáruk, as
-above related, he made his way to the court of Persia, at Ispahan, where he
-related the dangers he had undergone and escaped, the success of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">243</a></span>
-Osmánlís, and earnestly and vehemently urged the Persian monarch to instant
-and open hostility against the Turks. He represented the country of the
-fire-worshippers, especially the principal city in it, Tabríz, as abounding
-with wealth, and that the treasury of it at that moment was full of money.
-He said, moreover, that the troops were very few, if any, and that that was
-a proper time for pillaging it.</p>
-
-<p>This representation of the Kúrd was all that was necessary for awakening
-the cupidity of the perverted sháh, who at once resolved on reducing the
-whole of that country under his own authority. This avaricious sháh, regardless
-of treaty and common faith, thought of nothing else but how he
-might succeed in the attempt. Two or three thousand of his best troops,
-Mamlúks, were pushed forward from Ispahan to Tabríz, by means of caravans,
-a journey of twenty days, but which these caravans accomplished in
-nine, such was the mighty haste they had made. On the 19th of Rabia II.
-they erected the standard of hostility in the plains of Tabríz.</p>
-
-<p>A day or two after the appearance of these invaders the treacherous Zulfekár
-Khán, and a number of other rebels, to the number of fifteen thousand,
-collected together at a village belonging to some súfís, with the view of
-intercepting the Tabrízian army returning from Nakhcheván; and there
-they proposed to give them battle as soon as they arrived.</p>
-
-<p>The Tabrízian warriors, after having parted with the Nakhchevánís, began
-to retrace their steps homewards, and had reached within a short distance
-of the very place where their enemies lay encamped, with the view of intercepting
-them and cutting them off. Their commander-in-chief, Alí Páshá,
-was made aware by letters of the state of matters, and of the defection which
-the presence of the Mamlúks had occasioned. These letters were sent him
-from some of the emírs on the frontiers; but to prevent discouragement
-arising in the minds of the Tabrízian warriors, and in order to keep them
-together, he kept the information he had received to himself, determined
-to meet the Persian heretics with his little orthodox band, only fifteen
-hundred, whatever might be the number that should oppose him.</p>
-
-<p>On the morning of the 22d of the month last-mentioned, at sun-rise,
-the enemy presented themselves in battle array, their unfurled banners
-streaming in the air; and such was the majestic but terrific appearance<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">244</a></span>
-which this host of heretics showed, that it completely awed the little band
-of Tabrízian troops into something like terror. The sháh of the <i>red heads</i>
-(<i>i.e.</i> of the Persians) put his host, numerous as ants, into order, and his
-trumpets began to be sounded. This sight increased the terror of the
-Moslems; but they were determined to meet them, whatever might be the
-result. They did so, and fought the infidel host with a bravery altogether
-unparalleled; the skill and management they manifested was extraordinary.
-They scattered death and fury amidst the odious heretics. By their immense
-ardour, their hearts burning bright with the purest zeal, they successfully
-repulsed the successive assaults of the cold-hearted heretics, and fairly despoiled
-them of their vain-glorious appearance of valour. A noted rebel of
-the name of Gholám Alí Oghlí, who had acted in the capacity of a cherkají
-báshí to the enemy, and who had manifested great bravery among the
-heretics, fell by the hands of the heroic Karah Hasan. When this circumstance
-happened, the cowardly and heartless heretics began to give way;
-they were evidently disheartened. It so happened, however, that at this
-time one Timúrjí Oghlí, a well-known person, but whose principles were
-more detestable than even those of the heretics, though he pretended
-every thing valorous, went over, nevertheless, to the enemy with a hundred
-of his followers; a circumstance, it must be acknowledged, which had a
-powerful effect in depressing the hearts of the faithful few.</p>
-
-<p>But soon a fire broke out within them, which not only destroyed every
-thorn of doubt, but also burned up all the rubbish of their suspicious
-speculations, with regard to the point to be gained, when again, with redoubled
-valour, they set their faces firmly to the contest, and fought with
-such desperate courage as can hardly be described. The contest, however,
-was most unequal: a few hundreds against many thousands; but yet a
-most bloody one. Many a sultán’s head remained bonnetless on the field
-of battle; many a khán’s family was left unprotected in this most desperate
-struggle, which lasted from sun-rise till mid-day. True it is that the
-Tabrízians are a most bold, fierce, and heroic tribe; and yet, notwithstanding
-these qualities which shone in them so conspicuously on the above
-occasion, their caution and acuteness was such, that only ten or fifteen of
-them tasted the cup of martyrdom, a circumstance which seems truly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">245</a></span>
-wonderful. It is recorded, that a man of immense strength, belonging to
-the Tabrízians, vanquished by his sword about sixty of the enemy, the
-greater part of whom he made thorns and briars for the fire of hell.</p>
-
-<p>The result of the bloody contest we have to record was fatal to the
-Tabrízians. The hateful heretics, like a multitude of ants, ran upon their
-antagonists and overcame them by dint of numbers. On that lamentable
-day, Mohammed Páshá, who had formerly been governor of Nakhcheván,
-and the beglerbeg of Akhiska, Khalíl Páshá, after having blotted out of the
-book of life many of the red heads, fell martyrs on the field. Alí Páshá,
-himself a Tabrízian, the válí of the province, performed, on the above day,
-the most incredible acts of bravery recorded in history. The sháh himself
-could not help admiring the heroism which inspired Alí Páshá, and spoke
-with approbation of the wonderful feats he performed before him. In short,
-the sháh himself declared that had there not been treachery somewhere, the
-victory would not have been so easily won. Such of the brave Tabrízians
-as had not the good fortune of falling in battle contending with these hateful
-heretics were, of course, subjected to a fate which they esteem truly vile
-and abject. They were made prisoners.</p>
-
-<p>The city and fortress of Tabríz, about the middle of the first Jemadi,
-after a siege of twenty-two days, yielded, on the conditions of their persons
-and property being respected. These the heretics promised, but failed
-most shamefully in fulfilling them. As soon as they got possession of
-Tabríz, they began to plunder and rob the inhabitants without mercy,
-made their persons slaves, and furthermore began to annoy them with the
-delirium of their heresy. The cazí effendí of the city, not choosing to submit
-to heretics, fled the city, and endeavoured to make his way to Wán,
-but he was pursued by some of the red heads, who cruelly murdered him on
-the road.</p>
-
-<p>The heretical sháh, in addition to all the other enormities he and his
-despicable soldiery committed, violated also the chastity of the females of
-Tabríz, without ceremony and without compunction.</p>
-
-<p>After Tabríz had fallen into the hands of these heretics, its inhabitants
-robbed and made slaves, and the women ravished, the sháh turned his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">246</a></span>
-thoughts towards vanquishing other cities, and accordingly sent off troops
-in all directions. The sháh himself determined on the reduction of Nakhcheván,
-and therefore made every preparation for the attempt. Two days
-were spent in the plains of Tabríz in making them, during which time the
-heretics enjoyed themselves in eating and drinking.</p>
-
-<p>One of those detachments sent out by the sháh was headed by a vile
-person of the name of Kesáb Hájí, a noted heretic of Urdúbád, his native
-city, and famous from ancient times for its heresy and atheism. When the
-Osmánlís first conquered this city, for it was at the time we are speaking
-of under the Ottoman dominion, it was wonderfully raised and exalted by
-means of the self-evident and convincing doctrines of the Koran, which
-were introduced amongst its inhabitants; but the wicked people, notwithstanding,
-turned again to their beloved heresy. Kesáb Hájí, with the troops
-committed to his charge, marched upon this city. His thorough acquaintance
-with the people, and his knowledge of the country round about,
-pointed him out as the most fit person for the undertaking. When this
-corrupted fellow, and his no less corrupted soldiery had crossed the river
-near Urdúbád, and appeared before the walls of the city, the hypocritical
-and disaffected inhabitants came forth to meet them with demonstrations of
-joy, and hastened to show them all the honour and respect they were able.
-As a proof of the sincerity of their joy they garnished their houses and
-streets, shaved their under-beard, and changed the make of their garments.
-In this way, and by these means, the city of Urdúbád, or otherwise called
-Sawed Kallah, was taken.</p>
-
-<p>For a day or two the Ottoman garrison in the fortress showed some disposition
-to maintain the place and respect the honour of the sultán; but
-the inhabitants of the country came forward to the aid of the invaders, and
-with their assistance the walls were thrown down, the arms of the garrison
-and also their property, whatever it was, the conquerors distributed among
-themselves, and afterwards gave themselves up to eating and drinking.</p>
-
-<p>Another, of the name of Cherak Sultán, commanded a second of those
-companies or cohorts sent out by the heretical sháh, and was ordered to
-attack a village called Gelha, which, with the aid of its inhabitants, he took<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">247</a></span>
-without opposition. Mustafa Aghá, who had been sent thither by the court
-of Constantinople for the purpose of collecting and managing grain and
-fruit, with difficulty escaped with his head.</p>
-
-<p>Several other places were subjected in a similar manner, and the heretics
-spared no means whatever in accomplishing their purposes against the
-Osmánlís. Information reached Nakhcheván of the success which had
-attended the enemy every where, and of the tyranny and oppression they
-exercised over the lives and fortunes of those who had been so unhappy as
-to fall into their hands. The Nakhchevánís were greatly distressed, and
-fear seized them. However, a reverse of fortune seemed to be awaiting
-the orthodox believers. Kesáb Hájí, who had subdued Urdúbád, remained in
-it as governor and commander in the name of the sháh of Persia, but his
-exaltation was not of long duration. The válí of Reván, Sheríf Páshá, an
-aged and experienced general, perceiving the general defection, and that
-there was no end to it, was roused to indignation, and determined on
-endeavouring to stop the torrent that seemed to threaten the whole of the
-Osmánlí dominions in that quarter. He accordingly deputed Mohammed
-Páshá, son of Khezer Páshá, to march against Urdúbád with five or six
-hundred veterans and surprise its new governor. These veterans, with the
-speed of messengers of death, arrived one morning before daylight at the
-place of their destination, and, as a visitation from heaven, fell upon the
-wretched heretics with such sudden fury and effect, that only a few of
-them escaped the edge of the sword. Those of them who did escape the
-vengeance of the orthodox Moslems, fled into holes and caves in the mountains
-and in the fields and hid themselves. Kesáb Hájí, who by some
-means or other had been deprived of his horse, scampered off from the scene
-of carnage, and, like a fox, secreted himself in a den, leaving his associates
-to struggle the best way they could: but it was to no purpose; he did not
-save himself; for one of the veteran Moslems having perceived him, followed
-him into his hole, and seized him. His associate in the government
-of Urdúbád, one Beyendur, suffered the death due to his villany and crimes;
-but Kesáb Hájí himself, though he was afterwards put to death, had the
-honour of having a crown of infamy placed on his head, was dragged by
-Mohammed Páshá to the residence of the válí, and along with the whole<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">248</a></span>
-of the severed heads of the infidels of Urdúbád, was presented in his presence.
-The judicious and experienced válí failed not to pay all due respect
-to the hero of the victorious Moslems.</p>
-
-<p>It is worthy of remark, however, that the enemy no sooner came to know
-of the movements of the Moslems, in reference to Urdúbád, than they sent
-off a considerable force in the view of succouring the heretics in it, in the
-event of the Moslems offering to subdue that city. They were too late,
-however, to gain their object, and when they heard of its fate they retraced
-their steps.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The capture of Nakhcheván.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The fortress or city of Nakhcheván was a place of no great strength,
-having been built of weak materials. Most of its buildings were made of
-clay and mortar; its walls low; and ever since the time the greater part of
-them were thrown down, provisions have not been very plentiful in it.
-But it was near to Reván, and if it happened at any time to be deprived of
-the aid of the military, and was in danger from enemies, Reván formed a
-near and accessible asylum for their families and property, and whence
-they might easily annoy their enemies. Reván itself was exceedingly strong
-and well fortified, having abundance of cannon and provisions within
-it. A river, like Kokjeh-sú, ran under its walls, and the country every
-where around it was fertile. Such at least was the account of it which its
-rulers, at that time, sent to the sháh when they had reason to expect the
-place was likely to be subjected to difficulties, and which was conveyed to
-him by one Mohammed Aghá, an officer of the páshá.</p>
-
-<p>The heretics, notwithstanding the several checks which they had received,
-continued, nevertheless, to make encroachments on the Moslem frontiers.
-Nakhcheván fell into their hands, and some other places also; but though
-they struggled hard, for three successive days, to reduce Reván, they were,
-in the end, obliged to retreat, leaving nearly two hundred of their number
-on the field, whilst only six or seven of the Moslems met their death in the
-contest.</p>
-
-<p>When the news of the sháh’s perfidious breach of the peace, and of the
-disastrous events which followed thereon, reached the court of Constan<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">249</a></span>tinople,
-the emperor and his ministers were plunged into a state of the
-greatest surprise and consternation. The communications which had announced
-this unwelcome intelligence were despatched by Sáa’tjí Hasan
-Páshá, who had been sent to the government of Erzerúm, and by Sheríf
-Páshá, governor of Nakhcheván and Reván. The intelligence referred to,
-not only spoke, in particular, of the conquests which the sháh had gained
-on the frontiers, and of his having put Alí Páshá, beglerbeg of Tabríz, in
-irons; but also depicted, in the strongest and most explicit manner, that
-unless a speedy and efficient reinforcement were afforded the Moslems in
-Asia, not only Reván but other important cities would, unquestionably, fall
-into the hands of the heretics.</p>
-
-<p>Such were the alarming accounts which, at this period, troubled the
-Sublime Porte; but they were no sooner received than the káímakám, the
-civil and military governor of Constantinople, immediately despatched an
-officer to assemble together the mufti, the vezírs and the military judges, in
-order to lay these important matters before them. This council, after
-having fully considered the various topics which had been submitted to
-them, sent a report of their deliberations to his august majesty, who was
-pleased to express his approbation of their resolutions. Sáa’tjí Hasan Páshá
-was, accordingly, appointed to the chief command in the east: and whatever
-number of troops and apparatus of war he might require for effectually
-repelling the heretics, were likewise ordered to be sent to him forthwith. An
-imperial edict, in conformity with these resolutions, was immediately issued
-to the various commanders in the eastern provinces; but in consequence of
-the emperor’s translation to another world, an event which took place soon
-after the issuing of the above edict, the preparations in favour of Sáa’tjí
-Hasan Páshá were necessarily postponed for awhile.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Death of Sultán Mohammed Khán, son of Murád Khán.</i></h3>
-
-<p>On the 22d of Jemadi II., as the emperor, Sultán Mohammed Khán, was
-returning to his royal palace from some place where he had been, he was
-met by an inspired person, at the head of the street which conducted to his
-royal mansion, who cried out, that in fifty-six days a very important event
-would happen, and then warned his majesty to take care of himself. This<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">250</a></span>
-extraordinary and unexpected mode of salutation not only surprised his
-august majesty, as well it might, but also the whole of the citizens. It so
-happened, that on the 14th of Rajab the emperor’s constitution became so
-very much altered and weakened as altogether to baffle the skill and advice
-of his medical advisers. Nothing that they could devise had the least effect
-in affording him any relief, and in four days afterwards, on the 18th of
-the above month, his triumphant spirit, in the thirty-seventh year and
-eighth month of his age, took its flight to the upper world; having reigned
-nine years and two months.</p>
-
-<p>Sultán Ahmed Khán, the heir apparent, was declared his father’s successor,
-and early on the following morning, the whole of the vezírs, emírs,
-and other magnates of the state, assembled in the royal diván to express
-their allegiance to the new emperor, and to do him the honours peculiar on
-such an occasion. The royal coffin for the deceased monarch was brought
-into the court of the palace, where an immense multitude had collected to
-hear the funeral service performed by the reverend mufti, Mustafa Effendí.
-This ceremony being over, the royal remains were removed and deposited
-in a tomb in St. Sophia, near that of Sultán Selím.</p>
-
-<p>Sultán Mohammed Khán was a prince who possessed rare talents and
-acquirements. His manners were grave, and his deportment polite and
-dignified, though it had something of severity in it. He was kind, generous
-and benevolent, and most attentive to the duties of religion, but at the
-same time most strict in the administration of justice. He uniformly
-maintained a punctual regard to the appointed or canonical hours of devotion;
-and, in short, was a bright example of religion and piety to the whole
-of the community. The fame of his virtues, like those of his exalted progenitors,
-have all been embalmed in the poetry of his people.</p>
-
-<p>Of his noble and exalted sons, Sultán Selím entered Paradise on the 3d of
-Ramazán 1005. The cup of martyrdom was administered to Sultán Mahmúd
-on the 27th of Dhúl hijja 1011. <i>Note.</i> It has been recorded that a certain
-sheikh had announced to Sultán Mohammed Khán, that this young prince
-had formed the design of ascending the Ottoman throne, for which reason
-his father, as soon as he was made acquainted with the fact, employed the
-above sheikh to deprive him of his life. The prince, however, was innocent<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_251" id="Page_251">251</a></span>
-of the charge laid against him. He was buried in the mausoleum allotted
-to the princes of the blood. Ahmed had the good fortune of succeeding his
-father, as we have already noticed, and Sultán Mustafa chose a retired life,
-though in the course of his eventful life he twice became emperor. Sultán
-Jehángír died in infancy.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Of learned men.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Ja’fer Effendí died in 982 of the Hijrah; Haider Effendí in 988; Azemí
-Effendí in 990; Nováí Effendí in 1003.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Concerning Grand Vezírs, and other great men.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Sinán Páshá was three times grand vezír, and commander-in-chief of the
-troops which had been employed against Yanuk. When returning to Constantinople
-he was ordered into exile; and Ferhád Páshá, who was at that
-time káímakám, was created grand vezír a second time, and also commander-in-chief.
-He was, however, deposed at the time he was employed
-in erecting a bridge on the Danube when on his march to Valachia, and
-was murdered in 1004. Sinán Páshá was again created grand vezír in 1003.
-He went in great haste to chastise the rebel Michael, but after having surmounted
-great difficulties in the mud, in which he was very nearly lost, he
-returned in disgrace to Rusjuk. Lálá Mohammed Páshá succeeded Sinán in
-1004, but died ten days after his exaltation to the premiership. Sinán
-Páshá succeeded a fifth time to the dignity of grand vezír. It was he who
-had induced the late emperor to take a personal share in the war with the
-infidels of the north. In Shabán of that same year he took his journey
-into the eternal world. Sinán was a native of Arnáúd, or Albania. He was,
-at the commencement of his career, a cup-bearer in the court of Selím II.,
-and became successively military commander in the sanjáks of Malatiyeh,
-Kostamúní, Gaza, and Tripoli. He was afterwards made beglerbeg
-of Erzerúm, then of Haleb, and then again of Egypt. In consequence of
-some disturbance which had taken place in Yemen he was sent thither,
-though in the seventy-seventh year of his age, to quell it, which he did most
-successfully. He was again sent to Egypt, but was recalled to Constantinople,
-where he at once became vezír and head of the admiralty. In 980
-he conquered Tunis, and returned at the time Sultán Murád Khán mounted<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252">252</a></span>
-the throne, and became one of his vezírs. In his eighty-eighth year he was
-appointed to conduct the war against the Persians, and succeeded Ahmed
-Páshá in the grand vezírship. In 994 he was governor of Syria. In 997
-he was again in the vezírship. In 999 he was deposed. In 1001 he was
-a third time created grand vezír. In 1003–4 he was out, and again in the
-same office. He was now very far advanced in age, being beyond ninety,
-when he fell ill of a very severe cold he had caught, and died of it on the
-5th of Shabán 1004, and was buried near Tevekil Cheshmeh (the fountain
-of hope) in his own tomb. He was five times grand vezír and as often
-commander-in-chief. One hundred orations were pronounced throughout
-the empire in praise of this extraordinary man, who was considered third
-in rank to Raslim Páshá and Mohammed Páshá of former days.</p>
-
-<p>Ibrahím Páshá, being second vezír, was raised to the premiership, and
-went out to the war. At the taking of Agria in 1005, Jeghala Zádeh Sinán
-Páshá was created grand vezír in Ibrahím’s room; but forty-five days afterwards
-the latter was made grand vezír a second time. Khádem Hasan
-Páshá was created grand vezír in 1006, but was soon afterwards deposed
-and murdered. Jeráh Páshá succeeded him in office. Ibrahím Páshá was
-called a third time to adorn the office of premier, and died a short time after
-the taking of Kaniza. Yemishjí Hasan Páshá, who had arrived at the lofty
-preeminence of filling the offices of grand vezír and commander-in-chief,
-was, for his obstinacy and inhumanity, assassinated. Yávuz Alí Páshá,
-who had been recalled from the government of Egypt, was, in 1012, raised
-to the premiership. Khalíl Páshá was by birth a Bosnian. On his leaving
-the royal harem he advanced by degrees to various honours and places of
-trust, and at last became grand vezír, and son-in-law to his majesty. He
-was succeeded in the deputyship of Constantinople by Ibrahím Páshá, who
-was also created second vezír. He died on the 19th of Rajab, and was
-buried near Tekelí Tásh, opposite Alí Páshá’s mosque. The eunuch, Háfiz
-Ahmed Páshá, was also governor or deputy of Constantinople; and so was
-Sáa’tjí Hasan Páshá, but was afterwards degraded. Gúzelcheh Mahmúd
-Páshá succeeded to the same high office, but having been implicated in one
-of the late tumults, he fled and remained concealed for a while. He rose
-again, however, to the dignity of vezír. Hasan Páshá, son of Sokollí Mo<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_253" id="Page_253">253</a></span>hammed
-Páshá, was shot by a musket-ball at Tokat. He was válí of Baghdád,
-and having marched to quell the rebellions which began to assume a
-formidable appearance in that quarter, he fell a martyr by their rebellious
-hands. The reader may easily recall to his memory this part of his history
-as recorded in a former part of this work. Satúrjí Mohammed Páshá, who
-had conducted the unsuccessful war against Warad, was assassinated at
-Belgrade. Mustafa Páshá was the son of the honourable Rázieh (a lady),
-and became a vezír of the kubba.<a name="FNanchor_12_12" id="FNanchor_12_12"></a><a href="#Footnote_12_12" class="fnanchor">12</a> Hájí Ibrahím Páshá having been routed
-by the rebels in the east, was deposed, and afterwards died a martyr in
-Egypt. Tarnákjí Hasan Páshá, who had been appointed governor of the
-province of Baghdád, on coming out from the royal palace after he had
-paid his respects to the emperor for the honour he had conferred on him,
-killed Yemishjí Hasan Páshá, the late grand vezír.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Concerning the ulemá, or higher order of ecclesiastics.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Sa’d-ud-dín Effendí Ben Hasanján, tutor or domestic chaplain to the
-late emperor, a very reverend judge in all ecclesiastical affairs, counsellor
-of state and privy counsellor to his majesty, was raised to all these high
-offices during the reign of the late monarch, and died on the 12th of Rabia II.,
-1008, whilst employed in celebrating, in St. Sophia, the service peculiar
-to his majesty’s nativity. His remains were conveyed to the mosque erected
-by Sultán Mohammed, and were afterwards interred in a select spot in Abúaiyúb.
-Siná-allah Effendí performed the funeral ceremony, and his four
-sons, all of them ulemá and pillars of religion and of the state, conveyed
-their father’s remains to the place of interment. The very reverend Mohammedan
-father, Bostán, filled, on two occasions, the office of high priest:
-he died in 1007. Abdulmomín Mustafa Effendí succeeded Siná-allah Effendí
-during the disturbance which had taken place in the affair of Yemishjí Hasan
-Páshá, which we have already recorded. He was judge in Anatolia, and
-was raised by Yemishjí to the muftiship, but he became afterwards the
-cause of his benefactor’s death. Abdulbákí, the famous Turkish poet, was
-repeatedly chief judge in Greece, but died whilst out of office in 1008.
-Hesám-ud-dín, the son of Karah Chelebí Effendí, was repeatedly chief
-<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_254" id="Page_254">254</a></span>judge in Romeili, but died out of office in 1008. Ahmed-ul-nasárí was
-descended from Abdullah: he was one of the most excellent of men.
-Ibrahím Chelebí has given a very full and complete exposition of his Multeka
-al Bahrín.<a name="FNanchor_13_13" id="FNanchor_13_13"></a><a href="#Footnote_13_13" class="fnanchor">13</a> He was more than once chief judge in Greece; was
-thence translated into Egypt, and thence again to the Ka’ba, where he
-died. Muselleh-ud-dín Bostán Zádeh died after he had retired from the
-cazíship of Greece. The very reverend and learned Bostán Chelebí Zádeh
-died during his incumbency in Turkey. The dignified Mustafa Ebn Abú-as-sa’úd-al-omádí
-was successor to the last-mentioned, and died in 1008.
-The respectable Abdul helím died out of office. Kúsh Yahia Effendí retired
-from office in 1006, and died the following year at sea, on his way to
-Egypt. Many more names might be added to this list of learned and excellent
-men, but there would be no end of them, they are so numerous.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Of the Mesháiekh, or priests.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Sheikh Muhad ul hamíd wrote a commentary during the time he was
-preacher or lecturer in St. Sophia: he was a learned divine. Sheikh
-Khezer, the son of a distinguished officer, was a very learned man, and
-translated some excellent works. He fell a martyr in the battle of Agria.
-Sheikh Shems-ud-dín was a man of such uncommon abstemiousness, piety,
-sympathy, and fine feeling, as were not to be imitated. He exerted himself
-in the battle of Agria. He translated Imám A’zím’s system of ethics into
-Turkish. He is the author of several other works. Sheikh Mírmírán was
-very conspicuous for his great temperance and piety. He was one of those
-authors who embellished their writings with drawings. He fell a martyr
-at the battle of Agria in company with Beyabáshí Zádeh, and his pure body
-was not afterwards found. Sheikh Mahmúd Effendí is noticed in the
-register of the reign of Murád: he was a man of great eminence, and was
-much esteemed by the reigning monarch in consequence of his political
-abilities. Sheikh Hasan Effendí was sheikh in Ibrahím Páshá’s religious
-establishment: he went on a journey to Yemen, where he died. Sheikh
-Váa’z was a man of the first-rate talents: he was preacher in the mosque
-of Soleimán; on the days of assembly he expounded the doctrines of reli<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255">255</a></span>gion
-to the people, and immediately after answered and explained difficult
-questions. He was strongly opposed to every thing inconsistent with religion,
-and laid the severest prohibitions on those who were guilty of transgressing
-the precepts of the true faith. Some of the nobles, on account of
-this very great strictness, spoke reproachfully of him, and once or twice got
-him banished the city; but by the gracious assistance of God he overcame
-his enemies, and was again allowed to return to the metropolis.
-Sheikh Ismáíl employed himself in the chapel or monastery of Galata in
-translating poetry. He left behind him a beautiful paraphrase or commentary
-on the Mesnevi, or book of moral doctrines. His seven published
-volumes have not escaped the censure of some of the learned; but it must
-be acknowledged that he was a man of charming and excellent qualities.
-He died in 1012.</p>
-
-<p>Sultán Ahmed Khán ascended the throne of the Ottomans on the 18th of
-Rajab, and began his regal authority by a written message to Kásim Páshá,
-the káímakám. This written message was folded in a napkin, and handed
-to a certain officer, who was desired to deliver it into Kásim’s own hand.
-The officer being informed that the message committed to his charge was a
-royal one, hastened with all speed, and delivered it to his excellency the
-deputy. The deputy, however, found himself unable to read the communication,
-and therefore applied to the officer for information as to the person
-who sent it. The officer replied that the ághá of the palace had delivered
-it to him, and had told him at the same time it was a royal message. Kásim
-appeared exceedingly surprised, and said, the writing wanted the points,
-and was, therefore, unlike his majesty’s manner of writing. The letters,
-continued he, cannot be deciphered, and of course the meaning cannot be
-discovered. He appeared as it were perplexed and confounded at this unaccountable
-circumstance, and called Hasan Beg Zádeh to read it to him.
-Hasan drew near to the páshá, and read and explained the mysterious
-document, which ran thus: “Thou art Kásim Páshá. My father, in the
-providence of God, is now no more, and I have ascended the throne of
-power. You shall maintain order and good government in the city. If
-any villany or wickedness should happen, I shall cut off your head.
-The conclusion of the sultán’s words.” Kásim had no sooner heard and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256">256</a></span>
-understood the import of the <i>khati sheríf</i>, than he became absorbed in grief
-and astonishment: so much so, indeed, that many of his friends were led to
-think his health was affected; for none, except those in the palace, knew
-as yet any thing of the decease of Sultán Mohammed Khán, which had
-happened only a few hours before the message had been sent to Kásim.
-Kásim, however, thought of a contrivance by which he might know the
-utmost of a matter which he had reason to fear presaged no good to him.
-Accordingly, he wrote to the ághá of the palace, and stated, that he, a
-poor insignificant creature, had just received an imperial note, the meaning
-of which, however, he was incapable of discovering. “Perhaps,” continued
-the sly and cunning deputy, “it may have been intended to try us, or it is
-an intimation that our services are no longer necessary. In either case,
-we hope you will have the goodness to remove our doubts upon the subject.”
-This note was sent by the same person who had been the bearer of the
-imperial edict to himself; and it was not long before he was called into
-the chamber of audience, where he beheld Sultán Ahmed Khán sitting in
-great splendour on the chair of state, and who explained to him the meaning
-of the document which had alarmed him so much. Kásim Páshá kissed
-the ground and retired, and the sultán proceeded to the diván and took his
-seat on the royal chair. A messenger was immediately afterwards sent
-with a note to the mufti, informing him of what had happened at the
-palace, and orders were issued also to the ághá of the artificers to get a royal
-bier prepared; the nobles and grandees of the state were invited to assemble.
-The servants of the diván, when they saw the preparations that were
-going forward, supposed Sultán Mohammed Khán was coming forth, and
-that all the arrangements which had been made, and were making, were on
-his account. It was no such thing. A throne was erected, but it was not
-for him. Their eyes, however, were soon opened to the whole secret. The
-mufti, Mustafa Effendí, arrived, and proceeded along under the golden
-arch, accompanied by all the vezírs, until he and they reached the foot of a
-throne, which had purposely been erected for the occasion. The young
-prince, dressed in mourning, advanced towards them and saluted them;
-then approached the throne, and desired he might be inaugurated thereon.
-The Chávushes immediately raised their voices, and sounded his praises<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257">257</a></span>
-to the third heaven. Silence being again obtained, the reverend mufti,
-the vezírs, and all the other dignitaries, approached him and congratulated
-the new emperor. This ceremony ended, the emperor made his saláms
-and retired; the throne which had been erected was removed, and shortly
-afterwards all the vezírs, ulemá, and great men, were supplied with black
-crape for their turbans; but such as were not furnished with this emblem
-of sorrow and respect for the deceased monarch, put black bands on their
-arms. All now waited without at the gate of the mansion of felicity for
-the appearance of the remains of Sultán Mohammed Khán.</p>
-
-<p>At this time, notwithstanding the delicacy, as well as solemnity, of
-the occasion, Kásim Páshá could not hide the ambition which filled his
-breast. His eye and heart were on the grand vezírship, and without incurring
-the risk of delay, he tried to persuade the reverend mufti to sound
-his majesty on this point. The project, however, did not succeed.</p>
-
-<p>The royal remains, after having been put into a coffin, were brought forth,
-and the reverend mufti performed the funeral ceremonies, according to
-custom. Ahmed, the new emperor, retired within the palace; and the
-vezírs and great men accompanied the royal bier to St. Sophia, where the
-corpse was interred in the royal sepulchre. Provisions were distributed
-amongst the poor and orphans in the city, for the benefit of the soul of
-the deceased, and other acts of charity were performed with the same
-view.</p>
-
-<p>The ambitious Kásim Páshá sought to ingratiate himself into the favour
-of the new emperor, and desired to be called into his presence. His efforts,
-however, not only failed, but terminated in a prohibition of his approaching
-his sacred majesty on any account whatever. Once more despair became
-his companion; he however found courage and confidence to try his fortune
-once more. Having neglected or forgotten on the day of inauguration
-to show respect to Mustafa Effendí, the emperor’s spiritual guide, and
-hearing that he was held in great estimation by his master, he sent a
-deputation to him with splendid gifts and presents, with the view of gaining
-his good offices in his behalf; but he was again thwarted. Alí Páshá,
-<i>i. e.</i> Yávuz Alí Páshá, the grand vezír, who was now in power, and possessed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258">258</a></span>
-great influence in his majesty’s counsels, was the person who caused Kásim
-Páshá’s removal and banishment from court altogether.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The arrival of the fleet.—Concerning the grand vezír, Yávuz Alí Páshá.</i></h3>
-
-<p>It so happened that the very day on which his majesty’s inauguration was
-performed the royal fleet arrived from the Mediterranean, and the admiral,
-Jeghala Zádeh Sinán Páshá, had the honour of kissing the new emperor’s
-hand. The admiral, by that imperial command, was decorated with a
-robe of honour.</p>
-
-<p>Yávuz Alí Páshá had been recalled from Egypt with the view of being
-raised to the premiership; and though the seals of office had been actually
-sent to him when it was known that he had arrived in Turkey, yet he did
-not reach Constantinople till the 25th of Rajab. On arriving there he
-waited on his royal master, and afterwards went to the royal diván where
-he took his seat in it. The vezírs and the military judges also attended, and
-sat in their respective places. To the new minister was committed the
-distribution of the emperor’s munificence on his exaltation to the throne
-of his fathers, and he, it must be observed, brought with him from Egypt
-two years’ arrears of taxes; a circumstance, no doubt, which rendered it
-more easy for him to be liberal than perhaps he otherwise could have been.
-Seven hundred thousand pieces of gold were accordingly taken from the
-royal treasury, and sent to the various troops throughout the empire. This
-fact alone was a sufficient indication of the wide extent of the pecuniary
-resources of the Ottoman government, and may well excite surprise:
-but the fact is certain, and Alí Páshá, by whose means this handsome,
-but vast sum, was allotted for the use of the military and naval services,
-had no sooner made the necessary arrangements respecting its
-distribution, than he dressed himself in his ministerial robes, and went to
-the palace of Siávush Páshá to hold a council. Hereupon Kásim Páshá,
-the káímakám and second vezír, and Kúrd Páshá, third vezír, by virtue of
-their offices, entered and took their seats. The result of the deliberations
-of the council (at which Alí Páshá, the grand vezír, presided), was in the
-passing of some wholesome regulations with respect to just and equitable<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_259" id="Page_259">259</a></span>
-government, which materially affected the iron hand of oppression and
-tyranny in some quarters. The council, after having fixed the tariff or
-tax to be paid to the government, and settled other points of importance
-to the due administration of law and justice, the people were regularly
-warned to take care not to trespass on these and similar regulations.</p>
-
-<p>In the beginning of Shabán, the orthodox emperor went in solemn procession
-to the tomb of his fathers, and there performed the duty and showed
-the respect due to their memory. On the second day of the month the
-money which Alí Páshá brought with him from Egypt was transferred to the
-imperial treasury. On the same day Mustafa Aghá, the ághá of the kapú,
-who was very old and infirm, was removed from office, and Kor Mohammed
-Aghá, the ághá of the seraglio, was appointed in his stead. On the 6th, the
-mother of the deceased emperor was removed to the old palace. Abdulrezák
-Aghá, ághá of the royal palace, was removed from office, and replaced
-by Mustafa Aghá. On the 20th his majesty attended divine service and
-performed his devotions in the mosque of Soleimáníyeh; and at night a convivial
-meeting was held in the royal palace in honour of the founder of
-the Moslem faith, with every demonstration of joy. The same religious
-ceremony was also observed throughout other cities. But on the festival
-day, which soon followed, the fear of increasing a disorder with which the
-emperor was afflicted, prevented his showing himself to the people, a circumstance
-which turned their joy into sorrow. He was confined the whole
-of the day to his palace, owing to the great pain he suffered, which,
-however, soon abated; and he speedily recovered.</p>
-
-<h3><i>Alí Páshá, grand vezír, is appointed Commander-in-chief over the troops employed
-against Hungary, and Jeghala Zádeh is appointed to the command in
-the East.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The emperor of Austria continuing to carry on his hostilities in the
-north, and Sháh Abbás having unfurled the standard of rebellion against
-the Ottoman empire in the east, it was considered absolutely necessary,
-in order to support the glory of the empire, to aid in the most vigorous
-manner the troops which had been sent to both these quarters. Accord<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_260" id="Page_260">260</a></span>ingly,
-on the 1st of Ramazán, the grand vezír, Alí Páshá, was appointed
-to command the troops employed against the perverse and wicked Hungarians;
-and, in three days afterwards, he relinquished for a while the
-premiership. The actual kapúdán, or admiral, Jeghala Zádeh Sinán Páshá,
-was appointed at the same time to conduct the Moslem armies against the
-mixed horde of red-heads (<i>i. e.</i> the Persians). These two military heroes made
-all due preparations for their respective expeditions. Jeghala, with the troops
-appointed to accompany him from Constantinople, passed over to Scutari
-on the 15th of Dhu’l hijja. The grand vezír, however, put off his departure
-till the commencement of the following year. Hasan Beg Zádeh
-says in his history, that it was in a council held in the grand vezír’s palace
-that Jeghala Zádeh was appointed to the command of the eastern troops;
-but that the grand vezír himself, preferring to remain at the helm of affairs,
-wished some one of the other vezírs to be appointed general against the
-infidels in the north. He proposed this himself, and added that he would
-attend to what was necessary for both armies, and send them such a supply
-of men and arms as they might require. This proposal was not opposed by
-those who were present on the occasion; but the mufti hearing of it, declared
-it to be absolutely necessary that the grand vezír himself should take
-the command; and in a subsequent council, where he was present, maintained
-that unless the grand vezír took the command nothing would be
-done. “Therefore,” said he to his face, “you must be the person to take
-the command of the troops in the north, and setting aside all excuse, you
-must prepare to set out.” Such was the bold and intrepid way the mufti
-addressed him, and at length persuaded the emperor to issue his firmán
-accordingly. The grand vezír, however, tried several methods to rid himself
-of the appointment; but finding his efforts unsuccessful, he commenced
-making arrangements for the journey which lay before him.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>A variety of changes in the ecclesiastical and military establishments.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Asa’d Effendí succeeded to the spiritual jurisdiction of Romeili in the
-room of the mufti’s son-in-law. On the 22d of Dhu’l hijja, the cazí of
-Constantinople, Káfzádeh Feizallah, was degraded, and his office conferred<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_261" id="Page_261">261</a></span>
-on Yehiá Effendí. Hasan Páshá, beglerbeg of Yemen, was appointed,
-towards the end of Rajab, to the government of Egypt; and his deputy,
-Sinán Ketkhodá, was made beglerbeg of Yemen in his room.</p>
-
-<p>Kásim Páshá, lately deputy or governor of the Sublime Porte, who, as
-we have seen, had been anxious to be made grand vezír, was sadly disappointed
-in his views. The grand vezírship had been conferred by his late
-majesty on Alí Páshá; and however fit Kásim might have been for holding
-that high office, yet it could not, without a breach of faith and the
-most palpable injustice, be conferred on him. His conduct, in fact,
-showed him, in every point of view to have been wholly unworthy of the
-high distinction he so ambitiously and so perseveringly sought. He was,
-however, appointed to hold some office in the city of Baghdád, but neglecting
-to set off for that city he awakened the displeasure of the grand vezír,
-who ordered him forthwith to set out for Scutari. Here again he loitered
-away his time, and it was not till the expiration of several months that he
-was again forced to proceed. On reaching Yenísheher, he soon began to
-oppress and tyrannize over the inhabitants in the most shameful manner,
-but this he expiated with his life. We shall have to advert to this
-man’s conduct and death when we come to relate the events of the
-following year. About the end of Shevál, Mohammed Páshá, son of Sinán
-Páshá, who had been removed from the government of Shám (Syria),
-but had become a vezír, was created beglerbeg of Caramania. Hájí
-Ibrahím Páshá, who had risen from a defterdár to the rank of beglerbeg,
-was appointed to the government of Mesir (Egypt); and Mustafa Páshá,
-son of Rázieh Khán, was raised to the government of Shám. Ferhád
-Páshá, who at first had been only a bostánjí báshí, but was at this time
-commandant in Shám, was raised to the beglerbegship of Haleb (Aleppo),
-and the válí of Haleb to that of Sivás. All these appointments were
-effected by the instrumentality of Alí Páshá, the grand vezír. Evils
-resulted from some of those appointments, and there were not wanting
-a class of persons who were much dissatisfied. Murád Páshá, the heroic
-commander in Buda, was appointed to a special vezírship; and he, with
-the vezír Hasan Páshá, who had been válí of Yemen, were recalled to
-the Sublime Porte. Súfí Sinán Páshá, on whom the dignity of vezír<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_262" id="Page_262">262</a></span>
-had been conferred, but who had not hitherto had the honour of taking
-his seat in the diván, was now called on to do so. On the 6th of
-Dhu’l Kadah, Khoja Ahmed Aghá, ághá of the janissaries, was degraded,
-and the second kapújí báshí, Nukásh Hasan Aghá, was appointed in his
-stead.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Some further account of Delí Hasan (brother of Scrivano).</i></h3>
-
-<p>To a considerable part of this man’s life and conduct we have already
-adverted. We have related how he succeeded to the command of the insurgents
-whom his brother, Karah Yázijí (Scrivano, literally the Black Writer)
-had headed: how he defeated and slew Hasan Páshá at Tokat. These
-things are well known; and it is not to be denied, that it was only when
-it was found impracticable to overcome him by arms that the tempting
-offer of the government of Bosnia made him at least feign submission.
-Many were the enormities which this man committed, and his success was
-wonderful. When he went to Belgrade, as observed in a former section of this
-work, he sent his lieutenant to Bosna Serái. This deputy, whose name was
-Kúrd Ketkhodá, had imbibed the spirit of his superior; for he perpetrated
-the most dreadful acts of tyranny and savage oppression throughout the
-country of Bosnia. So terrible and so numerous were the base deeds of this
-execrable fellow, that the inhabitants determined on resistance. It was not
-long ere an opportunity offered for putting their determination into practice.
-Having one day seized on a servant belonging to some tanners he put him in
-chains, and this so roused the resentment of the inhabitants that they all
-rushed towards his palace and set fire to it. One Khulpil, an apprentice,
-slew Kúrd Ketkhodá himself, and the whole of his mansion perished with
-him. The people of Banialúka also, with one consent, drove out of their
-city such of his creatures as were in it.</p>
-
-<p>As to Delí Hasan himself, he appeared at one time worthy of confidence,
-and at another the very reverse. Most of the men who had accompanied
-him from Asia perished in the late war, and those of them who returned
-with him to Bosnia met with no kind reception there. The inhabitants
-could not endure the sight of them, and therefore appointed to themselves
-a leader from among their own emírs, whose name was Sefer. They also<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_263" id="Page_263">263</a></span>
-wrote to the commander-in-chief, Mohammed Páshá, declaring they were
-resolved to oppose the tyrants who had come among them; and they
-kept their word; but in their first attack on Delí Hasan and his barbarians
-they were worsted. However, gaining experience by their disaster,
-they were better prepared for a second attempt, in which they were completely
-triumphant. They not only defeated the barbarians, but seized
-on the whole of Delí Hasan’s baggage. Delí Hasan escaped with his
-life with great difficulty by swimming across the deep river which passes
-Izvernik, and sent Sháh-verdí, his acting lieutenant, to the commander-in-chief
-at Belgrade with a complaint against the Bosnians. Sháh-verdí,
-however, never once thought of returning to tell him what success he had
-met with. The commander-in-chief, more generous than his ambassador,
-sent him an officer to console him, and afterwards succeeded in persuading
-the government of Constantinople to appoint him to the jurisdiction
-of Temisvar in lieu of that of Bosnia.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Continuation of the account of the war carried on against the heretics.—The
-Sháh reduces Reván.</i></h3>
-
-<p>We come now to relate, that though the sháh’s troops had been repulsed
-before Reván in their first attempts against that city, they at last prevailed.
-The sháh having again resumed his operations against Reván, pressed the
-besieged exceedingly, and afterwards sent a messenger to the inhabitants,
-calling upon them to capitulate. The Revánís, however, were not so disposed,
-and in their zeal slew the messenger, in order to convince the sháh
-how determined they were. The sháh was exasperated at this, collected
-his whole force against their city, and redoubled his efforts; and in consequence
-of his having succeeded in destroying the aqueducts which conveyed
-water under-ground into the city, he by this means subjected them
-to a famine of water, a most dreadful privation. They, however, managed
-to collect so much of this necessary element in wells and ditches
-within the city, as in some measure to assuage their thirst, and were thus
-enabled to maintain their defiance of the enemy. Finding, however, that
-continued resistance only augmented their danger; that their resources
-were daily becoming less, and that they were wholly cut off from receiving<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_264" id="Page_264">264</a></span>
-any succour whatever from the Moslem army, they became totally dispirited.
-Exertion and deaths weakened them so much that the enemy at length, by
-one vigorous assault, took the city. Many of the Sunnís were made prisoners
-by the conquerors, but the greater part of them perished by their
-swords. Thus fell Reván, after a siege of seven weeks. At the commencement
-of the siege the number of the inhabitants amounted to five or six
-thousand. One thousand five hundred of this number died in defence of
-their city, and about five hundred were carried off by death. About one
-half of the whole became traitors, so that, in fact, only five hundred, at
-most, was the whole strength of Reván when it fell into the hands of the
-red-heads.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The Sháh conquers Shirwán.</i></h3>
-
-<p>According to the celebrated historian, Hasan Beg Zádeh, Ketábjí Omar
-Páshá succeeded Khádem Hasan Páshá as governor of Shirwán; but he
-having been deposed, the government was conferred on Mahmúd Páshá, son
-of Jeghala Zádeh Sinán Páshá. Alája Atlú Hasan Páshá, who had distinguished
-himself by his bravery and heroism in the wars in Hungary,
-being appointed to the government of Erzerúm, sent thither one Mustafa
-Chávush, a relation of his wife, a most extraordinary man, as his deputy,
-but this man from the severity of his conduct excited the people of Erzerúm,
-proverbial for their ferocity, to acts of violence. They stoned and banished
-the poor deputy out of the city, and grasped the whole of his property. The
-governor himself, on hearing of these outrages, went to Shirwán, but the
-inhabitants were determined that neither he nor his deputy should enter
-their city; they however delivered back the things they had seized. Hasan
-Páshá had no alternative left him but to send a representation of the case
-to the court of Constantinople, whence he received a letter, appointing
-him to the government of Shirwán. This new appointment, it would seem,
-was made before Mahmúd Páshá, also a vezír’s son, and governor of Shirwán,
-was apprized of his having been superseded by Hasan Páshá. Hasan
-Páshá, however, having spent about a month before he thought of proceeding
-to his new government, died ere he commenced the journey, and
-Mahmúd was confirmed in his superiority of Shirwán. It has been said<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_265" id="Page_265">265</a></span>
-been said that his death had been occasioned by a poisonous draught administered
-to him at a feast at which he had been present.</p>
-
-<p>The Kuzil báshes at this time advanced on Shumakhai and took it, and
-shortly afterwards Shirwán met with the same fate. Mohammed Effendí,
-who was academical lecturer of Karah Bágh, relates that Sháh Abbás spared
-neither young nor old, but subjected all to a general slaughter with a recklessness
-not to be described. Mahmúd Páshá happened to be at Shumakhai
-when it was attacked, but made his escape to Greece.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Kars is besieged.—Other acts of hostility by the red-heads.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Hasan Beg Zádeh relates, that when Sháh Abbás had laid siege to
-Reván, or shortly after, Sheríf Mohammed Páshá, having obtained the
-promise of personal security, went to wait on the sháh, who in the most
-cowardly and barbarous manner slew him. It was during the time the sháh
-was engaged in reducing the above-mentioned city, that a division of the
-Persian army, under the command of Emír Gunah Khán, was sent to reduce
-the fortress of Akcha Kalla. Emír Gunah Khán having succeeded in
-the taking of Akcha Kalla without fighting a single battle, drove the
-whole of the Armenian peasantry in that quarter to Ispahan. The country
-around Reván, having fallen into the hands of the enemy, was conferred
-on this heretical chief.</p>
-
-<p>After the sháh had accomplished the reduction of Reván, he led his
-forces against Kars, and laid siege to it. The warriors of Kars, and about
-four hundred Osmánlís, who had escaped thither from Reván, the greater
-part of whom were wounded, were animated by such a spirit of valour as
-vigorously to resist the invading host. The perverted sháh was completely
-enraged; and sent them word, that when he took the place he would not
-spare one of them.</p>
-
-<p>Kurus, another place, but of less note, also fell into the hands of the
-enemy, but the poor Musselmans who had escaped were surrounded by
-Gusah Sefer Páshá, emír of Erzerúm. About this same time also, the
-enemy attempted the taking of Akhiska, at least they manifested a disposition
-to do so; but God protected it. Karah Kásh Páshá was, at that
-time, hákim or governor of Akhiska, and was present in it when this hostile<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_266" id="Page_266">266</a></span>
-disposition was manifested. Three hundred Persians, who had advanced
-with full purpose of attacking the above place, took up their quarters in
-a large dwelling not far from it, in which they gave themselves up to
-most shameful actions. Thither they collected the females belonging to
-the Armenian peasantry, and carried on with them the most obscene
-courses. Their husbands, of course, were enraged at seeing their wives
-thus used; and, therefore, secretly sent word to Sefer Sheríf Páshá; who,
-without loss of time, attacked them with the few men who had escaped
-from Reván. The mode of attack was rather singular: they made a hole in
-the roof of the house wherein these voluptuous wretches had taken up their
-quarters, and after they had fairly entered it, they rose up and slew every
-one of these drunken revellers, who never once dreamt of the destruction
-that awaited them. Their heads were severed from their bodies and sent to
-Constantinople.</p>
-
-<p>Sheríf Páshá, and also Karah Kásh Páshá, to whom we have been referring,
-perished in a defeat which Jeghala Zádeh afterwards sustained. It is
-said in the Fezliké, however, that the sháh, after he had conquered Reván,
-shewed very great respect to Sheríf Páshá, and conferred on him the superintendence
-of the mosques and other religious establishments; and also that
-Sheríf Páshá spent the remainder of his life at Meshhed. About four
-hundred families who had accepted of offers which the sháh had made
-them, were all sent off to Kurus under the charge of Mohammed Páshá,
-son of Khezer Páshá.</p>
-
-<p>About this period, Sáa’tjí Hasan Páshá, the beglerbeg of Erzerúm, and
-the commander-in-chief of the Turkish forces in the east, died, and the
-troops became dispersed; but before we can attend further to the relation
-of the affairs of the east, we have to commence the events of the following
-year.</p>
-
-
-
-<hr />
-<h2><span class="smcap">EVENTS of the Year 1013, H.</span></h2>
-
-
-<p>On the 20th of Moharrem, a tremendous earthquake, which happened at
-Bassra, effected the demolition of the greater number of houses, both inside
-and outside of the city, and under their ruins many thousand individuals
-perished.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_267" id="Page_267">267</a></span></p>
-
-<h3><i>The grand vezír, Alí Páshá, sets put for Belgrade.</i></h3>
-
-<p>We have noticed in a former section of this work the great reluctance the
-grand vezír, Alí Páshá, had evinced against going to the Hungarian
-wars, and how strenuously he had endeavoured to get his appointment as
-commander-in-chief over the forces employed on the Hungarian frontiers
-countermanded, but to no purpose. All he could do or say had no effect
-in altering the determination of the emperor. He was obliged to proceed.
-The Bosnian and Romeilian troops, the ághá of the janissaries, six
-legions of spáhís, and other divisions of troops were appointed to accompany
-the grand vezír. The lord high treasurer, Etmekjí Zádeh, was also ordered
-to join the expedition.</p>
-
-<p>The grand vezír, previous to his departure, appointed Súfí Sinán Páshá
-his deputy, in room of Háfiz Ahmed Páshá, whom he intended to send to
-the government of Bosnia. Háfiz Ahmed Páshá retired into a garden on
-the outside of the city, and there remained five or ten days, under the
-pretence of waiting for the arrival of camels and mules to enable him to
-commence his journey to Bosnia. When the prime minister learned, however,
-that Háfiz Ahmed Páshá delayed in the manner he did, he sent him
-the most peremptory orders to set out without any further delay. He intimated,
-moreover, in a note which he afterwards sent him, that his obstinacy
-would force him to be guilty of shedding blood. “If you will not obey,”
-said the haughty premier, “I shall come in person and terminate your
-existence upon earth.” This intimation was enough to convince Háfiz that
-his life was in actual danger, and he now did all he could to show that
-he was earnest in obeying the injunctions which had been laid upon him,
-though he secretly, at the same time, endeavoured to thwart the views of
-the premier.</p>
-
-<p>The grand vezír, Alí Páshá, at length left Constantinople, and with great
-pomp and show proceeded to Dávud Páshá, where his tent had been erected
-for him. The grandees and nobles of every rank accompanied the illustrious
-commander, and showed him every mark of esteem and respect;
-and it is certainly true that no vezír ever met with more honour from any
-emperor than did Alí Páshá from the reigning monarch. On the fifth day<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_268" id="Page_268">268</a></span>
-of the above month his imperial majesty accompanied the heroic army as
-far as Halkalú, where he took a view of them from his lofty palace, and
-admired the splendid appearance they presented. The grand vezír, on this
-occasion, requested his majesty to order the funds necessary for conducting
-his army and carrying on the war to be sent him; but whilst waiting at the
-above place for the anticipated ducats, he received a most threatening royal
-letter, which intimated to him in the plainest terms, that, if he wished to
-keep his head on his shoulders, he must not delay his march one single day
-longer. The grand vezír, compelled to activity, was making arrangements
-the following day for complying with the threatening intimation which had
-been sent him, when it began to be rumoured that the bostánjí báshí had
-been sent by royal orders to call Háfiz Ahmed Páshá to court, and that he
-was appointed by royal commission to the káímakámship of Constantinople.
-Súfí Sinán Páshá, who had been appointed to this high office by the grand
-vezír, as before observed, had actually entered on the duties of the deputyship,
-and had done the customary obeisance to the emperor after his
-appointment: such, indeed, was the fact. On the Friday of that week, as
-Háfiz Ahmed Páshá was performing his devotions, the royal commission
-appointing him to the deputyship of Constantinople reached him. He
-accordingly without delay repaired to his own palace, and ordered the diván
-to meet on the following day. He also sent his saláms (compliments) to
-Súfí Sinán Páshá, and with the view of making him acquainted with the
-change his majesty had thought proper to make, desired him likewise to
-attend. Súfí Sinán, when he saw Háfiz’s messenger, thought, at first, he
-was come from Alí Páshá, and asked him if the grand vezír had sent him.
-“No,” said the officer, “it was Háfiz Ahmed Páshá.” “Am I to understand
-by this message,” asked Súfí Sinán, with some degree of surprise,
-“that Háfiz is appointed káímakám?” The officer answered in the affirmative.
-Súfí Sinán, on having his doubts solved, rose up and went to congratulate
-Háfiz on his appointment, as if he had been altogether a neutral
-person, and in no way affected by the change.</p>
-
-<p>Early next morning, Háfiz Ahmed Páshá went to the diván, where he
-caused several propositions to be drawn up in reference to the two holy cities,
-Mecca and Medina, which were afterwards read in the presence of his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_269" id="Page_269">269</a></span>
-majesty. Before the members of the diván had dismissed, however, he
-caused another paper to be drawn out, wherein he asked permission to go
-and see the grand vezír. This paper he folded up with the other papers
-relative to Mecca and Medina, and laid them before the throne; returned
-to his own palace, he ordered his horse to be in readiness, as he meant, he
-said, to set out on a journey to Chatálijeh, a considerable distance from Constantinople.
-The distance however, on the one hand, and the heat of the
-weather on the other, he considered were so great that he should be unable to
-be back in time for the meeting of the diván on the following day; he therefore
-gave up all idea of proceeding, and entering into a secret chamber,
-commenced talking of visiting his majesty and the grand vezír. Whilst his
-domestics were wondering in themselves what he would next take into his
-head, an officer from the emperor’s chaplain arrived, and advised the páshá
-not to go to the vezír. “There was no need for it,” he said; “besides the
-grand vezír was a furious man, and might offer him some disrespect.”
-Such was the import of the officer’s advice, which he had been desired to
-communicate by his master to Háfiz. However, Háfiz was successful in
-another way, which was this: One Kullili Dilsiz soon afterwards called on
-Háfiz, and told him that he was carrying letters to the grand vezír from the
-emperor, which had some reference to him, and advised him to take an opportunity
-of following him. He did so; had an interview with the grand
-vezír at Chatálijeh; and returned in time sufficient to attend the diván the
-following morning.</p>
-
-<p>It has been conjectured that the grand vezír (now called the serdár or commander-in-chief),
-on his arrival at Adrianople, had removed Abulmeymín
-Mustafa Effendí from the office of the high priesthood, and had appointed
-Siná allah Effendí in his stead. His removal was entirely owing to the
-enmity and preconcerted measures of the late Kásim Páshá, and the
-emperor’s chaplain.</p>
-
-<p>Alí Páshá, the serdár or commander-in-chief, continued his march towards
-Belgrade; but a disease with which he had been afflicted was so very much
-increased by the late unhappy events which had distressed him, that his
-health declined considerably. The vexation he endured in consequence of
-the instalment of Háfiz Ahmed Páshá into the deputyship, preyed so much<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_270" id="Page_270">270</a></span>
-on his spirits that by the time he reached Sophia, he was unable to take
-food or nourishment of any kind. He became worse and worse at every
-succeeding stage, and had scarcely reached Belgrade, and saluted Mohammed
-Páshá, the acting commander-in-chief, when he gave up the
-ghost. His death took place on the 28th of the month Sefer. Such
-is the history and end of Alí Yávuz Páshá grand vezír and commander-in-chief.</p>
-
-<p>We must now advert to the history of the other commander-in-chief,
-Jeghala Zádeh Sinán Páshá, who was appointed to conduct the Moslem
-army against the Persians.</p>
-
-<p>Jeghala Sinán Páshá was the oldest of all the beglerbegs when he was
-appointed to the chief command in the east: he was once, for a short time,
-grand vezír; afterwards válí of Syria; and lastly lord high admiral of the
-Ottoman fleet. This office he held at the moment when the government
-had fixed on him for taking the command of the forces employed against
-the Persians. He was, therefore, a person who was acquainted with the
-art of war, both by sea and land. It was in consequence of the high reputation
-which he had acquired, and of the knowledge which he possessed of
-the countries of the east, and in which he himself had served, that the late
-grand vezír had requested his appointment.</p>
-
-<p>On the 16th of Dhu’l hijja he passed over to Scutari, as we have already
-observed; and on the 17th he commenced his march with such troops as
-were there waiting for him, and which were composed of various kinds. On
-reaching Nicomedia (in Bythinia) the feudatory troops which composed his
-right wing began to represent that they belonged, properly, to the army of
-Romeili, and asked if they were to be paid wages if they continued in conjunction
-with the army of Anatolia. A firmán was immediately issued
-which assured them that they should. On arriving on the confines of
-Erzerúm, he was joined by the followers of the late Delí Hasan, along
-with their leader Karah Kásh Ahmed, who all swore fealty to the Ottoman
-government, pretending at least to have repented of their misconduct and
-rebellion. In a few days more he was joined by several others, particularly
-by the beglerbeg of Erzerúm, Gusháh Sefer (a very brave man, and remarkably
-well skilled in horsemanship, who was raised to dignity and honour<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_271" id="Page_271">271</a></span>
-from the humble situation of serving in the imperial kitchen) with four
-thousand men, well armed, whom he had collected in the greatest haste.
-The active Ahmed Páshá, beglerbeg of Wán, with three or four thousand
-veterans, met the grand army in the plains of Pas. On the 15th of Jemadi II.,
-the whole of the Moslem army reached Kurus, when they halted for ten
-days, in order to give time for other troops to join the royal standard, and
-for the return of Karah Kásh Ahmed, who had been sent out on a depredatory
-excursion.</p>
-
-<p>Sháh Abbás, when he heard of the advance of the Osmánlís, removed his
-troops from Reván and from Akcha Kalla, where they had been posted,
-and retreated. This information had no sooner reached the Moslem camp,
-than Sefer Páshá addressed the commander-in-chief for permission to
-advance with a party of veterans and intercept the sháh in his retreat.
-“His army was comparatively small,” said Sefer, “and if you advance
-with the grand army in the ordinary way, to my support, I am not without
-hopes, if you agree to my proposal, of being able to bring the sháh bound
-in fetters before you.” Such was the heroic language of Sefer Páshá, but
-the serdár was deaf to all his entreaties. He pretended to be waiting for
-the arrival of Karah Kásh; and even when Karah Kásh did arrive, he was
-as far as ever from complying with Sefer Páshá’s proposal. Thus, by delay
-and hesitation, the enemy was not only allowed to withdraw to a greater
-distance, but had time afforded them for preparing to offer a more formidable
-resistance; whilst the grand army by this procedure, was exposed to
-greater danger, to more difficulties, and to a less chance of success.</p>
-
-<p>The commander-in-chief was indeed at length roused to some activity;
-but it was only when he perceived the season for warlike operations fast
-passing away, without his having gained one single advantage, that he was
-thus roused. Without paying any regard to the councils of Sefer Páshá,
-which might have been attended with glorious results, had he allowed himself
-to be swayed by them, he again commenced his march in pursuit of the
-retreating enemy, and even sent letters to the sháh offering him battle, but
-the wary sháh paid no regard to his invitations. By the time the grand
-army reached Nakhcheván, the sháh and his army had safely got into the
-jurisdiction of Tabríz. The commander-in-chief now saw his error, but it<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_272" id="Page_272">272</a></span>
-was too late to correct it; and he was destined, in consequence of his own
-tardiness and want of skill, to become more pre-eminently the sport of
-fortune. The country round Nakhcheván had been, a little before, the
-theatre of rebellion and of devastation; and in consequence of this, the
-cities and villages were enduring the greatest calamity from famine, at the
-time the Moslem army arrived in Nakhcheván. The serdár, when he perceived
-the dismal condition he and his army were in, proposed marching
-towards Shirván, where his son, Mahmúd Páshá, was beglerbeg. The
-chiefs of the army appeared before the serdár, and told him he might do
-what he liked, and take what journey he pleased, but the heretics were not
-to be overtaken. It was quite impracticable, they said, to follow them with
-a large army; nor would it prove any advantage, they further observed, to
-march against Tabríz and lay siege to it. The season for retiring into winter-quarters
-was just at hand, and they therefore thought it would be more
-prudent to return to their own country. The serdár was totally averse to this
-proposal, and endeavoured to dissuade them from urging this measure. He
-did so by representing to them how desirable it was to terminate the campaign
-honourably; that there still remained a chance of their succeeding;
-and that it would be much more wise, under all circumstances, to take up
-their winter-quarters in Gunjah and in Karabágh, than to return to Turkey
-before they had accomplished something worthy of their name. This
-speech had the desired effect: the troops struck their tents, and marched
-forward towards Tabríz. After having passed the river Ars, and accomplished
-a few stages, they learned that they were within a stage or two of
-coming up with the sháh, who was retreating with all his might before them.
-Sefer Páshá, Ahmed Páshá, beglerbeg of Sivás, and Alasha Atlí Hasan
-Páshá, earnestly implored the commander-in-chief to be allowed to proceed
-with a body of light troops and overtake the sháh, but he again refused
-to grant them their request, and maintained his usual obstinacy. On
-reaching Wán, he distributed his troops into different cantonments, but he
-himself remained at Wán for the winter. The more discerning of the
-troops, it must be observed, however, opposed the serdár, and endeavoured
-to dissuade him from disbanding his army, but their efforts were all in vain.
-They represented to him that the steps he was about to take were altogether<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_273" id="Page_273">273</a></span>
-inconsistent with the general safety; and for a commander-in-chief to
-winter on the frontiers, without any army, might be very aptly compared,
-they said, “to a head without hands or feet.” Moreover, they maintained
-that the thing was altogether unprecedented. The serdár, as we have already
-observed, continued inflexible; took up his quarters in Wán, and conferred
-the government of the country on Ahmed Páshá. Ahmed Páshá being
-indisposed when this appointment took place, the serdár sent his chief physician
-to perform the duties of the new governor, and finally conferred the
-situation on Alí Páshá.</p>
-
-<p>In the meantime, however, the serdár found means to conciliate the
-Kúrdistán chiefs, and called them together to the city of Wán, with the
-view of consulting them about his affairs and the state of things in general.
-But the sháh no sooner learned that the serdár had dispersed his army than
-he collected together his detestable and diabolical heretics, with the intention
-of attacking Wán. He accordingly despatched a division of these atheists
-towards Wán, whilst he himself, under cover of the night, followed that
-division with the whole of his disposable forces, and took up his position
-before Wán, but at such a distance that no cannon could reach him. At
-daylight on the following morning the unfortunate and infatuated serdár
-had his eyes opened to the very critical and hazardous situation into which
-his obstinacy had brought him. He tried to make the best of it he could.
-He assembled all the Kurds and others that were in Wán together, and
-deputed one Rázieh Zádeh Mustafa to take the command of them. Mustafa
-and his troops made a sortie, but they found the heretics too numerous
-for them and returned. Khundán Aghá and his two sons were unfortunately
-taken prisoners by the Kuzil báshes on the above occasion.</p>
-
-<p>The serdár was now heartily sorry, and well he might, for the steps he
-had taken. He repented most sincerely that he had remained at Wán, but
-his repentance was too late to avail him. After deeply considering what
-method he should take to save his own life, he resolved on trying to make
-his escape to Erzerúm. He accordingly took ship at Wán, and landed
-at a place called Adaljuwaz. Losing no time at this place, he hastened
-with all the speed he could make towards Erzerúm, having been furnished
-with horses for his journey by Emír Sháh, the governor and other officers<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_274" id="Page_274">274</a></span>
-at Adaljuwaz. On arriving within a short distance of Erzerúm, the beglerbeg
-of Erzerúm, Gusah Sefer Páshá, went out to meet him, taking along
-with him an equipage more suitable to the dignity of the commander-in-chief
-than that with which he had travelled from Adaljuwaz.</p>
-
-<p>The sháh, even after he had heard of the sudden departure of the serdár,
-ceased not in his endeavours to reduce the city and fortress of Wán for the
-space of forty days, but was at last obliged to raise the siege, and then
-marched towards Tabríz and Nakhcheván. On this march, however, he
-surrounded an Osmánlí place of strength called Makú; but all he gained
-by laying siege to this fortress was only disgrace.</p>
-
-<p>Before concluding this long section it is necessary to observe, in connection
-with what we have related with regard to Jeghala Zádeh Sinán
-Páshá, the commander-in-chief, that at the time the command of the forces
-in the east devolved upon him, or at least not long after it, Ja’fer Páshá was
-appointed lord high admiral in room of Jeghala; and that he sailed for the
-Mediterranean with sixty galleys. In some histories it is said, that it was
-the admiral Kehyah Páshá Zádeh Mustafa Páshá who was appointed to
-the deputyship of Constantinople at the time Alí Páshá and Jeghala Zádeh
-were made commanders-in-chief.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Lálá Mohammed Páshá succeeds Alí Páshá in all his offices.</i></h3>
-
-<p>After the death of the grand vezír, Alí Páshá, which event had taken
-place at Belgrade almost immediately after his arrival there, as we have
-already noticed, a kapújí báshí of the name of Kúrd Mustafa Páshá, brought
-accounts, in a sealed packet, to the government of Constantinople that Alí
-Páshá was no more. The officer presented them to the káímakám, Háfiz
-Páshá, who, however, declined receiving them. Hereupon the emperor’s
-chaplain called the officer to the royal palace, in order that it might be ascertained
-to whom it belonged to receive the packet. He complained that
-Háfiz Páshá refused to have any thing to do with the packet, though he
-knew it was an official despatch, whilst at the same time it was evident
-that the forces employed against the Hungarians were in the utmost need
-of having a commanding general appointed over them. It would appear,
-however, that before the accounts referred to had arrived, Lálá<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_275" id="Page_275">275</a></span>
-Mohammed Páshá had been raised by royal appointment to the chief command
-of the army, but that the commission had not reached him in sufficient
-time. He was now raised to the dignity of grand vezír.</p>
-
-<p>Lálá Mohammed Páshá no sooner found himself raised to the highest
-offices which could be conferred on him, than he began with all imaginable
-speed to make arrangements for renewing hostilities, succeeded in taking
-several Hungarian towns, and afterwards returned with the body of his
-army to Buda.</p>
-
-<p>Having formed the design of recovering Osterghún, in order to secure success
-as much as possible, he conferred on Bektásh Páshá, of Usk, the jurisdiction
-of Buda, appointed him to the advanced guard, which was composed
-of three thousand chosen men, and ordered him to march towards
-the last-mentioned place.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The infidels abandon Pest.</i></h3>
-
-<p>A report having been circulated that Lálá Mohammed Páshá, the celebrated
-commander of the Moslem army, was advancing on his march
-from Belgrade, the infidels who garrisoned Pest, which they had wrested
-from the Moslems in consequence of the weakness and pusillanimity of
-Yemishjí Hasan Páshá, the former commander-in-chief, fled in the utmost
-precipitation, leaving, in fact, the whole of their arms of all kinds behind
-them. Such was the panic into which they were thrown by the fame of
-Lálá Mohammed Páshá, of whose heroism they had some knowledge. Their
-flight was a sufficient proof of the estimation in which they held his military
-talents.</p>
-
-<p>When the new serdár, Lálá Mohammed Páshá, heard that the enemy
-had abandoned Pest, he crossed the Danube and took possession of it. The
-hateful infidels, with the view of totally destroying it, it is necessary
-to observe, had left the place exposed to the destructive effect of several
-mines which they had prepared for that purpose, and which, had they
-not been discovered in sufficient time, would certainly have buried the
-whole place, and all that was in it, in ruins. Fortunately for the inhabitants,
-as well as for the Moslem troops who had entered it, a sick soldier,
-who had been left behind in Pest, had given a hint to the conquerors of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_276" id="Page_276">276</a></span>
-the mines referred to, which were almost on the point of ignition at the
-moment they were discovered. This very remarkable deliverance from so
-very terrible and inevitable a ruin was properly and religiously improved
-by the orthodox faithful from the highest to the lowest.</p>
-
-<p>The commander-in-chief made arrangements for repairing and fortifying
-Pest; also for rebuilding the tower of Ján Kúrturán, and supplied both
-places with a sufficient number of troops and a proper quantity of provisions.
-The victorious troops of Lálá Mohammed Páshá entered Buda
-a little after the commencement of Rabia II., and immediately afterwards
-the bridge which had extended between Pest and Buda, but which had
-been cut down by the hatchets of the infidels, was again ordered to be rebuilt
-according to its former model.</p>
-
-<p>The Moslem veterans were also agreeably surprised to learn that a
-similar terror with that which had seized the infidels at Pest, had also
-overtaken the infidels at Khutván, and had produced a similar result.
-The injuries which the houses of the faithful had sustained in both places,
-either by burning or otherwise, were ordered to be repaired.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The fortress of Wáj conquered.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The celebrated serdár, Lálá Mohammed Páshá, now proceeded to reduce
-Wáj, which for the space of two years had been under the complete sway
-of the infidels, and encamped at Eskí Buda (Old Buda), immediately opposite
-to Wáj. By means of boats he conveyed across the Danube his troops,
-and on the 21st of Jemadi II. Wáj was besieged on all sides. The infidels
-in this fortress thinking, however, that they were about to be visited by
-retributive justice, put on an appearance of fortitude, though, as will appear,
-they were totally overcome by terror. On the very first night of the siege
-they contrived secretly to set fire to a tower and a palanka in the island
-opposite to Wáj, took to their boats, and set off, about the middle of the
-night, for Osterghún. The Moslems, of course, took possession of Wáj.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Osterghún is laid siege to.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The victorious Moslems, the terror of whose arms spread dismay among
-the infidels, marched upon Osterghún, and on the 23d of Jemadi II. formed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_277" id="Page_277">277</a></span>
-the siege of that place. Every gun and musket throughout the whole army
-were put in requisition, and every arrangement was made for commencing
-hostilities; but, alas, the constant fall of snow and rain, the winter season
-having commenced, rendered it impracticable for the troops to make any
-use of trenches, or at least they found it difficult to stand in them. The
-truth seems to be, that too much time had been taken up in repairing and
-attending to the lately retaken fortresses, Pest, Khutwán, and Wáj, and
-also with the rebuilding of the bridge formerly mentioned, to be able, at so
-late a period of the year, to carry on the siege of Osterghún with any great
-prospect of success.</p>
-
-<p>In consequence of the length of time the Moslems spent unnecessarily
-with the fortresses they had retaken, as just observed, the infidels found
-ample opportunity to erect tabúrs or fortifications on the opposite bank
-of the river, and to extend a bridge from Osterghún to these fortifications.
-The whole line of these tabúrs were also protected by a range of
-field-pieces, and every thing, in fact, presented a most formidable appearance.
-For several successive nights the enemy rushed forth upon the
-Moslems, attacked them with the utmost celerity, and succeeded in killing
-many of their bravest heroes.</p>
-
-<p>When it was resolved to augment the number of Moslems who were
-actually engaged in endeavouring to reduce Osterghún (<i>i.e.</i> those who were
-immediately engaged in active operations against it), the janissaries refused
-to comply, and urgently demanded that the siege should be raised. The commander-in-chief
-perceiving himself involved in difficulties of no ordinary kind,
-ordered Toktamish Gheráí, the son of his royal highness Ghází Gheráí, who
-had that year joined the royal camp instead of his royal father, to go, with
-a few thousands of his Tátárs, along with Hasan Páshá, beglerbeg of Romeili,
-and some of his troops, and scour the country round about, commit
-all the damage to the enemy they could, and take what spoil they could
-find.</p>
-
-<p>The commander-in-chief, after a period of thirty-one days uselessly spent
-in endeavouring to reconquer Osterghún, was obliged to raise the siege and
-return to Buda. Having made the necessary arrangements with regard to
-the garrisons on the frontiers, for protecting the Ottoman dominions in that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_278" id="Page_278">278</a></span>
-quarter, the commander-in-chief set out for Belgrade, and arrived there on
-the 3d of Rajab.</p>
-
-<p>The stipulated period of the old pretorian band in Buda for serving
-having expired, one thousand of them were again hired, and divided into
-four companies.</p>
-
-<p>We have still to add, by way of appendix, what Petcheví says in reference
-to the siege of Osterghún, which we have been describing. “Nukásh
-Hasan Páshá acted at the above siege,” he says, “as ághá of the janissaries,
-but he was so cowardly that he never once showed his face where he
-anticipated danger. For this dereliction of duty and disgraceful pusillanimity,
-the commander-in-chief deprived him of his office, and degraded
-him. He afterwards, however, sent a petition to the court of Constantinople,
-requesting to have the judgment of the serdár reversed, but his
-petition was regarded with contempt.”</p>
-
-<p>The same historian observes, “that formerly, when Ibrahím Páshá was
-commander-in-chief, the Tátárs, emírs, and other great men under his
-command, had proposed to exchange Osterghún for Agria; because the
-latter was much more distant from Buda than the former, and therefore not
-of such importance to the Ottomans.” When Mohammed Ketkhodá, vezír
-Murád Páshá, Ahmed Aghá, the khán’s vezír, and Hábel Effendí, the cazí
-of Buda, went to the enemy’s camp, as the reader may remember, with the
-view of endeavouring to negotiate a peace between the two belligerent
-powers, the proposals above-mentioned were the principal subjects submitted
-to the consideration of the negotiators; but no settlement of any
-kind at that time was agreed to, and things remained as they had been
-until this period, when the infidels began to show a disposition favourable
-to a cessation of hostilities. Accordingly, ten counts, ornamented with
-golden chains, and the great ministers of state, arrived (probably at Belgrade),
-and gave their consent to the propositions above alluded to, and
-Petcheví Ibrahím Effendí, whose sentiments we are here quoting, was sent
-to the Sublime Porte as the bearer of the propositions for a general pacification.
-Petcheví, on arriving at Constantinople, presented his dispatches
-to the káímakám, and to the reverend mufti, the venerable Siná-allah
-Effendí. Siná-allah Effendí appeared greatly surprised at the nature and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_279" id="Page_279">279</a></span>
-import of the propositions which had been thus submitted; and exclaimed,
-“that they were such as could never be agreed to; that they were
-altogether unfit to be expressed in words; that they were unworthy of ever
-having been thought of,” he therefore rejected them with scorn, and ordered
-the officer who had brought them to retrace his steps, and deliver this
-answer. The messenger obeyed, and met the commander-in-chief in the
-plains of Serim; who having anticipated the result of his mission, and
-without allowing him time to tell the message wherewith he was charged,
-replied abruptly, “we must bear the disgrace;” and, immediately, without
-any further reference to the subject, began to call the messenger’s attention
-to the recent appearance of Botchkai, one of the Transylvanian
-princes, to whose exploits our attention must now be turned.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Concerning Botchkai.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The Germans are of the race of infidels or unbelievers, and a distinct
-and peculiar sect of Christians, who are divided among themselves. The
-principal chief or head of these different tribes of Christians, as they may
-be denominated, has the titles of emperor and Cæsar. The dukes of
-Austria and of Hungary are of the race of the emperor. The Nemcheh,
-or German nation, having acquired a superiority over the rest, subverted
-the whole or most of the fortresses belonging to Ardil (Transylvania)
-and Mejár (Hungary), and have all along, ever since, exercised towards
-these two tribes every species of oppression and tyranny. The Hungarian
-and Transylvanian natives, as well as their nobles, in consequence of the
-humiliating and degrading subjection to which the German tribe had
-reduced them, were obliged, of course, to feign submission to their oppressors;
-but cherished in their minds, nevertheless, the most unquenchable
-hatred and enmity. The Germans, ever since the time they had acquired
-dominion over these two nations, manifested the utmost contempt towards
-them, but especially towards the former. To the princes and nobles of
-Mejár (Hungary) they showed less courtesy and respect than they did to
-even the vilest and lowest among themselves, and made them the objects
-of many indignities and of low reproach: yet the ancient Hungarians,
-unlike their degenerate sons, often repelled the aggressions of their German<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_280" id="Page_280">280</a></span>
-neighbours with evident advantages, and maintained many a bloody battle
-with them.</p>
-
-<p>Things continued much in the same way as we have endeavoured to
-describe, till Botchkai, one of the Hungarian princes, a brave and heroic
-infidel, called together the branches of his family, to whom he addressed
-himself thus: “How long are we patiently to submit to the reproach, as
-well as oppression and tyranny, resulting from a disgraceful subjection to
-these Germans? Thank God, the Ottoman emperors have always proved our
-generous friends. King John took refuge under the wings of the emperor
-Soleimán, and the royal dignity was maintained so long as one of his
-children and grandchildren remained to fill the throne of Hungary. Let
-us follow the heroic example of our ancestor; and when we are once supported
-by the strong arm of the Turks, we shall then be able to take ample
-vengeance on our oppressors.” This sentiment Botchkai urged with all the
-warmth and zeal he was able to put forth, and his speech had the desired
-effect. They unanimously agreed to put themselves under the sheltering
-power of the Ottomans; elected Botchkai to the dignity and prerogatives
-of a king, and appointed him their commander-in-chief. Immediately, or
-at least as soon as they found it convenient, and that was about the middle
-of this present year, they wrote letters to the Moslem general, wherein
-they made a formal offer to put themselves under the protection of the
-Moslem government; that they would be friends to those who were friendly
-to it, and enemies to those who were its enemies; that they agreed to serve
-the emperor of the Ottomans; and that they were ready to draw their
-swords against their German oppressors at his bidding; and requested,
-moreover, the serdár, as soon as he knew their sentiments, to make them
-known to the Moslem government at Constantinople.</p>
-
-<p>The court of Constantinople, on being put in possession of the documents
-relative to the earnest wishes of the Hungarians, not only acquiesced in
-their solicitations, but also sent the most positive instructions to the commanding
-general to enter into an immediate engagement with the petitioners,
-and to assure them of the aid and protection of his government. The
-commanding general lost no time in communicating to Botchkai and his
-associates the views of the Sublime Porte, which had the effect not only of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_281" id="Page_281">281</a></span>
-confirming them in their hatred and enmity towards the Germans, but also
-of increasing, day after day, the number of their followers.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>A battle fought between the Germans and the Hungarians.</i></h3>
-
-<p>On the 27th of Jemadi II. these two sorts of infidels (<i>i.e.</i> the Germans
-and Hungarians) met, and fought a tremendous battle, in which Botchkai,
-supported by Ottoman arms, was completely victorious. More than ten
-thousand Germans fell on the field of battle, and their heads, besides
-a number of prisoners and several standards, he transmitted to the Moslem
-royal camp. The Moslem general eulogized the Hungarian hero for his
-uncommon bravery, and sent him a sword and a robe of honour as tokens
-of his high esteem for him, which, of course, had the effect of stimulating
-him in his career to greater deeds of valour. Warad, which had been
-wrested from the Hungarians, and which Satúrjí Mohammed Páshá had
-endeavoured in vain to reconquer, as before observed, fell into the hands of
-Botchkai, who put every infidel German he found in it to the sword. He
-dispersed or overcame with immense loss to the enemy every army the
-Germans brought to oppose him. He reduced the city and fortress of Tokay;
-subdued Wakasha, and took several German provinces; and in a very short
-period, the greater portion of Hungary fell under his dominion. Still bent
-on further conquest, Botchkai sent a number of princes he had taken
-prisoners, and also some splendid presents, to the Moslem general, accompanied
-by letters requesting further aid against the Germans; in compliance
-with which request, the Moslem commander ordered four thousand
-Tátárs under the command of a nephew of Toktamish Gheráí to accompany
-Bektásh Páshá, and a portion of the feudatory troops under him, to his
-assistance. On the same occasion, or soon afterwards, a diploma for exercising
-regal authority over Transylvania, a robe of honour, some ammunition
-and standards were also sent him on the part of the Ottoman government.</p>
-
-<p>The rise and exploits of Botchkai are, however, differently related.
-Petcheví says, that the former emír, with whom Botchkai had been
-conjoined, was taken prisoner by the infidels, the Germans, but had
-made his escape. One day, as he was dressing his garden, Botchkai began
-to converse with the ex-emir about the Germans, when the other replied:<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_282" id="Page_282">282</a></span>
-“Send me to the Ottoman general, and I promise you I will bring the
-whole of the Moslem army to your assistance; and, moreover, I pledge
-myself to get you made king of Transylvania.”</p>
-
-<p>The speaker, it may be observed in passing, had himself some thoughts
-of throwing off the German yoke some time before this, and it was for a
-rumour of this kind which had reached the ear of the emperor of Austria
-that he had been imprisoned; but as no sufficient evidence of this his intention
-had been produced, he was set at liberty. But to return. Botchkai
-replied that the inhabitants of the country were in general Christians, and
-would not on that very account humble themselves so far as to put themselves
-under the Turks. “Why,” said the ex-emir, “they did so in the
-days of Soleimán, and it was well with them. Why not do it at this
-time?” After having conversed for some time on this subject, Botchkai
-yielded to the advice of his adviser and sent him to the vezír; who was
-introduced to his excellency by Mohammed Páshá’s nephew, at that time
-interpreter to Bektásh Páshá. He spent a few days in secret consultation
-with his excellency, to whom he explained the object of his mission, and
-then returned. But it was not till after three or four such interviews
-were held and a contract entered into, that Botchkai unfurled the
-standard of rebellion against the emperor of Austria. It was not, moreover,
-till Botchkai had completely subdued the whole of the German
-fortresses on both sides of the river Tise (Tibiscus), that he came forward
-to seek that aid from the Muselmans which, no doubt, had been promised
-him.</p>
-
-<p>The emperor of Austria was no sooner apprized of Botchkai’s revolt, than
-he sent a person of the name of Báshtái Yúrkí with German forces to
-chastise the rebel; but the former were totally defeated in the very first engagement.
-Botchkai, in the meantime, having received a reinforcement of
-Tátár and Temiswar troops from the grand vezír, his courage was amazingly
-increased, and he followed up his victory with rapidity and zeal. Every
-town and village which owned subjection to the German despot he exposed
-to all the horrors of war and rapine, and returned with immense booty,
-and joined the Moslem army in the capacity of a vassal of the Ottoman
-empire.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_283" id="Page_283">283</a></span></p>
-
-<p>The promise which the vezír had made to obtain for him the royalty
-of Hungary (not of Transylvania, as before mentioned) he also punctually
-fulfilled after he returned to Constantinople, as we shall afterwards see.
-Gúzelcheh Mahmúd Páshá, who, in consequence of the part he had acted
-in the tumult which had taken place in the affair of Yemishjí Hasan Páshá,
-as formerly mentioned, had fled in disguise, and had lived all this interval
-in a sort of monastery or cell belonging to some Súfis, received
-his majesty’s pardon, was raised to the dignity of his former vezírship,
-and afterwards married Ayesha Sultána, the widow of the late Yemishjí
-Hasan Páshá, for whom he paid a dowry of four thousand akchas (pieces of
-money).</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Concerning the defeat of Kásim Páshá.</i></h3>
-
-<p>We noticed sometime ago, that Kásim Páshá, on the 22d of Rabia II.,
-had been appointed to the government of Baghdád. We referred particularly
-also to his conduct towards Alí Páshá, and to the tyranny and oppression
-he had exercised at Scutari. In the neighbourhood of Brúsa, whither
-he had gone after leaving, or rather after he was obliged to leave Scutari,
-he committed the same kind of shameless excesses he had been guilty of in
-other places. Complaints against his cruelty and tyranny having been laid
-before the emperor, a bostánjí báshí was forthwith dispatched with orders
-to cut him off, but who was so overawed by the páshá that he had not the resolution
-to fulfil his mission. The grand vezír, because he did not obey the order
-of government, removed the bostánjí báshí from his office, and appointed
-Dervísh Aghá, ketkhodá of the bostánjís, in his stead. This is the same
-Dervísh Aghá who afterwards obtained a near access to the emperor’s ear,
-and was made páshá for the important services he had rendered to the
-state. But to proceed. Kásim Páshá not only escaped the snare which
-had been laid for him, and the death he ought to have suffered, but was
-actually appointed to the government of Kutahia. Here he also manifested
-a spirit of carelessness and indifference, which eventually entailed
-upon him the punishment which had formerly been meditated against
-him. In order, however, to make sure of this, it was considered wise
-to send him a royal letter appointing him to the deputyship of Constan<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_284" id="Page_284">284</a></span>tinople,
-in room of Háfiz Páshá, and an invitation to him to return and
-take possession of that office. Confiding in the royal letter Kásim returned
-to Constantinople, and was hardly one day in office, when he received three
-royal communications on important affairs, which, at once, had the effect
-of clearing away all doubt from his mind as to his being firmly fixed in the
-deputyship. This being the case, as he believed, he that very day appointed
-his predecessor Háfiz Páshá, third vezír. Ibrahím Aghá he made
-master of the horse, and Mím Ibrahím his remembrancer. About supper-time
-Chobán Soleimán, chief of the royal messengers, waited upon the
-new deputy, and informed him that on the following morning a council was
-to be held in the royal presence; and also that the emperor’s chaplain, the
-mufti, the vezírs, and other magnates of the state, had all been invited to
-attend. Accordingly, at daybreak next morning Kásim Páshá proceeded
-to the diván with great pomp and ceremony. On entering into the royal
-presence, and before all who were present, he advanced towards the emperor
-and did obeisance. The emperor, without any sort of preamble,
-began immediately to question him with respect to his conduct in neglecting
-to obey his royal mandates on more occasions than one. Kásim was confounded,
-and could find nothing to say in reply: to vindicate himself was
-impossible. The emperor then turned to the high-priest and consulted
-with him as to the nature of the guilt and crime with which Kásim stood
-chargeable, and from which he could in no way clear himself, when the
-reverend prelate gave it forth as his verdict, that Kásim should be put to
-death. This sentence had scarcely been pronounced, when, on a signal
-having been given, in rushed a number of bostánjís, who instantly severed
-Kásim Páshá’s head from his body. His carcass, by imperial orders, was
-carried in a dray and thrown into a ditch before the gates of Adrianople.
-Thus ended the eventful life of this ambitious and turbulent páshá.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Sárukjí Mustafa Páshá is made deputy of Constantinople.—Other promotions
-take place.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Immediately after Kásim Páshá was dispatched, as we have just now
-related, the emperor of sublime dignity and glory turned to Sárukjí Mustafa
-Páshá, and appointed him to the deputyship or káímakámship of Constan<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_285" id="Page_285">285</a></span>tinople,
-saying, in the presence of the whole council, that if he should be
-found guilty of any maladministration, he should deal with him as he had
-done to him that was lying before him—pointing to the body of Kásim
-Páshá—and thus warned him of his danger. After this solemn address
-to the new deputy the council broke up, and every one went to his own
-house.</p>
-
-<p>The new deputy, Sárukjí Mustafa Páshá, began his administration by
-effecting various changes in the different departments of the palace. Gúrjí
-Mohammed Páshá, chief eunuch in the royal harem, he raised to the
-dignity of third vezír; who, in consequence of this promotion, had it in his
-power to advance and befriend his own friends. Dávud Páshá, chief of
-the kapújís, and Mustafa Aghá, grand master of the horse, were, in about
-a week or two afterwards, exalted to the dignity of vezírs, and were married
-to two of Sultán Mohammed Khán’s daughters. Nukásh Hasan Aghá,
-who had been deposed from the command of the janissaries for his pusillanimity,
-came to Islambol, where his friends had interested themselves
-in his favour. He was created beglerbeg of Romeili, and soon afterwards
-was raised to the dignity of vezír. This deputy, amongst his other acts
-of administration, secured above a million of money to the royal treasury;
-and, in fact, every person wondered at the changes and alterations he had
-effected.</p>
-
-<p>Towards the end of Jemadi II. a messenger arrived from Egypt, bringing
-to the court of Constantinople the sad intelligence that the Egyptian
-troops had murdered Hájí Ibrahím Páshá. The eunuch, Gúrjí Mohammed
-Páshá, who had lately been raised to the rank of <i>third</i> vezír, was
-appointed válí of Egypt in the room of the deceased. The galley in which
-the new válí had embarked reached the port of Alexandria in one week’s
-time; and after having entered upon the government of Egypt, he put to
-death every individual of those who had been in any way involved in
-the tumult in which his predecessor had perished. By force of arms he
-established peace throughout the whole of his jurisdiction, attended to the
-state of the finances, and inspired all ranks with terror.</p>
-
-<p>On the 25th of Rajab the válí of Romeili, Hasan Páshá, was advanced
-to the rank of fourth vezír; Hasan Aghá, the brother of Tarnákjí Páshá,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_286" id="Page_286">286</a></span>
-was, in the same month, made commander of the janissaries. The government
-of Algiers was conferred on Mustafa Aghá, who had been chief of the
-eunuchs in the days of Selím II.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Sárukjí Mustafa Páshá is murdered.—Súfí Sinán succeeds him.</i></h3>
-
-<p>It was not very long after Sárukjí Mustafa Páshá had entered on the
-duties of his office as deputy of Constantinople, when some violence began
-to be manifested by the troops on account of the pay which was due to
-them. Whilst the lord high treasurer, Mohammed Páshá, son of Músá
-Chelebí, was straining every nerve to meet the demands of the military,
-some of his enemies had an interview with the emperor’s chaplain, who
-lodged accusations with his excellency the deputy against him. The deputy,
-not perceiving the evil that was soon to happen to himself, deposed
-him and appointed one Háfiz Mahmúd to succeed him; a man who was
-every way unfit for so high and important a situation as that of chief treasurer,
-and one, too, whom the emperor abhorred. The deputy’s infatuation
-did not stop here; he endeavoured, with all his might, to get Siná-allah
-Effendí, the reverend mufti, removed from his spiritual jurisdiction, and to
-place Mohammed Effendí, the eldest son of Khojeh, in his stead. The
-reverend mufti no sooner received intelligence of the deputy’s manœuvres,
-than he immediately entered, with the emperor’s chaplain, into a conspiracy
-against the life of Sárukjí Páshá. They used every means they could think
-of to blacken his character in the opinion of the emperor, and succeeded
-but too well in exciting his displeasure against him. One day, as he went
-on some business connected with his office to the royal palace, he was desired
-to wait on his majesty; but on his retiring he was seized, an executioner
-was called, and in an instant his head was cut off. His body was
-thrown into a well in the court of the diván,<a name="FNanchor_14_14" id="FNanchor_14_14"></a><a href="#Footnote_14_14" class="fnanchor">14</a> and Súfí Sinán Páshá was
-appointed káímakám in his stead.</p>
-
-<p>Gúzelcheh Mahmúd Páshá, who had been restored to favour and was
-raised to a vezírship, again fell under his majesty’s displeasure, and was
-degraded. This took place on the 12th of the <i>first</i> Rabia, and Nesúh
-<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_287" id="Page_287">287</a></span>Páshá, who had been removed from the government of Aleppo, was appointed
-to succeed him in the vezírship, and also to the command of the
-army employed in Anatolia in quelling the rebellion in that quarter. On
-the 2d of Dhu’l kadah, Nukásh Hasan Páshá, beglerbeg of Romeili, reached
-the rank and dignity of vezír, and Tarú Hasan Páshá was confirmed in the
-above government.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The emperor goes to hunt.—Sultán Osmán Khán is born.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The emperor, who was exceedingly fond of the chace, went out with his
-friends and great men on the 11th of Jemadi II., <i>i.e.</i> on the 24th of Teshrín
-evel (a Syro-macedonian month, October), to enjoy the pleasures of the
-chace in the country round about the gardens of Romeili, in the vicinity of
-Constantinople.</p>
-
-<p>During the time the grand sultán was enjoying the pleasures which the
-chace afforded him, the ághá of the royal house arrived and announced
-to his majesty the joyful intelligence of the birth of a son, which filled
-every heart with the sincerest joy. When the young prince was afterwards
-named Sultán Osmán, seven days and seven nights were dedicated, by an
-imperial firmán, to rejoicings. On the 17th of Shevál, which was the
-26th of Shubat (a Syro-macedonian month corresponding to February),
-Sultán Mohammed was also born to him.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The grand vezír, Lálá Mohammed Páshá, returns to Constantinople.</i></h3>
-
-<p>We lately left Lálá Mohammed Páshá, the reader will remember, at Belgrade.
-From this frontier city he was suddenly recalled to court, and
-reached the Sublime Porte on the 20th of Ramazán, when his majesty condescended
-to show him very many expressions of kindness and respect.
-On the 20th of Shabán, Káfzádeh Feizallah Effendí was translated from the
-jurisdiction of Anatolia and made military judge of Romeili, being succeeded
-in Anatolia by Yehiá Effendí of Constantinople. About the end
-of the month of Dhu’l hijja Káfzádeh Effendí, at the request of the grand
-vezír, was degraded, and Yehiá Effendí was made military judge in his
-room. Kemál Effendí succeeded to the jurisdiction of Anatolia. Fatimah,
-the daughter of Sultán Murád Khán, and the widow of Khalíl Páshá, was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_288" id="Page_288">288</a></span>
-contracted in marriage to vezír Murád Páshá, who commanded on the banks
-of the Danube, and who was recalled to Constantinople.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Continuation of the affairs in the East.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The state of matters in the eastern provinces became every day more
-desperate. Kalander Oghlí and Karah Seyed, two notorious rebels, laid
-waste the whole of the country round Aïdín and Sarúkhán, perpetrating
-every excess and committing every evil they were able against the followers
-of Mohammed. In one quarter Túyel Khalíl, and one Sachlí in another,
-created, by their cruelties, alarm and terror in almost every district throughout
-Anatolia. In consequence of these very awful disasters, inflicted by
-bands of ruthless barbarians, letters from all quarters flowed into the
-government, beseeching it for aid and protection against these lawless and
-merciless hordes. The káímakám, Súfí Sinán Páshá, taking the matter into
-earnest consideration, waited one day on his imperial majesty, and insisted
-with him, in the most urgent manner, that one of the vezírs should be appointed
-commander-in-chief of the army in Anatolia. His majesty, in the
-presence of the whole of his nobles, appointed Dávud Páshá, and urged
-him to make no delay. Dávud Páshá, however, excused himself, but afterwards
-began to make preparations. In the meantime Kejdehán Alí Páshá,
-beglerbeg of Anatolia, was ordered to proceed with the whole of the provincial
-army of Anatolia, and join Jeghala Zádeh, the commander-in-chief
-in the east. He was further ordered to unite in his march with Nesúh
-Páshá, who protected the frontiers; and both were ordered to march together
-with their respective armies, and overthrow the rebels, whose
-excesses were become altogether without limits. Kejdehán Alí Páshá proceeded
-according to orders; attached his troops to those of Nesúh Páshá,
-and marched together to meet the rebels under Túyel, who had conquered
-the greater part of Caramania and Anatolia. This rebel army they met in
-the plains of Bolawadin; but the result of the meeting of these two hostile
-armies we must defer relating till we enter on the affairs of the following
-year, which we shall immediately commence.</p>
-<hr />
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_289" id="Page_289">289</a></span></p>
-
-<h2><span class="smcap">EVENTS of the Year 1014, II.</span></h2>
-
-
-<p>It having been considered of the last importance to ascertain the actual
-state of the Hungarian frontiers, Mohammed Páshá was granted full power
-over the troops, and to employ them in any way he thought proper. It
-was also the emperor’s declared determination and wish that Osterghún
-should be reconquered from the enemy if possible. With this view Hasan
-Aghá, Tarnákjí’s brother, and ághá of the janissaries, was appointed to proceed
-with a large body of janissaries to Belgrade, and afterwards join the
-commander-in-chief at Buda. This body of troops left Constantinople on
-the 27th of Dhu’l hijja, and halted at Dávud Páshá for the purpose of
-making some further arrangements for the journey. Abdul Bákí Effendí
-was appointed treasurer to the army; Etmekjí Zádeh had been sent to
-Romeili to collect the taxes; Súfí Sinán Páshá having been in full power,
-and deputy of the Sublime Porte, sent Dávud Páshá to command the garrison
-of Kostamúní; and Nesúh Páshá was made commander in Anatolia,
-and appointed to protect the Ottoman boundaries in that quarter.</p>
-
-<p>Hasan Aghá, after having remained a week at Dávud Páshá, recommenced
-his march towards Belgrade, which place he reached about the
-latter end of the month Sefer. Having refreshed his troops and attended
-to the other necessary preparations for prosecuting his march to Buda,
-he left Belgrade and passed the plains of Zimún for that fortress on
-the 4th of Rabia II. The whole army assembled at Usk, where a council
-of war was held. The commander-in-chief proposed for the consultation of
-the counsellors, what measure ought first to be adopted for securing the
-desired success? The borderers and several of the chiefs of the army thought
-it was by all means most advisable to proceed directly to Buda and Alba
-Julia, and check the progress of the enemy in those quarters, or at least
-protect them against any assault which the enemy might threaten. Information
-had already arrived, they said, which fully announced the threatening
-aspect the enemy was assuming with regard to both these places.
-The enemy, they were aware, was making every preparation in Komran
-for renewing hostilities, and already had acquired some success. It was
-their imperative duty, continued the speakers, to march immediately to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_290" id="Page_290">290</a></span>
-Buda and Alba Julia, and protect these places against the enemy of their
-country and of their faith. Such were the arguments employed on one
-side of the question. Others, however, opposed them, and argued differently.
-They, in the weakness of their judgment, maintained that Buda
-and Alba Julia were places of strength, and well furnished with the means
-of self-defence; so much so, indeed, they said, that the enemy had given
-up all hope of succeeding against them. These two places, the objects of
-so much concern and anxiety, therefore, might very well, and without any
-danger, they maintained, be left to their own resources. But there is Mekamúriah,
-said these trifling advocates. It presented a fine field for enriching
-the army: the inhabitants were in a state of quietness, and no way in
-a capacity to offer resistance: they were rich. Let, therefore, the army,
-reiterated these orators, march into Mekamúriah without delay.</p>
-
-<p>This motion was vigorously opposed by the opposite party, and many
-arguments were adduced to show the danger that would arise if adopted
-and acted upon: but the majority of the council was in favour of it; and
-for no other reason, but that it promised to satisfy their thirst for wealth.
-The commander-in-chief yielded to the majority, ordered the janissaries to
-proceed towards Kaniza, not very distant from which lay the country of
-Mekamúriah, and resolved on following them, on the next day, with the
-body of the grand army acting under his command.</p>
-
-<p>Having given his orders he waited on the venerable cazí who accompanied
-the camp, Ahmed Effendí, and informed him of the resolution
-the council had adopted, and requested him to give his opinion. The reverend
-prelate expressed, in no unmeasured terms, his entire disapprobation
-of that resolution. “It is no mark of sound judgment,” said the
-venerable man, “to adopt a method which leaves in our rear the enemy
-watching our movements, whilst we are pursuing an uncertain object from
-motives of ambition. Moreover, it is entirely contrary to the will of the
-emperor, who expressly declared that it was his utmost wish that we
-should, in the first instance, attempt the reduction of Osterghún. Having
-had, therefore, the emperor’s mind on the subject, it is as clear as day that
-nothing could be more improper than to pursue the plan which has been
-adopted, and, in part, acted upon. If, in prosecuting your present plan, so<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_291" id="Page_291">291</a></span>
-much as one village belonging to the Ottoman empire should fall into the hands
-of the enemy, you will find yourself at a loss to give any satisfactory answer
-when you happen to be interrogated on that point. I would observe, moreover,
-that only about eighty days remain for continuing this campaign, and
-that should you, in pursuance of the resolution of the council, follow the
-course which promises to enrich the soldiery, no less than twenty or thirty
-days will be necessary for this purpose. The soldiery, bent on acquiring
-spoil, will pay no regard to your commands when once they are let loose
-after plunder. They will become disunited and scattered; neither can you
-expect that this year you will ever induce them again to act as a regular military
-force. If, in these circumstances, the enemy should commence their
-hostile movements, with whom, let me ask you, will you march to meet
-them? What preparations can you effect? What aid can you command?
-Now, however, that you have time and troops at command, turn your
-thoughts towards Osterghún, and endeavour at least to fulfil the emperor’s
-express desire. If you attend to this advice, though you should even fail
-in the attempt, you are sure to escape reproach.” The clear and cogent
-mode of the worthy prelate’s reasoning made a very deep impression on the
-mind of the commanding general; in short, he was like one awakened from
-sleep. The arguments of the priest carried irresistible conviction, and the
-general was no longer in doubt as to the line of conduct he ought to pursue.
-He immediately resolved on proceeding to Buda, countermanded the march
-of the janissaries, who by that time had marched a stage on their way towards
-Kaniza, and made arrangements for laying siege to Osterghún.</p>
-
-<p>The reverend priest acted in the transactions we have alluded to without
-the least fear of blame or reproach. His open and manly conduct, so utterly
-void of any thing like hypocrisy, was such as threw a glory and dignity
-around his sacred office and character, and secured him the high approbation
-of the vezír himself, and all others. Petcheví relates this account
-somewhat differently, and Káteb Chelebí, in his Fezliké, confirms his view
-of the matter, but it is of no importance to show wherein the two accounts
-differ.</p>
-
-<p>The commanding general having resolved, as we have seen, on laying
-siege to Osterghún, the army commenced its march towards that place.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_292" id="Page_292">292</a></span>
-The beglerbeg of Bosnia, with the troops under his command, was ordered
-forward to Buda. Twenty-five pieces of artillery, thirty thousand balls,
-ten thousand talents of gunpowder and other ammunition were transported
-in boats towards the place which was soon destined to become the scene of
-action and of blood. The spáhís and janissaries, on reaching the plains of
-Mehaj, were all furnished with the weapons peculiar to each, and about the
-middle of Rabia II. the Moslem camp was pitched in the vicinity of Osterghún.
-On the same day, also, on which they had pitched their tents every
-disposition for commencing hostilities was quickly and promptly attended
-to. On one side of Osterghún was a high hill whereon stood a considerable
-castle; and it being probable that a secret way from it to the city might
-be discovered, by which much mischief to the besiegers might be avoided,
-Mustafa Páshá, beglerbeg of Buda, was ordered, with a body of troops,
-to assault this fortress or castle, called Dipadilin, which he did on all
-sides. Jegirdilin, another fortress or castle, in connection with Osterghún,
-and with which the Moslems had become well acquainted in a former
-siege, was also subjected to the operations of war. Vishégrade, situate
-somewhere on the Danube between Osterghún and Wáj, and which
-could easily prevent provisions or stores being transported by water to
-the aid of the Moslem army, was, after a short siege, allowed to capitulate.
-Khádem Khosrú Páshá, the beglerbeg of Bosnia, who commanded
-at the siege of Vishégrade, found the garrison was composed of those
-Franks whom the Pope had sent in aid of the Germans, as formerly
-mentioned, and who had been distributed into the different forts in the
-hands of the Austrians. Like their brethren, the Franks at Alba Julia,
-they entered voluntarily, and on similar terms, the service of the grand
-sultán. At the commencement of the siege their number amounted to
-more than a thousand, but most of them perished before they had agreed
-to capitulate.</p>
-
-<p>We now return to Dipadilin. Vishégrade having been disposed of in the
-way now related, part of Khosrú Páshá’s troops, and the Franks above-mentioned,
-were sent to join the troops employed under the beglerbeg of
-Buda against Dipadilin. This augmentation of force so terrified the besieged
-that they became discouraged; but the hearts and hands of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_293" id="Page_293">293</a></span>
-Moslems were so mightily strengthened by it, that on the 6th of Jemadi II.,
-the sixth day of the siege, after the hour of morning devotions, they fired
-off three large guns, and all at once rushed forward to a general assault.
-It so happened, by the providence of God, that the morning was very
-dark and hazy; so much so, indeed, that objects could hardly be seen
-at the shortest distance; and thus the Moslems entered the place before
-they were discovered. Not only this place, but, in short, every other
-between it and Osterghún, in the short space of this one day, fell into
-the hands of the Moslem conquerors. Not one of the infidels in any
-of these different places escaped with his life: more than four thousand,
-it was said, perished. The count, who commanded in Osterghún, came
-forth to stimulate and encourage the infidels to oppose the Moslems,
-but he never returned: his body was found among the slain. A number
-of troops, and a quantity of provisions and other stores, which had been
-advancing by the Danube to the aid of the Moslems, but which, on
-account of the infidels in Vishégrade, were hindered from reaching their
-destination, were at once, by the fall of that place, allowed to proceed.
-The troops on board, having received intimation from the commander who
-carried on the siege of Vishégrade, disembarked, took up their quarters
-in a small island, attacked those of the enemy who had been employed in
-menacing them whenever they offered to sail forward, and slew about two
-hundred of them. These and the other troops now joined their brethren
-who were set down before Osterghún itself, the downfall of which was the
-principal object in the Moslem army’s taking the field this year.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Osterghún set fire to.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The janissaries having extended their trenches, on one side, to within
-a small distance of the city or suburbs, and as the cannon placed on the
-hill Dipadilin were kept constantly firing on the city and fortress, the
-commanding general, in pressing the siege, ordered the palanka of the city
-or suburbs to be set fire to. When the besieged perceived this palanka on
-fire many of them rushed forth and endeavoured to extinguish it, but not
-one of those who did so ever returned again.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_294" id="Page_294">294</a></span></p>
-
-<h3><i>The city and fortress taken.</i></h3>
-
-<p>On the 16th of Jemadi II. three successive general assaults were made,
-in the last of which the city was taken, and two thousand infidels that were
-found in it were immediately dispatched to the flames of hell. Mustafa
-Páshá, who had vanquished Dipadilin, was sent to reduce a tower called the
-Water Tower; which he did completely. On the 10th day, after taking
-possession of the city or suburbs, another assault was announced to the
-troops, who prepared for the onset. The enemy’s troops within the fortress
-perceiving with what determined perseverance the besiegers were animated,
-and fully convinced they should not be able to resist an assault, if it were
-attempted, but which they had every reason to anticipate, they, in this
-hopeless condition, offered to capitulate. When this proposal of the
-besieged was announced to the commanding general, he sent his confidant
-Petcheví Ibrahím Effendí,<a name="FNanchor_15_15" id="FNanchor_15_15"></a><a href="#Footnote_15_15" class="fnanchor">15</a> the person who first informed him of the
-proposal of the enemy, to settle the articles of capitulation. These he
-settled in conformity to ancient custom. On the 21st of the month, five
-thousand four hundred miserable-looking wretches issued forth from the
-citadel, loaded with what private property they were able to carry—which
-they had been allowed to take with them—were put on board transports,
-and sent off to their own infidel country. One of their chief captains,
-however, embraced the Moslem religion, and was much caressed and
-befriended by the commanding general. All the Franks in Osterghún
-who followed the example of their brethren, who had lately entered the
-service of the grand sultán, shared the same immunities as those formerly
-mentioned. The injuries which Osterghún and Dipadilin had sustained
-in the siege were ordered to be forthwith repaired. The noble temple
-of Osterghún, which had been desecrated ever since the enemy had entered
-the city, and filled with their abominations, was also ordered to be purified;
-divine service according to Mohammedan usage was performed in it.
-A sufficient garrison was appointed: Petcheví Ibrahím Effendí and two
-other officers were sent off for Constantinople with intelligence of the
-<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_295" id="Page_295">295</a></span>splendid victory gained over the infidels; and in consideration of which,
-each spáhí received two, and each foot soldier one piece of money. The
-commanding general, after this distribution of money among his troops had
-taken place, directed his course towards Buda and Belgrade.</p>
-
-<p>There can be no doubt that the fall of Osterghún contributed very
-much to induce the court of Vienna to submit, or rather to offer the conditions
-which they not long afterwards forwarded to the court of Constantinople.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Progress of Botchkai.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Botchkai, of whom we have before spoken, when thoroughly strengthened
-and supported by Ottoman forces, nothing withstood him: he was every
-where victorious. During the time that the Moslem general was employed
-in the reduction of Osterghún, Botchkai formed the design of
-laying siege to the fortress of Uivár, and therefore requested to be supplied
-with Moslem troops for that purpose. In accordance with this
-request Sinán Páshá, the beglerbeg of Agria, the princes of Serim, of
-Alasha Hisár, of Semendria, and the prince of Terhalah with a thousand
-Tátárs and a body of Circassians, were sent to his assistance. Botchkai
-committed the command of his army to an infidel of the name of Humnaí,
-a Hungarian prince. Bektásh Páshá, formerly mentioned, was also engaged
-in the siege of Uivár. One thousand of the janissaries who had been
-engaged in the siege of Osterghún, and a considerable number of provincial
-troops, under the Khosrú Páshá, beglerbeg of Bosnia, were afterwards
-sent forward to Uivár; over whom, as well as over those Moslem
-troops already sent, he was made chief commander. Uivár, however,
-though at first it showed some little courage, soon submitted to Botchkai,
-who having expressed a desire that it should remain under his dominion,
-the commanding general, in conformity with the promise which had
-been made to him with regard to making him ruler of Mejár or Ardil,
-or both, deputed Teryákí Hasan Páshá to accompany Ahmed Effendí,
-the priest of the camp, and formally to install Botchkai in the possession
-of Uivár.</p>
-
-<p>About this same period, Teryákí Hasan Páshá was sent with a division of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_296" id="Page_296">296</a></span>
-the Romeilian troops to reduce Besperim and Polatah. The last of
-these only he subjected to the Moslem yoke, and afterwards returned and
-joined the royal camp in the vicinity of Buda. The beglerbeg of Buda,
-Bosniak Mustafa Páshá, in the meantime, was degraded, and his beglerbegship
-was conferred on Alí Páshá son of Kází Zádeh, ruler of Silistria.
-The jurisdictions or sanjáks of Semendria, of Nicopolis, of Silistria, of
-Chormin, and of Wiza, were all put under the guardianship of the garrison
-of Buda.</p>
-
-<p>After the fortress, which had been reduced, had been all repaired, the
-victorious general made preparations for returning to Belgrade.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Botchkai pays a visit to the commanding General.</i></h3>
-
-<p>When the grand vezír, Lálá Mohammed Páshá, returned, last year, to Constantinople,
-he did not forget to lay before his royal master a statement of
-the promise or engagements he, as the organ of the Ottoman government, had
-entered into with Botchkai; the result of which was a splendid crown,
-valued at three thousand ducats, and, moreover, richly studded with
-precious stones, for Botchkai. One Seyed Mohammed was sent to Botchkai
-from the commanding general, to inform him of what was going on
-in his favour, and to invite him to wait upon him. The commanding
-general, who at this time was encamped near Pest, no sooner heard of the
-near approach of Botchkai, who, in obedience to the invitation sent him,
-was coming to wait on him, than he ordered a splendid royal pavilion,
-handsomely adorned with fine curtains, to be erected for his royal visitor.
-The whole of the troops were ordered to stand under arms, and in
-proper order to receive him. The flooring of the pavilion was made
-of precious odoriferous wood or planks; and, in short, every thing suitable
-to the dignity of the approaching monarch was punctually attended
-to. At length Botchkai, attended by a guard of ten thousand Hungarians,
-besides many distinguished princes, arrived in the Moslem camp, and
-went immediately to pay his respects to the commanding general. The
-splendid and highly valuable crown, above referred to, was brought forth
-and placed on his head by the hands of the general. A richly-ornamented
-sword was presented him on the same occasion: and immediately afterwards<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_297" id="Page_297">297</a></span>
-he was declared to be raised, by Ottoman imperial munificence, to the
-sovereignty of Hungary. The banners and standards, which the Ottoman
-government condescended to send him, were presented to him in due form.
-Botchkai made all due acknowledgment for the dignity and honour conferred
-on him, kissed the commanding general’s hand, and said: “We are
-now become the emperor’s servants. Those who are hired with money,
-serve generally out of fear of reproach or of punishment; but we, inasmuch
-as we are favoured servants, still manifest the most genuine and cheerful
-obedience.” Thus, the contract first made with Botchkai was fully ratified
-and signed; the field-pieces in the camp were fired in token of joy; great
-demonstrations of heartfelt pleasure were every where, throughout the
-camp, instituted, and cheerfully observed; and Botchkai, now created
-king of Hungary, took leave of his friends and returned to his newly-acquired
-dominions.</p>
-
-<p>Botchkai, after he was advanced to the rank and dignity of a sovereign
-prince, contributed very much to the welfare of the Moslem religion. So
-much so, indeed, that the infidel Germans, who were filled with hatred
-against him, when they found it impossible to take him in open battle,
-endeavoured by every means they could devise to poison him, which
-at last they accomplished.</p>
-
-<p>When tidings of the death of Botchkai reached the Sublime Porte, the
-government proceeded to make choice of another of the Transylvanian
-princes to succeed him in the sovereignty of Transylvania,<a name="FNanchor_16_16" id="FNanchor_16_16"></a><a href="#Footnote_16_16" class="fnanchor">16</a> and Batori
-Ghabor was the one who was elevated to that dignity. The elevation of
-Batori Ghabor, as now hinted, had the effect of widening the breach
-between Turkey and Austria, but it eventually led to the latter’s negociating
-for peace.</p>
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_298" id="Page_298">298</a></span></p>
-<p>The commanding general, who unfortunately became indisposed, remained
-a few days in Buda arranging and settling matters with his servants,
-appointed the celebrated hero Hasan Páshá, beglerbeg of Romeili, commandant
-of Buda, and set out for Belgrade. On reaching this city, he
-paid off the troops, and allowed them to return to their own provinces;
-but he himself spent the winter there, where he enjoyed all the pleasures of
-life.</p>
-
-<p>The Moslem army, by the assistance of God, achieved this year the
-advantages and triumph which they sought. This one campaign brought
-them more glory than any one of the preceding twelve. In fact, the Moslems
-accomplished more this year than they had done in all the others put
-together: so wonderfully successful had they been. The wealth they had
-acquired was altogether unprecedented in the history of their wars with the
-northern infidels.</p>
-
-<p>The exalted commanding general, after having gone to Belgrade, as before
-mentioned, procured double pay for the troops. Petcheví Ibrahím Effendí
-was appointed to see the distribution properly attended to.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Peace is proposed by the Archduke Mathias.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Botchkai, of whom we have had a great deal to say, vexed and distressed
-the Austrians to the very utmost; which at last had the effect of inducing the
-Archduke Mathias, who was at that time in Vienna, when he perceived the
-danger which threatened to subvert from him the whole of his dominions,
-to send an embassy to the Moslem commander-in-chief. He clearly saw
-that his troops were not able to resist the superior force of the Ottomans,
-or withstand the powerful and vigorous hostility of Botchkai. His only
-army in Transylvania also was on the very point of being surrounded.
-When made aware of all these alarming circumstances, he sent the embassy
-alluded to, and, at the same time, informed the emperor his brother,
-who was at Prague, the capital of Bohemia, of what he had done.
-He stated in his communications to the emperor, that if a treaty of peace
-was not agreed upon he should by degrees be stripped of all his dominions
-in Hungary. “Part of them would fall,” he said, “under the Turks, and
-the rest would be trampled under the feet of Transylvanian cavalry.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_299" id="Page_299">299</a></span>”
-The emperor, well aware that peace was every way desirable, expressed
-his approbation of the steps Mathias had taken to bring about so very
-requisite an object.</p>
-
-<p>The emperor, however, in conformity to the principles of his vain religion,
-applied to the ungracious Pope of Rome for his advice, who expressed
-himself altogether hostile to the measure proposed. This audacious pope<a name="FNanchor_17_17" id="FNanchor_17_17"></a><a href="#Footnote_17_17" class="fnanchor">17</a>
-had the hardihood and wickedness to write back to the emperor, desiring
-him to get his brother to withdraw the proposals he had made, or if he refused
-to do so, to kill him. Such was the advice of the pope.</p>
-
-<p>The emperor informed his brother of the sentiments which his holiness
-had expressed, and urged him in the strongest manner to pay implicit
-regard to them: assured him, moreover, that it was of much more consequence
-to him to have the prince of religion on his side, than any relative,
-however near to him; and therefore conjured him to continue the war.
-Mathias replied, that it was of the utmost moment to him to have peace on
-any terms; that preliminaries had been entered into, and that he was determined
-not to recede.</p>
-
-<p>In the meantime Mathias collected what Hungarian and Transylvanian
-forces he was able, who, when united with the troops he had sent to protect
-his Transylvanian dominions, formed a very considerable army. With
-this army he purposed advancing upon Prague, but the death of the emperor,<a name="FNanchor_18_18" id="FNanchor_18_18"></a><a href="#Footnote_18_18" class="fnanchor">18</a>
-which happened at this time, put a stop to this warlike attempt.</p>
-
-<p>The death of the emperor changed the aspect of affairs in relation to
-Mathias altogether, and bound him, in consequence of the law of succession,
-to respect the unworthy injunctions of the pope. This pope, to
-reproach and mortify Mathias for having offered conditions of peace to the
-Turks, raised Maximilian, a younger brother, an infidel, to the imperial
-dignity, to the exclusion of the lawful heir. It was that very same Maximilian,
-who, with his 70,000 infidels, was defeated before Agria by the heroic
-Sultán Ahmed Khán; that same Maximilian who hardly escaped from the
-<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_300" id="Page_300">300</a></span>scene of action with his life; who, unable to mount his horse or gird on
-his sword, fled away on foot; who, preferring a monastic life, ran off to the
-pope and entered into a monastery; it was that very same Maximilian
-whom the pope, in the plentitude of his power, and in the bitterness of his
-wrath, nominated to fill the throne of the Roman emperors, and whom he
-sent into Hungary. Mathias, however, prepared to dispute his pretensions,
-and with the army he had led, or had intended to lead against his deceased
-brother, he stood ready to meet this Maximilian. But Maximilian’s courage
-failed him, and Mathias, without striking a blow, ascended the throne of
-the Cæsars. Maximilian being now unable to promote the pope’s purposes,
-was appointed to the government of Vienna, and Mathias repaired to
-Prague, the imperial city, and commenced the exercise of his imperial
-prerogatives.</p>
-
-<p>After Maximilian had gone to Vienna, he, in conformity to an agreement
-between him and Mathias, who was bent on promoting a treaty of peace,
-sent, the year peace was concluded, two hundred thousand dollars towards
-fulfilling the stipulations of that treaty, but he was exempted for the space
-of twenty years from any farther demands of this kind; though during
-each of the three years in which the negociations were carried on, he sent
-presents to the commander-in-chief, accompanied by letters humbly imploring
-a speedy termination of all hostilities.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Concerning Jeghala Zádeh’s operations on the confines of Persia.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Notwithstanding the misfortunes which fell, during the events of the last
-year, to the lot of Jeghala Zádeh Sinán Páshá, he was this year, again in
-a condition to raise his standard in the province of Erzerúm. He removed
-his son, Mohammed Páshá, from Shirwán, and placed him in the government
-of Diárbeker, whilst that of the former reverted to Ahmed Páshá, son
-of Hasan Páshá.</p>
-
-<p>Having heard that the Persians had concentrated their forces at Tabríz,
-he pushed forward his army as far as Salamas. This took place on the 21st
-of Rabia II. The perverted sháh came to Khúi, where the advance-army
-of both sides met; but the Persians, after having sustained some loss, were
-obliged to retreat. At Hamla another of their divisions was completely<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_301" id="Page_301">301</a></span>
-routed. On the following day, the sháh divided his army into three
-divisions on the lake of Tabríz, on the banks of which his troops had concentrated
-themselves on the preceding day. He himself, from motives of
-security to his own person, took up his position on a rising ground in the
-neighbourhood.</p>
-
-<p>In the meantime, Gusah Sefer Páshá, the válí of Erzerúm, without
-counsel or advice, and contrary to the orders of the commander-in-chief,
-and followed by Tekelí Páshá, beglerbeg of Tabríz, Rázieh Zádeh, the válí
-of Sivás, his brother, Akhúyin Ahmed Páshá, Haider Páshá Zádeh, Alí
-Páshá, and others, amounting in all to fifteen beglerbegs, and more than
-twenty sanják begs, advanced to attack the advance-guard of the enemy.
-The commanding officer, it is to be observed, had actually cautioned them
-against being too hasty, and warned them not to be rash in advancing; but
-this advice was regarded with contempt by the persons above-mentioned,
-who, in other respects, had acted arrogantly and disrespectfully towards the
-commander-in chief, and now rushed forward with their respective troops,
-attacked the division under the khán, and fought the heretics till the sun
-had passed the meridian. Verily, Sefer Páshá, more like a lion or a tiger,
-committed the most dreadful havoc among these infidels and enemies of the
-faith. The red-heads, finding it impossible to resist the impetuosity and
-heroism of this valiant troop, fell back upon the division under Zulfekár
-Khán. The heroic Moslems, however, again rallied their little band
-together, and attacked this division also. The combat was most desperate,
-and continued till near evening, when, in the utmost confusion and consternation,
-they retreated upon the division which the sháh himself commanded,
-though not actually in person. Here they made an attempt to
-stand, but with no better success. It was now within half-an-hour of sun-set,
-and so terrible was the fear which Sefer Páshá had inspired into these
-heretics that they fled into the mountains, leaving their whole baggage, and
-even their commander, behind them.</p>
-
-<p>After these singular advantages obtained over the Persians, the sháh, with
-those who still adhered to him, endeavoured to make his way up a mountain,
-but not thinking himself safe there he retreated about half a stage,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_302" id="Page_302">302</a></span>
-where, on a rising ground, surrounded with a thousand terrors, he pitched
-his tent.</p>
-
-<p>It turned out, however, that the Kizilbásh army, supported by the sháh’s
-body-guard, resolved on attacking the commanding general’s camp, which,
-they supposed, was left without any to defend it. But these dogs were
-met by a body of janissaries, salihdárs, and others, who stood ready to
-receive them, and who, with their arrows and small arms, drove them
-back. The contest, however, was obstinate, and maintained till sun-set,
-when the despicable wretches, after seeing many of their number wounded
-and perishing on the field of battle, fled back to their encampments. But
-Sefer Páshá, who was returning from the scene where he had performed so
-many and such wonderful exploits, met this horde as they were flying from
-the face of the Moslems, who had opposed and repulsed them just a little
-before, and fell upon him and his heroic followers. He and his party,
-of course, were much fatigued by their late exertions, which had been
-crowned with the most singular success; whilst the enemy, who thus
-attacked them, were comparatively fresh, and consequently it was not to be
-wondered at if they declined accepting a battle. This they did not altogether
-avoid, though a number of them, among whom was Tekelí Páshá,
-Jelalí Karah Kásh Páshá, and Kechkár Páshá, with their respective
-followers, fled to the camp and escaped; whilst their companions fought
-till they fell martyrs on the field. In this bloody contest, Sefer Páshá, the
-hero of the party, and whose weapon nothing could resist, was at last
-wounded, and shortly afterwards his horse fell with him. Some of the
-Kizilbáshes seized him and several other wounded veterans, and dragged
-them before the sháh, who ordered some of them to be killed, and to reserve
-the others. To Sefer Páshá he said, “if you will submit to me, and join
-our sect (<i>i.e.</i> the sect of Alí), I shall confer honour upon you.” The
-firm Moslem replied, by wishing “a thousand curses to fall upon him
-and upon every heretic of his sect.” The prisoner, who was bound to a
-stake, and exhibited to the view of the multitude, loaded the heretical
-sháh with every species of reproach and contumely, when immediately some
-of the vagabond red-heads rushed upon him and slew him. Thus ended<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_303" id="Page_303">303</a></span>
-this brave man. It is true that the commanding officer sent more than once
-to dissuade him and his rash companions from their precipitate measures,
-but it is also true that Sefer Páshá, though a very brave man, was yet
-very obstinate and contumacious. Karah Kásh, and some others of his
-desperate followers, disregarding all subordination, resolved on being
-revenged on their enemies.</p>
-
-<p>It is remarkable, and indeed it is one of the inscrutable ways of Providence,
-that those who fell in these various skirmishes were for the most part
-those levends or volunteers who had been very lately engaged in rebellion
-against the Ottomans. It rarely happened, throughout the whole of these
-struggles, that any of the sworn and paid troops fell. The Moslem army,
-generally, suffered no injury. But these levends, in God’s distribution of
-justice, were made to expiate their former crimes and villany by making
-them wash their filth in this bloody fountain.—But to return.</p>
-
-<p>The carnage to which we have above alluded was put a stop to by the
-return of night, when the contending parties were under the necessity of
-retiring. The Kizilbáshes, however, retreated, but the commander-in-chief
-maintained his ground, or at least he remained where he was (for it does not
-appear that he had any personal share in the actions which had taken
-place). During the night season the chiefs and nobles of Kúrdistán came
-to wait on the commander-in-chief, with the view of consulting with him
-as to the circumstances in which they were then placed, and of the
-probable result of their movements and operations; but they were
-refused admittance, and were told that the commanding general was
-fatigued and could not see them. The chiefs returned to their own
-camp; but it soon began to be circulated that the commanding general had
-fled, and therefore the Kurds, when they heard this, struck their tents, and
-were on the eve of retiring, when Karah Kásh struck his tents also. The
-rest of these auxiliary native troops followed the example set before
-them, and the whole body of them set out for Wán. Jánbulát Zádeh Hasan
-Páshá, beglerbeg of Aleppo, was returning from the field of battle, where he
-had also been engaged the day before, when he met these fugitives, who
-informed him, though falsely, that the power of the commander-in-chief
-was completely broken. Believing that what they had assured him of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_304" id="Page_304">304</a></span>
-was true, he returned; but learning afterwards that he had been deceived
-by them, he directed his steps towards the Moslem camp. To prevent,
-if possible, these fugitives occasioning any loss to the Moslem army, he
-from these disinterested views changed his mind, joined them, and went
-to Wán along with them.</p>
-
-<p>The commander-in-chief collected, in the meantime, the whole of the
-troops who had remained with him in the camp, gave them all the cheering
-encouragement he was able, put them in regular order, and led them to
-the outside of the camp. On turning his eye towards the place which the
-enemy had occupied the day before, he could perceive no movement whatever
-that indicated their presence there. Whilst he and his army stood in
-amazement, and wondering what the result of so unexpected an occurrence
-might be, they were summoned to activity by Kechkár Páshá, beglerbeg
-of Wán, who asked them to what purpose they were standing and gazing;
-when immediately the report, that the Kizilbáshes had come and taken
-away their cannon, was sounded. Their consternation increased, and they
-were unable to look at one another. Several of them fled. Of the whole
-of the army which the commander brought into the field, only two thousand
-household troops remained to him. Such of these as were foot-soldiers he
-mounted on camels, and in a short time, the commander and his remaining
-two thousand men were also on the way to Wán; having left nearly the
-whole of his camp, guns, and treasures behind him.</p>
-
-<p>The sháh of Persia, thinking it was very probable, however, that the
-Osmánlís by their sudden disappearance, and by the relinquishing of their
-camp-ground, had laid a stratagem for him, kept aloof for two days, and
-was afraid to enter: but at the end of this period he received certain intelligence,
-that the commander had actually fled to Wán, and he then
-ventured to visit the place where the Osmánlí camp had stood. With the exception
-of a few hired servants and some trifling articles, which had been
-left, the sháh found nothing to reward him for his trouble.</p>
-
-<p>After the commander-in-chief had reached Wán, Jánbulát Zádeh Hasan
-Páshá waited upon him and told him how he had acted in keeping the
-troops who had fled from his camp together; how he had brought them to
-a place of safety, and offered every apology which the circumstance of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_305" id="Page_305">305</a></span>
-case seemed to have demanded: thinking, no doubt, that the commander
-would express his approbation of his conduct. He was much mistaken.
-The commander was not made of such material as to be moved by a flood
-of tears and expressions of humiliation and contrition. Calling him,
-therefore, to account for his dereliction of duty he made him answer for it
-with his life.</p>
-
-<p>It has been related of Jánbulát Zádeh that he was advised by his friends,
-when he purposed to wait on the commander-in-chief, not to do so, because
-of the ill fortune his stars had predicted at his birth, and which he himself,
-from his own profound knowledge in the science of astrology, had clearly
-demonstrated to them. His friends succeeded, in the first instance, in preserving
-him from having any interview with the short-tailed dragons;<a name="FNanchor_19_19" id="FNanchor_19_19"></a><a href="#Footnote_19_19" class="fnanchor">19</a> but
-his lofty feeling of pride ruined him. “If I sleep,” said he, in the pride
-of his heart, “Jeghala Oghlí (the commander-in-chief) will not certainly
-have the courage to watch.” His pride brought him to his end. His
-death was the means of awakening in the minds of the troops, a feeling of
-great dissatisfaction. Thirty thousand of his troops or followers returned
-to Haleb, having chosen his brother, Alí Beg, and Hezer Beg as their commanders,
-and who, in revenge of Hasan Páshá, son of Jánbulát’s, death,
-desolated that province, and continued their rebellion till they were overthrown
-by the celebrated Murád Páshá at a later period, as we shall relate
-in its proper place.</p>
-
-<p>The commander-in-chief, the sport of fortune, left Wán and returned to
-Diárbeker on the 21st of Dhu’l hijja, where he died of a fever which the
-thoughts of his misfortunes had occasioned. He was a man whose avarice
-had no bounds. His constantly causing responsible persons to be changed
-from one place to another was productive of the most serious evils.
-He conferred the government of Syria on Sinán Páshá Zádeh, and shortly
-afterwards on Osmán Páshá. Nesúh Páshá, who was válí of Aleppo, he
-removed, and put Hasan Páshá, son of Jánbulát of the sanják of Kilis, into
-his place, on the promise of his paying him a certain rent. And many
-more are the evils he occasioned, besides those we have mentioned.</p>
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_306" id="Page_306">306</a></span></p>
-<h3><i>A battle between Serkosh Ibrahím Páshá and the Croatians.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Botchkai having promised to aid the Moslems against the infidels, the
-grand vezír, Mohammed Páshá, after the reduction of Osterghún, appointed
-his nephew, Serkosh Ibrahím Páshá, beglerbeg of Kaniza, and another military
-commander, belonging to Botchkai, to conduct an expedition of twenty
-thousand men, composed of Tátárs, Majarians, and Bosnians, to invade the
-territories of the enemy. This expedition commenced marching on the 5th
-of Jemadi II., and took the road which led to Vienna. On the confines of
-Croatia it was opposed by a considerable body of troops, there assembled
-for the purpose of checking its progress. A battle ensued, and the conflict
-was obstinate and bloody: several thousands of the infidels perished. Three
-times did this mighty army of the Germans attack the Turkish confederates,
-but was vanquished in its third attempt.</p>
-
-<p>In the vicinity of the place where the confederates vanquished the German
-or Croatian army there were two fortresses or castles, which were
-under the dominion of the Pope. The names of these fortresses or castles
-were Súnbúrhil and Karmand, which the confederate army reduced, and
-slew every living German it found in them. Afterwards ten thousand
-of these same confederates marched in the direction of Vienna and Allemagne
-on a predatory excursion, and after having ravaged the countries
-through which they passed, they returned in triumph. The quantity of
-spoil and number of prisoners which they brought back with them, it is
-impossible to estimate. Very many of the German nobility were among
-the captives, and the Hungarian gentry were glad to come and join the
-camp of the confederates. Nevertheless Zerín Oghlí, and Bekár Oghlí,
-were not among those who thus joined the camp of the conquerors. These
-two Hungarian chiefs considered it beneath their dignity to bow to
-Botchkai’s general, one of the two chief commanders of the confederates,
-but they sent some of their chief captains as their proxies.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Mohammed Páshá, the son of Sinán Páshá, killed.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Mohammed Páshá, son of Sinán Páshá, in consequence of his having
-been disappointed in his views of the government of Syria, through the ill<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_307" id="Page_307">307</a></span> will
-of Jeghala Zádeh, commander-in-chief of the eastern provinces, he
-petitioned the court of Constantinople, and complained against the serdár.
-That court, however, was pleased to confer Syria on Osmán Páshá in
-preference to him or any one else. When Mohammed Páshá learned
-that Osmán was appointed to Syria, he set out in great haste and wrath
-for Constantinople, where he meant to prefer his own claims. One day
-he entered into conversation with the vezírs, as they sat in council, about
-his own affairs; but he was reminded of the maladministration he himself
-had been guilty of in the places where he had acted as válí or governor.
-As he was retiring from the presence of this council, more disposed to
-accuse him than to hear his complaints, he was called back and conducted
-into the royal presence. Here he was strictly interrogated as to his own
-conduct, but having been unable to answer the interrogatories which had
-been put to him, he was put to death in the royal presence without any
-further ceremony.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The emperor, whilst at Adrianople, hears further intelligence as to the state of
-the rebellion in Anatolia.</i></h3>
-
-<p>On the 1st of Jemadi I. the emperor went on a hunting excursion to
-Chetalmah, and thence, in three days, to Adrianople. He was only eight
-days in this city, where he had begun to distribute favours, when he received
-intelligence of the state and progress of the rebellion and disaffection which
-reigned in the province of Anatolia. In consequence, therefore, of the
-above unpleasant intelligence, he set out from Adrianople, reached the
-metropolis in six days, and immediately adopted means for curbing the
-rebellion and for chastising the rebels in Anatolia.</p>
-
-<p>Nesúh Páshá, who last year had been transferred from the government
-of Haleb, was created commander of the troops employed against the insurgents
-in Anatolia. Indeed, it was considered of the utmost importance, by
-the government of Constantinople, that a vezír should be appointed to each
-of the eastern provinces, in order to check and subdue any spirit of rebellion
-which might arise, and which, in fact, seems to have been very generally
-the case with them all. Dávud Páshá, it will be remembered, was appointed
-to the east, but in consequence of his having evinced some inability<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_308" id="Page_308">308</a></span>
-or weakness he was laid aside, and Kijdehán Alí Páshá was raised to the
-government of Anatolia in his stead. He also, it will likewise be remembered,
-was ordered to join his troops to those of Nesúh Páshá, and after
-they (<i>i.e.</i> he and Nesúh Páshá) had succeeded in crushing the rebellion in
-Anatolia, they were then to join Jeghala Zádeh, who acted as commander-in-chief
-against the Persians.</p>
-
-<p>We have to relate, however, that Nesúh Páshá, and the troops under
-his command, sustained a serious defeat at the bridge of Bolawadin. At
-this bridge Nesúh, on the 1st of Rajab, was met by one Túyel, who headed
-a body of insurgents: the one army was at one end and the other at the
-other. Nesúh made all the preparations his circumstances could allow
-for commencing an engagement, putting his foot and horse in order of
-battle. The sound of his drums and trumpets reached the very parapets
-of heaven: his artillery was drawn up in regular order, and made to face
-the enemy. Nesúh thought his formidable appearance would have deterred
-the insurgents from ever attempting the bridge or river; but he was
-mistaken. The cavalry of these long-tailed and curiously-turbanned
-heretics had scarcely begun to move, than they instantly crossed the river
-or bog and put their swords and spears into immediate requisition against
-Nesúh’s cavalry. These, as well as the whole of the rest of the Osmánlí
-army, gave way; most of them were cut to pieces, and those who fell into
-the hands of these barbarians were dragged into the presence of Túyel,
-where, for the most part at least, they suffered a more ignominious death:
-Nesúh himself was indebted to the swiftness of his horse for the safety of
-his life. He fled, and never checked the bridle of his charger till he reached
-a place called Bekár-báshí, in the city of Seyed.</p>
-
-<p>Túyel, who was left master of the field, and of the whole baggage of the
-conquered Osmánlís, set fire to the city of Bolawadin, massacred the
-whole of its inhabitants with the utmost ferociousness, and desolated the
-whole of that region from one end to the other.</p>
-
-<p>Nesúh Páshá, after resting himself about two days, went to Kutahia,
-where Kijdehán, against whom he entertained an old grudge, then was,
-laid the whole blame of his defeat on his shoulders, and slew the innocent
-without mercy.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_309" id="Page_309">309</a></span></p>
-
-<p>Kijdehán was a man that possessed a bitter and scurrilous tongue, and
-who spared nobody. To escape, therefore, the reproaches of his tongue,
-<i>i.e.</i> that he and those of his men who, like himself, had escaped the general
-carnage, might not be made the subjects of his ridicule and bitter reproach,
-he slew him. This, also, is asserted in the Fezliké, that, before this, and
-prior to the defeat he had sustained at the bridge of Bolawadin, he most
-unworthily, as well as unjustly, traduced the character of the inestimable
-and highly-respected Mohammed Chávush of Caramania, whom he crucified
-at Iconium, where he had met with him. This Mohammed Chávush
-was son to Karah Alí, and was raised to the situation he held in
-Caramania from the Chávush báshás.</p>
-
-<p>Well aware that his conduct and ill fame would eventually reach the
-ears of the emperor, and that his displeasure might easily be excited against
-him, so as to make him the object of his vengeance, he, in order to prevent
-these results, determined on going to Constantinople. Accordingly he set
-out for Scutari, and thence to the Sublime Porte: went to the royal
-palace, and caused it to be announced that he had come from Anatolia to
-implore further aid to be sent to that quarter. Having been called to enter
-the royal presence, he gave such a representation of the state of matters as
-actually succeeded in inclining the emperor to cross over into Anatolia and
-take a personal share in the war with the insurgents. He, therefore, called
-together the khoaja effendí, the reverend mufti and the vezírs, and confronted
-them with Nesúh Páshá, in order to converse on the subject with him.
-At this interview with Nesúh, however, there was much disputing and
-great contention. All were opposed to the emperor’s determination; but
-he himself remained inflexible. The emperor’s best friends used their
-utmost efforts to dissuade him from the purpose he had formed, by endeavouring
-to point out to him a variety of dangers; but all in vain, and the
-consequence was, when they saw he could not be moved from his resolution,
-they all withdrew very much displeased. The vezírs, however, commenced
-making the necessary preparations for the emperor’s intended
-journey, but at the same time used a variety of methods, such as representing
-to him that the fleet had not arrived, and that at any rate the season
-for safe sailing was fast passing away, in order, if possible, to induce him<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_310" id="Page_310">310</a></span>
-him to alter his mind; but all to no purpose. The emperor, notwithstanding
-all the efforts which had been employed to dissuade him from his undertaking;
-notwithstanding, also, that the winter had fully set in, and the
-roughness of the sea, he continued bent on proceeding. A royal firmán
-was sent off to Nukásh Hasan Páshá to have the palace at Brúsa in a state
-of complete preparation for the arrival of his majesty, and Dervísh Aghá,
-bostánjí báshí, who was afterwards created a vezír, but subsequently
-assassinated, was appointed commandant of Istámbol.</p>
-
-<p>In the meantime, however, the empress-mother took her journey to the
-other world, and her remains were conducted by her royal son and the great
-men of the state, to St. Sophia, where the funeral service was performed.
-They were afterwards interred in the tomb of Sultán Mohammed III., on
-which occasion charities and alms deeds were attended to in behalf of
-the deceased.</p>
-
-<p>It was thought that the death of his mother might have so affected the
-sultán as to cause him to give up all thoughts of his intended expedition
-into Anatolia; but it had no such effect. On the seventh day after his
-mother’s decease, he became quite impatient, ordered the only three galleys
-which were then in the harbour to be held in readiness, and on the 2d
-day of Rajab he set sail for Brúsa. On the day after his arrival in Brúsa,
-he summoned his vezírs, the military judges, and other magnates, to
-assemble in council in the royal palace of that place, where he himself
-was. Súfí Sinán Páshá, the káímakám, who had taken no active hand in
-making preparations for the emperor’s expedition, was not called, or if
-called, did not attend. Dávud Páshá and Nesúh Páshá had both been
-previously sent to keep possession of two places on the frontiers. Mohammed
-Páshá, son of Ové Páshá, likewise made no movement towards Brúsa,
-but he wrote to the emperor’s chaplain, informing him that he had twenty
-thousand troops in full readiness. “If I shall be called,” said he,
-in his communication to the royal chaplain, “to be exalted to the
-vezírship, without either the aid of troops or apparatus from the government,
-I will go, and to the utmost of my power, endeavour to reduce
-the insurgents.” The title of vezír, and the appointment to the chief
-command, was forthwith sent him, and he was invited to wait on his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_311" id="Page_311">311</a></span>
-majesty in his palace at Brúsa, in order that his majesty might confer
-with him respecting the enemy against whom he was to proceed. Mohammed,
-however, acknowledged neither the one nor the other of these
-royal intimations; nor did he think it worth his while to come to Brúsa
-to wait on his benefactor; or to proceed a single step against the insurgents.
-On the contrary, he went to Gúzel Hisár, where he gave himself
-up to every variety of pleasure. The reverend tutor felt disgrace and
-grief at the shameful way the cunning páshá had duped him, and, in fact,
-poor Khoaja Effendí, in consequence of this, most completely lost his
-influence with the emperor.</p>
-
-<p>On the 14th of the last mentioned month (<i>viz.</i> Rajab), about four or five
-thousand spáhís, who had fled to Anatolia to escape the vengeance of
-Yemishjí Hasan Páshá, which had been excited against them in consequence
-of the tumult which the spáhí legion had raised in Constantinople in the
-days of the late emperor, and for which many of their superiors had been
-put to death, returned to their obedience, and were again received into
-favour. These spáhís were as great rebels as any in Anatolia, and committed
-every species of robbery and spoliation. On making their submission
-they appeared armed and accoutred before Súfí Sinán Páshá, the vezírs
-and the military judges, and preferred the grounds on which they conceived
-they had been aggrieved, and which had led them to act as they had done.
-Their case was laid before his majesty, who not only forgave them, but also
-restored their officers to their former situations, rewarded them with tokens
-of favour by conferring robes on them, distributed to them their pay, and
-dividing them into two bodies sent one division to Kutahia to remain under
-the orders of Dávud Páshá, and the other under Nesúh Páshá.</p>
-
-<p>Dervísh Aghá, who had been appointed in his majesty’s absence to the
-commandership of Constantinople, was forbidden to exercise any further
-authority in that capacity, on account of some misconduct which he had
-been guilty of. Mustafa Páshá, one of the vezírs, was sent back to act in
-his stead.</p>
-
-<p>On the 16th his majesty, after having paid a visit to the sepulchres of
-his ancestors, and the tombs of the venerable saints, returned and bathed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_312" id="Page_312">312</a></span>
-himself in a fountain. On the 19th he set sail from Modanieh, and arrived
-in the imperial city on the same day.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>An overture made to Túyel.</i></h3>
-
-<p>On the 9th of Shabán of this year, a conciliatory letter was sent to Túyel,
-the chief ring-leader among the insurgents, and also the offer of a beglerbegship;
-but no answer as to his having accepted the offer made to him,
-was returned: on the contrary, acting under the influence of his brother,
-his violence and cruelty increased beyond all bounds. The káímakám, in
-order to put a stop to the enormities which this rebel and others were guilty
-of, and which were every day increasing, tried to ensnare this terrible rebel.
-To induce him to throw down the weapons of his rebellion, the deputy
-proposed joining Anatolia, Sivás, and Haleb into one, and to offer the
-government of these united districts to Túyel. When the deputy presented
-this proposal, and also a letter he had received from Túyel, on the 17th of
-the last mentioned month, for his majesty’s approbation, however, he met
-with a serious repulse, and for his temerity was turned out of office. Khezer
-Páshá was raised to the deputyship.</p>
-
-<p>On the 24th, the chief butler, Mohammed Aghá, was raised to the government
-of Syria. On the 9th of Ramazán, the bostánjí báshí, Dervísh
-Aghá, was created admiral: he was highly esteemed by the emperor. On
-the 9th of Shevál, the cazí of Constantinople, Rezván Effendí, was degraded,
-and Hasan Effendí, son of Akhí, succeeded him in the cazíship.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The grand vezír, Mohammed Páshá, is recalled to Constantinople.</i></h3>
-
-<p>When tidings of the disgrace and ignominy which befell Jeghala Zádeh
-in the east, and of his death at Diárbeker, had reached the royal ear, it
-was resolved on, in council, to send a statement of the affairs of the east to
-Mohammed Páshá, the commander-in-chief at Belgrade, and to request him
-to return to Constantinople, in order that he might proceed to the east and
-take the command of the troops there. In the royal communication
-which, in conformity to the above resolution was sent to him, it was thus
-stated: that in the event of his declining to accept the proposal sent him,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_313" id="Page_313">313</a></span>
-he might remain where he was, but only in the character of second vezír, and
-to return the seals of office. But before these communications had reached
-the grand vezír he had petitioned to be allowed to return to the seat of
-government.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>A commotion among the Janissaries and Spáhís.</i></h3>
-
-<p>A little after the commencement of the month of Ramazán, the janissaries,
-in consequence of not having received the pay and clothing that were due
-to them, began to show signs of impatience and insolence. The spáhís,
-following their example, the very next day began to talk loudly about their
-own dues, and soon acquired a most dangerous aspect. Without ceremony,
-and in no way intimidated by their vicinity to the royal palace, they threw
-stones at their officers before its very gate, gave the most abusive language
-to the treasurer, and threatened him in no measured terms. They complained
-of the person who had formerly weighed out their money to them, and got him
-turned out of office. His friends, however, interfered, and asked the reason
-of depriving him of his official situation, but to no purpose. The discontent
-and tumult increased, and at length reached the ears of the emperor. On
-the 23d of Ramazán, early in the morning, the emperor, dressed in a
-scarlet robe, very indicative of the state of his mind, for he was enraged,
-came forth and sat down in Báyazíd’s portico; called together his vezírs,
-ághás, notaries, and other principal officers, and delivered a very warm and
-animated speech, in their hearing, to the mob; and in which he severely
-rebuked them. He said, that though he had written to them, that so soon
-as his treasurer, who was engaged in collecting the taxes, should return,
-their wages and all their just rights would be punctually attended to,
-they, instead of giving credit to his royal word, as they ought to have done,
-and behaving themselves orderly, became unruly, turbulent, and abusive,
-and that, too, before the very portals of his palace.</p>
-
-<p>The multitude, at hearing the emperor’s speech, were completely confounded,
-and not one of them was able to say a single word in reply, or in
-justification of the conduct they had manifested. One Yúsuf Aghá, however,
-head of the Moghreb and Yemin regiments, advanced and thus addressed
-his majesty. “May it please your majesty, the sole cause of the unreason<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_314" id="Page_314">314</a></span>able
-conduct which has been manifested is attributable to the slaves brought
-up in the royal haram, and those foreigners who have been introduced into
-the spáhí legion at the request of the khán of the Crimea.” His majesty,
-on hearing the sentiments expressed by Yúsuf Aghá, enquired the names of
-the persons who had excited the irregularity and tumult which had prevailed.
-The vezír pointed out to him the ringleaders, and immediately a sign was
-given to take vengeance on them for their folly and temerity. Shahbáz
-Aghá, chief of the salihdárs; Koorgha Zádeh, notary to the spáhí legion;
-and Yek Cheshm Mohammed Effendí, were made the objects of imperial
-vengeance on this occasion. Others who had been involved in the same
-condemnation with the above were also visited with a similar punishment.
-The comptroller of the cavalry, after he was conducted to the place of
-execution, escaped the death which awaited him by the intervention of
-the grand vezír, who interceded in his behalf. The ketkhodá of the spáhís
-escaped in a similar way.</p>
-
-<p>The grand sultán, after these various instances of his severity and justice,
-concluded his harangue by warning the tumultuous soldiery (spáhís) of
-their danger; assuring them, that if ever afterwards they should manifest a
-similar spirit of insubordination, he would take vengeance on their whole
-legion; and dismissed the crowd, desiring them at the same time to remove
-the bodies of their companions from the place of execution.</p>
-
-<p>The officers belonging to the spáhís were all changed; and the treasurer,
-Etmekjí Zádeh, no sooner arrived than the wages of the spáhí troops were
-forthwith paid them.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The commander-in-chief arrives at Constantinople.</i></h3>
-
-<p>When the hostilities which for a long time had raged on the frontiers of
-Hungary, had ceased to threaten the peace and security of the Ottoman
-dominions, the rebellion in Anatolia began to wear a much more serious
-aspect than it had done at any former period. The grand vezír, Mohammed
-Páshá, as we formerly mentioned, was fixed on to take the chief command
-in Anatolia, with the view of bringing the troubles of that country to a
-termination. The celebrated Mohammed Páshá no sooner received the
-royal intimation on this head than he appointed Teryákí Páshá, beglerbeg<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_315" id="Page_315">315</a></span>
-of Romeili, as his deputy at Belgrade, whither he had called him; and
-Kúski Mohammed Effendí as defterdár in his absence. Having committed
-the management of the affairs of the frontiers to these two officers, he left
-Belgrade on the fourth day of the grand festival (<i>i.e.</i> Easter), and arrived at
-the Sublime Porte on the 7th of Dhu’l Kadah, when his majesty showed
-him every token of esteem and respect.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Delí Hasan killed at Temisvar.</i></h3>
-
-<p>We have had frequent occasion to advert to the history of Delí Hasan,
-the brother of Karah Yázijí (Scrivano). We have mentioned how he had
-been raised to the government of Bosnia; the evil deeds he had been there
-guilty of; his expulsion thence; and his subsequent appointment to the
-government of Temisvar. Here he acted nearly two years in the character
-of válí, and had it in his power, by good conduct, to remove the unfavourable
-impressions which his former deportment had but too justly given
-rise to.</p>
-
-<p>After the reduction of Osterghún, his excellency the commander-in-chief,
-sent word to the inhabitants of Temisvar to have an eye on Delí
-Hasan, and to watch his movements. This hint was enough. One day
-some of the garrison of Temisvar went out as if they had meant to follow
-the chase, but instead of this fell upon Delí Hasan and his suite, the latter
-of whom they killed. Delí Hasan fled to Belgrade, where Ghází Hasan
-Páshá, the káímakám, received him as his guest. He afterwards, however,
-placed him within the fortress, and sent an account of his arrival at Belgrade
-to Constantinople; whence a sentence of death against Delí Hasan,
-his brother’s son, Kúchuk Beg, was instantly returned, and both of them
-underwent that sentence accordingly.</p>
-
-<p>It has been reported, that whilst Delí Hasan was in Bosnia, he had
-attempted a most daring crime against the Ottoman government, which however
-had failed. As this story is not less wonderful in its development than
-it was audacious in its contrivance, we shall here relate it. Delí Hasan, it
-would appear, wrote letters to the Venetians and to the pope, asking them
-to have a fleet in readiness opposite the fortress of Rasna; promising, in
-these letters, that he would deliver up that fortress to them, and that he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_316" id="Page_316">316</a></span>
-would afterwards reduce several other places of strength on the shores of
-the Archipelago, and deliver them over to them also; but it was necessary,
-he added, that they should pay him a hundred thousand pieces of gold in
-advance. It was in this manner he proposed to stipulate with the enemy.
-No answer to these proposals having reached him whilst he was in Bosnia,
-he, after his translation to Temisvar, hired a fellow for a hundred pieces of
-gold, and sent him off with a duplicate of his former communications to the
-two parties above-mentioned. This hired peasant, or whatever he was,
-instead of fulfilling his engagement, went and waited upon Murád Páshá,
-the then commander-in-chief, told him all he knew, and showed him Delí
-Hasan’s letters. The commander desired him to proceed without delay
-and deliver them in the proper quarter, but to be sure to call on him when
-he returned. The messenger set out as he had been desired, and delivered
-his papers in the manner he had been directed: when the king of Spain
-and the pope sent, each of them, an agent along with Delí Hasan’s messenger,
-who was to communicate to him the views of these personages. These two
-agents and the messenger reached Zimnún, where the two former took up
-their lodgings in a certain house, whilst the latter proceeded to inform the
-authorities of their arrival, and the purport of their message: and which,
-among other things, went on to say, that they, the bearers, were the
-accredited agents of the two personages formerly mentioned, that the words
-of these men might be as much relied on as if they had been heard proceeding
-from the lips of their principals; that they had sworn fidelity to the trust
-reposed in them, and that, therefore, every apprehension of fraud being
-practised ought to be banished. Such, in fact, was the story these agents
-themselves delivered before Abdí Alí, Murád Páshá’s deputy, whom they
-actually supposed was Delí Hasan himself. These messengers, or agents,
-were moreover commissioned to say, that as soon as they returned with an
-answer to the pope and the king of Spain, a draft on the Franks residing in
-Belgrade for one hundred thousand pieces of gold would be instantly sent
-to Delí Hasan. Such is the version of this story: and it is hardly necessary
-to say that these two accredited infidels were immediately put to
-death.</p>
-
-<p>Tobacco, which had been introduced in Turkey from Frangistan, had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_317" id="Page_317">317</a></span>
-been made the subject of much discussion, and seems, this year, through
-the bitter contention which the use of it had occasioned, to have become
-more in vogue that at any former period since its introduction; though it
-had been productive of certain evil to those who received it, or who had any
-thing to do with it.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Concerning the grand vezír, Lálá Mohammed Páshá.—His death.—Dervísh
-Páshá raised to the vezírship.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Lálá Mohammed Páshá, the grand vezír and commander-in-chief, the
-reader will remember, returned to Constantinople: and though the affairs
-between Austria and the Sublime Porte had not been finally settled, yet
-such was the necessity of restoring the peace and tranquility of Anatolia,
-that every other consideration was made subservient to this. It was maintained,
-in a council held in the imperial presence, to be of paramount importance
-that two chief commanders should be appointed: the one to
-proceed to the frontiers of Hungary, the other to the east; that the grand
-vezír, in order to have it in his power to send efficient supplies to both
-quarters, should remain at the seat of government, and there discharge the
-duties of his high office.</p>
-
-<p>In this council reference was made to the inefficiency, ill-management,
-and ill-success of former commanders in the east, and therefore the members
-of the council proposed Nesúh Páshá as the person who was by far the
-most competent to perform the duties of commander-in-chief in the east.
-It was moreover alleged in his favour, that he was son-in-law to the
-emperor; a circumstance which could not fail, it was said, to secure the
-affections of the Kurds. Nesúh was, accordingly, made third vezír and
-commander-in-chief of the forces in the eastern provinces; and Murád
-Páshá was appointed to the command and management of the affairs on the
-frontiers of Hungary. After these deliberations had been fully attended to,
-the emperor expressed his approbation of the resolutions which had been
-adopted, and issued orders for drawing out a commission for each of the two
-newly-elected commanders, defining the power and authority they were to
-exercise. The government of Baghdád was annexed to the vezírship and
-dominion already possessed by Nesúh, and he was, moreover, made com<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_318" id="Page_318">318</a></span>mander-in-chief
-against the Persians. The válí of Romeili, and the princes
-of the borders, with their respective armies, were ordered to march towards
-Hungary. The government of Aleppo was conferred on Hasan, ághá of
-the janissaries, who was expected to repress the disturbances which
-afflicted that portion of the Ottoman dominions. The káímakám, Khezer
-Páshá, was appointed to the guardianship of the fortresses on the Danube.</p>
-
-<p>The grand vezír, the heroic Lálá Mohammed Páshá who most scrupulously
-attended to all these new arrangements was, notwithstanding,
-thwarted in some of his purposes by Dervísh Páshá, who had succeeded to
-the admiralship in the room of Jeghala Zádeh. By his intrigues the brother
-of Tarnákjí Hasan Aghá was deprived of his ágháship, and ordered to proceed
-to the government of Aleppo, although the grand vezír intended to
-confer on him the province of Romeili as a reward for his heroism at the
-taking of Osterghún, of which he was the principal cause. Dervísh was
-obstinate, and conferred, or was the means of conferring, the ágháship of
-the janissaries on Maryol Hasan Aghá. Poor Hasan Páshá was obliged to
-set out for Aleppo, and had scarcely got to Adrianople, which was about
-half-way, when he was attacked by a monstrous rebel of the name of
-Jemshíd, who murdered him.</p>
-
-<p>Dervísh Páshá, still bent on evil purposes, expressed his disapprobation
-of the appointments conferred on Nesúh Páshá; and, in short, wrought so
-effectually on the mind of the emperor by his representations, that he
-succeeded in procuring him to issue an order for the grand vezír himself to
-repair to the east and take the chief command in that quarter. When Mohammed
-Páshá entered the council, the emperor addressed him by saying
-that it was found necessary that he (the grand vezír) should be the person
-who should take the command of the forces employed against Persia, and
-ordered him to commence preparations for the journey. He concluded this
-speech by saying farther: that it was expected that this year a peace with
-Austria would be concluded. The grand vezír, when he heard the emperor’s
-sentiments, was speechless and confounded. The emperor repeated his
-commands, and the vezír, without making any reply, returned to his
-own house, where he in vain endeavoured to collect his thoughts and calm
-the agitation of his mind.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_319" id="Page_319">319</a></span></p>
-
-<p>On the following morning Nesúh Páshá waited on him to congratulate
-him on his appointment, and spoke to him in as consolatary and soothing
-a manner as he was able. “Let us,” said he, “go together: let us render
-all the services we can for the welfare of our country: God willing, you
-will find in Asia so many things to comfort and delight you as will cause
-you to forget your northern campaigns.” Nesúh, by this mode of address,
-succeeded in bringing the mind of the afflicted grand vezír to some degree
-of peace and tranquillity.</p>
-
-<p>In the council above alluded to, Dervísh Páshá preferred several accusations
-against the grand vezír, but which he, the grand vezír, rebutted by
-giving a circumstantial relation of all the services in which he had been
-engaged, and concluded by saying he had some reason to fear that the
-negociations with Austria might still prove abortive—“and thus,” said he,
-weeping, “our last twelve years of war will end in nothing.” He again
-requested the emperor to permit him to proceed to the frontiers of Hungary
-and conclude the peace, the preliminaries of which had been entered into
-during his own active service in the north. Nesúh, he said, was the
-emperor’s son-in-law, was every way competent for accomplishing the
-emperor’s wishes in the east, and therefore earnestly besought the grand
-Sultán to stand by his first appointment. All, however, was in vain. The
-emperor remained inflexible, and forced Lálá Mohammed Páshá, whether
-he would or not, to erect his tent at Scutari. In consequence of these circumstances,
-so repugnant to the mind of the grand vezír, as well as others
-which carried along with them their vexations, his health became very
-much impaired, and yet notwithstanding, he was forced that very week, by
-repeated orders, to repair to Scutari. It so happened, in the providence
-of God, however, that whilst he was presiding in his own diván he was
-struck by a paralytic stroke. His ághás carried him to his tent, and immediately
-his physicians were called in to administer what aid they were
-able. An account of this circumstance reached the metropolis, when the
-wicked Dervísh Páshá had the audacity to represent to his majesty that
-the grand vezír’s disease was wholly feigned; and instigated him to send a
-violent and threatening letter to Lálá Mohammed Páshá, the very next day,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_320" id="Page_320">320</a></span>
-accusing him of feigning himself unwell, and ordering him, in the most
-peremptory manner, to begin his march without delay.</p>
-
-<p>The afflicted Lálá Mohammed Páshá caused a humble petition to be
-written out and laid before his majesty; in which he stated that he required
-above all things, if his majesty entertained any doubts as to the ill state of
-his health, that he would send any one of his most confidential servants to
-see him, and report accordingly. It was utterly impossible for him, in his
-weak state of health, he said, to leave Scutari unless he was carried in a
-couch. The emperor was induced by this to send the ághá of the palace
-to the prime minister, who, when he returned, informed his majesty that
-the minister was so very weak as to be under the necessity of keeping his
-bed; in short, that he was seriously and dangerously ill. When his majesty
-received this report of his minister’s state of health he ceased pressing him
-any farther.</p>
-
-<p>When the official messenger above referred to first waited on the prime
-minister, he, the minister, became so much affected that he could not
-restrain his tears. “Are my services,” said he, in the bitterness of his
-spirit, “are my services to my country so little thought of that doubts of my
-veracity should be entertained? Kiss the border of my emperor’s robe
-when you return, and tell him the weak state in which I am. When I die
-I leave behind me six orphans, and I hope God will reward the emperor for
-whatever kindness and favour he may show to them.” The officer, on hearing
-the grand vezír express himself thus, and having had besides the
-evidence of his senses to convince him of the dangerous state of his health,
-he, too, was so overcome with sorrow that he returned to his master, the
-grand Sultán, and declared to him, weeping, that the worth of this minister
-was unknown, and therefore not appreciated. “Why is it,” continued
-the ághá of the palace, “that your majesty has hearkened to the calumny
-of his enemies? The consequence is, you see, that he is likely to be prematurely
-cut off.” The answer to all this was, that if he died another
-would be found to fill his place.</p>
-
-<p>On the third day of this grand vezír’s illness—an illness, there is every
-reason to believe, wholly occasioned by the treatment of the emperor—his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_321" id="Page_321">321</a></span>
-troubles terminated with his life: he gave up the ghost. The rest of the
-vezírs, the great men of the state, and ulemá, assembled together and attended
-his remains to the temple of Sultán Mohammed Ghází, where the funeral
-service was performed; and he was afterwards interred in his own burial
-ground in the neighbourhood of Abí-eyúb. Among the procession which
-accompanied the bier of Lálá Mohammed Páshá to the place of interment,
-was Dervísh Páshá, the lord high admiral of the Turkish fleet, the bitter and
-relentless enemy of the deceased, but who had his eye on the premiership.
-He returned to his own house, joyfully anticipating that the seals of office
-would be conferred on himself. This was what he wished and what he
-strived for, but at the expense of every honest virtue and upright feeling.</p>
-
-<p>Muftí Siná-allah Effendí relates, that a Portuguese physician who attended
-Lálá Mohammed Páshá in his illness, had, through the instrumentality of
-Dervísh Páshá, administered to him, in the form of medicine, what proved
-mortal to the patient.</p>
-
-<p>When the testament of the late grand vezír was presented to the emperor,
-he ordered the sums of money that were mentioned in it to be applied
-to the defraying of the war, but the rest of his effects he permitted to
-be given to the afflicted children of the deceased. Out of one hundred
-and fifty thousand ducats and one hundred yúks of dollars, which had belonged
-to Lálá Mohammed Páshá, and which had been seized at the instigation
-of Dervísh Páshá for the purpose above explained, only a small
-portion of his extensive wealth fell to the share of his helpless orphans.</p>
-
-<p>The wicked Dervísh Páshá now arrived at the summit of his wishes. The
-seals were no sooner conferred on him than he recommended Ja’fer Páshá,
-the European, who had been three times beglerbeg of Cyprus, to succeed
-to his vacant situation in the admiralty, and spoke of him as being very
-skilful in naval affairs. Ja’fer Páshá was, in consequence, appointed lord
-high admiral of the Ottoman fleet in the room of Dervísh Páshá, who had
-succeeded to the grand vezírship.</p>
-
-<p>When the new prime minister first took his seat in the diván after his
-elevation to the premiership, he intimated to the chávush báshí that the
-members of the diván were not to view him in the light of former ministers,
-“Whoever puts off a poor man’s case till tomorrow, when it ought to be<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_322" id="Page_322">322</a></span>
-attended to to-day,” said this fierce minister, “shall have his head cut off:
-<i>that</i>,” continued he solemnly opening a book, “shall be his fate, and from
-which he shall in nowise escape.”</p>
-
-
-
-<hr />
-<h2><span class="smcap">EVENTS of the Year 1015, H.</span></h2>
-
-
-<p>On the afternoon of the same day the son of an aged man who had
-retired from his beglerbegship was beheaded, and his property seized by
-the avaricious Dervísh; but though all who witnessed this cruel transaction
-hesitated not to speak of it as an act of foul murder, yet it had not the
-effect of preventing a concourse of nobles and grandees coming to congratulate
-the new grand vezír on his elevation to the premiership. On the
-third day after Dervísh Páshá’s exaltation, the emperor’s chaplain waited
-on him to pay his respects; and the mufti effendí, the Moslem high priest,
-after having performed the public service at the mosque, waited on the
-prime minister and kindly joined with him in his afternoon devotions.
-When the reverend mufti was about to retire, the grand vezír informed him
-that there would be no public diván on the following day, but that a
-council would be held in the royal presence, and at which he invited him
-to be present. The reverend high priest bowed and promised to attend.</p>
-
-<p>Next morning the whole of the ministers and the reverend effendís met
-in council in the imperial presence, and after listening to the opening
-speech of the emperor, they were informed that it was then too far in the
-season to prosecute any farther, that year, the object which he had in view
-in ordering preparations in behalf of Anatolia and the east; and then added,
-that it would be far more advisable to let things remain as they then were
-until the following year, when the preparations alluded to would be again
-resumed. The council, on hearing these sentiments uttered, were struck
-dumb with surprise. At length the mufti effendí spoke. “With indecent
-impatience, certainly,” said the reverend prelate, “your slave (Lálá Mohammed
-Páshá) was hurried in the work of preparation for the war in the
-east, and contrary to the views of almost all here present, his tent was
-ordered to be erected at Scutari. Is it prudent, think you, sire, to call
-back to Constantinople the camp there established? Rather let the commander-in-chief
-(probably Nesúh) go on to Aleppo; there winter, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_323" id="Page_323">323</a></span>
-make preparations for commencing, in the spring, hostilities against the
-Persians.” His majesty to this replied, by asking him what advantage he
-thought would accrue from following that advice. “ Why,” rejoined the
-reverend prelate, “the advantage which will accrue is this: the royal
-camp will not have gone forth for no purpose: the royal pavilion (the serdár’s
-tent) will not have been erected in the sight of friend and foe in vain.
-When Sultán Soleimán Khán went to the Nakhcheván war he wintered at
-Aleppo, and when the following spring arrived, he marched to the east.
-Such is the method which ought now to be pursued.” The emperor again
-enquired what good he supposed or imagined would result from following
-the course he had pointed out. The reverend mufti hastily replied: “was
-it creditable that a Moslem army, encamped at Scutari, and ready for
-entering into the scene of action, should be recalled before that army had
-accomplished the purpose for which it had been assembled? At least,
-should not that army, I ask, even though it should accomplish nothing
-more, be sent to protect our possessions in the east?” The emperor, pressed
-by the reasoning of the high priest, answered, that Ferhád Páshá might
-proceed with a few troops, and take the camp at Scutari along with him.
-“Well, then,” asked Siná-allah Effendí, “shall not a sum of money be
-allowed for the purpose of purchasing provisions for them?” The emperor
-briefly answered, “that there was no money in the treasury; and whence,”
-said he, “can I furnish money for that purpose?” The reverend prelate,
-still persevering in pressing the emperor, asked if the treasury of Egypt
-might not afford a supply. “That,” rejoined the emperor, “is for our
-private expenses; we cannot part with the funds supplied from that quarter.”
-“Why, then,” continued the high priest, and without being in the
-least awed or terrified, “how did your ancestor, Sultán Soleimán Khán,
-do when he went to the war at Sigetwar at a time when his treasury was
-drained? Thus: he took all the gold and silver vessels which were in the
-royal house, sent them to the mint, caused them to be melted down into
-specie, and thus provided himself with the means of paying the expense of
-the war. Doubtless,” added the bold and fearless priest, “doubtless, the
-treasury of Egypt can well afford to advance the sum requisite for the
-object now proposed.” The emperor knit his brow and thus addressed the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_324" id="Page_324">324</a></span>
-mufti: “Thou dost not comprehend my meaning, effendí; thou understandest
-not my words. Times are not always alike. The circumstance
-you refer to was requisite for that time. Why is it that you assume the
-present exigency to be similar to that which existed at the period you
-have mentioned?” The menla, perceiving his oratory had made no impression
-on the mind of the emperor, rose up with the rest of the counsellors
-and departed.</p>
-
-<p>Kátib Chelebí says, in his Fezliké, that Hasan Beg Zádeh has recorded
-this story in his history as a well authenticated fact. The circumstance
-referred to in the reign of Soleimán and that now related, can admit, we
-think, of no comparison, and it would be an error in judgment to suppose
-them similar. The opinion of the emperor, as expressed in the conversation
-we have related, seems to have been incontestably correct.</p>
-
-<p>Dervísh Páshá was very much offended at the bold and fearless way in
-which the reverend mufti expressed himself in the above council; he perceived,
-or thought he perceived, the mufti had laboured hard to get him
-sent off to the eastern provinces. So much, indeed, did this evil-minded
-vezír feel himself aggrieved by the sentiments expressed by the mufti, that
-he determined on getting him deprived of his theological prerogative of
-issuing fetwas; a difficulty, however, presented itself, to get rid of which
-he was much puzzled. “If,” thought he, “I make Khoaja Zádeh mufti
-(the emperor’s chaplain), his two brothers, already in power, will form a
-union with him, and then they will deny me the liberty of speech.” This
-thought had the effect of making him change his mind with regard to
-Khoaja Zádeh, and he at last raised Abulmeymín Mustafa Effendí, a
-second time, to the sacred office of mufti.</p>
-
-<p>Although Dervísh Páshá had used every method he could contrive, however
-unworthy, of getting the late grand vezír, Lálá Mohammed Páshá,
-sent to the eastern provinces, yet he himself, now that he was made grand
-vezír, manifested the utmost unwillingness to undertake the task he wished
-so earnestly to impose upon his predecessor. Being, as he thought, secure
-in the premiership, and courted by all ranks of men, he became lavish in
-his promises, and exposed himself to the art and cunning of sycophants
-who crowded round him. One of the thousand flatterers who sounded his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_325" id="Page_325">325</a></span>
-praises, and who was anxious to be put in possession of a good situation,
-when talking with him one day, went the length, in his fulsome adulations,
-thus to address him: “My lord, thou art the sun that illuminates the
-world, which scatters a reviving light throughout all regions, and which
-removes the darkness from the world.” This contemptible, mean fellow,
-who ascribed to him epithets which only belong to God, he promoted to a
-situation of honour and emolument; demonstrations that this sort of flattery
-and adulation was pleasing to his heart and suitable to the state of his
-mind.</p>
-
-<p>To escape the fatigues incident to a military life, he found or invented
-means to prevent his being sent to take command of the Ottoman armies,
-and got the emperor to favour his remaining at home. What he himself
-declined he transferred to another. Ferhád Páshá was fixed on to take the
-command of the troops destined for the east, which were still encamped at
-Scutari. Ferhád’s inexperience and unfitness for the important office
-assigned him was but too evident to every one; but to promote his own
-views and purposes Dervísh Páshá got this man appointed commander-in-chief,
-notwithstanding his utter unfitness for so great an undertaking as that
-of commanding the army of the east against the enemies of the Ottoman
-empire.</p>
-
-<p>Ferhád passed over to Scutari on the 4th of the month Sefer. Osmán
-Aghá, ketkhodá of the janissaries, with 10,000 troops, six companies of
-artillery, and the provincial troops of Caramania and Sivás, were all to act
-under his command.</p>
-
-<p>This expedition, however, as might have been anticipated, failed. Want
-of generalship in the commander, added to the absence of common feeling
-between him and his various troops; his ignorance, rashness, and scurrility
-of tongue, all contributed to estrange the troops from him. A violent contention
-having taken place between him and the spáhís, they raised a commotion
-about their pay, and attacked his tent with stones, and soon demolished
-it. With the exception of these disgraceful scenes to which we have
-here adverted, this expedition achieved nothing worthy of remark. A certain
-writer, Mahmúd Chelebí, relates, that when this mad Ferhád went to
-Brúsa, he collected about him a number of necessitous adventurers, and,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_326" id="Page_326">326</a></span>
-when remonstrated with respecting this, he was accustomed to reply in the
-most harsh and profane language. In other respects his conduct was also
-similar: his troops dispersed; some of them having received no pay, were
-obliged to proceed to Turkey to receive it; and he himself, after being
-degraded, took up his residence at Iconium, where he died of grief.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Dervísh Páshá is murdered.—Murád Páshá is made grand vezír.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Ferhád Páshá, we have seen, was sent to take the command of the war
-in the east, and Dervísh Páshá, the grand vezír, remained at home. In
-consequence of his utter want of the talents and skill of a general, and his
-total unfitness, in every respect, for the important office assigned him,
-Ferhád failed most deplorably in obtaining the least advantage; on the
-contrary, his conduct was productive of the most serious evils. Kilmamemkila,
-the son of Kalander, a noted rebel, during the time Ferhád was
-commander-in-chief, entered into Aydin and Sarúkhán (sanjáks of Anatolia),
-where he committed the most dreadful outrages and violence. A
-number of the inhabitants hastened to Constantinople and complained
-bitterly to the emperor against Ferhád and his adventurers, who, they said,
-tyrannized over them and oppressed them. These evils, of course, were
-attributed, in the first instance, to the maladministration of the grand
-vezír, who, instead of having taken upon himself the charge of the expedition,
-had sent Ferhád, of whom we have heard so much, to supply his
-place. The eyes of the people began to be opened to see and to appreciate
-the conduct of the prime minister, and in their hearts they became totally
-opposed to him, and those who had the nearest approach to his majesty’s
-ear began to urge his removal. The late reverend mufti, Siná-allah Effendí,
-who, for having spoken his mind freely and openly, the reader will remember,
-had been turned out of the muftiship, was now again, a third time,
-installed into that high office, which Abulmeymín Mustafa Effendí had
-scarcely enjoyed three months. Things now began to wear a new aspect.
-The maladministration of the grand vezír could no longer be concealed or
-connived at. The excesses of Dervísh Páshá and his wicked government
-were represented to his majesty, who had hitherto favoured his minister.
-These things, with the complaints which had reached him from Anatolia,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_327" id="Page_327">327</a></span>
-greatly excited his displeasure; and so clear and evident did his minister’s
-guilty conduct appear, that he became as much opposed to him as he had
-previously been swayed by his advice. The emperor, now thoroughly satisfied
-of the maladministration of his minister, summoned the reverend
-mufti and the reverend professors, in order to converse with them respecting
-the grand vezír’s conduct and mismanagement, and to consult with them as
-to the person most competent to fill the office of premier. This consultation,
-as might easily have been foreseen, terminated unfavourably to the
-interests of the grand vezír, who soon afterwards expiated his crimes by
-the forfeiture of his life. A hare’s sleep (<i>i.e.</i> a false promise) having been
-given to him, he was, for a short time, flattered and caressed, until he was
-one day called to the royal palace, when he was suddenly assassinated by
-the bostánjís. It is said that he was first strangled with a tent-rope, but a
-short time after a movement being perceived in his feet, the emperor drew
-his dagger and cut his throat.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The cause of his death more particularly related.</i></h3>
-
-<p>We have already adverted to the wicked and fraudulent methods which
-Dervísh practised during his short vezírship, and for which he suffered the
-just reward: the following assisted to accelerate his miserable end. One
-of those Jews usually employed by the grandees was engaged in the service
-of Dervísh Páshá, and, owing to the fidelity with which he served his master,
-he succeeded in securing a very near access to him. It was a practice
-among these Jews, when any of them were thus employed, to keep an
-account of what they expended as well as of what they received. The Jew
-just referred to kept an account of this kind, and the páshá, his master,
-had every confidence in his integrity and honesty, and, in short, intrusted
-him with all his money transactions. Dervísh Páshá having begun to build
-a palace, the outlay was wholly left to the management of this agent.
-When it was nearly finished, he asked the Jew, his factor, for an account
-of the expenditure, which was instantly put into his hand. The páshá, on
-looking over the various items, perceived that a very large sum had already
-been expended, and remarked with astonishment, knitting his brows, that
-such was the case, for he was an avaricious, regardless, fraudulent man.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_328" id="Page_328">328</a></span>
-The Jew, conscious of his own honesty, and that he had acted according
-to the rules which had been prescribed for his conduct, became greatly
-enraged, especially when he perceived that the páshá was seeking his ruin,
-and therefore he at once hit on the following cunning stratagem by which
-he might be revenged on his unjust master. He took back the statement
-of accounts, and, in the presence of the páshá, tore it in pieces and threw it
-into the fire, saying, it was not with a view of robbing his master that he
-kept a statement of the outlay, for the whole belonged to him, whose servant
-he was. “Is it not well known to you,” added he, “that whatever
-I may have gained by acting as your factor, I have not appropriated the
-least part of it to my own use? Nevertheless, if you inquire what has been
-expended, the answer is easy: I have kept a statement of the expenses,
-but the páshá has deceived himself, and has been negligent.” The foolish
-but avaricious páshá believed the Jew and dismissed him, but the Jew had
-not yet done with him. He instantly set about laying a stratagem, as
-already hinted, for ensnaring his obnoxious master. In order to accomplish
-this, he instructed some labourers, who were employed at the páshá’s
-palace, to dig, by night, underneath the ground, a passage from the páshá’s
-palace to the wall of the imperial treasury. And although several men were
-employed, during the night, in digging out this subterraneous passage, yet
-none, except those in the secret, were aware of it. When the mouth of the
-passage was finished, he caused them to build it up with stones, and then
-ordered them to retire. The malicious Jew, after having succeeded thus
-far in his mischievous plan, entered into a secret alliance with the kapú
-ághá, a collector of taxes, and an enemy to Dervísh Páshá, to whom he
-communicated the whole secret, and whom, by making him splendid presents,
-he gained to act along with him in the sequel of this mystery. The Jew,
-after this, wrote a letter to the kapú ághá, wherein he secretly, as it were,
-accused the páshá of dishonest practices, and described to him the subterraneous
-passage above-mentioned. The kapú ághá informed his majesty
-of the fact; and he, believing the account to be correct, especially when
-he considered the numerous complaints which had already been lodged
-against the páshá, was roused to indignation against his treacherous and
-deceitful minister, and caused him to be slain.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_329" id="Page_329">329</a></span></p>
-
-<p>A very short time before this tragical event, a tax of a thousand akchas
-for each of the palaces in Constantinople was ordered to be levied upon
-the inhabitants, but which the death of Dervísh Páshá fortunately saved
-them from paying, and for which they were most thankful.</p>
-
-<p>Dervísh Páshá perished about the commencement of Shabán, and on
-the 10th of the same month, Siná-allah Effendí, after mature deliberation,
-recommended the celebrated Murád Páshá for the office of grand vezír,
-who, in consequence of this, was immediately recalled from Belgrade to
-the Sublime Porte.</p>
-
-<p>The following is a copy of the letter which the emperor sent him on
-that occasion.</p>
-
-<p>“Murád Páshá, thou art my vezír. Without the advice or persuasion
-of any one, but by our own special royal will, we have thought fit to confer
-on you the grand vezírship, and have sent you the imperial seals. It is
-hoped the Divine Majesty will assist you and further you in your labours.
-We shall carefully attend to the endeavours you make in every department.
-You will, therefore, be solicitous to come to our sublime city.”</p>
-
-<p>Murád Páshá, at the time he was thus honoured, was busily engaged in
-carrying on negociations for a final peace with Austria, the preliminaries
-of which had been entered into some time before. Several important personages
-who had an interest in the making of the treaty, on the part of
-Hungary, had been invited to Belgrade to consult with Murád Páshá.</p>
-
-<p>The time we are now speaking of was one of very great pressure and
-distraction to the vezír, who found himself involved in pecuniary difficulties
-of no small moment; but by the kind intervention of Chelebí Effendí,
-cazí of Belgrade, who was become very rich, he was considerably relieved
-by a loan of two thousand pieces of gold. But yet such were the urgent
-demands made upon him that he found it beyond his powers to carry on the
-government. One day some of those soldiers who served for their food,
-were detected plundering some shops, and about fifty of them were publicly
-scourged before his own tent.</p>
-
-<p>When the vezír Murád Páshá was raised to the dignity of grand vezír,
-he did not forget the friendship and generosity of the reverend cazí, and
-even before he left Belgrade raised him to the cazíship of Aleppo.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_330" id="Page_330">330</a></span></p>
-
-<h3><i>Peace concluded with Austria.</i></h3>
-
-<p>When Lálá Mohammed Páshá was recalled to Constantinople, the power
-of concluding a peace with Austria, as well as the command of the army
-of the north, was committed to the vezír, Murád Páshá, who was sent off
-to the frontiers of Hungary immediately on his being chosen to succeed
-Lálá Mohammed. On reaching Buda he there assembled the troops who
-were to act under him, gave a favourable answer with respect to the conditions
-proposed by Austria, and nominated his son-in-law Kází Zádeh,
-Alí Páshá, beglerbeg of Buda, Hábel Effendí, the cazí of that place, Nezir-ud-dín
-Zádeh Mustafa Effendí, a grandee of Buda, and Khádem Ahmed
-deputy to Alí Páshá, to proceed to the Straits of Sidova, somewhere between
-Komran and Osterghún, where they met the Austrian commissioners
-composed of German and Hungarian princes and ambassadors. Botchkai’s
-consent and permission had been obtained. The Austrian commissioners
-were lodged on the north side of the Danube, and the Moslem commissioners
-at Osterghún.</p>
-
-<p>On the 1st of Rajab, the commissioners, on both sides, embarked in
-boats on the Danube, and in the middle of that river, they, after some
-considerable debate, altercation, and warm contest, concluded a treaty of
-peace, the articles of which, we shall here insert. It is to be observed
-however that, according to the contract entered into with Botchkai, the
-whole of the Majar nation was put under his jurisdiction, as were also the
-fortresses of Filk, Yanuk, and all the other places of strength. Matters
-remained in this state till the demise of the late grand vezír, Lálá Mohammed
-Páshá, when Botchkai ceased pressing his claims. Murád Páshá,
-therefore, met the wishes of the other contracting power, gave his consent
-to the treaty agreed on by the comissioners. The following, in substance,
-is a copy of the articles of that treaty. The Austrian commissioners, who
-were vested with full powers, say, in the document which they signed
-and presented to the Moslem commissioners, that they, in the name of
-Adolphus II., who, by the grace of God, is emperor of Alaman (Germany),
-Hungary, Bohemia, Dalmatia, Croatia, and of the maritime provinces, concluded
-a treaty of peace with the commissioners of his sublime majesty,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_331" id="Page_331">331</a></span>
-Sultán Ahmed Khán, for the space of twenty years. (Here the names
-of the Moslem commissioners are introduced, and are the same as
-those formerly mentioned.) The names of the Austrian commissioners
-are mentioned at the commencement of the above document, and are
-as follows Yanúsh Amoorlardi, councellor of state, governor of Komran,
-and captain of all the frontier troops; Adolphus Ehwalanjan, counsellor
-of state and commander-in-chief; Nicolas Ashtwan, kapúdán of the
-other side of the Danube; Francis Gusenlegan, kapúdán of this side
-of the Danube and counsellor of state; Claudius Rewaid, count of
-Farsewer.</p>
-
-<p><i>Article</i> I. That ambassadors of the emperor of Austria shall be permitted
-to proceed to the Sublime Porte, and that the correspondence between the
-court of Constantinople and that of Vienna be expressed in such friendly
-terms as a father writes to his son, or a son to a father.</p>
-
-<p><i>Article</i> II. That the Ottoman royal letters shall style the emperor of
-Austria, Roman Emperor; not king.</p>
-
-<p><i>Article</i> III. That when, by the grace of God, peace is once concluded,
-neither Tátár tribes, nor any other military force belonging to the Sublime
-Porte, shall commit any hostility against any of the territories belonging
-to the Roman emperor.</p>
-
-<p><i>Article</i> IV. That the territories belonging to the contracting powers,
-whether surrounded by water or not, shall not be injured by either party;
-that the villages on the confines of Hungary shall not be molested by the
-Osmánlís; that the king of Spain, if he agree to the treaty, shall also not
-be molested.</p>
-
-<p><i>Article</i> V. That all the inhabitants on the frontiers be prohibited from
-tresspassing on the confines of either party; that should any person, from
-either side, be guilty of the refraction of this article, and be seized, he
-shall be presented before the governor or kapúdán of that place, who shall
-make proper enquiry as to what he has been guilty of, and punish or acquit
-accordingly.</p>
-
-<p><i>Article</i> VI. No castle or fortress, during the peace, shall be plundered,
-attacked, nor taken by any stratagem. If any one of the fortresses be taken<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_332" id="Page_332">332</a></span>
-by fraud or craft, it shall be restored. Those places given to Botchkai
-shall remain as they were fixed at Vienna.</p>
-
-<p><i>Article</i> VII. All captives taken before the peace shall be set at liberty
-for the ransom that may be stipulated: such as are not ransomed shall be
-exchanged for other captives; and no captives shall be taken after the
-ratification of this treaty. If by any means any captive be taken, the
-party who took him shall liberate him gratis. The contracting powers
-agree, that persons who shall be convicted of seizing captives shall be
-punished by the government to which they belong.</p>
-
-<p><i>Article</i> VIII. If any of the inhabitants of Temisvar, of Bosnia, of Agria,
-or of Kaniza, offend against this treaty, information must be given to their
-respective governors; and in the event of such offenders not being punished,
-the beglerbeg of Buda, who shall be appointed superintendent of all these
-districts, shall be requested to see justice fairly administered. In like
-manner must the governor of Yanuk, the kapúdáns on this side (the
-Ottoman side), and the banis of Croatia be instructed to see this treaty
-respected.</p>
-
-<p><i>Article</i> IX. The fortresses belonging to both the contracting powers may
-be repaired; but no new fortress or palanka shall be erected on the frontiers
-of either country.</p>
-
-<p><i>Article</i> X. As to the two hundred thousand dollars promised to his Sublime
-Majesty by this treaty, it is stipulated, that so soon as the imperial ambassador
-shall have arrived with this sum at Constantinople, the exalted serdár
-shall send a Sanjak prince with a present suitable to the dignity of the
-Ottoman court to give to the duke. When the royal presents destined for
-the Ottoman sultán shall have arrived, the sultán shall return a gift of
-greater magnitude than usual to the Roman emperor.</p>
-
-<p><i>Article</i> XI. The Austrian ambassador shall proceed at once to Constantinople
-with the stipulated sum of money and the royal presents.</p>
-
-<p><i>Article</i> XII. The peace now concluded shall continue to be maintained
-for the space of twenty years, commencing from the 1st of the thousand
-and fifteenth Rajab (<i>i. e.</i> from 1st of Rajab 1015) of the Mohammedan era,
-which is the 1600th of the Christian era: but no more presents than those<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_333" id="Page_333">333</a></span>
-now mentioned shall be sent for the space of three years. Whatever
-presents may be thought necessary to be sent after these three years are
-expired, shall remain undetermined. If during the term of this peace the
-emperor of the Moslems, or the emperor of Austria, or the king of Hungary,
-should depart this life, their sons, successors, and relations shall be bound
-to respect the articles of this treaty, and not to violate the peace on any
-account.</p>
-
-<p><i>Article</i> XIII. The palanka of Wáj shall remain in its present (dilapidated)
-condition, and shall not be enlarged.</p>
-
-<p><i>Article</i> XIV. When the Austrian ambassadors arrive at Constantinople
-they shall be allowed whatever they may stand in need of.</p>
-
-<p><i>Article</i> XV. The villages which paid tribute or taxes before the reduction
-of Agria (<i>i. e.</i> the villages of that district) shall continue to pay the same
-still.</p>
-
-<p><i>Article</i> XVI. Those villages which belonged to Filk, Sichan, and Novograde,
-but now connected with Agria, Khutván, Buda, and Osterghún, shall
-pay their accustomed dues.</p>
-
-<p><i>Article</i> XVII. Those villages which were accustomed to pay taxes when
-Osterghún fell into the hands of the Austrian emperor shall still continue to
-pay him their dues as formerly. All the other villages on the frontiers
-shall continue to pay their usual taxes to whichever government they may
-belong. In consequence of the unsettled state of the district of Kaniza, a
-person shall be nominated by the Moslem government, who, along with
-Bíkám Oghlí, shall make enquiry into the state of matters, and determine
-which of the villages of that district belong to Kaniza, and which not;
-when their taxes shall be regulated according to what is right.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Concerning Nesúh Páshá.</i></h3>
-
-<p>On the 4th of Moharrem in this year, Nesúh Páshá, who, by the instrumentality
-of the late grand vezír, Mohammed Páshá, had been appointed
-to the government of Baghdád, went to take possession of his new government.
-On reaching the Euphrates he learned, that Píáleh Páshá, the
-deposed governor of Bassora, had succeeded in gaining the good-will of the
-people of Baghdád, and that by means of flattery and promises he had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_334" id="Page_334">334</a></span>
-secured the affections of the soldiery. He also received intelligence concerning
-the rebel Mohammed, son of Túyel Ahmed Oghlí, who had been
-válí of Irák. The beglerbeg of Wærka, Mír Sheríf, whom Nesúh met on his
-march to Baghdád, showed him much respect, and promised him his support.
-Nesúh was furnished with letters and robes of honour to Seyed Khán Beg,
-one of those Kúrd princes who, before Nesúh’s time, had come on business
-to Baghdád: also to the begs of Sehran, and to Obrish Oghlí Emír
-Ahmed, an Arab prince. These letters enjoined the several parties above
-specified, in the most flattering manner, to attach themselves without delay
-to the interests of Nesúh Páshá, the emperor’s commander-in-chief, and to
-proceed with him to Baghdád then in the hands of the rebels.</p>
-
-<p>Obrish Oghlí, and the other chiefs, sent the commander-in-chief deceitful
-answers; and after waiting at Mosul for nearly six weeks for their arrival,
-he found at last that he had been duped by their fraud. To add to his distress,
-he found also, that the letter which he had sent off to Seyed Khán
-had been intercepted, and that the rebels were thus apprized of his march
-upon Baghdád.</p>
-
-<p>It may be proper to observe, however, that before the imperial letters
-above alluded to arrived, the Válí Páshá, Píáleh Páshá, and Emír Sheríf
-Páshá, had advanced as far as Arabel, whence they wrote to Seyed Khán,
-and to the emírs of Seheran to join them, but without any good result.
-The Turkoman tribe, however, which for some insignificant advantage had
-been tempted to revolt, joined the rebels. Upon this, and trusting to the
-promises of Abúrish Oghlí, they entered the city of Baghdád on the 3d of
-Shabán, the very day fixed on by him, but they neither heard nor saw any
-thing of him. The Kurds and Arabian insurgents, who had been sent by
-Arazil and Abúrish Oghlí, and who now supported Túyel Oghlí in his
-rebellion, also entered Baghdád, and prepared for resistance. Túyel, it
-would appear, had secretly succeeded, by means of 30,000 ducats, in
-bribing a number of faithless mercenaries, who served in the army under
-Nesúh. Túyel, in consequence of the success his bribery had met with,
-ventured out of the city and offered battle to Nesúh. At the commencement
-of this engagement, the superiority of Nesúh’s troops over their
-adversaries seemed evident; but a body of the mercenaries who had been<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_335" id="Page_335">335</a></span>
-bribed joining the insurgents, the remainder of the army fled from the field.
-This catastrophe was attended with terrible consequences to Nesúh; yet
-although his army, by this revolt, was considerably weakened, he nevertheless,
-with Válí Páshá, Píáleh Páshá, and Mír Sheríf, fought with unparalleled
-bravery. Válí Páshá fell on the field of battle, and Nesúh was
-wounded in two places. A considerable number of brave soldiers who
-fought under the banner of Nesúh, besides many princes who had attended
-Mír Sheríf, also died martyrs in this bloody contest. Nesúh and Mír Sheríf
-however, when they perceived the battle turning against them, succeeded
-in getting their fighting Muselmans to retire from the unequal conflict.
-Nesúh retreated to an island which belonged to Mír Sheríf, where he
-remained until the severe cold weather set in, and thence he sent a
-report of his misfortunes to the court of Constantinople. Túyel, not long
-after this victory which he had gained, was murdered in the city of
-Baghdád.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Death of Botchkai.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Petrus, the pope’s legate in Hungary, and Arúmendi, Botchkai’s intimate
-friend, informed the court of Constantinople that King Botchkai
-Ashetwan had departed this life on the 5th of Ramazán. Some time before
-his death he summoned to his presence the two above-mentioned persons,
-and nominated as his successor his sister’s son-in-law, his own vezír, the
-bravest prince that was in Hungary, one Hemon; and whose name had
-been inserted in the contract between Botchkai and the Ottoman government
-as the successor of Botchkai to the crown of Transylvania. Hemon
-having been raised to the throne of Transylvania, as now described, the
-Sublime Porte sent him a robe of honour lined with wolf-skin, and a sanják,
-as tokens of esteem. This Hemon, called also Hemon Baturi, was a
-descendant of the ancient kings of Transylvania, and on this account was
-chosen successor to Botchkai.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Other events of the current year.</i></h3>
-
-<p>On the night of the 4th of Moharrem a destructive fire broke out in the
-Jewish quarter of the city: the desolating element reaching as far as Khoaja<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_336" id="Page_336">336</a></span>
-Páshá’s bath, and Khoaja’s academy, and destroying squares and streets in
-its progress. The damage which this fire occasioned was immense.</p>
-
-<p>On the 27th of the month Gúrjí, Mohammed Páshá, lately removed from
-the government of Egypt, was appointed to the government of Bosnia;
-and the government of Kaniza was conferred on Aghá Khosrú Páshá. On
-the 11th of Rabia II., in consequence of the rebel Kalander Oghlí having
-gone to the vicinity of Kewah, all the cavalry, Chashingírs and Chávushes,
-who had any property in that quarter, were ordered to repair thither. On
-the 16th of Jemadi I. the government received information that the insurgent
-Jánbúlát had suddenly fallen on the governor of Aleppo, Hasan Páshá,
-brother to Tarnákjí, and had slain him. On the same day intelligence was
-also received that Alí Páshá, the son of the same Jánbúlát, who had raised
-the standard of rebellion in the jurisdiction of Aleppo, had fought and overcome
-in battle Emír Seif Oghlí, beglerbeg of Tripoli, in Syria, who had
-been obliged to take refuge in that city. On the 21st, the master of the
-horse, Ja’fer Aghá, having been appointed governor of Ethiopia, his predecessor
-was removed to Yemen, where he succeeded Sinán Páshá, who
-had been ordered to return to Turkey. On the 18th of Ramazán, Kalander
-Oghlí, with the rebels under his command, most completely overthrew and
-defeated Hasan Páshá, beglerbeg of Anatolia; also Ahmed, the former
-governor of that province, and the beg of Sarúkhán, Hájí Beg, in the
-neighbourhood of Sarúkhán. Kalander Oghlí, after having obtained this
-decisive victory, threatened to attack Magnesia, and it was, therefore, found
-necessary to strengthen Brúsa. On the third of Dhu’l hijja, several of the
-youths attached to the royal house were promoted to offices of honour,
-according to the usual rule. A number of other promotions and changes took
-place, but they are not worth while mentioning.</p>
-
-
-
-<hr />
-<h2><span class="smcap">EVENTS of the Year 1016, H.</span></h2>
-
-
-<h3><i>The grand vezír, Murád Páshá, returns to court.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Murád Páshá, after the peace between Turkey and Austria was fully
-settled and agreed to, enjoyed, at Belgrade, some degree of quiet and
-tranquillity, until he was suddenly recalled to court. The official messenger<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_337" id="Page_337">337</a></span>
-who had carried to Murád Páshá the emperor’s orders, no sooner arrived at
-the place of his destination, than Murád Páshá, along with the Austrian
-ambassadors, who had carried with them thither the sum of money stipulated
-by the treaty of peace, set out in the greatest haste for the Sublime Porte,
-where they arrived about the end of Moharrem.</p>
-
-<p>Not long after his arrival in the metropolis, it was resolved, in consequence
-of the harrassing state of the eastern provinces and the continued aggressions
-of the Persians, that the grand vezír, Murád Páshá, should be sent with a
-splendid army to bring the countries of the east into a state of tranquillity
-and subordination, and to act against the Persians.</p>
-
-<p>In consequence of the long-continued war which the Ottomans had been
-obliged to carry on against the northern infidels, and which drained to so
-great a degree the military resources of the empire, the inland provinces
-were, in a manner, left destitute of sufficient military force to preserve them
-quiet and peaceable. Anatolia, when thus freed of the presence of the military,
-became much disturbed by every kind of faction, rebellion, and
-insubordination: each faction had its own leader or chieftain. They procured
-supplies of arms, formed themselves into companies of foot and
-horse, and presented every where a most formidable appearance.</p>
-
-<p>One of the leaders of these rebels was Abdul helím, better known by the
-name of Karah Yázijí (usually called Scrivano), who was at one time in the
-suite of the governor of the province. At first he was only segbán, but
-afterwards he became súbáshlik. The discontented portion of the inhabitants
-of Anatolia chose this man for their chieftain, who, by his wicked
-devices, soon brought the whole country into a state of insubordination and
-violence. In 1009 he pillaged and sacked the countries of Chorum, Sivás,
-and Tokat. Sometimes victorious, sometimes defeated, he was, at last,
-obliged to betake himself to the mountains of Jánbeg.</p>
-
-<p>Another of these rebel-chiefs was one Hasan Páshá. Being governor of
-the province, his cruelty, oppression, and injustice became so intolerable,
-that he was necessitated, for the safety of his life, to take flight. He
-joined the infamous Scrivano at the moment he was beset in the fortress of
-Ráh, and effected his deliverance, but he himself being taken, was delivered<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_338" id="Page_338">338</a></span>
-over to the Moslem commander, who sent him to Constantinople, where he
-suffered the punishment deserved by his crimes.</p>
-
-<p>His brother, Delí Hasan, was another of these rebel-chiefs. He followed
-in the footsteps of Scrivano, and was murdered, as the reader may remember,
-when on his way from Temisvar to Belgrade.</p>
-
-<p>Kalander Oghlí, called also Mohammed, likewise headed the revolt. He
-was at first in the service of some of the beglerbegs, and afterwards a lieutenant
-to a great man who had employed him. When Jeghala Zádeh was
-commander-in-chief in the east, Kalander Oghlí insinuated himself, in some
-way or other, into his favour, from which he received some benefit. In
-1013 he selected a number of rebels and became their chief. Being bold
-and intrepid as well as wicked, he committed very serious evils; but we
-shall afterwards have to advert to his history.</p>
-
-<p>Another of these malignants was one Karah Seyed, a wretch who was
-so thoroughly embued with evil qualities, as to be an object of general
-detestation and hatred. The miseries, murders, and spoliation which this
-fiend committed were horrible. He joined his fortunes with those of Kalander;
-but placing confidence in him was like placing confidence in a
-mud-wall.</p>
-
-<p>The next of these villains that we shall notice are Túyel and Yúsuf
-Páshá, who, like those already mentioned, met with the fate they deserved.
-The greater number of those who had been engaged in the recent and
-former rebellions were either killed or dispersed, or perished in some other
-way. The most infamous of those who still remained in open rebellion
-were Alí Beg, son of Jánbulát, and Kalander Oghlí; but Murád Páshá
-was preparing to chastise them.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Murád Páshá gains a victory over the rebels.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The grand vezír, Murád Páshá, no sooner returned to Constantinople,
-than he commenced preparations for the war in the east. On the 19th of
-the 1016th Sefer (<i>i. e.</i> on the 19th of the month Sefer of this year) he
-passed over to Scutari, and on the 7th of Rabia I. he marched direct
-towards Aleppo. The beglerbegship of Romeili was conferred on Tarnákjí<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_339" id="Page_339">339</a></span>
-Hasan Páshá, and that of Anatolia on Marjol Hasan Páshá. Khalíl Aghá,
-colonel of the janissaries, was appointed chief herald. Bákí Páshá was
-made treasurer for the army, and the dignity of káímakám was conferred on
-Mustafa Páshá, of the garrison of Brúsa, who took possession of his new
-office on the 22d of the month Sefer.</p>
-
-<p>When the serdár, Murád Páshá, conspicuous in dignity, reached Iconium,
-Kalander Oghlí, who on two former occasions had opposed and defeated
-two páshás, and who had spread the most terrible consternation throughout
-the country, hearing of Murád’s march on Iconium, determined to fall upon
-Ancora, the inhabitants of which had done him considerable injury. Thinking
-this was the best time to be revenged on them, he left Sarúkhán and
-directed his movements towards Ancora.</p>
-
-<p>In the meantime, however, Murád, after a few days’ rest at Iconium,
-made some new arrangements. He appointed Bábá Akhí Zádeh, who was
-orthodox in his views and sentiments, to the high-priest’s office, which
-happened at that time to be vacant. A considerable number of the inhabitants,
-who had been active in the rebellion, he caused to be executed;
-and filled the wells of Iconium with their vile bodies. One of those who
-suffered death on that occasion was a cursed heretic of the name of Ahmed
-Beg. Murád Páshá also crucified a man named Mustafa, stabbed the
-deputy-governor, when Abdur-rahmán was cazí of Iconium, burned the
-palace of Delí Ahmed, the governor of Caramania, the owner of it losing
-his life in the flames, and put to the sword more than a thousand souls,
-who had either been infected with heresy, or who had taken part in the
-rebellion. In short, Murád Páshá marched about in the character of a
-prince, and put to death whomever he pleased. When this Ahmed Beg, the
-scourge of the whole country, was brought before this deep-discerning
-commander, the páshá thus addressed him: “I am about leaving you at
-Iconium till my return from taking vengeance on the son of Jánbulát: guard
-the city and keep a good look out. But should you require aid for this
-purpose, what number of men do you think you could muster?” The
-fearless wretch replied, “thirty thousand at least.” The commander expressed,
-though feignedly, his approbation, and dismissed him: but in an
-oration to those who, it would seem, had pleaded in his behalf, he observed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_340" id="Page_340">340</a></span>
-that to leave alive upon the earth a man, who, in his absence, could raise
-thirty thousand men, and to permit him to have the power of fortifying the
-city against him, would not be acting wisely. In this way, and by these
-arguments, he put to silence the friends and advocates of Ahmed Beg; and
-shortly afterwards, caused him to be strangled, and his carcass thrown into
-a well.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Ebn Kalander goes to Ancora.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Kalander Oghlí, well knowing that to encounter the serdár would be his
-certain destruction, retired, as we have already seen, towards Ancora. On
-his march to this place he picked up all the cattle and horses which fell in
-his way, and passed by the confines of Caramania, plundering and robbing
-every town and village through which he marched. On approaching
-Ancora he forwarded a messenger to announce his arrival, as if he had been
-commissioned by royal authority.</p>
-
-<p>In the city of Ancora there lived, at that time, one Ahmed Effendí Zádeh
-Waldin, who had been present in the royal camp during the war that was
-carried on against Hungary; and who, from the high opinion entertained
-of his abilities, was appointed cazí of Ancora, with the view of seeing its
-unfinished fortifications completed, and of preserving the place against the
-aggressions of the rebels. When the above messenger, accompanied by
-four hundred men, presented himself before the city, this judge of the law
-proposed answering him thus: that it was unlawful to permit an armed
-troop of criminals to enter the city; that the gates must not be opened to
-them; and that if it should be necessary to act on the defensive, they
-would sooner fight than allow them entrance. This decisive method of
-answering the intruders was not only approved of by the rest of the citizens,
-but communicated by them to the messengers, who carried it to Kalander.
-This information enraged him greatly, but he soon hit on a stratagem
-which he put into practice. He appeared before the walls of the city, and
-sending a messenger, with conditions of peace, requested the judge of the
-law to come out and confer with him on certain points; intimating, at the
-same time, that he would be entirely swayed by the judgment of the
-reverend Effendí. The judge prepared himself, and came forth with a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_341" id="Page_341">341</a></span>
-certain number of horsemen, to meet his opponent, who was attended by
-his suite; and both, sitting on horseback, entered into close conversation.
-Kalander commenced thus: “The emperor has assigned to me, in perpetual
-possession, this province, and has given the adjacent sanjáks to
-my followers. Why have you declined receiving us into the city? Why
-have you shut its gates against my herald?” The judge boldly replied,
-“If this country be conferred on you, as you say, why are you not come
-with the royal standard unfurled? You have the appearance of a band of
-robbers. You have trampled down the corn-fields belonging to the Muselmans;
-you have violently carried away the property of the country; you
-have driven your cattle into our corn-fields. The eyes of the citizens are
-afraid to dwell upon public robbers; and their hearts failed them when
-they heard of your approach. This, then, is the reason why they have shut
-their gates against your herald. They were alarmed, lest, as soon as you
-should enter, you would commence the work of cruelty, robbery, and
-death; but now that you have exhibited the royal pleasure, we are your
-servants. Therefore, we request that you draw out a list of what you deem
-necessary, and send it to us by faithful men. But, in order that you may
-tranquillize the fears of the citizens, it will be proper for you to retire to
-some considerable distance from their view. When they perceive your
-peaceful conduct, I shall not fail to do what I can to interest the people of
-the city in your behalf; then I shall come forth to you into our own camp,
-and learn from you what honours you will confer on me, in return: as soon
-as the people are quieted you may enter the city.”</p>
-
-<p>This seemingly gracious reception so intoxicated Kalander and his followers,
-that about thirty of these wretches, accompanied by their chief’s
-deputy, actually went into the city and delivered to the judge a list of such
-things as they principally required—such as trowsers, coats, and other
-articles. Whilst they were waiting a few days for the articles in question,
-Kalander’s deputy began to discover the villany of his base nature. In fact,
-he was hardly two days in the city when he began to lay his hands on the
-beautiful young females he saw, which exasperated the people to such a
-degree that they were on the point of murdering him. The judge, at the
-moment they were about to take summary vengeance on the wretch, inter<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_342" id="Page_342">342</a></span>fered
-and restrained their fury, by representing to them that by their acting
-in such a manner they would endanger the lives of other Muselmans as
-well as their own. Under the pretext, therefore, of delivering the audacious
-wretch out of their hands, he thrust him into prison in the inner fortress.
-His companions he distributed among different families in the character of
-guests, as they supposed, where he told them they would receive the rights
-of hospitality, and where they would be protected from insult in case of
-any tumult arising. The cazí, in this way, got them all safely lodged within
-the citadel, and not one of them was able to make his escape.</p>
-
-<p>During this interval, Kalander was impatiently waiting for the return of
-his men; but he little knew the person he had to deal with. The reverend
-judge had no sooner secured his prize, than he wrote off an account of the
-whole affair to Murád Páshá, who, in return, congratulated his correspondent
-on his adroitness and success; and informed him, by letter, that
-an army would soon be in pursuit of his visitors, cautioning him, at the
-same time, to be on the look out. The person who had the charge of this
-letter was way-laid and intercepted, by which means Kalander became
-acquainted with the whole of the mystery. He now perceived the design
-of the cazí, and determined on attacking the city: but he was just as little
-aware of the heroism and skill in war which cazí Effendí, the son of
-Waldin, possessed, as he before was of his powers of stratagem. The
-citizens too were not without spirit. They formed themselves into regular
-companies, and fell with ardour on their assailants, maintaining the struggle
-with desperate heroism, and hurling defiance at Kalander, who made no
-less than eight different assaults, so intent was he on reducing the Ancorians.
-But the showers of musket and cannon-shot from the batteries made such
-havock among this besieging horde as both cooled and repelled them, until
-at last they seemed to have given up all idea of success. At this moment
-it began to be rumoured that a body of troops, under the command of
-Tekelí, Mohammed Páshá, was marching on Ancora, which rumour induced
-the besiegers to retire to the distance of one stage. Tekelí, it would appear,
-had some little skirmishes with these rebels, but their numbers were
-so very superior to those under his command, that he chose rather to hasten
-into the city than to risk any general engagement.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_343" id="Page_343">343</a></span></p>
-
-<p>It was not long after these things, that Tekelí was put in possession of
-the sanják of Komstamúní, when he pursued Kalander Oghlí with additional
-forces, and forty pieces of cannon.</p>
-
-<p>The commander-in-chief having determined on the total destruction of
-Jánbúlát, seems, for the time, to have overlooked the rebel Kalander. He
-removed his troops from Iconium; and marching towards Aleppo, where
-Jánbúlát then was, he encamped before the city of Larendo; whence he
-dispatched the regiments of the red and yellow standards, under their respective
-leaders, and a body of janissaries to Selukeh, in Syria, with orders to
-destroy Meseli Chávush, a powerful and noted rebel in that quarter. This
-expedition, on reaching its destination, found the rebel had taken refuge in
-the mountains, and had there fortified himself. The ardent and zealous Moslem
-troops, however, pursued him even into his strong-holds, one or two of
-which they took, slaying all his followers that fell in their way, and dispersing
-the remainder. A few of the principal leaders, who had acted
-among the insurgents, were seized and sent to the commander-in-chief.</p>
-
-<p>The exalted serdár, bent on falling in with Jánbúlát, removed from
-Larendo and came to Arkalah, where he found himself opposed by Jemshíd,
-another of the rebel chieftains, from the neighbourhood of Adna, and who
-scrupled not to give battle to the royal troops. He and his rebel army,
-however, were soon broken and overthrown. He himself escaped by flight,
-but his deluded followers were either destroyed or made prisoners. Such
-of them as were taken alive were conducted into the presence of the
-serdár, and there ordered to be beheaded.</p>
-
-<p>When the grand vezír, Murád Páshá, reached the confines of Aleppo, he
-was there informed, just as he was on the eve of approaching the pass of
-Bukras, that Jánbúlát, with twenty thousand foot and twenty thousand
-horse, was strongly entrenched within this pass. The exalted serdár, on
-hearing this report, changed his route, and went forward to the plains of
-Gozarjinlik. This movement he effected on 29th of Jemadi II. The royal
-camp was joined at this place by the beglerbeg of Merœsh, Zulfekár
-Páshá, with a powerful auxiliary army. In three days afterwards he removed
-his camp to Durma, on the river Kunuk. Jánbúlát Oghlí, on learning
-that the Moslem army had passed on to Durma, left his position; and,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_344" id="Page_344">344</a></span>
-on the 2d of Rajab, marched with his army of forty thousand half the distance,
-intent on giving battle to the serdár, and encamped in the valley of
-Uruj. The advance guards of both armies met, and a sharp skirmish took
-place; but that of the rebels was totally defeated; the greater part of
-them perished, and those who were made prisoners, being conducted into
-the presence of the serdár were, without mercy or compassion, instantly
-put to death.</p>
-
-<p>The following day, Tuesday, in the morning, the grand vezír prepared for
-a general engagement, put his numerous troops in order, and then encouraged
-and fortified the hearts of his soldiers.</p>
-
-<p>Jánbúlát, in like manner, prepared for the contest. He placed his deputy
-with a division of his rebellious troops, against the army of Anatolia, which
-formed the right wing of Murád: his segbáns he opposed to the Romeilian
-troops, which formed his left wing, and he himself took up his position
-immediately opposite the centre of the royal army.</p>
-
-<p>It has been said, that Jánbúlát had written before this to the Moslem
-commander-in-chief offering to make peace, but that the latter did not
-believe him sincere. He even, whilst endeavouring to bring this about,
-stepped to the front of his army and forbade them to fight; but they, by
-oaths and curses, caused him to retire, and erected their banners. However
-these things might be, the battle commenced, and it was a bloody one.
-Zulfekár Páshá, beglerbeg of Merœsh, fought with uncommon bravery,
-and caused the heads of the enemy to roll along the ground. Jánbúlát
-attacked the left wing of the royalists, composed of the Romeilian army
-commanded by its intrepid válí, Hasan Páshá, but was met with heroism,
-on the part of these troops, exceeding all imagination. The conflict was awful
-and bloody, and lasted till night. Twenty-six thousand heads were conveyed
-into the presence of the powerful Osmánlí chief, and heaped up
-before his pavilion: twenty persons were incessantly employed in cutting
-off the heads of the vast number of prisoners which were brought in alive.
-The janissaries, headed by their chief, as well as the other troops, distinguished
-themselves in the most brilliant manner on this occasion.</p>
-
-<p>Jánbúlát, after this severe defeat, fled to Kilis. But finding it unsafe for
-him to remain there, he marched on to Aleppo, plundered the rich men of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_345" id="Page_345">345</a></span>
-city, threw some of his troops into the citadel, and the following morning,
-as he was going out at the gate, to continue his flight—for such was the
-fear he was in, that he remained only one night at Aleppo—the women and
-children raised a tremendous hue and cry after him, loading him with
-anathemas, and covering him with dirt and mud. After he was once fairly
-out of their sight the inhabitants commenced a search after such of his followers
-as had hid themselves in the city, and succeeded in finding out and
-killing more than a thousand of these wretches before Murád Páshá arrived
-at Aleppo.</p>
-
-<p>The day after the battle a council was held in the victorious and glorious
-pavilion, when the grandees of the army pressed in to congratulate their
-commander-in-chief.</p>
-
-<p>It has been related that the son of Máín Fekhr-ud-dín had headed the
-sons of Gilibi and the Dirzi soldiery, and fought under Jánbulát in the
-above-mentioned battle. Fekhr-ud-dín fled to the fortress of Shukif, in
-the desert, where he shut himself up.</p>
-
-<p>The exalted commander-in-chief, when on his march from the field of
-battle to Aleppo, touched at Kilis, where he seized on the whole of the
-property belonging to the last-mentioned rebel. On the 19th of Rajab he
-erected his pavilion in the Kokmaidan of Aleppo, whither all the great men
-of the city repaired in order to pay him their respects, and to congratulate
-him on his success against the rebels. Some few vile wretches, who had
-hitherto eluded detection, were now brought forth and executed. The
-few troops which Jánbulát had left in the citadel, after a day or two, offered
-to surrender. The officers were furnished with letters of protection, but
-the common soldiery, on coming out of the citadel, were all executed.
-The government of Aleppo was conferred on Dishleng Hasan Páshá, and
-the cazíship of the same on an old acquaintance of the cazí of the royal
-camp, Cheshmi Effendí. Hasan Páshá, válí of Romeili, having been advanced
-to the rank and dignity of a vezír, returned to Turkey, and Marjol
-Hasan Páshá succeeded him as válí of Romeili.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Murád Páshá winters at Aleppo.—Troops are sent to Baghdád.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The grand vezír, Murád Páshá, with the view of preserving the peace<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_346" id="Page_346">346</a></span>
-and tranquillity of the country, determined on keeping a certain number of
-his best troops somewhere near Aleppo, where he himself resolved on
-passing the winter. Accordingly, the spáhís were sent into the territories
-of Damascus, and the Salihdárs to Tripoli, in Syria. The janissaries
-remained with the commander-in-chief at Aleppo, and the troops of
-Romeili, of Anatolia, and of Caramania were allowed to return to their
-respective countries.</p>
-
-<p>In Aleppo the serdár and his janissaries spent the six months of winter
-in every sort of pleasure and festivity. Rebels, from one hundred to two
-hundred, were every day brought to Aleppo and there executed without
-compassion or commiseration.</p>
-
-<p>The grand vezír, Murád Páshá, in the midst of the various scenes of
-pleasure which Aleppo afforded, was one day astounded at learning that
-about the time he had entered into winter quarters, Mustafa, the brother of
-Ahmed Túyel Oghlí, who had met with his death at Baghdád, had succeeded
-the deceased in the command of the rebels in that quarter, and who
-amounted to several thousands. Murád Páshá was not long in considering
-how to act: he determined on their overthrow. Accordingly, he conferred
-the government of Baghdád on Mohammed Páshá, son of Jeghala Zádeh
-Sinán Páshá, giving him a body of paid troops; and he appointed Mír
-Ahmed, son of Abúrish, prince of Annet and Hadisa, and Kúrd Mír Sheríf
-Páshá, besides several other provincial lords, to accompany him to the
-conquest of Baghdád, now in the hands of the rebels.</p>
-
-<p>The expedition just mentioned had no sooner arrived within a small distance
-of Baghdád than they were met by Mustafa, who had prepared to
-oppose the Moslem army. This happened on the 1st of Shevál; but Mustafa,
-who had not rightly estimated the courage and heroism of the Osmánlí
-troops, found, to his sad experience, that he and his rebels were no match
-for them; in a word, he was defeated and routed, and shut himself up in
-the city, thinking there to defend himself. This, however, was a delusion.
-The heroic Osmánlís were not long in approaching and laying siege to the
-city, and perceiving that resistance would be worse than useless, he proposed
-to deliver up the city on the condition of personal security. This
-was agreed to, and he was allowed to embark; but the boat into which he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_347" id="Page_347">347</a></span>
-had entered had no sooner moved away from the bank or wharf than, from
-its unequal weight, occasioned by the vast numbers of segbáns who had
-crowded in along with him, it upset, and all, with the exception of Mustafa
-himself and a few others, were drowned in the river; even those
-few who did escape were nearly all killed by bullets which were sent across
-after them. Mohammed Páshá, after having thus vanquished the rebels and
-dispersed them, entered into Baghdád triumphant and victorious.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Jánbulát Oghlí seeks refuge in Constantinople.—Kalander commits new
-depredations.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Kalander Oghlí, after having sustained the defeats and disappointments
-formerly mentioned, and knowing that Murád Páshá had passed on to
-Aleppo, again resolved on mischief. After leaving Ancora, finding himself
-kept in awe by Tekelí, he passed into Anatolia, and proceeded to the
-neighbourhood of Brúsa. Here he was joined by Kanalí Oghlí, the chief
-of a sanják in that country, a disaffected villain, with a number of others of
-similar character, amounting to very near a thousand; and here he again
-commenced his usual depredations.</p>
-
-<p>Jánbulát Oghlí Alí Páshá, of whose history and fortunes we have already
-spoken, finding nowhere any asylum to which he might flee for safety,
-took his winding-sheet on his shoulders, as it were, and resolved on returning
-to Turkey. With this view he went to the vicinity of Eskí-sheher
-with a certain number of volunteers, whence he sent a humble letter by one
-Haidar Beg, his fraternal uncle, to the court of Constantinople.</p>
-
-<p>About the time Jánbulát Oghlí came into the vicinity of Brúsa, Kalander
-Oghlí sent some of his principal adherents to meet him, and to assure him
-that he also had repented, and inviting him to come and take counsel with
-him, and proceed together in company. Jánbulát Oghlí accepted of the
-invitation and went; but Kalander Oghlí had changed his tone and said,
-“Do not you separate from me, and you shall see me take ample revenge
-on our opponents: this is the very moment for accomplishing it.” Jánbulát
-Oghlí, not relishing the views and intentions of his entertainer, purposed
-with himself to escape secretly from him; and with this view he one
-night cut a hole in the wall of the apartment in which he lodged, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_348" id="Page_348">348</a></span>
-getting out, hastened off with all dispatch towards Constantinople, taking
-only a few of his nearest relations along with him. More disaffected fellows,
-who had accompanied him to Brúsa, joined themselves, when they
-found he had absconded, to the infamous Kalander Oghlí, who, when he
-first went to that quarter, found himself surrounded with serious difficulties.
-Having been thus strengthened, however, by the levends who had accompanied
-Jánbulát Oghlí, he marched on Brúsa, to which he set fire, and
-robbed and spoiled several other places besides. This daring robber, however,
-was soon obliged to decamp. Nukásh Hasan Páshá, with a body of
-troops, was ordered to attack him on one side, and vezír Yúsuf Páshá to do
-the same on the other. But he did not wait their arrival. On leaving
-Brúsa he set out towards Mikhalij, and continued his route till he was
-opposed by the Lake of Ulú-ábád. This lake is surrounded on the south
-by very steep rocks, which extend northwards, along the river, to the
-Mediterranean Sea. The infamous robber, on approaching this lake, perceived
-that it formed the natural boundary between Brúsa and the countries
-of Mikhalij, Garem-asta, and Pighala. At the foot of this lake was an
-ancient bridge, which was the only passage by which the rebel could cross.
-On the opposite side, however, there was a fortified castle; but how to get
-across the bridge with safety to himself and followers, and make his way
-to a narrow gap which he knew to exist somewhere in the mountains or
-range of rocks on the south of the lake or river, was to him the subject of
-the utmost concern. He prepared, however, to take it at all hazard; but
-finding the castle was in the hands of the people of Garem-asta, his
-courage failed him, and without attempting any farther the execution of
-his plan, he proceeded to a place in the neighbourhood called Chatalú,
-where he remained till the commencement of the feast which follows the
-Mohammedan lent: when, as he thought, he might succeed better. On the
-arrival of this festival, the garrison, intent on celebrating it, began to do so
-on the first evening, and left the castle exposed and defenceless. The
-villain taking advantage of this neglect on the part of the garrison, crossed
-the bridge, and entered the country of Garem-asta, where he unfurled the
-standard of rebellion, traversed the country, and took possession of the
-town of Mikhalij. His pursuers, at least one of them, Nukásh Hasan<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_349" id="Page_349">349</a></span>
-Páshá, following hard after him, reached Ulú-ábád, where he encamped.
-The rebel and his followers no sooner discovered this to be the case,
-than they fell back upon the bridge by which they had passed in the
-manner described, and effectually prevented Nukásh from crossing. The
-rebels took good care not to disturb any of the towns and villages in this
-neighbourhood: they were therefore all quiet, and took no part against
-them; and winter coming on, Nukásh, on account of its severity, was
-unable to act against them.</p>
-
-<p>In the meantime, a reinforcement under the command of the governor of
-Silistria was sent off to join the dispirited Nukásh. The rebels met this
-reinforcement at Gunan, where they gave them battle. In this engagement,
-Ahmed Páshá, governor of Silistria, fought with such ardent and daring
-bravery, that there was not a part of his body which remained unhurt,
-and he was, at last, obliged to be carried from the field of battle, and soon
-afterwards he expired. The orthodox Moslems lost the day: and the
-victorious rebel-chief marched into the districts of Aydin and Sarúkhán,
-with fire and sword, and passed through Caramania, when he was joined
-by some of his former associates, who brought him a considerable increase
-of strength, and thus this detestable rebel, who but very lately had only a
-few followers, became now a most formidable enemy.</p>
-
-<p>On the arrival of spring, the troops, who had been dispersed into winter-quarters,
-began to assemble at Aleppo, around their celebrated chief,
-Murád Páshá. As it was of the utmost importance that the treasurer,
-Etmekjí Zádeh Ahmed Páshá, who was to carry funds for the use of the
-army, should, for safety sake, accompany back the Romeilian troops, he was
-appointed to take the command of these troops, and to conduct them to
-Aleppo. The rebel, Kalander Oghlí, so lately victorious, was at this time in
-Caramania; and knowing that Etmekjí Zádeh was a person unskilled in
-war, he determined, as soon as he learned that he was on his way, to
-intercept him, and, if possible, seize the money he was carrying to the
-grand army. Etmekjí Zádeh was apprized, however, of his intentions,
-and sent the troops and the money by the way of Ancora; both of which
-reached the commander-in-chief in safety.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_350" id="Page_350">350</a></span></p>
-
-<h3><i>Jánbulát Oghlí meets with a happy reverse of fortune.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Jánbulát Oghlí, whom we lately spoke of as on his way to Constantinople,
-after having escaped the snares which the notorious Kalander Oghlí
-had laid for him, arrived at Bazarjik on the 9th of Ramazán. His uncle,
-Haidar Beg, and his deputy, Hasan, whom he had sent to the court of
-Constantinople with letters of submission, arrived there on the 21st of the
-same month, and soon afterwards appeared before the emperor, to whom
-they expressed themselves thus: “We are come to confess our misdeeds,
-and to receive the punishment due to them. Our lives are in your hand.”
-Their crimes were forgiven, and Jánbulát Oghlí’s deputy was sent back to
-his master with the emperor’s letter of forbearance and grace; whilst his
-uncle, Haidar Beg, was allowed to remain in the metropolis. The bostánjí
-báshí was sent back to Nicomedia with the galley in which he had
-brought Haidar Beg, to take in Jánbulát Oghlí, and convey him to Constantinople.
-It is remarkable that it was at the very time that this galley
-arrived at Nicomedia to receive Jánbulát Oghlí, that he had been inveighled
-by Kalander Oghlí. The bostánjí báshí, not finding him at
-Nicomedia, and being anxious of discharging his duty, ignorant alike of
-what had become of him, and of the trap which had been laid for him, he and
-his bostánjís set out for Brúsa in search of him, where they met him as he
-was fleeing from Kalander Oghlí, from whose snares he had made his
-escape in the manner we have already described. His deputy advanced
-towards him, put his majesty’s letter of clemency into his hand, when all of
-them proceeded to the galley, on board which they embarked, and reached
-Constantinople about the end of Ramazán. Jánbulát Oghlí, in conformity
-to the promise which had been given to him after he had been introduced
-into the royal presence, was again received into favour. He remained about
-a whole week in the imperial gardens, and went every day to converse
-with his majesty. Not long afterwards he was created beglerbeg of
-Temisvar, and sent off to take charge of his government. After having,
-for the space of two years, sustained this high rank and office, he began
-again to manifest the baseness of his nature. His innate scorpion-like
-disposition developed itself in the acts of tyranny and oppression which<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_351" id="Page_351">351</a></span>
-he perpetrated on the inhabitants, whom he robbed and spoiled without
-mercy. The people seeing themselves thus subjected to this merciless
-plunderer, determined on ridding themselves of him, and raising a tumult,
-threatened to murder him. Alarmed by these symptoms of revenge, he
-fled to Belgrade, where he remained in prison till the grand vezír, Murád
-Páshá, returned to Constantinople, and sent orders to cazí Zádeh Alí
-Páshá, protector of the frontiers, to put him to death.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Some more particulars belonging to this year.</i></h3>
-
-<p>In the month of Sefer, the commandant of Brúsa, Mustafa Páshá, was
-called to fill the office of káímakám in the city of Constantinople. On the
-10th of Rabia II. Yemenlí Hasan Páshá was removed from the government
-of Egypt, and returned with the fleet which conveyed the annual taxes.
-By the same conveyance also, seventeen begs and four beglerbegs, who had
-been removed from office by the advice of Mohammed Páshá, the válí of
-Egypt, arrived at Constantinople. Hasan Páshá, however, was again, in
-Jemadi II., reinstated in his vezírship, and died on the 9th of Rajab. On
-the 11th of Shevál Nukásh Hasan Páshá was appointed commandant of
-Brúsa (probably when he was sent after the notorious Kalander Oghlí).
-On the 28th of this month, after having received the very distressing and
-afflicting intelligence of the progress and success of the insurgents, and of
-their having nearly reached Brúsa, a general council of the great men of
-the state was summoned for the purpose of consulting what methods ought
-to be adopted for stopping the further progress of the rebellion. It was
-immediately agreed to fortify Brúsa; and to send vezír Dávud Páshá to
-Nicomedia, and Khezer Páshá to Scutari, to see these places fortified also;
-and to which they repaired. On the 22d of Shevál, Háfiz Ahmed Aghá,
-chief of the falconers, in consequence of the splendid talents he possessed,
-both as a man of science and a soldier, arrived at the dignity of becoming
-the emperor’s favourite. This led to a vezírship, when he became lord
-high admiral, in room of the European, Ja’fer Páshá.</p>
-
-<p>On the 16th of Dhu’l Kadah of this year, the khán of the Crimea,
-Ghází Gheráí, departed this life. The messengers who brought this intelligence
-to Constantinople informed the Ottoman government, that Toktamish<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_352" id="Page_352">352</a></span>
-Gheráí, the khán’s son, had, in virtue of his deceased father’s will, at
-least under this pretext, and without waiting for the sanction of the Turkish
-government, assumed the regal authority. This stretch of authority manifested
-by the presuming youth did not at all please the emperor, who, it
-would appear, intended to confer the khánship on Salámet Gheráí. This
-Salámet Gheráí was, at one time, the accomplice of Delí Hasan, of notorious
-memory, who although he repented, suffered four years’ imprisonment in
-the fortress of Romeili. Out of this condition the emperor raised him, and
-now conferred on him the khánship of the Crimea, become vacant by the
-death of Ghází Gheráí. His brother, Kalkái Mohammed Gheráí, who had
-been his fellow-prisoner, was also raised to a participation in the khánship,
-and both were sent off for the Crimea. On the 21st of this same month,
-after having kissed the emperor’s hand, they commenced their journey:
-Salámet went by sea, and Kalkái by land.</p>
-
-<p>Whilst Toktamish Gheráí was waiting with anxiety for the return of the
-messengers from the Sublime Porte, who, he hoped, would bring him intimations
-of the emperor’s approbation, his expectations were suddenly
-blasted by receiving, through some other channel, the unexpected news
-that his uncle, Salámet Gheráí, had been declared his father’s successor.
-Thinking to save his own life, he set out for Turkey, accompanied by
-his next eldest brother, Sefer Gheráí. On passing the river Uzí, and
-arriving at Akkerman, he employed the utmost precaution to avoid falling
-in with Kalkái, who was travelling by land: yet notwithstanding all his
-watchfulness, he actually did meet with him, when instantly a combat
-ensued, in which encounter the followers of Toktamish were all dispersed.
-He himself, and his brother, fell into the hands of Kalkái, and were
-murdered, but not before they had slain a host of their antagonists.</p>
-
-<p>Kalkái, pursuing his journey, arrived in the Crimea, and took possession
-of the high office assigned him; but soon began to manifest symptoms of
-corruption most derogatory to his exalted station; and for which Salámet
-Gheráí meditated his death. Kalkái was some way or other informed of
-his brother’s intentions, and, to escape what he had thus reason to fear, set
-out with his brother, Sháhin Gheráí, to the Circassian country, where
-he wandered about as an outlaw, and where he was afterwards visited<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_353" id="Page_353">353</a></span>
-by retributive justice for the murder of Toktamish: but we shall have to
-return to his history afterwards.</p>
-
-<p>In the meantime, the new khán, Salámet Gheráí, was not allowed to enjoy
-his elevation for any length of time, having been carried off by death. He
-was succeeded in the khánship by Jánbeg Gheráí.</p>
-
-<p>Hasan Beg Zádeh observes with respect to this portion of history, that it
-was no sooner known that Toktamish had usurped the regal dignity, than
-the admiral of the Crimean sea, Háfiz Ahmed Páshá, and the son of the
-emperor’s tutor or chaplain, represented to his majesty, that Toktamish
-Gheráí was not acceptable to the people, and that they wished Salámet
-Gheráí to be made their khán. The pure and disinterested mufti, deceived
-by Etmekjí Zádeh, spoke to the emperor in favour of Ghází Gheráí’s son,
-Toktamish, and assured his majesty, that the Tátárs would not accept of
-Salámet Gheráí as their khán. It turned out, however, that, after Salámet
-Gheráí, accompanied by a cup-bearer, had arrived in the Crimea, and
-succeeded to the possession of the Tátár throne, without any opposition
-having been offered, the emperor, hearing of it, and urged by an imperfect
-judgment, contrary to every principle of rectitude, deprived the mufti,
-Siná-allah Effendí, of his high office, and gave it to Mohammed Effendí, a
-son of his own chaplain. This office continued long afterwards to be occupied
-by one of his sons.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>An ambassador arrives from Poland.—A former treaty is renewed.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Zighmun (Sigismund), king of Poland, at this time sent an ambassador
-to Constantinople, with the view of negotiating a continuance of
-the friendly relation which had subsisted betwixt Turkey and Poland
-since the last treaty of peace, entered into during the reign of Sultán
-Mohammed Khán III. In this treaty it was stipulated, on the part of the
-Turkish government, that none of the countries over which Sigismund
-reigned should be invaded by either the grand sultán or the khán of the
-Crimea: and in like manner it was stipulated by Sigismund, that none of
-the princes under him, or any of his rebellious Cossaks, should ever transgress
-the Moslem boundaries. In conformity with the above treaty, it was
-now stipulated, that the king of Poland, after strict examination and search,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_354" id="Page_354">354</a></span>
-should return all the prisoners who had been taken during the interval of
-the peace, and that the Ottoman government should act in a similar way,
-by returning such of his infidel captives as the Ottomans had seized, to
-officers appointed by the king: that all traders, whether by sea or land,
-were to pay the accustomed dues in all such places as they should happen
-to visit: that Poland, according to ancient custom, was to continue to pay
-to the khán of the Tátárs what it was in the habit of paying: that when the
-khán and his Tátárs are required to join the Ottoman army, they shall not
-pass through any part of the dominions of Poland, but take some other
-way: that in the event of any foreign enemy attacking Poland, the Tátárs
-are, in such a case, to aid the King of Poland if required to do so: that
-the Walachian and Moldavian nations shall not make inroads on the frontiers
-of Poland: that the inspectors or commanders of ports and the collectors
-of the revenue in Silistria and Akkerman shall permit no traders or
-merchants, except those trading with both countries, to enter Poland by
-any of the above-mentioned places: that should any slave or captive be
-found in the possession of any of those traders, whether crossing or recrossing
-the frontiers, all such traders shall be deprived of them, and the captives
-or slaves shall be sent to the proper quarter: that all traders or merchants
-shall pay whatever lawful impost is or may be fixed on; but no
-tax shall be laid on the money or specie which they may have or bring
-along with them to either country: that though the dollar, bearing the
-impression of the lion, which is current in Poland, be less in weight than
-the proper standard, it shall still be received, and the loss arising from this
-circumstance shall be mutual: that the royal firmán shall prohibit the
-receiving of usury within the Ottoman empire in future, and ordain,
-moreover, that hereafter the standard of the dollar, for the purposes and
-advantage of trade, shall be of various values: that should any of the Polish
-merchants choose to set free any slave or slaves, by ransoming them with
-money, they may do so; but no Muselman shall be either bought or sold.
-All the above articles having been approved of by the emperor, were signed
-on the 20th of Rabia I. of this year.</p>
-<hr />
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_355" id="Page_355">355</a></span></p>
-
-<h2><span class="smcap">EVENTS of the Year 1017, H.</span></h2>
-
-
-<h3><i>The commander-in-chief, Murád Páshá, pursues Kalander Oghlí.</i></h3>
-
-<p>On the return of spring, about the commencement of Moharrem, the
-commander-in-chief caused his tent to be erected outside of Aleppo, between
-the two gates called Bankúsa and Kizil, where it remained until towards
-the end of the month Sefer, and at which place the various corps assembled.</p>
-
-<p>In relating the events of the last year we referred particularly to the
-turbulent state of Anatolia and Caramania, and we mentioned the names
-of the principal insurgent-chiefs who had every where committed deeds of
-violence and of oppression in those districts. Some of these chiefs, we saw,
-were reduced by the skilful management of Murád, and by promises of
-lucrative and honourable situations; some were slain, and some turned
-their arms against one another. The most formidable of these rebel-chiefs
-was Jánbulát Oghlí, whose history we have already related. There remained
-still, however, one or two others who had escaped the vengeance
-due to their misdeeds; these were Kalander Oghlí and Karah Seyed, his
-associate. Around the standards of these two rebels the followers of the
-other chiefs had rallied, and during the winter season ravaged the neighbourhood
-of Brúsa and Magnesia, perpetrating acts of cruelty and oppression
-wherever they went. We have before related the burning of Brúsa by Kalander
-Oghlí, and how he thought of intercepting Etmekjí Zádeh, who, he
-supposed, was carrying funds to the grand army under Murád. The number
-of infidels that had collected round him and Karah Seyed amounted to
-30,000.</p>
-
-<p>An account of their number and plans having been transmitted to the
-commander-in-chief, Murád Páshá, he, without waiting until the whole of
-his troops had joined his camp at Aleppo, removed from that place on the
-1st of Rabia I. with the janissary and household troops, and marched
-towards Merœsh, where he was joined by the army of Egypt under the
-command of Kansú Beg. On arriving at the river Jeihún (Oxus or Bactrus)
-he threw some bridges across it, by means of which he passed over
-with his army, and afterwards pitched his camp in the plains of Koksú,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_356" id="Page_356">356</a></span>
-where he was again joined by Emír Hasan, son of Yúsuf, son of Seif, who,
-besides his own soldiers, brought along with him the Syrian troops from
-Tripoli.</p>
-
-<p>When Kalander Oghlí saw that Etmekjí Zádeh had escaped the snares
-he had laid for him, and that all hope of capturing the money, the great
-object of his heart, had failed, he and thirteen others of his associate
-rebel-chiefs, besides Karah Seyed, held a council in order to consider how
-they should act. “Without further delay,” said the principal rebel-chiefs,
-“let us at once march against Murád Páshá, and should we happen to
-be successful in our attack upon him, and defeat the old man, all the
-country on this side of Scutari will be ours.” This proposal, however, did
-not meet the approbation of Seyed Arab, one of their number, who said in
-reply, “The province of Anatolia is very extensive. If the Osmánlí serdár
-should come and attack us, it will be our wisdom to avoid coming in contact
-with him; for it would be most hazardous to venture a battle with him.”
-This counsel of Seyed Arab was far from meeting with the concurrence of
-his associates, who were all bent on encountering the Osmánlí hero, for
-their cup of pride and arrogance was now full.</p>
-
-<p>Mesli Chávush, who had been sent with a body of men from Larenda to
-oppose the rebels as formerly mentioned, but who had been unsuccessful,
-received a letter from Kalander Oghlí, proposing to Mesli Chávush that
-he should join him, and that they should unite their respective forces, and
-attack the Ottoman general. This letter was couched in the most friendly
-terms; but as a specimen of the vanity which the author of it possessed,
-we shall transcribe it verbatim. He begins: “The commencement of my
-transactions is known to the world. The Ottomans, by exciting rebellion
-and breaking treaties, have acquired a superiority, and therefore their
-arrogance has attained the very highest pitch. Inured, as they are, to the
-practice of open daylight tyranny and oppression, I have relinquished all
-connection with them. I despise their friendship, and have turned away
-my face from them. Having taken my measures, I entered into Mekhalij,
-Aydin, and Sarúkhán; I have ravaged and laid waste all these places, and
-am returned with immense spoil. Our numbers increased daily. When
-we went to Iconium, the beglerbeg of Caramania, Zulfekár Páshá, the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_357" id="Page_357">357</a></span>
-governor, shut himself up in the fortress, and permitted the whole country-round
-to be plundered and ravaged, without once endeavouring to do any
-thing to save the property of the inhabitants. From Iconium we proceeded
-to Caramania, where we took up our residence. Had not the Osmánlís cut
-off all hope, these excesses had not taken place. After what has happened
-to Jánbulát Oghlí there is no submitting to them. By the help of
-God, I, and the numerous active and heroic veterans that accompany me,
-shall soon finish that old dotard (Murád Páshá). Should fortune declare
-against us, however, and he become victorious, why, even then, the fame of
-our deeds will sufficiently immortalize our names.” Mesli, by this letter, was
-induced to associate his fortunes with this notorious rebel, and secretly
-entered into compact with him.</p>
-
-<p>These secret transactions, however, being made known to the commander-in-chief
-Murád Páshá, he, in order to prevent the junction of these two
-robbers, gave Mesli the government of a sanják on the condition of his not
-accompanying him in the war. The emperor also, in a short time afterwards,
-sent him a promise of the government of the province of Caramania.</p>
-
-<p>When Kalander Oghlí had learned that the Osmánlí general had come
-half-way from Aleppo on his march against him, he harangued his rebel-troops
-thus: “The Osmánlí general has no troops, except the Pretorian
-bands. They, too, in consequence of the hardships they have suffered from
-hunger and cold at Aleppo, are very much weakened. Moreover,” continued
-he, “the whole of his treasures and the archives are in his train. Be
-courageous, therefore, and acquit yourselves like good soldiers, my brave
-companions. Fall on his camp with heroic ardour, and your fame will be
-remembered till the resurrection. By taking this step of intrepidity and
-boldness, which I recommend to you, you will put yourselves in possession
-of both arms and treasures.” This speech had the effect intended. The
-spirit of his rebel army—amounting to twenty thousand foot and horse—was
-roused to thirst for the achievements held out to their view. They
-accordingly commenced their movements, traversed the country of Caramania,
-passed through gardens and corn-fields, robbed and plundered the
-Turkmans, and at length approached the plains of Koksú, where the
-Osmánlí general was encamped. Murád Páshá, who had been watching<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_358" id="Page_358">358</a></span>
-the movements of the rebels, was informed, by means of his spies, that
-Kalander Oghlí, with twenty thousand rebels, had made a considerable
-advance upon him with the intention of disputing with him the pass of
-Koksú, and of checking his progress. Murád made instant preparation
-for battle; but as the mouth of the pass of Koksú, to which the rebels, he
-was informed, were fast approaching, was still four stages distant from
-him; and as it was of the utmost importance to prevent the enemy from
-taking possession of it, he sent a few companies of musketeer janissaries
-and about thirty Chorbájís under the command of Delí Pírí Aghá,
-to take possession of it before the arrival of the rebels. They accomplished
-the journey in three days, and took up their position within the
-mouth of the pass. Murád erected his pavilion on a rising ground, whilst
-his pretorian bands extended their camp along its declivity: the troops
-of Egypt encamped in the plains to the left of the serdár, contiguous to
-the hill on which his tent was erected. On this hill also the whole of
-the baggage was properly disposed of: ditches, at proper distances, were
-cut, and filled with janissary troops; in short, all necessary means and
-precautions were taken.</p>
-
-<p>In the meantime, the rebels advanced with the view of securing the pass
-of Koksú, but found they were too late, it being in possession of the
-janissaries under Delí Pírí, and, therefore, without attempting to dislodge
-them, they retired. Perceiving, however, the defensive aspect of the
-royalists, and their determination to fight, Kalander Oglí put his troops in
-order of battle, and prepared for the contest. Murád’s van-guard acted
-rather precipitately on this occasion; for, before he had issued any order for
-commencing an attack, they, without waiting for advice, advanced and
-offered battle to the van-guard of the enemy, which immediately advanced
-in their turn to the bank of the river separating the two armies, where a
-very warm skirmish took place. The main body of the royalists remained
-on the hill or rising-ground on which they had encamped; and the enemy
-thinking that the Egyptian army, with which they were now contending,
-was the Osmánlí force that had accompanied the serdár, rushed forth in
-terrific numbers, and the assault became general. Murád putting his right
-and left wings into motion, gave the word of command, and, like the rush<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_359" id="Page_359">359</a></span>ing
-of a mighty torrent, descended from the hill into the field of battle.
-The right wing entered into close combat with the division under Karah
-Seyed, and the left with that under Kalander Oghlí himself. The battle
-now became general; they fought fiercely. The serdár’s right wing, composed
-of the valiant spáhís, and headed by the chief of Malatieh, Karah
-Kásh Ahmed Páshá, and the serdár’s own deputy, Omar Ketkhodá, suceeded
-in completely routing the accursed wretches under Karah Seyed.
-The left wing composed of salihdárs and the troops from Tripoli, commanded
-by Mír Hasan, son of Seif, and the Egyptian troops, commanded by
-Kansú Beg, fought the rebels under Kalander Oghlí with such unparalleled
-bravery as made the very heavens reverberate with approbation and applause.</p>
-
-<p>The ever-watchful commander-in-chief, perceiving that a detachment of
-the enemy had formed the design of seizing on his baggage, very opportunely
-sent a party of janissaries to the brow of the hill where it was stationed,
-who successfully repelled every attempt on that quarter. The enemy’s
-squadrons, becoming desperate and furious with rage, exerted their utmost
-skill and force to cut down the Moslems who opposed them, but without
-much success. The commanding general now advanced a few paces, riding
-on his swift chestnut, and brought the whole of his disposable force to bear
-on these hateful devils; and calling to his assistance those troops he had
-sent to guard the baggage, in a short time the whole of the rebels were put
-to flight. Their defeat was most decisive. It has been said that a voice
-was heard in the rebel army which said, “for whom are you fighting?
-Murád Páshá has laid a stratagem for you. Zulfekár Páshá, with the army
-of Caramania has come by the way of the hills, and has seized on your
-camp.” This report had the effect of hastening the flight, and served to
-give the Moslem army the superiority.</p>
-
-<p>On the second day after the battle, the commanding general took up his
-position in that part of the field which had been the enemy’s camp. Hasan
-Páshá, beglerbeg of Aleppo, was appointed to pursue the fugitive rebels
-with a detachment of troops. Mír Hasan Ebn Seif, with his Malatian
-soldiers, Karah Kásh Ahmed Páshá, with the troops of Tripoli, and several
-other principal officers; besides ten thousand horse, composed chiefly of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_360" id="Page_360">360</a></span>
-Turcomans and Syrian troops, made up the detachment which was sent
-in pursuit of the rebels. The scattered and dispersed infidels, however,
-were now roaming about in the fields in the wildest disorder and distress
-of soul, terrifying and murdering the peasants wherever they met any.
-The pursuing Osmánlís followed hard after them, cutting and slashing
-all they overtook, and at last, closed up in a corner, as it were,
-such of the rebels as had had the good fortune to escape the general
-slaughter, were necessitated to make one last effort of resistance in self-defence.
-This effort was not only feeble but vain; and they were again
-forced to flee. Throwing away the provisions they had with them, they
-struggled hard to escape with their lives. Many of them having been on
-foot, were obliged to throw away their arms and accoutrements; and
-those of them who actually did escape the sword of vengeance, made their
-way through the province of Erzerúm to Ardehán, experiencing the
-most dreadful privations. Notwithstanding the hot pursuit after these
-wretched fugitives, in which so very many of them perished, some few
-of them, besides those who had made their way to Ardehán, escaped to
-Emír Gunah Khán. Their arrival, and their requesting the sháh’s protection,
-were no sooner made known than they were cordially received;
-but when they were afterwards questioned as to the motive they had in rebelling
-against their lawful sovereign, and when, at the same time, they
-were told that their unfortunate coming into the sháh’s dominions might,
-eventually, be the means of bringing foreign troops into his country, they
-seemed quite at a loss, and said some few incoherent things in justification
-of their conduct. A representation of their circumstances, and of their
-wicked rebellion against the Ottoman government was laid before the sháh,
-but they, after having their clothes altered after the Persian fashion, and
-agreeing to become kizil báshes (red heads), were promised the protection
-they sought for. The apostates cheerfully embraced the alternative offered
-them, looking upon it as a real favour, and instantly became incorporated
-with the kizil báshes. They were, in all, two thousand in number, and
-were sent off by one hundred and two hundreds to a country of misfortune,
-where they were dispersed, and left to experience the evil effects of their
-own misconduct.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_361" id="Page_361">361</a></span></p>
-
-<p>His excellency the commander-in-chief, after having defeated and routed
-the rebel-army, as before described, marched towards the country of Cæsarea
-and Sivás, and encamped at a place called Chubuk Awásí, where he waited
-ten days for the return of the detachment which had gone in pursuit of the
-rebels. Whilst remaining at Chubuk Awásí messengers from Baghdád
-brought him letters which informed him that Jeghala Zádeh Mohammed
-Páshá had fully succeeded in vanquishing the rebel called Mustafa Ben
-Túyel. This account has been recorded by one of the poets of that time,
-who enumerated the achievements of Murád Páshá both in the east and
-west.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>His Excellency Murád Páshá hastens after the brother of Túyel Mahmúd.</i></h3>
-
-<p>His excellency, the commander-in-chief, removed his camp from Chubuk
-Awásí and went to Sivás, where, after a halt of ten days, he learned that
-the infamous Meymún, brother to Túyel Mahmúd, who had conquered
-Baghdád and vanquished his ketkhodá, Hasan, had, with six thousand
-rebels, desolated the country round Kúr Sheher; but that after having
-heard of the defeat of Kalander Oghlí they hastily decamped, robbing and
-plundering what they could find in the vicinity of that city. They committed
-all the mischief they were able in every village and hamlet through
-which they passed, pillaging such of the Turcomans as fell in their way,
-and prepared to follow Kalander into Persia. Murád Páshá no sooner received
-this intelligence than he made all haste to intercept them if possible.
-Following this impulse, he left his heavy baggage and camp in the plains
-of Sivás, under the charge of the defterdár, Bákí Páshá, and marched off
-with about two thousand or more spáhís, under the command of the ághá
-of the janissaries, besides some few others, making all the haste he was
-able. Each person carried with him seven days’ provision, a small coverlet
-in the form of a canopy, or at least to be used as such, and a carpet to
-sleep on when necessary. This precipitate movement took place on the
-evening of the 17th of Jemadi II., and was continued, without the least
-intermission, for the space of six days and seven nights. His excellency,
-Murád Páshá, in his ninetieth year, fell sick on this hurried march, and
-was sometimes obliged to descend from his horse, when he lay on the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_362" id="Page_362">362</a></span>
-ground, having the appearance of a corpse. These fits of sickness, however,
-were not of any continuance: in a short time he was again enabled to
-mount and continue his journey. On the seventh day, the expedition reached
-Karah Hisár, where they made enquiry respecting the rebels they were in
-search of, and were informed that the rebel force had lodged in that place on
-the preceding night; but that they had set out by daybreak for the narrow
-pass called the valley or hollow of Karah Hasan, where they, it would
-appear, had halted. Two thousand men, under the command of Píáleh
-Páshá, formerly of Bassora, were instantly dispatched to the hiding-place
-of the rebels. Murád, with the remainder of his veterans, followed close
-upon them, and arrived, though not first, at the valley or hollow where the
-rebels were hid. On the morning of the 23d of Jemadi, as these rebels, no
-way anticipating a visit from Murád Páshá, were saddling and loading their
-beasts of burden, they were suddenly, as if by a thunderbolt from heaven,
-put into the utmost consternation by perceiving Píáleh and his men come
-within their hiding-place; and who, like a flash of lightning, and before
-giving them time to enquire what had come over them, fell upon them at
-once. The resistance of the rebels was not of long continuance. Those of
-their foot-soldiers that were fortunate enough to escape the sword, fled out
-of the hollow, and made to the mountains: and their horsemen, though
-they, at one time, made an attempt to maintain their ground, fled also in
-the utmost confusion. Orders had been previously given (<i>i.e.</i> before the
-engagement), that none of the Moslems should lose any time in gathering
-up the spoil until the rebels had been completely vanquished. These
-orders, however, were neglected by some. The soldiers who were in front,
-seeing the property of the rebels lying scattered around them, were overcome
-by the temptation: they forgot their duty by beginning to appropriate
-to themselves the spoils which the rebels in their panic had abandoned.
-The result was, that the rebels found time to rally again; and, perceiving
-how their pursuers were employed, returned to a renewal of the combat
-with a spirit and vigour far superior to that which they had shown at the
-commencement. The struggle now became hot and doubtful. The governor
-of Adnah, Mustafa Páshá, and one or two Chorbájís fell in the contest:
-the advanced troops gave way, and began to retreat, but were stopped by<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_363" id="Page_363">363</a></span>
-Khalíl Aghá, ághá of the janissaries, who had hurriedly stepped forward
-with the men under him, and prevented their flight. At this instant, and
-not before, did the commander-in-chief make his appearance; who, with
-the reinforcement which he brought with him, completely turned the fate
-of the day. The rebels finding themselves utterly unable to resist the force
-which was now brought to bear upon them, fell into confusion, and again
-retreated. The Moslems followed hard upon them, and drove them entirely
-out of the valley or hollow where the engagement had hitherto been carried
-on. The rebels, however, on getting into the plains called Kilwerat,
-again contrived to rally, and returned to the charge; but were soon
-totally broken, and forced to betake themselves to their usual expedient—flight.
-All those who had escaped the vengeance of the sword of
-the orthodox Muselmans followed the example of Kalander Oghlí. The
-whole of their baggage, of whatever kind it was, fell into the hands of the
-victors: very many of their men on foot were seized and brought back into
-the presence of Murád, who had, on account of the ill state of his health,
-remained on the field of battle, and who ordered them all to be executed
-without commiseration as they were brought before him. The dead bodies
-of the rebels were put into heaps in the field, and towers were made of
-their heads.</p>
-
-<p>After these things, information was sent to Sivás of this new victory
-which the orthodox Moslems had gained in the valley of Karah Hasan;
-and orders, at the same time, were sent to the royal camp to advance
-to the place where the commanding general then was. These orders
-having been duly obeyed, the victorious and gallant serdár was again,
-on the 25th of Jemadi I., in motion, and on the 3d of Jemadi II.
-encamped at a place called Sadáklú, within a stage of Beybúrd; where,
-after a day or two’s rest, he was joined by Bákí Páshá and the troops under
-his command. At the expiration of these days he removed his camp to
-the valley of Sinvar, in the vicinity of Beybúrd, where he was joined by
-such of his troops as had not before returned from the pursuit of the rebels.
-The heads of the prisoners they had brought along with them were severed
-from their bodies, and made into heaps like mountains. Robes of honour<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_364" id="Page_364">364</a></span>
-were conferred on the gallant chiefs who had been active on this occasion,
-and presents were made to the heroic troops.</p>
-
-<p>About the middle of the month last mentioned, the válí of Diárbeker,
-Nesúh Páshá, with vezír-like pomp, sound of music, and martial display
-joined the royal camp. One thousand musketeers wearing fine
-scarlet robes; five hundred foot-guards wearing yellow regimentals; and
-five hundred more wearing black caps; and five thousand cavalry, was
-the display which Nesúh made on this occasion. But of what use was all
-this display? He and they ought to have come earlier, and to have been
-on the field of battle, to share in the dangers and the glory of the combat.
-After making the splendid display above alluded to, he advanced towards
-the commanding general, and, when within bow-shot of him, descended
-from his horse, proceeded on foot till he approached the general, who, by
-this time, had come four paces to meet him, when he fell on his knees and
-kissed the general’s foot. The general, in return, showed him the respect
-due to his station, kissed his hand, and conducted him into his pavilion,
-telling him in a friendly manner that he was welcome, and calling him <i>son</i>.
-Nesúh Páshá bowed his head to the ground, and made this reply: “My
-noble lord will pardon me. My fault in not having arrived at an earlier
-period, and taking a share in the late important events, is great.”
-“What,” said the general, “was the reason that you have been so tardy?
-You have a most splendid army, thank God. You heard that the troops
-under my command amount to no more than the number that wintered
-with me at Aleppo. The distance between Diárbeker and Aleppo is not
-very great: but in reality you were near. If your not coming to my assistance
-was intended as a mark of disrespect to me, it was not disrespect to
-me, let me tell you, but disrespect for the emperor. If it had so happened
-that we had been discomfited, were you in circumstances to have advanced
-and met Kalander Oghlí? What do you think would be the judicial sentence
-of a judge on hearing of a Moslem army being too weak to act against
-a foe, whilst a powerful Moslem army was at no great distance from it and
-did not come to its aid?” Nesúh was absolutely unable to make any
-reply to these pointed interrogatories, and held down his head. “Son,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_365" id="Page_365">365</a></span>”
-said the general again, “son, what means this multitude of men? They
-are now unnecessary. Sixteen thousand men have been found sufficient
-to overcome Jánbulát Oghlí, and his followers have been all dispersed, or
-have been made to flee. You are already acquainted with the history of
-Kalander Oghlí. It was by no means the wish of the emperor that even
-one of these segbáns (foot-guards or soldiers), now with you, should ever
-have been in Anatolia; so that when you return to your government or
-province you must certainly disband them. If you be obstinate and disobey,
-remember the emperor has long hands (meaning great power). If one
-of those instruments of power, such as you have seen, be sent to execute
-you, you need not be much surprised?” In this way Murád Páshá conversed
-with Nesúh, and exhorted him; and afterwards made him a present
-of two robes of honour. In the afternoon of the same day, Nesúh Páshá
-returned to Murád’s pavilion, bringing along with him some very splendid
-and valuable presents for him, dined with him, and continued in his company
-till the night was so far advanced that he required torches when he
-returned to his own tent. On the 27th of Jemadi II., Zulfekár Páshá,
-governor of Caramania, returned to the royal camp with his troops: so
-also did Etmekjí Zádeh, válí of Romeili, with his provincial troops, and
-brought along with him the money destined for the army; having marched
-by the way of Ancora. Though both of these officers had incurred the displeasure
-of the commanding general for the tardiness they had discovered,
-yet when he reflected on his own splendid achievements, he forgave them
-most freely. It is impossible to relate all the great and important services
-rendered by this celebrated, heroic, prudent, and skilful, though aged commander.
-Suffice it to say, that he took ample vengeance on the rebels, and
-cleared, in a great measure, the countries they infested of their presence and
-influence. When an account of the success he had obtained over Kalander
-Oghlí was sent to his majesty, his majesty, with feelings of the purest
-kindness, called the messenger into his presence, asked him most particularly
-as to the state of the war and the success of his general, showed
-peculiar marks of respect to the messenger himself ordered two suits of
-garments and a richly ornamented sword to be sent to Murád Páshá, and
-at the same time a robe of honour for each of the grandees in Murád’s<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_366" id="Page_366">366</a></span>
-army, besides some letters expressive of his best wishes for them all.
-Murád Páshá, not long afterwards, had it in his power to announce to the
-government of Constantinople his success against the brother of Túyel,
-whom he completely defeated.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The commander-in-chief, Murád Páshá, is recalled to court.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Notwithstanding the grace and favour which his excellency, Murád
-Páshá, had shown to Etmekjí Zádeh, who had failed to arrive with his
-Romeilian troops in sufficient time to assist against the two rebel chiefs so
-frequently mentioned, <i>viz.</i> Kalander Oghlí and Túyel; and notwithstanding
-that, instead of meeting with merited reproach for his tardiness, he was
-honoured with special marks of kindness, yet Etmekjí Zádeh, from an idea
-that he was not altogether safe from the influence of any evil designs which
-Murád Páshá might harbour against him, wrote to his friends at Constantinople
-in the most pressing manner to use their influence to have him recalled.
-Accordingly, on the 7th of Rajab, the commander-in-chief received
-a royal mandate, desiring him to confer the government of Romeili on whom
-he would, but by all means to send back the emperor’s defterdár, Etmekjí
-Zádeh Ahmed Páshá, to Constantinople. The royal firmán commanded
-farther, that Murád Páshá should march his army to Erzerúm, there winter,
-and in the spring march against the Persians. Such was the import of the
-royal firmán.</p>
-
-<p>The enlightened and skilful general answered as follows: “Sire, you
-have been pleased to recall Ahmed Páshá, the válí of Romeili. His coming
-or not coming to the assistance of the orthodox army was of no importance;
-nor can his staying here yield them any advantage. As to your slave
-(Murád himself), you have ordered him to go into winter-quarters at Erzerúm.
-Is the province of Anatolia become so completely defended and
-guarded as to render it safe for me to winter in Erzerúm, and in the spring
-to open a campaign against Persia? Should the rebels who may still exist
-assemble themselves together, are the vezírs of your august court competent
-to quell or disperse them? In this affair let the gracious will of the emperor
-be done. The time for distributing the troops into winter-quarters is
-at hand. A kíleh (a certain measure) of barley sells at five ducats, and the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_367" id="Page_367">367</a></span>
-wakáyet (about 2-1/4 lbs.) of bread has risen to a ghorúsh (a dollar).” So
-much for the sentiments of Murád to his sovereign. Immediately on sending
-the above he commenced making arrangements for obeying the imperial
-firmán; but when his multitudinous troops assembled together, they declared
-it impracticable to do so, because of the dearth which prevailed in
-Erzerúm. “The emperor,” said they, “is not acquainted with the state
-and circumstances of that province: he listens only to the voice of those
-flatterers who surround him: they, as well as the káímakám, have no wish
-to see the noble general-in-chief return to Constantinople. They have the
-whole management of affairs in their own hands, and they see well, that
-should the grand vezír (Murád Páshá) return, the impracticability of the
-plans they have recommended would be made to appear. We have been
-now (continued the military) two years in the war, and have achieved
-several important victories. We shall now return home.” The general,
-after having given utterance to these unceremonious sentiments, called the
-cazí of the camp, and caused him to write out a statement of the prices of
-provisions, and gave a copy of it, as well as a statement of their own sentiments,
-to the kapújís who had conveyed the imperial firmán, and forthwith
-sent them back to the grand sultán. On the following day his excellency,
-the commander-in-chief, appointed Hasan Páshá, beglerbeg of Erzerúm,
-and a number of begs, with Chukál Oghlí Hasan Aghá, and about thirty
-chorbájís, to accompany the imperial messengers. Karah Hisár, in the east,
-he conferred on Turkijeh Bilmaz, and the province of Wán on Tekelí Mohammed
-Páshá: Zulfekár Páshá was sent back to his own government in
-Caramania, and Etmekjí Zádeh and the Romeilian troops he dismissed to
-European Turkey. He also allowed Nesúh Páshá to return to his own
-government at Diárbeker, and he himself, about the 15th of Rajab, went
-to Tokat. He had been scarcely two days at Tokat, when just as he was
-in the act of paying his troops, he received another imperial firmán which
-was expressed in these terms: “At whatever station our imperial firmán
-reaches you, there winter.” This was brief enough; but the commanding
-general, by private letters which he had received by the same conveyance
-which brought him the above short firmán, was let into the secret. These
-letters assured him that several of the influential and ruling party at court<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_368" id="Page_368">368</a></span>
-were altogether averse to his returning to Constantinople; that one of these,
-Kapúdán Háfiz Ahmed Páshá, was the emperor’s favourite; that he, as
-also the káímakám, Mustafa Páshá, the reverend mufti, Mohammed Effendí,
-his old enemy, and Mustafa, ághá of the palace, had, by leaguing together,
-represented to his majesty that the rebellion in Anatolia had been altogether
-crushed, and that instead of recalling Murád Páshá, he ought to be sent
-against the sháh of Persia.</p>
-
-<p>When his excellency, Murád Páshá, was thus informed how matters stood,
-he answered the royal firmán in the following terms: “Sire, you have been
-pleased to order me to winter at Erzerúm and in the spring to march against
-the Persians. What is to be done? It is the will of my sovereign. Your
-slave is now a weak old man of ninety years of age; but I trust I shall fall
-a martyr in the field of battle. When I march against the sháh of Persia,
-the armed rebels, who now lurk in their hiding-places, will then find an
-opportunity of again becoming troublesome. They are waiting for a chance
-of this kind, especially Meseli Chávush, Aydin, and Yúsuf of Sarúkhán,
-besides several others of the same description. Should what I have now
-hinted be realized, and they again commence the work of violence and mischief,
-will you not, in that case, have to send hither from Romeili another
-commander-in-chief? Leave us, if you please, where we are. The master
-of the work knows his own duty best. Do not you follow the counsels of
-those sycophants who surround you. Permit us to eradicate the enemies
-amongst ourselves first, and then we shall direct our movements against
-the kingdom of Persia.” This answer was sent back to the emperor by
-means of the persons who had brought him the royal firmán, whilst he
-himself made preparations for returning to Constantinople.</p>
-
-<p>On the 9th of Ramazán he arrived at Scutari, and on the following day,
-with a splendid retinue and four hundred standards taken from the rebels,
-each of which bore, in bright letters, the names of the rebel-chiefs under
-whom it had been carried, he passed over to the metropolis, dressed himself
-in a double suit of fine robes, put a turban ornamented with feathers
-on his head, and went into the emperor’s presence to do obeisance before
-him. The emperor was in a short time convinced of the worth and dignity
-of his general’s talents and general conduct, and immediately ordered<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_369" id="Page_369">369</a></span>
-splendid robes, such as were suitable to the imperial grandeur to confer,
-to be given to Murád Páshá. The public in general, poets and historians,
-spoke of him in the most laudatory manner.</p>
-
-<p>It is not to be concealed that, from the day the celebrated Murád Páshá
-passed over to Scutari, as commander-in-chief of the eastern forces, the
-services which he had rendered to his sovereign and country were immense.
-Thirty thousand, at least, of those rebels who had served under Jánbulát
-Oghlí, Kalander Oghlí, and Túyel, including those who had been murdered
-by the peasantry, perished by his means. What may have been the number
-of those who perished otherwise, is not known. In villages, and in small
-towns, sometimes from a hundred to a thousand, and even as many as
-three thousand of the rebels who had fortified themselves within them,
-were all slain with the sword. Forty-eight principal rebel chiefs and
-twenty-five thousand rebels are said to have perished in flight. In the
-Register of Tokat it is inserted, that by far the greater part of these numbers,
-whose heads had been made to roll on the ground in front of the serdár’s
-pavilion, had been rooted out by Murád Páshá’s troops. To these now
-mentioned may be added about thirty thousand more who had been seized
-alive and executed, and the number of rebels who perished in this war
-could not have been less than 100,000 souls.</p>
-
-<p>The enemies of the grand vezír and commander-in-chief, Murád Páshá,
-when they saw the honours which had been heaped upon him, were not
-only exceedingly grieved, but their hatred and malignity increased and led
-them, moreover, to employ villainous means to ruin him. They insinuated,
-for instance, that Murád had seized on all Jánbulát Oghlí’s treasures and
-effects which had remained with his wife and children at Aleppo; and for
-the truth of this charge they appealed to some of Jánbulát Oghlí’s sons,
-whom Murád Páshá had sent to the royal haram. They, of course, were
-his enemies, and had the hardihood to assert that the treasurer, Bákí Páshá,
-had spent six whole months in selling and disposing of their father’s property.
-This was a vile exaggeration. It happened, however, that one day,
-when Bákí Páshá was sitting in the diván, the ághá of the janissaries received
-a royal firmán ordering him to convey Bákí Páshá to the Seven<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_370" id="Page_370">370</a></span>
-Towers. The ághá, without Murád Páshá’s knowing any thing of the matter,
-proceeded to the diván, seized on Bákí Páshá, and conveyed him in a boat
-to the prison above-mentioned. This took place on a Tuesday; and after the
-vezírs had entered into the royal audience he addressed them thus: “I have
-ordered Bákí Páshá to the Seven Towers; let Ahmed Páshá (<i>i. e.</i> Etmekjí
-Zádeh) be reinstated into the office of lord high treasurer, and let Bákí
-Páshá be examined with respect to Jánbúlát Oghlí’s property, that we may
-know what he has done with it: also let the strictest enquiry be made of
-Murád Páshá.” “Why,” replied Murád Páshá, “having been anxious to
-preserve the most valuable and most precious of Jánbúlát Oghlí’s effects for
-your royal majesty, I prevented them from being sold; and brought them
-along with me, to be delivered over to your royal majesty. Let Bákí
-Páshá answer for the rest.” The new lord high-treasurer, Ahmed Páshá,
-on examining his predecessor in office with regard to this matter, was
-undauntedly informed that he (<i>i. e.</i> Bákí Páshá), with the exception of the
-articles which Murád Páshá had claimed for his royal majesty, had disposed
-of the rest for the purpose of defraying the expenses of the war. No more
-was said about it; and Bákí Páshá, after having lain forty days in the Seven
-Towers, was set at liberty. He passed the winter at Constantinople, and
-was employed in making arrangements for commencing a new campaign in
-the spring.</p>
-
-<p>The lord high-admiral, Háfiz Páshá, after having cruized along the shores
-of Romeili, sailed to the port of Alexandria, took in the taxes which had
-been gathered in Egypt, and returned to Istámbol. The government of
-Syria was conferred on him, and the admiralship on Khalíl Aghá, ághá of
-the janissaries. The ágháship of the janissaries was conferred on Mohammed
-Aghá, Spáhí Zádeh, of the artillery department.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Concerning Mohammed Páshá in Egypt.</i></h3>
-
-<p>After the murder of Ibrahím Páshá in Egypt, in the year 1012, the disturbance
-in that country became every day more and more serious and
-alarming; but by the prudent and efficient measures employed by Gúrjí
-Mohammed Páshá, who, in 1016, was sent thither to quell the tumults<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_371" id="Page_371">371</a></span>
-which had been raised there, they were to a considerable extent allayed.
-He slew a vast number of the insurgents; whilst, at the same time, he
-brought the others for the most part, under subjection, at least to all
-appearance. But Mohammed Páshá having been succeeded in office by
-Hasan Páshá, from Yemen, a man of extraordinary mildness, the insurgents,
-subdued though not crushed, were again emboldened to rise in
-rebellion, and to commit outrages more terrible than they had formerly
-been guilty of.</p>
-
-<p>The origin of the evil just now alluded to seems to have been this. The
-válís or governors who had been sent to Egypt, made it a first principle to
-press heavy upon the inspectors of taxes, by forcing them to advance large
-sums of money, taking from some ten thousand, from others twenty
-thousand, and from others forty thousand ducats, according to circumstances,
-and only on payment of these enormous sums were they confirmed
-in their office. These inspectors and those others employed in
-raising the taxes or revenue were, from this circumstance, necessarily
-constrained to lay such heavy duties upon the inhabitants, to enable them
-to meet the demands of the válí, as were far beyond what was necessary,
-or they were well able to pay. The inspectors and revenue officers too, in
-order to meet their own extravagance and dissipation, made the burdens of
-the people still more intolerable and grievous. In short, to so high a pitch
-did they carry this system of taxation, that the wretched inhabitants, not any
-longer able to endure it, rose in rebellion, and determined, at all hazards, to
-resist an oppression which they evidently foresaw would utterly ruin them.</p>
-
-<p>This was the state in which the country was involved when Mohammed
-Páshá entered upon the government of Egypt. He, very properly, set
-himself, at once, to correct abuses and to punish offenders. The money
-which came into the hands of the collectors, and which usually amounted
-to more than one hundred thousand ducats per annum, he, by a wise
-regulation, prevented from being subject to any deductions whatever. He
-also made a new regulation, by which the tax-gatherers were, in future,
-to be guided. Without the consent and approbation of the diván of Mesir,
-they were to impose no tax whatever, nor to advance, unnecessarily, money
-to the inspectors. In the third place, he confirmed in their situations those<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_372" id="Page_372">372</a></span>
-inspectors and tax-gatherers who had acted with moderation; but such of
-these classes as had been convicted of extortions and injustice, he caused to
-be seized: some of them he dismissed with contempt and ignominy, and
-others he sent out of the world altogether.</p>
-
-<p>By these methods he soon established confidence in his administration,
-and all classes of the people seemed satisfied with the arrangements which
-he adopted. The want of confidence, and unhappy tumults, which the
-injustice and oppression to which we have adverted had occasioned in
-Egypt, were happily, by his means, removed. In short, to so great a
-degree were peace and security every where established, that the weakest
-and most timorous could travel to and from Grand Cairo with the greatest
-safety. By his wisdom and prudence he gained the concurrence and good
-will of the chief men among the people, as well as of the officers belonging
-to the Chávushes, cavalry and janissaries, as well as of the city-guards
-or militia. And, in order to do away with all grounds of discontent and
-opposition, he called a general meeting, at which the whole of the nobles,
-princes, inspectors, revenue-officers, and six companies of feudatory troops
-were present; to whom, in the most earnest manner, he expressed himself
-thus: “His majesty is by no means disposed to permit tyranny
-and oppression to exist anywhere within his dominions. Ever since
-the moment that I, his servant, came into possession of this government,
-to which I was preferred, it has been my study, in obedience to his will,
-to remove oppression, tyranny, and injustice; and to afford peace, safety,
-and happiness to the people in the different departments in Egypt. This
-is in accordance with the express wish of his majesty, who is every
-way opposed to injustice and oppression, as well as to every kind of invasion
-of the rights and privileges of the people. In confirmation of this,
-I need only repeat to you his own words.” Here he produced the emperor’s
-commission, which he caused to be read aloud, and which ran thus:
-“Behold, we have relieved you from those burdens which the governors,
-revenue-officers, and other functionaries, have been in the habit of imposing
-on you; it is, therefore, the duty of the people to break off all friendly
-intercourse with those persons who have been convicted of such base practices.”
-The whole of the assembled multitude, on hearing the emperor’s<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_373" id="Page_373">373</a></span>
-sentiments read to them, expressed, in return, their best wishes for his
-well-being. Those in this assembly who had been in the habit of acting
-corruptly were, for their own sakes, silent and assumed the appearance of
-being content; but it was only because they were unable to effect any opposition.
-Such, however, was the general impression made on this occasion
-on the mind of the people, particularly by the mildness and meekness
-manifested by the vezír, that they remained, for a time, afterwards quiet;
-but the peace was not of long duration. The mercenary tribe who had
-been deprived of the power of exercising tyranny and injustice on the
-people, collected together, and falling on those persons who had succeeded
-them in the revenue department, slew them without mercy. Determined
-on further resistance to the new arrangements, they entered into a sort of
-confederacy, whereby they bound themselves not to desist from their demands
-until they had obtained acquiescence in them.</p>
-
-<p>Information of these things having been communicated to the vezír, he
-instantly called together his great men, and represented to them the state
-of matters with respect to those desperadoes who had just been guilty of
-shedding innocent blood, and now had formed themselves into a confederacy
-in opposition to the will of the emperor. Therefore, said he, let
-the whole of them be collected into the maidán or square, in order that the
-thing may be properly investigated. This was accordingly done. On the
-same occasion, also, the various troops were brought into the maidán and
-formed into companies in front of the fortress immediately opposite to the
-refractory multitude. The Páshá intimated to the latter that whosoever
-among them wished to be obedient to the emperor, should pass over to the
-side where his military stood, and join himself to one or other of his divisions
-or companies. The confederates cried out, that they were not rebels:
-that they deprecated the idea of being unfaithful to the emperor. “Our
-wages,” continued they, “not having been sufficient to maintain our existence,
-we could not have lived, unless we had imposed extra contributions
-on the people: our actual poverty was the cause.” The Páshá, not satisfied
-with these declarations (altogether foreign to the purpose for which they
-had been assembled), and wishing to find out the secret of their confederacy,
-as well as a confession of their guilt, thought that if he permitted them,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_374" id="Page_374">374</a></span>
-now that they were fully in his power, to retire to their own homes, he
-could not so easily, afterwards, effect his purpose, nor secure the ringleaders
-amongst them; he therefore told them, that though he should
-keep them all night standing on their feet where they were, he would not
-let them move a step till they delivered up to him their ringleaders. He
-then ordered the guns on the batteries to be directed against them, and
-assured them that their destruction was inevitable if they did not instantly
-comply with his wishes. This method of dealing had the desired effect.
-After hearing the Páshá’s speech, wherein he pointedly informed them
-that unless they gave up the principal ringleaders, and especially those
-amongst them who had been guilty of the late murders, the cannon and
-musketry would open a fire upon them without delay; and seeing preparations
-for carrying his threat into effect, and that it only awaited the páshá’s command,
-their danger became too apparent to admit of disguise. They were
-astonished by the situation in which they were placed, and delivered over
-a certain number from amongst them to the páshá, and afterwards retired,
-but full of rage and fury.</p>
-
-<p>After these different commotions and disturbances, and during this present
-year, a certain number of Egyptian troops were ordered to be sent to
-the aid of his excellency, the commander-in-chief, Murád Páshá, in Anatolia.
-Mohammed Páshá, on receiving the above firmán, selected the
-number required from among the most turbulent and disorderly of the
-tribe of tax-gatherers<a name="FNanchor_20_20" id="FNanchor_20_20"></a><a href="#Footnote_20_20" class="fnanchor">20</a> we have been speaking of, and sent them off under
-the command of Kansú Beg. During the whole of the struggle carried on
-with Kalandar Oghlí they manifested the utmost bravery, and were present
-in almost every engagement till the end of the war, or at least till the
-rebels were all dispersed. At this period they presented themselves before
-the commanding-general, and demanded, as the reward of their services,
-the office of collecting the revenues of Egypt. Murád, anxious to satisfy
-them, gave them a document by which he put them in possession of the
-places they wanted, but with no enlargement of powers or authority beyond
-what were customary from ancient times. On the return of these military
-tax-gatherers to Egypt they presented the document which Murád Páshá
-<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_375" id="Page_375">375</a></span>had given to them to Mohammed Páshá, who told them they should be
-rewarded for their services according to circumstances. “Such of them,”
-he said, “as had no experience or skill, could not expect the favour they
-wished. Besides,” continued he, “your wishes are directly opposed to
-the declared will of the emperor, who, by his firmán, has abolished the
-practice altogether.” When these ignorant and insolent fellows found
-themselves thus thwarted in their views and purposes they became exceedingly
-enraged, began to form plots amongst themselves, and communicated
-their wicked designs to all the discontented paupers and robbers throughout
-the country. They craftily enticed the discontented about Aradel, always
-famous for disloyalty, to join them; they likewise gained over some Kurds
-and some wretched labourers by promises of money. All these malcontents
-found means, some way or other, to assemble together at a place
-called Khánegáh, within two stages of Cairo.</p>
-
-<p>The páshá, hearing of their movements, and being fully aware of the
-object they had in view, ordered Khoaja Mustafa Beg to advance with a
-number of troops of various kinds to oppose them. Yúsuf Beg commanded
-his advance-guard, and Kansú Beg, collector of the revenue, with all those
-under him, joined the expedition. Mustafa Beg pitched his camp in the
-plains of Adeleya, not far from Cairo.</p>
-
-<p>The malcontents by this time had themselves properly and regularly
-organized, and had appointed themselves leaders. No sooner did they hear
-of an army being sent against them, and of the place where it was encamped,
-than they, towards evening, sent two hundred horsemen to reconnoiter
-the camp of Mustafa. Mustafa conjectured this party had the intention
-of attacking him by night, and not having sufficient force to sustain an
-attack, he sent word immediately to Egypt, which however did not reach
-that city till about the fifth hour of the night, when the several public criers
-announced the danger which threatened Mustafa, calling, at the same time,
-on every one, on pain of punishment, to rally round their commanders.
-So promptly was this announcement attended to, that before daylight
-every military man in Egypt was on his way to Adeleya. On reaching
-Adeleya they perceived the danger which had been announced in Egypt
-was by no means an imaginary one. The royalists, in the circumstances<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_376" id="Page_376">376</a></span>
-in which they found themselves at this juncture of events, thought it would
-be most advisable to send the six-fingered sheikh, Mohammed Effendí, to
-speak to the insurgents about the unreasonableness of their conduct; but
-the rebels turned a deaf ear to all his exhortations and expostulations.
-They were too sensible of their advantages, and too ardent in pursuit of
-them, to attend to the worthy priest. He tendered them many good advices,
-and made them many fine promises, provided they would follow his
-counsels; but they still remained obstinate, and prepared for battle. The
-commander, after this fruitless negotiation, removed with his troops to
-Berkat a l’haj, where he remained till the following day, when he marched
-against the insurgents. They, in their turn, advanced towards him, and
-soon both armies stood facing each other. By this time, however, the
-royalists were greatly increased in numbers by detachments which had
-joined them from other places; and when the insurgents found themselves
-opposed by an army far superior to every thing they had anticipated, their
-courage failed them. They now began mutually to accuse each other for
-the steps they had taken, each one blaming his neighbour; and at length
-several of them came to the commander, craving forgiveness. In the most
-abject manner, they dismounted from their horses, and threw themselves
-on the ground, supplicating for mercy at his hands. The commander,
-Mustafa Beg, said he had it not in his power to grant it them, as he
-should be obliged to carry them all, bound in chains, to Mohammed Páshá,
-whose province it was both to forgive and set them at liberty, as he pleased.
-Those who thus submitted, however, met with clemency, and were incorporated
-with one or other of the military bodies brought against them; but
-such as remained obstinate, and chose rather to try their strength than
-submit, met with the fate they deserved: their dead bodies were made into
-heaps on the field of battle. About forty of them escaped into the desert,
-but of their life or death nothing more was ever heard. Mustafa Beg now
-returned to Cairo, bringing with him about forty or fifty of the principal
-leaders in chains, and presented them before the válí, Mohammed Páshá, as
-trophies of his victory. Mustafa was highly honoured on account of his
-success against the insurgents, and the heads of those whom he brought
-bound in chains were ordered to be cut off on the spot. About as many as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_377" id="Page_377">377</a></span>
-were thus put to death were killed by Mustafa himself before he left the
-scene of action. About three hundred of the insurgents were shipped off
-at Suez, and sent into Arabia, and the rest of them were, through the intervention
-of the great men of Egypt, pardoned, and set at liberty, after having
-promised in the presence of their intercessors every thing that was required
-of them.</p>
-
-<p>After succeeding in crushing the insurgents, as above described, and
-establishing good order everywhere, Mohammed Páshá extended his
-prudent and capacious mind to every department of government, as well as
-to other objects of utility. <i>One of his measures was</i>, regulating the coin
-of Egypt, which had been very much worn and obliterated, and which of
-course had caused much confusion, and even deception in buying and selling.
-<i>Another was</i>, rectifying the abuses and unlawful practices carried
-on between the farmers and the tax-gatherers, which had occasioned,
-not unfrequently, a deficiency in the public granaries and magazines. <i>A
-third was</i>—The janissaries and other troops in Egypt having no barracks,
-and being besides unmarried, he erected, within the fortress, suitable odás
-for them to live in. By this means the garrison or fortress was always
-furnished with troops, whilst the inhabitants, at the same time, were
-screened from the violence of the soldiery. <i>A fourth was</i>—He took charge
-of the golden and silver girdles or hoops which had been made for defending
-the pillars of Mecca, and the cistern of pure gold, all which had been
-sent to Egypt from Constantinople, and forwarded them with proper artists
-to the place of their destination. These artists not only performed that
-work without either fee or reward, but rendered several other important
-services to that holy place. For instance, they enlarged and renewed the
-pulpit, which was formerly too narrow; they renewed the portico which
-runs along the cistern; they beautified and adorned the pillars in the
-centre of that noble edifice, and also its walls; the metaf (or the place
-round which pilgrims walked in procession) was rendered smooth and
-equal; they repaired or built anew the court, and carried away the
-whole of the rubbish and dirt which had for years been accumulating in
-the vicinity of the sacred temple; they also caused the beds or canals of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_378" id="Page_378">378</a></span>
-the waters of Mecca and Arfat to be repaired. <i>A fifth was</i>—The repairs of
-the wells of Azlam, a place which was about half-way between Mecca
-and Cairo, where the pilgrims and the well-furnished caravans of Egypt
-used to meet, which were in a great measure rendered useless by the
-rebellious Arabs. It would appear that the válí of Egypt, Sheríf Páshá,
-had, in 1004, opened these wells, commonly called the wells of Ibrahím
-Páshá, and to prevent their being rendered useless by the Arabs, he
-built a fortress in their neighbourhood, and placed some few troops in it.
-This, of course, proved a source of great comfort to pilgrims and other
-travellers, inasmuch as it served as a place of refreshment and repose.
-A very heavy rain afterwards demolished this fortress, and the Arabs, to
-the annoyance of pilgrims, rendered the wells useless. The vezír, whose
-good deeds we are here recording, rebuilt the demolished fortress, put a
-garrison in it, and repaired the wells. <i>The sixth was</i>—A work similar to
-the one we have last mentioned, which he caused to be constructed at
-Adjerú, between Cairo and Akba. <i>A seventh was</i>—The erection of shops in
-the vicinity of the great temple in Cairo. <i>The eighth was</i>—The erection of
-a khánegáh (an edifice for religious purposes), and also of eleemosinary
-places for sheíkhs, dervishes, and others. On the annual commemoration of
-Mohammed’s nativity he distributed numerous presents amongst those who
-read on that occasion. <i>A ninth was</i>—The erection of new houses near the
-odás which had been built for the janissaries; a huge wall or mass of rock,
-forty cubits broad and sixty long, having fallen down by accident, the space
-which these ruins had occupied he caused to be cleared away, erected
-new houses on it, and filled them with families. <i>A tenth was</i>—The rebuilding
-of the redoubt or fortress between Cairo and Shám. This building
-having been demolished by heavy rains, and having also become the haunt
-of worthless Arabs, he ordered it to be rebuilt, and supplied it with water.
-<i>An eleventh was</i>—The rebuilding of the fortress or redoubt of Yúnus, which
-was in a similar condition to the one last mentioned. He also placed a
-number of paid soldiers in it, and ordered a mosque and a bath to be
-erected in it. <i>A twelfth was</i>—The rebuilding of the fortress of Beít Khaberín,
-between Gaza and Balad al Khalíl-rahman; on which also he ordered<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_379" id="Page_379">379</a></span>
-a mosque and a bath to be erected, and an aqueduct to be constructed.
-The painted tiles in the dome erected by Sultán Soleímán Khán having
-become mutilated and loose, he replaced them with new tiles.</p>
-
-<p>This wonderful man, after having governed Egypt for four years and five
-months, was recalled to Constantinople. Whether at Cairo or journeying,
-he was in the habit of visiting holy and consecrated places, and of offering
-up prayers for the emperor; thus gaining to himself advantages in both
-worlds. After his return to Constantinople, Jouher Khán Sultána, daughter
-of the grand sultán, thought him worthy of her affections, and the result
-was that he became the emperor’s son-in-law.</p>
-
-<p>The articles of the treaty of peace between Turkey and Austria, which
-may be called the treaty of Sidova, was finally ratified and signed by the
-Ottoman emperor on the 1st of Rajab in this year.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>A great earthquake.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The fortress or city of Nova, situate on the sea-coast, belonging to the
-dominions of the archduke (of Austria), was visited by a tremendous earthquake,
-which almost entirely overthrew it. Forty-four yúks,<a name="FNanchor_21_21" id="FNanchor_21_21"></a><a href="#Footnote_21_21" class="fnanchor">21</a> the average
-of the receipt of its custom-house, were expended in erecting a new one.
-A magazine of salt, which stood on the shore, and near the custom-house,
-and which brought a revenue of four or five yúks per annum, sustained
-considerable injury by the shock, inasmuch as it caused the sea to retire
-to the distance of about a bow-shot.</p>
-
-<p>A Spanish fleet of about thirty ships approached within three miles of
-this city, either about the time of the earthquake, or some time either after
-or before it, with hostile intentions. The governor of that sanják happened
-to be at that very time engaged in the war in Transylvania; but the defterdár
-of Bosnia hastened to the aid of Nova, and commenced firing its
-cannon, when the Spaniards disgracefully retired.</p>
-<hr />
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_380" id="Page_380">380</a></span></p>
-
-<h2><span class="smcap">EVENTS of the Year 1018, H.</span></h2>
-
-
-<h3><i>The grand vezír and commander-in-chief, Murád Páshá, is again sent to the
-East.</i></h3>
-
-<p>We have already mentioned the return of Murád Páshá to Constantinople,
-and the reception he there met with. Every preparation for resuming warlike
-operations in the east was carried on, during the winter months, with
-the utmost activity and vigour, and early in the spring the pavilion of the
-commanding-general was again erected in the plains of Scutari. Before
-this, however, it is to be observed, that the commander-in-chief wrote to
-Meseli Chávush, who had taken part in the late rebellion in Anatolia, but
-who had not yet been subdued, to hold himself in readiness for acting
-under him against the Persians, and desired him to join the royal camp
-along with Zulfekár. In the communication he sent Meseli he promised,
-though only with the view of getting him into his own hands, to confer
-on him the government of Caramania, and that he would bestow that of
-Anatolia on Zulfekár. In a private letter to Zulfekár, however, he expressed
-himself thus: “I have employed every method I could to get
-Meseli Chávush into my power, but have hitherto failed. Having secured
-himself among inaccessible rocks, I did not think it proper to risk troops
-in searching him out. Under the pretext of esteem for him, a sanják in
-the interior has been conferred on him, and I have written to him to join
-the army destined against Persia, and have promised him the government
-of Caramania to induce him to do so. Use what dissimulation you can,
-and perhaps you may succeed in getting him into your power. The love of
-office will induce him to come to you. Remove all his suspicions by showing
-him every mark of respect; you will thus secure his confidence, and
-incline him to come and join the grand army. You are not to permit him
-to do this, however, but as soon as you have him in your power, cut off his
-head and send it to Constantinople. If you succeed in compassing his destruction,
-I promise to give you the government of Anatolia, and also a vezírship,
-as a reward for your services. You will, if you succeed, do the
-emperor a very important service, who will, besides the honour which shall<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_381" id="Page_381">381</a></span>
-be conferred on you, present your son, Mohammed Beg, with a province
-in the interior. You will act, I have no doubt, like a man: I have committed
-the whole affair to you.”</p>
-
-<p>In a similar way to that in which he addressed Meseli he also wrote to
-Yúsuf Páshá, who had been ketkhodá to Oveis Páshá of Aydin, Sarúkhán,
-and Mantesha. This Yúsuf Páshá was at the head of a body of rebels
-which amounted to four thousand armed men, beside some cavalry. The
-letter which Murád Páshá sent to this rebel-chief was couched in these
-terms: “My son, I have heard of some of your virtues and high talents,
-which I esteem very much. Although you have such a considerable number
-of men under you, yet no rumour of any injustice practised by you
-is any where heard. The reverse of injustice in you must be the case.
-Still, however innocent though you appear to be, you are considered
-a rebel; free yourself, then, if you are a man, from the odious imputation.
-You are a person every way fit for taking part in the war against the Persians:
-it may even be proper to give you the command of troops for this
-purpose. If you show that you have regretted your former conduct, you
-may depend on obtaining the emperor’s favour. Those men who have
-rebelled against the benign Ottoman government have met with no pity.
-Jánbulát Oghlí, Kalander Oghlí, and Karah Seyed, were the most conspicuous
-of rebels; but what is become of them? Attend to my counsel,
-and be my son here and hereafter (<i>i.e.</i> in both worlds). In order to persuade
-you to do so, I swear, in the most solemn manner, that you shall
-suffer no injury whatever from our most gracious monarch. I, an old,
-frail man, am ordered to march against the Persians, and I ask you to
-accompany me. You may, perhaps, chance to acquire great wealth, and
-at all events you will be put in possession of Magnesia: you will thus
-have an opportunity of acquitting yourself in the eye of the emperor, and
-securing his favour. If, in rejecting the counsel I have now tendered to
-you, you decline going to the Persian war, then I am free of the oath I
-have made to you. I need not say any thing more to you. You are safe if
-you come to Scutari. There you can remain a few days and look about
-you, when afterwards you shall have the honour, along with me, of kissing
-the emperor’s hand. Come to what conclusion you think best, but remember<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_382" id="Page_382">382</a></span>
-what will be the result if you now neglect to follow my advice. Answer
-this letter at any rate.”</p>
-
-<p>When this letter reached Yúsuf Páshá, he called his friends together and
-read the contents of it in their hearing. “Why,” said his rebel-associates,
-“whoever may be so foolish as to give credit to the vain and deceitful
-words of this letter, will find, to his experience, that he will have to part
-with his precious life. It is altogether preposterous to put any faith in
-that old man’s oath. In answer to the question, ‘whether we shall be able
-to stand our own ground, should he, when he finds us obstinate, come
-against us?’ we would shortly say, ‘Anatolia is a wide country, and we
-have no necessity to meet him; let us go to some distance out of his
-way. The winter will soon arrive, and he and his army will then be
-obliged to retire into winter-quarters, when we may rest in safety.’” Others
-replied, “That a decree affecting their life might, in the event of proving
-obstinate, be issued against them, when the whole country would rise up
-to be revenged on them. Better,” said they, “that we agree to follow the
-advice given in the letter from the commanding-general, and return to our
-obedience. Let us, however, use every precaution: he cannot kill us
-before our time come. What a terrible rebel was Zulfekár once, and he
-did not kill him! He called him his son. Turkijeh Bilmaz Hasan and
-others after the days of Karah Yazijí (Scrivano) were not trampled under
-foot and murdered. Was not Tekelí Mohammed Páshá a notorious rebel?
-and when he fell into his hands he did not murder him.” Such was the
-way these wise men reasoned among themselves, and at last agreed to send
-the following answer: “You have invited us to come to you, and we are
-no way disposed to resist your will. Your oath has inspired us with confidence,
-and as soon as your excellency arrives at Scutari we shall show
-you our sincerity.” This answer was sent with the person who had brought
-Murád Páshá’s communication to Yúsuf Páshá, as before mentioned.</p>
-
-<p>We must now return to Murád’s own operations. After having transported
-his troops and baggage to the Asiatic side, he took up his lodgings
-in his own pavilion, which had been previously erected for him. The emperor
-himself also visited the city of Scutari, and took up his residence in
-the gardens of that city, whither his council was summoned to attend.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_383" id="Page_383">383</a></span>
-His vezír (Murád) told him it was not the custom of his illustrious progenitors
-to do so: that Istámbol was the place where a council should properly
-be held. “Gúrjí Mohammed Páshá,” continued his vezír, “is káímakám,
-let him attend to the affairs of the faithful. As soon as the lord
-high treasurer, Ahmed Páshá, settles the pecuniary affairs of his department
-let him come over, when I shall hand in to your majesty a report
-how matters stand.” This advice of the vezír pleased his majesty, at
-least it appeared to do so, for he did not urge the meeting of his council
-any more. Not long afterwards, however, the emperor wrote to Murád to
-hasten his departure for the Persian war, and to delay no longer. Murád
-Páshá, on receiving this imperial notice, waited on his majesty, and said,
-he had something particular to say to him. They both retired into a private
-apartment, when the grand vezír addressed him thus, premising, however,
-that what he had to say to him must be kept a secret, which the
-other faithfully promised to observe. “Be it known, therefore, to your
-majesty,” said the premier, “that though we have been ostensibly engaged
-in preparing for the Persian war, it has been, in fact, for a different object
-that we have been so engaged. The notorious rebel, Meseli Chávush, is in
-possession of six or seven fortresses or places of strength in the mountainous
-part of Anatolia. It would not be safe to send an army into the mountains
-after him, because by hurling down stones he might destroy numbers of
-our orthodox believers”—here he related the steps he had taken in writing
-to Meseli. The asylum of the world appeared surprised, and asked him if
-he was capable of murdering a person who, in the faith of his promises, put
-himself in his power? His excellency, the grand vezír, replied: “If, in
-obedience to your orders, we march against Persia, how will you act with
-the rebel-chief of Aydin and Sarúkhán, Yúsuf Páshá?” “By God,” said
-his majesty, “you have remarked well; that rebel had totally escaped my
-memory; his case has not been attended to.” The grand vezír then informed
-him of the steps he had pursued with regard to him, and of the
-result, which we need not again repeat, and added: “if these two
-notorious rebels are once in our power, the whole of the province of Anatolia
-will not only be regained, but peace and tranquillity will also be restored.
-Let your majesty keep what I have been saying to you a perfect<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_384" id="Page_384">384</a></span>
-secret: let nothing of it transpire.” His majesty ejaculated a short prayer,
-wished him God-speed, and dismissed him.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Yúsuf Páshá arrives at Scutari.</i></h3>
-
-<p>About a month after the grand vezír had the above interview with the
-emperor, Yúsuf Páshá’s followers arrived at Scutari, and he himself in
-three days after them, when he ordered them to erect their tents. The
-grand vezír showed him every mark of esteem and friendship, and permitted
-him, when he appeared in his presence, to be seated at his side.
-“Be my son,” said the vezír, “here and hereafter,” presented him with a
-double suit of robes, and ordered robes to be given to a hundred of his
-men. A few days afterwards he presented him to his majesty, to whom
-Yúsuf had brought some very important and valuable presents; and on
-this occasion he was honoured with another robe from his sovereign.</p>
-
-<p>About this time, the grand vezír, Murád Páshá, received an answer to his
-communication to Zulfekár, which informed him that Meseli Chávush had
-arrived. The vezír wrote back to assure him that he would not fail in his
-promises, and urged him to do the work assigned him. Another month
-passed away, and Yúsuf Páshá became impatient to be employed against
-the Persians, for whose wealth and property he thirsted. The grand vezír,
-however, found means to put him off from day to day, for Meseli was not
-yet disposed of, and on this, in a great measure, his own fate depended.</p>
-
-<p>In the mean time, in consequence of some representation made to the
-emperor from some quarter or other, Murád Páshá was again ordered to set
-out on his march to the frontiers of Persia, and that too without delay,
-unless he wished another to supersede him in the chief command. This
-order was peremptory; within the space of three days he must be on his
-march. The grand vezír, on receiving this intimation, again waited on his
-majesty and said to him, “Sire, your slave explained to your majesty how
-matters stood, the last time I had the honour of speaking with you: it
-certainly must have escaped your blessed memory.” “No, by no means,”
-answered his majesty, “I have perfect recollection of it; nor have I intimated
-a syllable of it to any one.” “Why,” replied the vezír, “if you
-approved of what I at that time proposed to your majesty, wherefore is it<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_385" id="Page_385">385</a></span>
-that you have ordered me to march? We have Yúsuf Páshá in our power.
-If we despatch him just now, Mesli Chávush will, when he hears of it, make
-his escape from Zulfekár, and become more formidable than ever: it will
-be no easy matter to get hold of him again. As soon as we set out for the
-Persian campaign, he will come and attack Scutari. Pay no regard, sire,
-to the speeches of your cazís, for they are unacquainted with the state of
-matters; they will be brought to understand things better afterwards.
-Leave me to act as I think proper.” The emperor was again overcome by
-the reasoning of his vezír, and left him to do as he thought best, and dismissed
-him.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Mesli Chávush and Yúsuf Páshá are murdered.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Mesli Chávush, who had joined Zulfekár, lived with the latter on terms
-of apparent intimacy and friendship, but which, on the part of Zulfekár,
-could not have been sincere, whatever he might have manifested to the
-contrary. His apparent friendship had the effect he wished, and that was
-to disarm Mesli of all fear and suspicion as to his own safety.</p>
-
-<p>One day he proposed that both should pay a visit in company to the
-country or sanják which had been promised to Mesli, to which Mesli
-agreed. On this journey they spent a month: they went from Iconium to
-Larenda, and visited the fortresses of Mút, Mirah, Kúnis, and Tumrak,
-each of which was so impregnably situated among rocks, that an Osmánlí
-army would have found it next to impossible to reduce it. Such were the
-places which Mesli commanded, and which had rendered him formidable
-to the Osmánlí government.</p>
-
-<p>After an excursion of one and twenty days of pleasure they returned to
-Iconium, whence, in a day or two afterwards, they went to Miram, having
-taken their respective followers and equipages along with them. Here
-also they went about together in the greatest apparent friendship, visited
-together the different spectacles which were to be seen there, and went
-together to the different places of amusement. Zulfekár was seeking all
-this while a fit opportunity for accomplishing Murád Páshá’s wishes, and it
-was not long before such an opportunity offered itself. Mesli was sitting
-one day with a turban or tiara on his head, and like a prince was enjoying<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_386" id="Page_386">386</a></span>
-his pleasures, without fear or suspicion of any thing, when some of the
-men of his ostensible friend, who had been previously instructed how to
-act, fell upon him and despatched him. One of these came secretly behind
-him, and secured his head in a sort of noose with one hand, and with the
-other stabbed him with his dagger. The rest of the assassins, when they
-saw the struggle which ensued, came hastily forward, and after strangling
-him, cut off his head. Whatever valuables were found in his possession
-were seized by Murád’s lieutenant, for the purpose of being afterwards
-confiscated. Zulfekár Páshá and the defterdár of Caramania, Yúnus Effendí,
-went to take an account of the property he possessed in the fortresses
-which he had taken; and his head, under the charge of ten men, was sent
-off to Scutari, to Murád Páshá. The men who had the charge of Mesli’s
-head reached the place of their destination in five days, and communicated
-secretly to the grand vezír the purport of their visit to Scutari. He immediately
-waited on the emperor and communicated to him the news of the
-fate of Mesli; and added, that the head of the rebel Yúsuf Páshá would
-not be much longer on his shoulders. We ought to have mentioned,
-however, that the head of Mesli was, after having been fixed on the
-point of a spear and carried publicly through the camp, placed before
-the grand vezír’s tent. When the grand vezír announced to his majesty,
-that the head of a formidable enemy had been brought into the camp, and
-as we have already observed, that the head of Yúsuf Páshá would not remain
-long on his shoulders, he started up from his sofa in surprise, and said
-“May God, my dear father, reward you for your many services to me,”
-and desired him to do as he thought fit.</p>
-
-<p>On the following morning he sent a messenger to invite Yúsuf Páshá to
-come and take a cup of coffee with him. The messenger, whilst on his
-way, met Yúsuf Páshá, and delivering to him the invitation, conducted
-him to the vezír’s tent. On going into the tent his excellency addressed
-him in the most gracious and flattering terms, calling him his son, and
-so forth. “How could I drink my coffee without you, my son: you know
-how much I esteem you; come, let us retire to the back part of the tent,
-where we shall not be disturbed, and where we shall be at liberty to converse
-with more freedom. God willing, you shall have permission to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_387" id="Page_387">387</a></span>morrow
-to march against the Kizilbáshes.” After sitting down, and just as
-one of the domestics was handing Yúsuf a cup of coffee, and before he
-had time to lay hold of it, an officer announced to his lordship, Murád
-Páshá, that Hasan Beg, beg of Avlonia, had arrived. His lordship affected
-surprise, and said, it was a hard case to be so much oppressed with business
-as to have no time to enjoy himself for a few moments. “But there
-is no help for it,” said he; “I must step out for a little, but do you, sir,”
-(addressing Yúsuf Páshá) “make yourself comfortable.” The grand vezír
-no sooner went out of the tent, than he desired three or four of his officers
-to enter the tent and take a dish of coffee with his son Yúsuf Páshá. These
-men accomplished the vezír’s wishes. As the unfortunate Yúsuf Páshá
-was in the act of receiving a cup of coffee into his hand, he was tripped up
-by one of these assassins, when the rest, pouncing upon him, cut off his
-head, and placed it on a table. On the vezír’s re-entering, he ordered his
-body to be thrown out, and sent word to the defterdár to seize on the whole
-of his property. When some of the soldiery heard of the fate of Yúsuf
-Páshá, they ran into his tent and seized on all the spoil they could find in
-it. Yúsuf Páshá’s deputy and some of his principal followers were also
-put to death, and the rest of his associates fled.</p>
-
-<p>After these things, the grand vezír waited on his majesty and informed
-him of what had taken place. “Let this suffice,” said the vezír; “we
-need now proceed no farther. Even here, at Scutari, your majesty has
-been avenged on two of your most formidable enemies, to each of whom
-great forbearance has been shown. The province of Anatolia will now
-enjoy peace and quietness, and now the war with Persia may again be
-renewed.” The emperor bestowed great praise on his vezír: the whole of
-the property that belonged to Yúsuf Páshá’s followers, who had been put to
-death, was ordered to be confiscated; the beasts of burden, and several
-packages of valuable articles which had belonged to his lieutenant, or which
-were in his possession, were all sent over to the tulip-garden in Constantinople.
-The whole of the articles which had belonged to the rebels were
-afterwards sold, and the price of them put into the imperial coffers. The
-head of Mesli and the body of Yúsuf Páshá remained exposed for two days<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_388" id="Page_388">388</a></span>
-in the Maidán. The sanják which had been promised to Mesli was conferred
-on Mohammed Beg, son of Zulfekár.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Treachery in some of the grand vezír’s domestics discovered.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The grand vezír, Murád Páshá, had also premeditated the death of the
-lord high treasurer, Ahmed Páshá, usually called Etmekjí Zádeh, and, with
-this view, asked the emperor’s consent to assassinate him. The emperor,
-though very reluctantly, yielded to the wish of his vezír, who immediately
-gave directions to his domestics and officers how to act in this matter when
-Ahmed Páshá, who was then expected from Constantinople, should arrive.
-He placed a sentinel on the shore, who, so soon as he saw Ahmed Páshá
-arrive, was to give him notice: the executioners put themselves in readiness.
-It was not long before the sentinel above-mentioned announced the
-approach of Ahmed Páshá; and informed Murád, that at the moment
-he was stepping on shore, a young man came sailing up to him in a boat,
-and put a sealed note into his hand. Ahmed Páshá no sooner read the contents
-of this note, the sentinel said, than he immediately sailed back for
-Constantinople. This information necessarily awakened surprise and
-doubt in the mind of the grand vezír, who secretly set about employing
-persons to find out the boatman who had been commissioned to convey
-the bearer of the note. The boatman, on his discovery, related to the
-grand vezír all the particulars as to the manner in which he had been hired,
-and the trouble he had endured before he met with Ahmed Páshá at the
-pier. The vezír asked him if he thought he should be able to recognize the
-young man who had delivered the note to Ahmed Páshá, and whose dress
-he had already described. He replied in the affirmative: stating, that he,
-the young man, on delivering the note, had gone directly towards the
-camp. The vezír immediately caused the boatman to change his clothes,
-and despatched him, with some of his officers, to the camp, to commence
-the search. The whole camp, from tent to tent, was minutely examined
-for several days without success, when a mere accident discovered the
-delinquent. Two of the vezír’s domestics had fallen into a violent dispute,
-in which they mutually accused each other of treachery to their master.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_389" id="Page_389">389</a></span>
-The treasurer, Hasan Aghá, overheard them, and resolved to chastise them;
-when one of them whispered something into his ear. This induced the
-treasurer to conduct him into the presence of the vezír, when he confessed
-that he and four others of his fellow-domestics had been in the practice of
-receiving daily a pecuniary remuneration from Ahmed Páshá for giving him
-information of every thing they knew relative to their master’s administration
-or conduct. The boatman was again called and confronted with this person,
-and immediately recognized him as being the very man who had given the
-note to Ahmed Páshá. His four accomplices were instantly executed, but
-he himself was not only pardoned, but rewarded with a spahilik and a
-handsome sum of money, for having disclosed the fact. He was, however,
-dismissed the vezír’s service.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The arrival of Yúsuf Páshá’s and Mesli Chávush’s wealth.—A display of
-ill will and malevolence.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The persons who had been sent to take possession of the property of
-Yúsuf Páshá and Mesli returned, two hundred camel-loads of property
-which had belonged to these two men having been regularly registered and
-taken possession of. The emperor, on hearing of this, remarked to Murád
-Páshá, the grand vezír, how successful they had been; not only in vanquishing
-the two potent enemies above alluded to, but in being also able
-to replace, in a great measure, the funds which had been expended in fitting
-out the expedition, by the spoil which had fallen into their hands. But
-the grand vezír, notwithstanding all he had done, had still many enemies.
-Mustafa Aghá, ághá of the palace; the lord high treasurer, Ahmed Páshá,
-or Etmekjí Zádeh; and Mustafa Páshá, who had formerly been governor of
-Constantinople, took every opportunity they could to injure him. They
-talked amongst themselves, and in the presence of others, that Murád
-Páshá was entirely averse to his being employed against the Persians.
-“He is an old frail man,” they said (sneeringly), “and the emperor will
-not force him.” A hint of this conversation was communicated to his
-majesty by Muftí Mohammed Effendí. The emperor was displeased at the
-liberty they had taken with his vezír, and said, “He was a warrior, a most
-worthy hájí, and a most active and useful vezír: he restored all Anatolia<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_390" id="Page_390">390</a></span>
-to peace and tranquillity: he overcame and defeated the rebels, and delivered
-the country of the two formidable rebel-chiefs mentioned at the head of
-this section: he performed and achieved great deeds; and nothing but
-envy,” continued his majesty, “could have induced them so to speak of
-him. That he was by no means pleased with the liberty they had taken,
-and that the vezír might either go or stay, as he himself saw fit.” This
-strong expression of his majesty’s disposition silenced, for the time at least,
-the vezír’s enemies.</p>
-
-<p>After a stay of four complete months at Scutari, the troops returned to
-Constantinople just about the time of the full moon of the following or fifth
-month, and seven days before the commencement of autumn, or the time
-for entering into winter-quarters. Preparations for commencing hostilities
-against Persia in the following spring were immediately begun and attended
-to during the interval.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Concerning the naval operations of the lord high admiral, Khalíl Páshá.—Karah
-Jehennem taken.</i></h3>
-
-<p>When Kapúdán (or lord high admiral of the Turkish fleet) Khalíl Páshá
-sailed this year for the Mediterranean, and after he had cruised round the
-largest cape or promontory of Silivria, the second station from the metropolis,
-an Algerine vessel, commanded by a Genoese, met a Spanish
-pinnace, which had on board the son of the infidel viceroy of Sicily, a
-relative of the king of Spain, and about five hundred soldiers. This
-pinnace was destined to convey the young man to see his high relative,
-the king of Spain, and to carry certain valuable presents to the same. The
-soldiers, of course, were sent as a guard to both. When this pinnace met
-with the Algerine vessel, a most desperate battle ensued, which terminated
-in the capture of the former. Every living infidel found in this vessel, and
-the whole of the presents before mentioned, were according to custom
-distributed amongst the conquerors. The youth referred to was carried
-and delivered as a present to his majesty the Ottoman emperor. The
-person who had brought him to the admiral of the Turkish fleet received
-handsome rewards for having done so; and the young slave, after he was
-carried to Constantinople, and actually presented before the emperor, was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_391" id="Page_391">391</a></span>
-instructed in the Moslem religion, which he readily embraced, and was
-placed in a special chamber of the palace.</p>
-
-<p>The Turkish fleet now proceeded to Scio, where the admiral received
-intimation that six mountain-like vessels (of war), belonging to some of the
-infidel powers, had arrived from Egypt, and were then before Cyprus.
-The admiral went immediately in pursuit of them; but heard or saw nothing
-more of them till he arrived before the haven of Báf, where he was informed
-that they had sailed to the coast of Syria, and had done some mischief in
-several places. The admiral, Khalíl Páshá, hastened with all the speed he
-could make, and by break of day he descried their top-sails, when they
-appeared to be about thirty miles distant. At mid-day, or some little
-time after it, he made up to them, when a tremendous cannonading commenced
-from both sides, which was continued till night intervened. The
-Turkish admiral, though night did come on, never slackened his movements,
-but continued to keep up with them, whilst the enemy, manifesting no
-symptoms of fear whatever, lighted up their lanterns, and made all the
-sail they were able. Day-light no sooner arrived, however, than the battle
-again commenced. A certain person in the Turkish fleet, a corsair, who
-had been brought from Barbary by the emperor, and on whom he had conferred
-the sanják in the Morea, came along the admiral’s ship, and advised
-him not to come into close contact with the enemy, but to continue playing
-upon them at some distance. This advice was attended to, and in a short
-time their masts and rigging were shattered and destroyed, and they themselves
-totally disabled. In this state they were boarded, and the troops on
-board, five hundred in number, one hundred and sixty guns, and two thousand
-muskets, were all seized and disposed of. Four of these captured
-vessels were conducted to Tamagusta (in Cyprus). One of the three
-vessels, which was called Karah Jehennem (Black-hell), and resembled a
-lofty castle, was sent to Constantinople as a trophy of the admiral’s victory.
-The admiral, after having gained this victory, made the circuit of Sidon,
-Bairut, Alexandretta near Aleppo, and Tripoli, but did not meet any of the
-enemy in the whole of this tract. He returned to Tamagusta, took in
-provisions, and then set sail for the port of Constantinople, where a royal
-letter and a sable robe, tokens of his sovereign’s approbation, awaited his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_392" id="Page_392">392</a></span>
-arrival. He also had the honour of kissing the royal hand, and was raised
-to the rank of vezír.</p>
-
-<p>On the 9th of Rajab, in this year, the digging of the foundation of the
-noble mosque of Ahmed Sultán, in the At Maidán, was commenced; and
-on the 8th of Shevál all the ulemá, vezírs, sheíkhs, and seyeds, assembled
-together to celebrate the ceremony of laying the first stone.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Ancient treaty with France renewed.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Franciscus Sawari, ambassador of Haricus, king of France (Henry IV.), at
-the court of Constantinople, at this time presented a request, that the existing
-treaty of friendship between the Ottoman emperor and the king of France
-should again be renewed. This was done; and the treaty which was
-entered into during the reign of the late Sultán Mohammed Khán formed
-the basis of the new one. By the new treaty, or rather, by this renewed
-treaty, it was stipulated among other things as follows: 1. That not only
-British and Venetian vessels, but also those of Genoa, of Portugal, of the
-two Sicilies, of Ancona, of Spain, and of Florence, trading to Turkey,
-should be permitted to do so only under the French flag; and that the
-commanders of all such vessels were to announce their arrival to the French
-consul of the place or port to which they might come for the purpose of
-trade. 2. That all persons belonging to France, going to visit Jerusalem,
-or the monks living at the Holy Sepulchre, or returning from the same,
-were to be allowed to go and return without molestation or interruption.
-3. That the prohibition laid on spun and unspun cotton and on morocco-leather,
-during the reign of Soleimán, was to be removed. 4. The prohibition
-laid on bee’s-wax and hides in the days of Mohammed Khán was
-also to be removed. 5. That all such specie as traders brought along with
-them was to be received at its usual or current value. 6. Vessels belonging
-to the French government, employed in carrying provisions from one
-country unfriendly to Turkey to another country of that description, were,
-though discovered by Turkish ships, to be allowed to pass unmolested;
-and, in the event of any vessel belonging to a French subject being seized
-whilst carrying provisions from any part of the Ottoman dominions, it was
-to be set at liberty, its freight was to remain untouched, and no more, than<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_393" id="Page_393">393</a></span>
-three hundred <i>akchas</i> were to be levied on the articles of lading. 7. French
-vessels entering into any of the havens belonging to the Barbary states were
-to be respected; and gunpowder, lead, sail-cloth, or any other articles
-which might be needed, were to be furnished them: for, formerly, the
-Algerines were in the habit of kidnapping and making slaves of French
-merchants, and seizing their property. Frequent prohibitions against this
-practice had been issued during the reign of Sultán Mohammed Khán; and
-the governor, who happened to be in office when an aggression of this kind
-took place, was deposed, and ordered to make full restitution. 8. Fishing
-vessels were to be allowed to fish, and also to take coral on the coasts
-of Algiers and Tunis. 9. All interpreters belonging to the French embassy
-were, according to ancient custom, to be free from all kinds of imposts or
-taxes. 10. French subjects, on paying the just dues to their ambassadors
-and consuls, were to have all disputes which might arise settled by them:
-they were to oppress or injure none. 11. Those having a dispute or law-suit
-with any consul, the dispute or law-suit was to be settled in Turkey.
-12. The French ambassador on entering into the royal diván, or into the
-privy-council, was to have precedence, according to ancient custom, of the
-Spanish, and all other ambassadors whatever. 13. When a French prisoner
-or captive was discovered, and the consul declared him to be so, then his
-master or owner was to send him to Constantinople, where his case was to
-be thoroughly investigated. 14. Frenchmen, or persons belonging to any
-country subject to France, living in Turkey, were not to be required to pay
-a poll-tax. 15. Frenchmen living at any of the sea-ports belonging to
-Turkey, were not to be prohibited from appointing their own consuls; and
-such consuls were to be free from all taxes whatever. 16. If a dispute
-should happen to arise with a French trader, and an appeal was made to
-a cazí, the cazí was not to decide, unless the French trader had an interpreter
-present to interpret for him. 18. French ships sailing to or from
-Constantinople were to meet with no hindrances in the Dardanelles, or force
-or violence from any Turkish ship, whether of war or not, in the open or
-high seas. A friendly intercourse between vessels belonging to both
-nations, was to be faithfully observed. The end or conclusion of the
-treaty.</p>
-<hr />
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_394" id="Page_394">394</a></span></p>
-
-<h2><span class="smcap">EVENTS of the Year 1019, H.</span></h2>
-
-
-<h3><i>The grand vezír and commander-in-chief, Murád Páshá, goes to Tabríz.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The victorious hero, the grand vezír and commander-in-chief, Murád
-Páshá, having fully completed all his preparations for opening the campaign
-in the east, re-appointed Gúrjí Mohammed Páshá governor of Constantinople,
-and passed over with his brilliant army to Scutari, on the 5th of the
-month Sefer. The commanding general, impatiently anxious to march
-against Persia, left Scutari about the beginning of Rabia I., and reaching
-the frontiers of that country, he was joined by the various beglerbegs with
-their respective troops, who had been appointed for this war. His army,
-in a short time, became greatly increased. Having heard that the sháh of
-Persia intended to take up his position in the vicinity of Tabríz, and as the
-winter season was nigh at hand, he hastened towards that place with all
-the speed he was able, and was not long in arriving in its neighbourhood.
-The inhabitants having all fled, and left the city exposed and desolate, the
-orthodox troops entered, and demolished or set fire to its buildings. The
-sháh having advanced nearer, shewed a disposition to try his strength, and
-posted himself upon a hill near the city. It was not long, however, before
-his courage forsook him; for in a general engagement, in which he was
-soon involved, his troops were defeated and put to flight, leaving the field
-to the victorious Moslems. Finding it therefore dangerous to stay much
-longer, and seeing that the winter was fast approaching, he felt it necessary
-to seek a place of repose and safety for himself and his army. In this way,
-and for these reasons, the war was necessarily postponed till the following
-year. In the meantime, however, the orthodox army did all the mischief
-they could to the enemy’s country, and then returned, when his excellency
-the commanding general, Murád Páshá, went with the household troops to
-Diárbeker.</p>
-
-<p>After defeating the sháh, his excellency, Murád Páshá, sent him a letter,
-to which the following was received as answer: “You say that we have
-violated the agreement made in the days of Sháh Ismael II. He was not
-long enough at the helm of affairs to cause any rupture. Your governors on<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_395" id="Page_395">395</a></span>
-the frontiers having coveted the goods of our merchants, have murdered
-several of them. We have represented our grievances to your august
-majesty, the emperor, but no redress whatever has been afforded. The
-honour of our dignity cannot endure this, especially as we are now come, by
-the grace of God, into the possession of our paternal hereditary dominions. We
-have been braved by a Tátár army. Formerly, Islám Gheráí and Ghází Gheráí
-brought their armies as far as Shirván, but were defeated by the kizilbáshes,
-and the two kháns made prisoners. If they should again attempt a similar
-invasion, they shall pay dearly for it; they shall meet their reward. The
-great wealth which the emperor of the Osmánlís can command is not
-unknown to us. We also have our heroes. The sight of your numerous
-hosts will not move them. If it be thought proper to abide by the conditions
-granted by Sultán Soleímán Khán to Tahmasp, my grandfather,
-then I am his august majesty’s servant. When one is not brave and bold
-in his hostility, his friendship is not to be depended on. Our friendship
-may be contemplated. If, therefore, you are not satisfied, then let that
-which is behind the curtain of fate discover itself—Farewell.”</p>
-
-<p>His excellency, the grand vezír, wrote thus in reply: “You say you are
-braved or threatened by a vain-glorious army of Tátárs. A Tátár is like
-any other servant of the emperor. Though the two kháns were made prisoners,
-yet there is nothing strange or surprising in that. It has happened,
-not unfrequently, in the history of past events, that the vanquished have
-sometimes become conquerors. If you compute the number of those belonging
-to you who have been made captives, your motive for protracting
-hostilities must arise from some other cause; as that the power of the emperor
-appeared to have become less, or that he needed to make an apology.
-I also am a servant of the emperor. I have some hope my sentiments
-will have a good effect. I have entered in between you with the view of
-effecting a reconciliation. So soon, then, as the line of boundaries can be
-settled as it was formerly, I shall return: otherwise it is not his majesty’s
-pleasure that one of the name of Abbás should remain a sovereign in the
-palace of the world. How many years has the Moslem army wintered in
-this quarter? The secret decrees of fate are seemingly developed or developing
-by this fact. God seems ready to take vengeance.”</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_396" id="Page_396">396</a></span></p>
-
-<p>Some time before this answer was sent, however, Murád received a letter
-from the sháh by Shams-ud-dín Mohammed Aghá, proposing terms of
-peace. The grand vezír, after a long consultation about this matter, returned
-an answer by one Khair-ud-dín Chávush, whom he sent along with the
-sháh’s messenger when he returned. Very near a whole year passed away,
-however, before the sháh deigned to return any answer to the grand vezír’s
-communications; but on the 27th of Jemadi II., when the Moslem army,
-numerous as the stars, arrived at Erzerúm with the view of protecting and
-defending the imperial possessions secured by treaty to the Ottoman government
-in the days of Sultán Murád Khán, at this date Khair-ud-dín
-Chávush and Mohammed Aghá arrived, bringing with them a letter from
-the sháh. This letter contained hardly any thing more than what his
-former one did respecting the grounds of complaint, which we need not
-again repeat. Suffice it to say, that the correspondence on both sides was
-carried on to a great length. It was said, that if there existed a real desire
-to promote an agreement, it should be in accordance with those stipulations
-entered into during former reigns; but it is quite evident the emperor had
-no intention of entering into engagements which would strip him of his
-possessions in those quarters which had been conquered during the reign
-of Sultán Murád Khán.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Other events of this year.</i></h3>
-
-<p>On the 2d of Rabia I., when the commanding-general removed from
-Scutari and had arrived at Mai dipa, he received intelligence of the death
-of his highness, Ahmed Gheráí, khán of the Crimea, and by his kind interference
-Jánbeg Gheráí was raised to the khánship. On the 15th of Rabia II.
-the ornamenting, repairing, and beautifying of the Kaaba and its dependencies
-were finished, which cost in all 18,141 miscals.<a name="FNanchor_22_22" id="FNanchor_22_22"></a><a href="#Footnote_22_22" class="fnanchor">22</a> The work was
-commenced last year and finished in this.</p>
-
-<p>The lord high admiral, Khalíl Páshá, having again put to sea with the
-royal fleet, he appointed Mímí Beg, beg of Rhodes, chief over a number of
-other begs, and dispatched him off in one of the vessels which had been
-destined for conveying provisions from Alexandria. Mímí Beg accom<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_397" id="Page_397">397</a></span>plished
-the task assigned to him, and afterwards fell in with an enemy’s
-ship of war at a place called Funka, which he soon disabled and sunk.
-Khalíl Páshá himself, whilst continuing his cruizing voyage after vessels
-belonging to the infidels, pursued his course along Negropont, Modon, and
-Navarin. At one or other of these places he received intelligence from
-Mímí Beg, that five large vessels belonging to Tuscany were somewhere
-at sea near Cyprus. The admiral immediately steered away from the
-shores of the Morea towards Cyprus, which place he reached about the
-commencement of Rajab after a sail of eight days, and discovered the
-above vessels before Oghuz Búrni, near Báf, watching the arrival of the
-Egyptian fleet. The admiral, Khalíl Páshá, now prepared for battle; but
-in consequence of a heavy gale of wind which suddenly arose, he found it
-impossible, notwithstanding his utmost efforts, to come into actual contact
-with them. Night came on; the wind became more fierce and boisterous,
-and by daylight on the following morning no traces of the enemy’s vessels
-could be discovered; nor was it known whither they had steered. The
-Turkish admiral now directed his course towards the island of Rhodes, and
-during the voyage picked up a straggling adventurer and one or two of the
-enemy’s ships. Soleimán Páshá, also, whom he had ordered away with
-ten vessels in search of the Tuscany ships, returned with two corsairs and
-two other vessels which he had taken in the roads of Messina and Malta,
-and joined the Turkish fleet, which directed its course to the port of Constantinople,
-having about eight prizes and a hundred captives to grace its
-entrance into that port; and when the admiral presented himself before the
-exalted diván, orders were given to confer on him a robe of honour for the
-services which he had rendered.</p>
-
-<p>During the winter of this year messengers from the sháh arrived with
-letters containing humble proposals of peace, offering, at the same time, as
-one of the conditions, to pay an annual tax of two hundred yúks (loads) of
-silk for those provinces which had been wrested out of his hands, though
-they formerly formed part of the Persian dominions. He also requested
-that the government of Turkey, if it pleased, might have a beglerbeg over
-those provinces. The sagacious Murád Páshá wrote a report of these offers,
-and sent it along with the sháh’s messengers to the court of Constantinople.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_398" id="Page_398">398</a></span>
-The purpose of his sending these ambassadors to the court of Istámbol
-was to excite the sháh’s hopes, and thus give him a hare’s sleep, while, in
-fact, he was meditating the devastation of the country on the return of
-spring.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The death of Murád Páshá, grand vezír and commander-in-chief.—Nesúh
-Páshá succeeds to the premiership.</i></h3>
-
-<p>At the time his excellency, the grand vezír and commander-in-chief,
-Murád Páshá, went to Tabríz, the válí of Diárbeker, Nesúh Páshá, sent a
-private letter to the emperor, stating that if he would remove Murád Páshá
-out of the premiership, and confer the seals on himself, he would, in return,
-make him a present of forty thousand gold pieces in ready money, and
-bear the expense, besides, of the increase of provisions which was to be
-made to the army. This letter the emperor enclosed in a government despatch
-for Murád Páshá, and sent it off by a courier. The commanding-general
-was no doubt surprised when he read the document which had
-been sent to him, and immediately sent for Nesúh. Nesúh, no way aware
-of the reason for which he had been invited, appeared before the grand
-vezír without suspicion. The latter handed to him his own letter to the
-emperor, and asked him if he could recognize the hand-writing. Nesúh, a
-bold and fearless Albanian, replied, without a moment’s hesitation, it was his.
-“You ought, then,” said the commanding-general, “to advance the gold
-you have promised, and provide the provisions for the army which you have
-also stipulated.” Nesúh, no way embarrassed, showed his readiness to
-comply. Those officers who surrounded Murád Páshá, on this occasion,
-seemed very much surprised at what had transpired, and said, that many
-a commanding-general would have punished with death a fault much less
-than that which Nesúh had committed. “You are certainly,” said they,
-in their surprise and indignation, “seeking to compass this base and
-worthless hypocrite’s destruction?” His excellency, the commanding-general,
-with his usual prudence and good-nature, denied having entertained
-any such intention. “On the contrary,” said he, “a bold, active
-and dexterous man of this kind may be very useful to the government; and
-what he has offered to do may prove to be of advantage.” He added a few<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_399" id="Page_399">399</a></span>
-more remarks which were intended to make an impression on the mind of
-his rival.</p>
-
-<p>The winter-months passed away, and the time for again marching against
-the heretical sháh approached. The commander-in-chief caused his pavilion
-to be erected on the outside of the walls of Diárbeker. This very movement,
-inasmuch as it presaged hostility, alarmed the sháh to such a degree
-that he again sent to the commanding general a supplicating letter, similar
-to that he had formerly sent him, praying for a cessation of hostilities. The
-illustrious commander amused him with hopes, but was all the while making
-preparations for commencing the attack. But in the midst of all this,
-it pleased God to remove him by death. This event took place on the 25th
-of Jemadi I.; and Mohammed Aghá, ághá of the janissaries, was, in conformity
-to Murád’s own desire, expressed some time before his death, appointed
-by the government, in the mean time, to take the command of the
-army. When Nesúh Páshá’s friends heard of Murád’s death, they used
-their utmost efforts to get him into the premiership, the great object of his
-ambition. On the 12th of the following month the wishes of both were
-realized by the seals of office being sent to Nesúh. He was made commander-in-chief
-of the forces at the same time.</p>
-
-<p>The new grand vezír commenced his career in manifesting the same determined
-hostility against the sháh that his predecessor had done. This,
-of course, doubly increased the fears of the Persian king (the subversion
-of whose dominions had been the ardent desire of Murád Páshá), and led
-him to repeat his former intreaties: promising, at the same time, to submit
-to that subjection to the Ottoman emperor which had formerly been
-yielded to that monarch. But before these last proffers had been announced
-at Constantinople, the sháh requested to be allowed some delay to provide
-the quantity of silk which he had stipulated. This petition was incautiously
-listened to by the new minister, who, by this time, had disbanded
-his army. He was, moreover, much to blame for permitting the sháh’s
-ambassadors to proceed to Constantinople. They, themselves, were importunate
-in demanding from the grand vezír permission to proceed thither
-on the object of their embassy, alleging that on the frontiers no proper
-settlement between the two countries could be effected; but by some<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_400" id="Page_400">400</a></span>
-inexplicable conduct of the new grand vezír, a whole year passed away
-before matters were fully and properly adjusted.</p>
-
-<p>In addition to the repairs and ornaments which had been bestowed on
-the Ka’ba, it was still found necessary to bind the pillars thereof in two
-different places with hoops, and for which purpose iron ones, plated with
-pure gold and choice silver, were provided. The aqueduct, which had been
-necessarily altered in the days of Soleimán, was furnished and ornamented
-with splendid boards. The emperor, being intent on beautifying the
-Ka’ba still more, removed into the garden of Stavros, where the contemplated
-work for the holy place might be carried on to better purpose under
-his own inspection. With this view he called thither all the goldsmiths,
-provided bellows, and the work immediately commenced under his own
-auspices, and the inspection of all his great men. This work, and the
-artizans employed on it, were afterwards removed to the garden of Davd
-Páshá, where the emperor himself took up his abode; and when the
-whole was finished, in conformity with the pattern which had been chosen,
-a pavilion was raised in front of the works for his majesty, and a throne
-was erected within it on which he sat. In this position, surrounded by
-the mufti, ulemá and his vezírs, he contemplated the articles which had
-been made; conferred robes of honour on those of his grandees of every
-rank and degree, who were present, as tokens of his royal munificence and
-approbation; and on the same day, raised Mohammed Aghá of the Salihdárs
-to the government of Egypt. About this same time the emperor ordered
-a shade or covering to be erected over the well near the arsenal.</p>
-
-
-
-<hr />
-<h2><span class="smcap">EVENTS of the Year 1020, H.</span></h2>
-
-
-<h3><i>Naval affairs.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The Turkish fleet, under the command of the lord high-admiral, Khalíl
-Páshá, after having sailed from the port of Constantinople in the spring of
-this year, was met by Mohammed Beg, beg of the Morea, who had been
-previously sent out for the purpose of capturing such hostile vessels as
-might fall in his way, and who informed the admiral that he had conducted
-a prize-vessel into the port of Eyúbia. The fleet now sailed for Rhodes,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_401" id="Page_401">401</a></span>
-where the ships were all properly pitched, and afterwards sailed for the
-island of Cyprus. Whilst the admiral was directing his course for this
-place, he received a royal letter, ordering him to convoy the ships destined
-for Egypt, which were conveying the articles for the Ka’ba. Just at this
-time he received intelligence that two hostile vessels had been seen sailing
-somewhere between Cyprus and Tripoli, and therefore he instantly
-dispatched Mímí Beg, beg of Rhodes, with twenty-five galleys, in search
-of them: but he himself conducted the Egyptian vessels half-way through
-the high seas, and then directed his course towards the shores of Anatolia.</p>
-
-<p>Mímí Beg was not long in meeting with a hostile vessel, the commander
-of which was a Maltese and a pirate, and which, after some
-hard fighting, he took and brought into Rhodes, where he met with the
-admiral. He was afterwards sent with five galleys to conduct the válí of
-Egypt from Scio through the high seas towards Alexandria. Lálá Ja’fer
-Beg was also sent with ten vessels to cruize along the enemy’s coasts, but
-was much retarded by contrary winds. Off the Cape of Maneah he met
-two vessels, who having instantly hoisted the enemy’s flag, he prepared
-to attack them. The battle was long and bloody, and it was not till near
-night that he succeeded in overpowering them. The admiral, at the end
-of this voyage, sent these and four other vessels which had been captured,
-to the port of Constantinople. The two vessels taken by Lálá Ja’fer Beg,
-it was said, belonged to the Venetian state, and therefore, in consequence of
-that state being included in the last treaty made with France, a very great
-deal of talk and speculation took place.</p>
-
-<p>On the return of the lord high-admiral to Constantinople, he was
-honoured with tokens of the imperial approbation for the services he had
-rendered. Within the three years he had acted as lord high admiral of
-the Turkish fleet, he captured more than fifty ships, small and great; the
-emperor, however, willing to show favour to Mohammed Páshá, who had
-been governor in Egypt, and whose exploits and virtuous deeds we have
-recorded, and who was every way worthy of the seals (though these, in the
-meantime, had been conferred on Nesúh Páshá), appointed him to the command
-of the fleet, that being the most honourable situation he had to confer
-on him at the time.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_402" id="Page_402">402</a></span></p>
-
-<p>About the middle of Rabia II., whilst the emperor was enjoying himself
-in the gardens of Dávud Páshá, Sultán Selím was born, but died before the
-end of the month. Towards the end of the month Dhu’l hijja, the youngest
-of the princesses was united in marriage to Nesúh Páshá, and the contract
-was concluded in the presence of the reverend mufti and the vezírs of the
-court.</p>
-
-
-
-<hr />
-<h2><span class="smcap">EVENTS of the Year 1021, H.</span></h2>
-
-
-<h3><i>Naval affairs continued.</i></h3>
-
-<p>In the month of Rajab of this year the lord high admiral, Mohammed
-Páshá, set sail with the royal fleet in search of prizes and further conquests.
-On reaching the coasts of Sidon and Bairut he found Maán Oghlí, a madman,
-who in the vanity of his mind had arrogated to himself princely titles,
-and had secured for himself some places of strength in the hilly part of the
-country, and who, moreover, had been a coadjutor of Jánbúlát Oghlí, and
-had done much mischief to the province of Syria. He afterwards entered
-into a friendly relation with the Turkish government, stipulating to pay an
-annual tribute of the products of the country he ruled, but had failed in
-fulfilling his engagements. The admiral, in consequence of this failure,
-landed some of his men with the intention of forcing Maán Oghlí into compliance.
-Force, however, was not necessary, for Maán Oghlí sent the
-admiral a submissive letter, accompanied by a larger sum than he had stipulated,
-as an equivalent for his neglect. The fleet returned to the port
-of Constantinople, and deposited in the imperial treasury the gifts and presents
-which had been received from Maán Oghlí. But it is to be observed
-that the admiral, whilst sailing through the straits of Súsam, allowed the
-enemy to seize no less than nine of his vessels; for which he was deposed.
-Khalíl Páshá was again made lord high admiral.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Nesúh Páshá arrives in Constantinople along with the Persian ambassadors.</i></h3>
-
-<p>After Nesúh Páshá had given the despicable kizilbáshes hopes that their
-wishes would be complied with on the part of the Ottoman government,
-the sháh seized the opportunity thus afforded him, and instantly transmitted<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_403" id="Page_403">403</a></span>
-to Nesúh at Diárbeker two hundred loads of silk under the charge of Kází
-Khán, his military judge, and the cazís of Kazwín and Isfahán, additional
-ambassadors, who arrived at Diárbeker on the 26th of Rabia II.
-Nesúh Páshá, without loss of time, set out for Constantinople with the
-above silk and the messengers, and reached it about the beginning of
-Shabán. The grand vezír met with the honours due to his high station,
-and the ambassadors with that respect which it was the custom to bestow.
-The emperor, who had been at Dávud Páshá, returned with a great show
-of military pomp and grandeur to the city on the 16th of Shabán. By his
-orders suitable lodgings were assigned to the Persian ambassadors, and
-amusements afforded them, and on the 21st they were permitted to appear
-in the royal presence. They presented to his majesty, the asylum of the
-world, the gifts and presents they had brought along with them from their
-master, receiving in return robes of honour, and being permitted to kiss the
-skirt of his majesty’s robe.</p>
-
-<p>The sháh had chosen his ambassadors from amongst the most cunning
-and shrewd of his learned men, as being the fittest for answering or asking
-questions in the royal diván, should they ever be called thither. When,
-however, they were actually introduced into that august assembly, they
-were overpowered with awe. Kází Khán, the foremost and most learned
-of their number, felt his inability to speak when he attempted to do so.
-“Please your majesty,” said he, with a faltering voice which betokened
-the agitation of his mind, “Sháh Abbás is your slave”—here he paused,
-and could not utter another syllable, but delivered over their credentials to
-the grand vezír, who handed them to his majesty, and then retired. They
-were again, on the 26th of Ramazán, allowed to be present at the royal
-diván, and were thence conducted into the imperial hall of audience, where
-answers to their communications were delivered to them. They again received
-robes, according to custom, and were allowed to retrace their steps
-to their own country. Hasan Páshá, beglerbeg of Erzerúm, and Anjúlí
-Mustafa Chávush were ordered to accompany them, with the view of settling
-and determining the frontiers of Armenia; but the negotiations with Persia
-were not finally settled until the year of the Hijrah 1024.</p>
-
-<p>On the 28th of Jemadi I. the grand sultán had another son born, <i>viz.</i><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_404" id="Page_404">404</a></span>
-Murád Khán, who was, on the 4th of Shevál, ordered, by a royal firmán,
-to be conveyed, according to ancient custom, to the royal harem, where
-the royal youths were brought up.</p>
-
-<p>A beglerbegship was conferred on Karah Kásh Mohammed Aghá, chief
-of the falconers. About the middle of the last-mentioned month the grand
-princess, Ayesha Sultána, who was betrothed to the grand vezír, Nesúh
-Páshá, was sent home to him, on which occasion a most splendid banquet
-was given.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Sultán Ahmed Khán takes a journey to Adrianople.</i></h3>
-
-<p>His majesty the emperor, having resolved on taking a journey to Adrianople,
-on the 8th of Dhu’l kadah he ordered the members of the royal
-diván, his household troops, his right and left-hand troops of Egypt, and a
-body of spáhís to proceed on the journey from Dávud Páshá. Two days
-before this mighty cavalcade left Dávud Páshá, the princes of the blood,
-under the charge of Mustafa Aghá, ághá of the royal palace, set out. The
-grand vezír, Nesúh Páshá, Dávud Páshá, Yúsuf Páshá, Khalíl Páshá, also
-the reverend mufti, Mohammed Effendí, Dámád Effendí, the late mufti,
-Asa’d-ud-dín Effendí, who had been deposed for the share he had in the
-late tumult, Zekeriáh Effendí, Yahia Effendí, Mustafa Effendí, and Abdul
-Azíz Effendí, all the grandees of the empire, and a splendid detachment of
-troops of various kinds accompanied his majesty on his leaving Dávud Páshá
-for Adrianople. This royal procession or cavalcade proceeded by way of
-Felúri, where such of the members of the administration as did not accompany
-the emperor to Adrianople took their leave of him and returned. On
-the high priest of the empire, in consequence of the necessary absence of
-Mustafa Effendí, the royal chronologer, the duty of marking events devolved.
-The royal cavalcade rested the first night at Kúchuk Chekmejeh,
-and the following day reached Búiúk Chekmejeh. At daybreak it was
-again in motion. The immense number of janissaries, spáhís, and other
-troops in the royal retinue now commenced the sport of the chase as they
-proceeded on their journey, which sport was accompanied by the sound
-of drums and other instruments. In the afternoon they reached Silivria.
-The emperor rose about midnight, performed his devotions on the highway,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_405" id="Page_405">405</a></span>
-and was no sooner on horseback than his armourers and fencing-masters were
-again in their places. On reaching a place called Chorlí the royal party was
-allowed to rest there for the space of three days, in consequence of the fatigue
-which the emperor’s soláks and other foot-soldiers had sustained from the
-rains which had fallen during the previous days. On leaving Chorlí they
-advanced to Sultání, but as there was no suitable mansion for his majesty
-at this place, a pavilion had been erected for his reception. From Sultání
-they advanced to Burgas. During this journey the horsemen exercised
-themselves in throwing the javelin: the vezírs and ághás, even to the grand
-vezír himself, took a share in the sports of the day. The emperor partook
-with keenness of the passing pleasures, exercising his fleet steed, throwing
-the javelin, and, in short, was the phœnix of the whole company of lancers.
-The sound of mirth and joviality was re-echoed by the vault of heaven.
-The grand vezír was so astonished at the feats which his majesty performed,
-that he descended from his horse, approached his majesty’s stirrup on foot,
-and kissed it. It is quite certain that the display of horsemanship and
-throwing of the javelin which his majesty exhibited on this occasion
-was altogether unequalled. The royal party passed through Eskí Bábá
-and Hafsa, and on the tenth day of the journey, about mid-day, reached
-Adrianople.</p>
-
-<p>The emperor and his suite, after offering up their devotions at the Selímiya,
-mounted their horses and crossed the bridge of Soleimán, exhibiting
-a great display of pomp and grandeur, and arrived at the royal
-palace of that city. The ághá of the palace, Elháj Mustafa Aghá, and
-other reverend dignitaries belonging to the royal house, made such a display
-of silver-plate and gold vessels as to excite great wonder. In short, so
-plentiful were articles of this description, that, in passing into the royal
-apartments, one was obliged to walk over them; the whole of his domestics
-that waited on him were made rich. Here diváns were held, and petitions
-of all kinds attended to. Within the palace a mosque was fitted up.
-The emperor himself, his domestics, and hatchet-bearers, went out every
-day to follow the chase, accompanied by his hounds and panthers. He
-ordered his bostánjí báshí to search out the places which abounded with
-most game, over a district of three days’ journey. Near the village<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_406" id="Page_406">406</a></span>
-of Cholmek the field, as the chase was pursued by sultáns of other days,
-extended to the distance of several leagues. In or about the beginning
-of Dhu’l hijja, the emperor, accompanied by his domestics, the odabáshí
-Ja’fer Aghá, the salihdár Mohammed Aghá, the chakadár Ahmed,
-and the stirrup-holder Ismael Aghá, set out at night, and by daybreak
-reached a green meadow, where his majesty offered up his morning devotions.
-On a rising ground near this meadow a pavilion for his majesty
-had been erected, and from this spot he again commenced following the
-pleasures of the chase. The country every where around abounded with
-wild-game. The grey-hounds and panthers were let loose; such of the
-peasants as brought in the game that had been seized, received munificent
-rewards, by which many a poor peasant was made rich; eighteen
-deers, one hundred and fifty hares, forty foxes, and a vast number of
-pheasants were collected on this occasion; and rewards, according to the
-laws of the chase, were also distributed.</p>
-
-<p>The emperor, on leaving the above place, entered into Sultán Murád
-Khán’s garden with the view of taking some repose, whilst the whole of the
-game which had been taken was conveyed into his presence, when he
-ordered portions of it to be sent to the grand vezír and other ministers and
-military judges, who had not been present at this chase. In like manner,
-portions were sent to the royal harem, and to the other departments of the
-royal house. The sublime emperor then returned to Adrianople; but
-it was not long before he again engaged in the pleasures of the chase at a
-place called Kúrd Kíásí, about a stage distant from Adrianople, where the
-grand vezír prepared a splendid entertainment before the chase commenced.
-This chase took place about the beginning of the month of January, and
-all the vezírs and other officers of government were present at the convivial
-entertainment which Nesúh Páshá had given. The persons who
-had been employed in bringing in the game, whether whole or only the
-skins, received handsome rewards. The whole number of game taken on
-this occasion amounted to nine hundred and fifteen, and the number taken
-on former occasions to one thousand two hundred. The emperor enjoyed
-himself also in hunting along with his falconers, and outstripped the whole of
-his ághás, having caught nearly nine hundred birds. On meeting a peasant<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_407" id="Page_407">407</a></span>
-he condescended to enquire into his circumstances—what injury or oppression
-he might be enduring: and if he returned an answer that manifested
-content, he was sure to meet with an act of benevolence on the
-part of the royal enquirer. When he entered into a village, the villagers
-met him with the most valuable of their goods and best cattle, and offered
-them as presents; but for the most part he sent some of his domestics to
-prevent this display of kindness. In fact, such was the generosity of his
-own benevolent nature that many of the poor natives were made rich by
-his liberality. Every Friday night, according to his custom at Constantinople,
-he called together ten commanders or governors of garrisons, and
-made them read together, or separately, ten chapters of the holy writings,
-during the first watches of the night. Thus did the emperor, by donations
-of gold and silver, and by enriching his mind with reading, secure to himself
-a rich remuneration.</p>
-
-
-
-<hr />
-<h2><span class="smcap">EVENTS of the Year 1022, H.</span></h2>
-
-
-<h3><i>The emperor, Sultán Ahmed Khán, goes to Gallipoli.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The emperor having resolved on taking a journey to Gallipoli, left Adrianople
-for the latter place on the 24th of Sefer. Nesúh Páshá, the grand
-vezír, provided every thing necessary for him at the different stations through
-which he was to pass, and prohibited every where the exercise of oppression
-and tyranny. His majesty passed through the meadows belonging to Mohammed
-Páshá, which happened to be the first station; and next day, on
-coming to a place called Degirmenlik, he entered on the chase. Having
-no meat, he and his suite were obliged to rest satisfied with the flesh of such
-birds as they took on the field. From Degirmenlik he moved onwards
-to Ieserarkinah, near which he spent two or three days more in hunting,
-having had his pavilion erected in a delightful spot in the neighbourhood
-of that place. After quitting this spot he continued his route till mid-day,
-when, impelled by the desire of the chase, he again betook himself
-to hunting through the fields, which he continued till he came to Karah
-Bekár, were he again joined the royal cavalcade, which had been moving
-slowly forward, and rested there for the night. On the following day he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_408" id="Page_408">408</a></span>
-halted at Altún Tásh, the day after at the station called Ahmed Páshá, and
-the third day at Kighanlu, near Mulghra, not far from the Kogher mountains,
-which so large a body of men as that which accompanied the emperor would
-find very difficult, if not impracticable, to cross. He, therefore, selected
-a certain number of janissaries and spáhís to accompany him across these
-mountains to Gallipoli, and sent the rest of his troops, with their ordnance
-and baggage, to Rodosjuk. They were, however, very much impeded in
-their march, owing to the fall of a great quantity of snow and rain. The
-emperor and his party, about three thousand in number, proceeded on
-their journey towards Urúsha, and on the following day came to Búlair,
-where they pitched their tents in a sort of plain near the tomb of the heroic
-Soleimán Páshá, where the emperor again engaged in the amusements
-of the chase. He visited the above tomb, distributed some alms, and
-ordered the coffin to be renewed and ornamented. The emperor, on reaching
-Gallipoli, ordered his tent to be erected in the open fields, whither the
-grandees of the city, about sixty of the ulemá, besides the officers of justice,
-came to salute his majesty and to welcome him to their city. About eight
-o’clock in the evening the emperor, accompanied by the grand vezír, those
-ághás who had been his companions in the sports of the field, and his
-domestics, entered the city, and took up his abode in a pavilion which had
-been previously erected for him near the fortress. Great rejoicings took
-place, and the firing of guns, both on the land and water, commenced; the
-priests read the service which is usually read on the emperor’s birth-day,
-and many alms were dispensed among the poor and indigent. The pleasure-boat
-which the bostánjí báshí sent from Constantinople, was occasionally
-used by his majesty in taking a pleasure-sail.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The emperor leaves Gallipoli for the imperial city.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The grand sultán, not wishing to prolong his stay at Gallipoli, ordered
-the signal drum to beat, and left that city on the fifteenth day after his
-departure from Adrianople, <i>i.e.</i> on the 19th of Rabia I. When he reached
-Búlair, on his return, he again visited the tomb of the heroic Soleimán
-Páshá, which, by this time, had been renewed and decorated after the
-manner of that in the Ka’ba. The emperor laid a sword across the coffin,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_409" id="Page_409">409</a></span>
-which was covered over with cloth; ordered prayers to be offered up;
-distributed alms among the poor of the place, and afterwards prosecuted
-his march towards the royal city. He halted for the night at a place called
-Kowak. On the second following day, after descending from Bilban, he
-reached Rudosjuk, where the troops he left behind him, when he proposed
-crossing the Kogher mountains for Gallipoli, were waiting for his
-return.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Mohammed Gheráí arrives at Rudosjuk.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Mohammed Gheráí, who had made himself obnoxious to his brother,
-Salámet Gheráí, the reigning khán of the Crimea, (who had joined himself
-to Sháhín Gheráí, and, along with some Circassian tribes among
-whom he lived, had committed great depredations among the Crimean
-Tátárs,) no sooner heard of the death of Salámet Gheráí, and the efforts
-which Jánbeg Gheráí had employed to prevent either his or his brother’s
-succeeding to the khánship, than he appeared with four hundred men in
-Romeili, and advanced with the utmost haste to solicit the support and
-countenance of the Turkish government in his own behalf. The grand
-vezír, on hearing of his approach, sent some of his ághás to meet him, and
-to bring him to Rudosjuk, where he had the felicity of kissing the emperor’s
-foot. The emperor, after holding a diván, promised that equity should be
-done; and attached two kapújí báshís to two of Mohammed Gheráí’s officers,
-who were to bring the two contending princes to an agreement between
-themselves.</p>
-
-<p>The emperor’s nativity was again celebrated at Rudosjuk. At night
-candles were lighted up, and muskets were fired. The front of the imperial
-pavilion was brilliantly illuminated with a vast number of lamps. On the
-following day he set out for Kopurjí Cháier, passed through the village of
-Amúrcha, and on the third day arrived in the plains of Silivria. Here he
-was met by the kapúdán, Mohammed Páshá, the bostánjí báshí, Hasan
-Aghá, with his whole body of bostánjís. Many of the ulemá and servants
-of the government came to this place also, to welcome him back. In the
-evening, as the emperor was going towards the gardens of Silivria, he was
-met by his reverence the mufti Mohammed Effendí, and other learned<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_410" id="Page_410">410</a></span>
-men. When the mufti saw him approaching, he advanced, kissed the hem
-of his garment, and pronounced a blessing on his head. The sultán, on the
-other hand, no sooner saw the venerable prelate drawing near to him, than
-he checked the steed on which he was mounted, in order to allow him time
-to perform the above ceremony, and then invited the mufti and his learned
-associates to mount and accompany him in his jaunt, when they all entered
-into a variety of conversation. Other ulemá, and heads of seminaries of
-learning, came also on this occasion and paid him their respects. The
-emperor, after meeting with so many tokens of esteem from his learned
-subjects, ordered preparations to be made for going to the gardens of Dávud
-Páshá. The night on which he arrived at these gardens the whole space
-occupied by his soldiery of various kinds was brilliantly illuminated, and
-the small and great guns fired a salute. On the 24th of Rabia I. he entered
-the capital, whilst his troops and retinue formed a beautiful and orderly
-procession. In a very few days afterwards, however, <i>i.e.</i> on the 1st of
-Rabia II., he passed over to his palace at Scutari, where he followed the
-amusements of the chase. Sometimes he went to Stavros, sometimes to the
-port of the metropolis, and sometimes to the gardens of Dávud Páshá, in
-pursuit of the same sport and amusement.</p>
-
-<p>On the 5th of Rajab of this year he went to the gardens of Chatálijeh,
-and returned to Constantinople on the 12th of the same. On the following
-day, after having spent the night comfortably, he went to the Halkalú
-gardens, where he gave audience to the grand vezír. From these gardens
-he retired to those of Dávud Páshá, and thence returned to the imperial
-palace.</p>
-
-<p>About this time seven of the chaste and unsullied daughters of the
-emperor’s uncles, brought up in the old palace, were given in marriage to
-rich and powerful ághás, who were favourites of his majesty. On the 23d
-of Rajab the emperor removed to the gardens of Beshektásh, where he
-either spent his time in the library, or in the orchards of that place, and
-returned to his own palace in the month of Shabán, where, night after
-night, he attended to the duties of religion, and to the distribution of alms.
-He ordered Súfí Mustafa Effendí, his own Imán, to draw out a statement
-from authentic documents of all his royal children; and a list of twenty-six<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_411" id="Page_411">411</a></span>
-names, male and female, was returned to him. To each of these he sent
-by this prelate, and others who were joined with him in the commission,
-immense presents; and as many of them as had arrived at the age of
-puberty, received a suitable provision.</p>
-
-<p>During the month of Ramazán he was most assiduous in offering up his
-devotions; and on the Leilet ul kadr,<a name="FNanchor_23_23" id="FNanchor_23_23"></a><a href="#Footnote_23_23" class="fnanchor">23</a> he made such a distribution of money
-and of other benefits as had never been exemplified in any of his predecessors.
-After the termination of the fast, the usual salutations were
-attended to, and he again began to enjoy the pleasures which his palace
-afforded.</p>
-
-<p>It having been alleged that the use of wine had been the cause of the
-disturbances and tumults which had taken place in the city from time to
-time, the pious and religious emperor, in order to put a stop to this forbidden
-and pernicious practice throughout the empire, ordered the laws to be
-enforced. The taverns were a perfect nuisance; and therefore the keepers
-of them had their licenses taken from them: the sellers of wine were
-obliged to flee, and their houses or shops were thrown down, without paying
-any regard whatever to the vast advantage which accrued to the government
-from this traffic; because of the great evil which it had done to the
-morals of the inhabitants. It was not long, however, before the use of
-wine again became as general as ever.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>A messenger from Holland arrives in Constantinople.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Messengers, with valuable gifts and rich presents for the Ottoman
-emperor, from the válí of Holland, a country bordering on the ocean on the
-north of France, with some large merchant-vessels carrying a variety of
-merchandize from the same country, arrived this year at the port of Constantinople.
-When the owners or skippers of these vessels asked leave to
-depart, they were allowed to do so, and so also were the messengers or
-ambassadors who had been honoured with lodgings in the imperial gardens
-of Scutari.</p>
-
-<p>Kitanjí Omar Páshá was commissioned by the Ottoman government to
-<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_412" id="Page_412">412</a></span>proceed to Walachia and Moldavia, with the view of fixing and settling
-the authority of the Voivodas who had been appointed by government in
-these provinces, for since the days of the apostate Michael these countries
-had been in a most unsettled state. The chief of Transylvania, during the
-troubles which reigned in these two provinces, found means to attach some
-few fortresses to the jurisdiction of Temisvar; but when he learned that
-Sultán Ahmed Khán was in Adrianople, he became terrified, and instantly
-relinquished Lipova and Yanova, which of course were taken possession
-of by some of the border chieftains.</p>
-
-<p>Afterwards, when a Polish army entered the territories of Moldavia,
-the governor of Silistria, Delí Hasan Páshá, marched against it and
-routed it.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>A mosque is built in the garden of Stavros.</i></h3>
-
-<p>No mosque having hitherto been built in the garden of Stavros, orders
-were issued this year to erect one, besides some other necessary erections.
-The household troops and the attendants of the grand vezír finished the
-whole in the space of forty days. The emperor sometimes resided in this
-garden, and not unfrequently amused himself by sailing in his pleasure-boat
-in the straits of Constantinople.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Sultán Ahmed Khán resolves on a second journey to Adrianople.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Sultán Ahmed Khán, of restless disposition, like his great ancestor,
-Sultán Selím Khán, resolved on again visiting the city of Adrianople.
-Accordingly the grand vezír, Nesúh Páshá, the nobles, the emperor’s favourites,
-and ághás of the stirrup, were ordered, on the 9th of Shevál, to
-repair a second time to Adrianople. In conformity to custom, the vezírs and
-ulemá accompanied his majesty as far as Dávud Páshá, where they all took
-leave of him and returned to the city. At Burghas the emperor took up
-his lodgings in the mansion of Mohammed Páshá, the martyr, and attended
-the chase. On his first going forth to this sport, and whilst endeavouring
-to raise the wild beasts, a huge boar, resembling the devil, presented himself,
-and in his fury and rage terrified every one away: the emperor alone
-had courage to seize a spear, and, like a flash of burning light, attacked the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_413" id="Page_413">413</a></span>
-ferocious animal. The grand vezír hurried forward to aid his master, and
-on finding, brave and powerful as the sultán really was, and though he had
-succeeded in stupifying the wild beast, that he had not yet killed it,
-immediately thrust his spear into the body of the wild boar, when the dogs
-instantly fell upon it. It amused the emperor exceedingly to see the
-manner in which the dogs applied their teeth to the carcass of the wild
-beast. In three days after this event the emperor reached Adrianople,
-where he spent the winter, alternately following the chase and attending to
-religious solemnities.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Nesúh Páshá’s enmity to the lord high treasurer, Etmekjí Zádeh.
-Ahmed Páshá.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Nesúh Páshá, the grand vezír, having a second time accompanied Sultán
-Ahmed Khán to Adrianople, acquired, by his apparent diligence in serving
-his royal master, a peculiar intimacy with him; but Etmekjí Zádeh, from
-his office in the vezírship and in the treasury, stood in the way of his arriving
-at the possession of absolute sway. Nesúh Páshá thirsted for this; and
-being, moreover, a man without the least virtue, he could not endure to
-see the prosperity of Etmekjí Zádeh, and therefore not only hated and
-envied him, but also sought opportunity to ruin him. Thinking he had
-something to accuse him of, and by which at least he hoped to lessen him
-in the esteem of his master, he represented to his majesty the pusillanimity
-which he discovered during the late war with Persia. This he did whilst
-travelling to Adrianople, and recurred to this part of Etmekjí’s history so
-frequently, that his majesty determined on depriving him of his office as
-lord high treasurer, and also of the government of Caramania, to which he
-had been appointed. Nesúh had the envious satisfaction of seeing the
-object of his hatred humbled; but by the intervention of Etmekjí’s friends
-in about a week afterwards he was raised to the government of Aleppo, and
-Lunka Zádeh was made lord high treasurer in his room: Abdulbákí Páshá
-was made second treasurer, and Kalander was made third.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Begzádeh, a celebrated spáhí, assassinated.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Etmekjí Zádeh having been, as before observed, appointed to the govern<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_414" id="Page_414">414</a></span>ment
-of Aleppo, the grand vezír sent him off to take charge of it. About
-this time Begzádeh, one of the most celebrated spáhí chiefs, a native of
-Khorassan, and a man of intrepid bravery and fortitude, incurred the displeasure
-of the grand vezír. This spáhí, when he first entered the service,
-had only a salary of twelve akchas; but by his bravery, and other splendid
-talents which he possessed, he came at last to have the command of twelve
-thousand spáhís, who were entirely obedient to his will. This Begzádeh
-came to Constantinople when Nesúh Páshá was there, but feared to have
-any interview with him. At length, however, Soklún Mesli Aghá, the
-ághá of the janissaries, undertook to introduce him to the grand vezír,
-promising by an oath no injury would happen to him. The other consented,
-and the vezír, after he was introduced to him, took special care to show him
-every mark of esteem and respect due to his character and station, promising,
-at the same time, to attend to all his requests. This state of affairs
-continued for about four months, during the whole of which time Begzádeh
-had constant access to the grand vezír, and shared in his apparent kindness.
-The deceitful vezír, however, had formed the plan of murdering him. He
-several times proposed to the ághá above-mentioned to perpetrate this deed,
-but Mesli pleaded his promise and oath, and would not consent to be guilty
-of so base a crime. The grand vezír was determined, and under the pretext
-of settling some business which related to the Turcomans, sent off Begzádeh
-to Aleppo. Immediately after his departure for that city the grand vezír
-sent an order to Etmekjí Zádeh, the válí of Aleppo, to take away the life of
-Begzádeh. The order was thus: “Your head or his.” This was sent off
-by the notorious executioner, Káísh Mohammed. The válí no sooner received
-this peremptory mandate than he, though reluctantly, entered into the views
-of the grand vezír, because, in fact, he felt afraid of him. On the last day
-of one of the festivals, as Begzádeh was reclining on a pillow and trimming
-his beard, Káísh Mohammed rose up and left the company, but soon returning
-again with a hatchet he had in readiness, with one blow cut off one of
-his ears, when instantly Begzádeh, though a powerful man, fell down on
-one side and gave up the ghost. The grand vezír rewarded Káísh Mohammed
-for this deed of blood with an ágháship, and sent the hateful
-wretch into Romeili. He was a most merciless, blood-thirsty villain, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_415" id="Page_415">415</a></span>
-the instrument by which very many lost their lives. He at last, however,
-perished by the hands of the kizilbáshes.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Other events and circumstances of this year.</i></h3>
-
-<p>On the 10th day of Moharrem, Chokadár Khás, Mohammed Aghá, was
-appointed to the command of the janissaries, and in four or five months
-afterwards was raised to the government of Romeili. One of the seven
-daughters of the late Sultán Murád Khán was given away in marriage, and
-the rest of them were similarly disposed of. On the 1st of Shevál, the
-royal prince, Sultán Hasan, was born, and Omar Aghá was sent to Adrianople,
-where the emperor then was, to inform him of the birth of this prince.
-In the month of Shevál, at the time the emperor was preparing to go to
-Adrianople, and when he entered into the garden of Floreiya, he conferred
-on Khalíl Páshá the second kapúdánship. The guardianship of the foot of
-the throne was given to Gúrjí Mohammed Páshá, who had been deputy of
-Constantinople. A royal edict to build ten more galleys at the royal expense,
-was issued this year. An order was also issued, during the time the
-emperor was at Adrianople, to build a palace in the royal garden, near
-the port of Constantinople. On the 25th of Shevál, the day on which his
-majesty reached Adrianople, the Bostánjí báshí, Hasan Aghá, who had remained
-in Constantinople, received the sanják of Sefd (in Syria). The
-country adjacent, which belonged to Maán Oghlí, who by this time had
-fled to Europe, was annexed to Sefd. Kashiki Hasan Aghá was made
-Bostánjí báshí. The lately-created válí of Sefd went to Adrianople to do
-homage to the emperor for the dignity and honour conferred on him, and
-afterwards set out for his new government.</p>
-
-<p>The emperor, finding himself in a great measure at ease and free from
-care, determined on taking some recreation in a pleasure-boat or yacht, and
-therefore ordered one to be constructed. The whole of the river Tonja, as
-far as his place of hunting, was cleared of wood, stones, and every thing
-that might obstruct the passage of his yacht, by janissaries, spáhís, and
-other soldiers, which they accomplished in a short time. He ordered the
-boat to be brought from Constantinople to Rudosjuk, which was transported
-from that place to the river Tonja on sledges. After the new yacht<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_416" id="Page_416">416</a></span>
-was painted and ornamented, he employed it for the purpose for which it
-had been made. He ordered another, of a peculiar construction, to be conveyed
-from Gallipoli to Adrianople.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The treaty of peace with Persia adverted to.</i></h3>
-
-<p>This year a copy of the articles of agreement entered into with the sháh
-of Persia was written out by the reverend mufti, Mohammed Effendí, and
-sent to the court of Persia. In conformity to ancient treaties it was agreed:
-1st, That the Persians should make use of no expressions of contempt, of
-execration, of reproach, or of abuse against the chosen friends and contending
-heroes of the faith, the prelates and priests of Islamism, and the orthodox
-followers of the same. 2d, None worthy of the name of Iránís, of whatever
-class (according to the agreement which sháh Tehemasp had promised to
-abide by), were to be obliged to hear wicked or profane reading, or explanations
-(of the law); and all of this name who wished to enter the
-Osmánlí dominions, were not to be prohibited. 3d, Such Musselmans as
-were in service or in garrisons at the making of this treaty, were not
-to be vexed or oppressed. 4th, The frontier lines were to remain as they
-were in the reign of Sultán Selím Khán. 5th, The estates which belonged
-to Sanjár Oghlí, of happy memory, were to be added to the territories
-of Baghdád, without any resistance being offered. 6th, When the
-chief cities in the district of Sheherirúz were set free from the power of
-Helú Khán, they were never again to receive any aid or assistance from the
-Persians. 7th, All pilgrims, travelling from the east by the way of Aleppo
-and Shám, were not to be allowed to travel by the road of Baghdád and
-Bassora, without a sufficient guard. 8th, To Shamkhál Khán and other
-rulers in Dághistán, who from ancient times had been on a friendly footing
-with Turkey, or to any part of their dominions, no injury was to be
-done; they were also, by the same treaty, to sustain no loss whatever.
-9th, When once the Turkish fortresses or redoubts, which had been erected
-for the purpose of preventing unfortunate Russians<a name="FNanchor_24_24" id="FNanchor_24_24"></a><a href="#Footnote_24_24" class="fnanchor">24</a> from passing and repassing,
-were relinquished, the sháh was, under no pretext whatever, to
-place garrisons in them. 10th, The frontiers were to be protected.</p>
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_417" id="Page_417">417</a></span></p>
-<p>In conformity to the spirit of this treaty, the frontier páshás, <i>viz.</i> the válí
-of Baghdád, Mohammed Páshá, and the beglerbeg of Wán, Mohammed
-Páshá, received an imperial commission to proceed and settle, along with
-the Persian commissioners, the line of frontier between the dominions of
-the Ottoman emperor and those of the sháh of Persia.</p>
-
-
-
-<hr />
-<h2><span class="smcap">EVENTS of the Year 1023, H.</span></h2>
-
-
-<h3><i>The Moslem Emperor returns to Constantinople.</i></h3>
-
-<p>In the commencement of the month of Moharrem the happy and
-fortunate monarch Sultán Ahmed Khán began to retrace his steps towards
-his royal residence at the Sublime Porte. The troops who had accompanied
-his majesty to Adrianople were, previous to his own departure, allowed to
-return home. His majesty himself accomplished the journey in fifteen
-days, seven of which he rested, having arrived at Constantinople about the
-middle of the month. The day on which he entered the city two of his
-sons, Sultán Osmán and Sultán Mohammed, mounted on swift chargers,
-went out to meet their royal father, and returned along with him, riding in
-front of the janissaries. Some few days after his arrival in the royal residence
-he retired into the Terskháneh, and resided for a while in the mansion
-which he had ordered to be erected in it, and was now completed.
-Being naturally fond of this garden, he caused it to be decorated with
-flowers and shrubs taken from the interior garden of his seraglio or harem.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The admiral, Khalíl Páshá, goes to sea.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The admiral Khalíl Páshá set sail with forty-five vessels for Beshektásh,
-whence, after a few days’ riding, he proceeded to the island of Scio, which
-he reached after a sail of twenty-two days. Here he learned that no less
-than twenty-seven hostile ships had entered a harbour belonging to the
-island of Skyro, but which, he afterwards heard, had gone to the island
-of Súsam. Thither he directed his course, having been previously joined by
-Mímí Beg, kapúdán of Rhodes, with twenty galleys: but before the Turkish
-fleet could make up to them they escaped through the straits of the islands<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_418" id="Page_418">418</a></span>
-of Andro and Istendil (Tino), and made their way to some of the sea-ports
-belonging to his holiness the pope. Khalíl Páshá on the 2d of Jemadi I.
-arrived before Corone, passed Modon, and on the 15th reached Avarín
-(Navarin): thence he sent out two vessels for the purpose of reconnoitring
-the coast. After having got all his ships properly pitched at this place, he
-again, on the 21st, set sail with fifty-nine ships of various size towards the
-shores of the infidels. After passing Messina, he reached the island of
-Malta on the 28th of the month; on the same day he effected a descent on
-that island.</p>
-
-<p>Along the shore, at the distance of about a mile from each other, a set of
-towers had been erected, which, by means of igniting in succession a certain
-quantity of gunpowder in each, communicated a signal to the chief fortress
-of the island. This was done on this occasion; and in a very short time
-some thousands, foot and horse, came rushing forth to meet the invaders,
-when a most terrible battle ensued, and was maintained till after mid-day.
-Several hundreds of these infidels became food for the sword, and a good
-number of them were taken prisoners. The deputy grand master, the lords of
-Malta, with several other persons of distinction, fell in the struggle. The
-heroic and warlike Moslems followed up their advantages to the very walls of
-their chief city or fortress; burned the whole of their harvest of anise and
-cummin; cut down their olive and other fruit trees; carried off their
-flocks of sheeps and herds of cattle; and reached the fleet at the time of the
-evening prayers. The fleet now sailed past the city, when each galley, as
-it passed, fired a broadside against it, and directed its course towards
-Tripoli in Barbary; but not before they had committed some more mischief
-on another part of the island.<a name="FNanchor_25_25" id="FNanchor_25_25"></a><a href="#Footnote_25_25" class="fnanchor">25</a></p>
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_419" id="Page_419">419</a></span></p>
-<p>The fleet, as we have already observed, sailed for Tripoli. The distance
-between Malta and Tripoli is two hundred and twenty miles, and the fleet
-did not reach the harbour of the latter place till the 2d of Jemadi II., having
-left Malta about the end of Jemadi I. The inhabitants of Tripoli were at
-this time in a most disorganized state. One Seferdeíá had usurped the
-government, had been guilty of murder, robbery, and every species of
-oppression, and even refused to permit the Turkish fleet to enter the harbour.
-By wise and prudent management, however, this Seferdeíá was
-induced to come on board the báshtirdeh (the admiral’s ship), when his
-person was instantly secured and placed in irons. His associates and followers,
-on learning the fate of their chief, shut themselves up in the city,
-determined on resisting and fighting to the last. But by the timely mediation
-of a number of reverend fathers their misconduct was overlooked, and
-the city was again restored to its former government. The whole of the
-property and wealth which the rebel Seferdeíá had accumulated was registered,
-and afterwards confiscated. After these proceedings had ended, the
-admiral ordered his pavilion to be erected on shore; held a council for
-examining into the nature and extent of the crimes which the rebel-prisoner
-had committed, and proofs of which the nobles, ulemá, and the people in
-general furnished in abundance. The admiral, after hearing all the evidence
-which was brought before him in regard to Seferdeíá’s crime, and finding
-that the general voice demanded his life, ordered him to be brought forward,
-caused his crimes to be recorded, and afterwards hanged him in front of
-the gate of the city.</p>
-
-<p>The fleet left Tripoli on the 10th of the last-mentioned month, and
-arrived before Navarin on the 14th of the same. The ships which had been
-sent out to reconnoitre the enemy’s coasts joined the fleet at the last-mentioned
-station, bringing along with them a prize laden with wheat.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_420" id="Page_420">420</a></span></p>
-
-<h3><i>Punishment inflicted on the infidels of Maneíah.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The Turkish fleet reached Yaswah on the 24th of the last-mentioned
-month, where it was joined by three vessels belonging to Tunis, commanded
-by Murád Beg. The inhabitants of the mountain of Maneíah,
-in the Morea, had formerly been visited by an army, which had taken
-ample vengeance on them for their hostile and rebellious spirit. Such of
-them, at that time, as had not perished, or who had not been made
-captives, submitted themselves, and were pardoned: but ever since the
-year 1020, forgetting their former visitation, and the promises which they
-then made, they have manifested nothing but a spirit of rebellion. Arslán
-Páshá, with some Romeilian troops, was sent to chastise them and bring
-them again under subjection. The admiral, who had had orders to render
-him, towards the end of the voyage, every assistance, no sooner reached
-Yaswah than he landed a number of his troops for this express purpose.
-The páshá proceeded with this reinforcement to the mountains, and soon
-brought the rebels to their senses, having killed many of them and taken a
-number of others prisoners. They agreed to pay the ordinary taxes, and
-promised never to show insubordination in future.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Mímí Páshá falls a martyr.</i></h3>
-
-<p>About this time a sword and two robes of honour were transmitted to the
-kapúdán páshá, Khalíl Páshá, from the court of Constantinople. Ma’áraf
-Beg, called Sanjován Oghlí, and the beg of Damietta, Mímí Beg, were
-ordered, towards the end of Rajab, to go and guard the island of Borák.
-After having reached this island they ordered all their vessels to be properly
-pitched, and went to wait on the governor of the island. On their return,
-however, to their ships they were suddenly attacked by a party which had
-belonged to an enemy’s vessel, when, by the permission of God, Mímí Beg
-fell a martyr. The son of Sanjován made his escape in some way or other,
-but their two vessels were carried off by the enemy. The admiral, on the
-10th of Ramazán, reached the island of Mewkina, where he captured a
-prize; on the 14th he arrived at Scio, and reached the port of Constantinople
-on the 25th of Shevál.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_421" id="Page_421">421</a></span></p>
-
-<h3><i>The cossacks become troublesome.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The tribe of cossacks had been in the habit of coming along the Black
-Sea in skiffs, and ravaging the villages on the banks of the Danube, near
-the mouth of that river. In the month of Rajab of this year a party of
-them, conducted by some apostate runaways, came and reduced the city of
-Sinope, called Medinet-alashuk, situate on the shores of the Black Sea, in
-the province of Anatolia. The inhabitants of this ancient city were no way
-apprehensive of danger from these cossacks, and before they had the least
-intimation of their approach were attacked by this horde, who slew every
-Muselman that fell in their way. They plundered and ransacked the city,
-made its families slaves, and then set fire to the buildings. In short, they
-not only desolated the whole place, but robbed and spoiled every house and
-family in the neighbourhood, and afterwards set off in their boats. Ibrahím
-Páshá, who had been sent to guard the mouth of the Danube, hearing of the
-fate of Sinope, immediately prepared his boats, sixty in number, and sailed
-down one of the outlets of that river with the view of intercepting them,
-but in vain. The accursed infidels heard of this fleet of boats that was
-waiting their arrival, and therefore, before coming up to the mouth of the
-river, they drew to shore, fixed their boats on a kind of drays, and proceeded
-overland towards a part of the river higher up. Though they found
-means of avoiding Ibrahím and his fleet of boats, they did not escape the
-Tátárs. A party of this hardy and fearless race of men fell upon them just
-as they were in the act of launching their boats, and recovered the whole
-of the property and families they had carried off with them. Numbers of
-these barbarians perished in the struggle, and others of them were made
-prisoners. Some few of their boats which had succeeded in getting off
-before the Tátárs came upon them, were pursued by Ibrahím, and were
-either sunk or taken. In the beginning of Ramazán twenty cossacks were
-sent as trophies, under the charge of some of Ibrahím Páshá’s men, to the
-Sublime Porte. It is said, that one messenger after another had arrived
-in Constantinople with information respecting the assault which Sinope had
-sustained from the cossacks; and that when the emperor asked the grand
-vezír, Nesúh Páshá, concerning the truth of the matter, he declared, though<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_422" id="Page_422">422</a></span>
-falsely, that he knew nothing about it. The emperor, however, was not
-satisfied with this answer, and applied to the learned mufti for information,
-who unhesitatingly told him the truth. The emperor was exceedingly
-angry at the grand vezír for the falsehood he had told him.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Some fortresses built on the Ouzi (Borysthenes).</i></h3>
-
-<p>About this time Ahmed Páshá, the beglerbeg of Romeili, crossed the
-Danube with his provincial troops, and proceeded, in conformity to imperial
-orders, to the ford of Aksú, the place at which the mischievous cossacks
-in Moldavia were accustomed to cross, where he was ordered to erect
-two fortresses, one on each side of that ford. On arriving at the place of
-his destination he found that the persons who had been appointed to provide
-materials for the proposed buildings had, in fact, done nothing. The
-journey to Aksú was a pathless desert of twenty days’ march, and presented
-nothing but brackish water and barrenness the whole way. The
-páshá sent a report to the emperor of the state of things, and was recalled;
-but as the infidels had been threatening another irruption, the páshá repaired
-and strengthened all the other fortresses in that quarter. About
-this same time, also, Karah Kásh Mohammed Páshá, beglerbeg of Kaniza,
-rebuilt or repaired about ten of the fortresses which had formerly been
-wrested from the infidels, and had lain waste or unoccupied ever since.
-Three new ones were added to these, and whilst employed in erecting
-them the infidels became alarmed, and sent friendly letters; because, in
-fact, they began to anticipate, when they perceived the activity of the
-Osmánlís, that the peace was at an end.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Concerning Maán Oghlí.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Maán Oghlí Fekhr-ud-dín governed the whole of the country along the
-shores of Syria as far as the confines of Sefd. He had stipulated, as before
-observed, to send annually a certain portion of the productions of that
-country to Constantinople, which stipulation he generally fulfilled. It
-happened, however, that in consequence of some misunderstanding which
-had taken place between him and the grand vezír, Nesúh Páshá, at some
-former period, in order to vex and perplex the vezír, he absolutely declined<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_423" id="Page_423">423</a></span>
-granting the stipulated tribute. The vezír on this account, and with the
-view of utterly destroying him, ordered the válí of Syria, Vezír Háfiz Páshá,
-who had been six years governor in that province, to march against him
-with the troops of his own province, those of Anatolia, of Caramania, and
-of Diárbeker. This hostile movement against Maán Oghlí commenced in
-1022, and was repeated this year also. But Maán Oghlí’s castles were all
-situate among rocks and mountains, and garrisoned by the heretics of the
-country; he had besides a great armed body of many thousands of the
-detestable Durzís,<a name="FNanchor_26_26" id="FNanchor_26_26"></a><a href="#Footnote_26_26" class="fnanchor">26</a> whom he kept as his guards. His principal fortresses
-were Shátuf, Paneiyas, Dair al kamar, and some others of a similar description,
-all which were filled with armed men. Yet when any of these
-places were threatened by the Osmánlís, and any of Maán Oghlí’s segbáns
-showed themselves, their heads were made to roll on the ground. Owing,
-however, to the inaccessible position of his castles, and to their being well
-supplied with every warlike apparatus, the Osmánlí general, Háfiz Páshá,
-found it imperative to use every exertion to press Maán Oghlí, especially
-as the winter coming on, would make it necessary for him and his army to
-retire into winter-quarters. The result was, that these mountaineers began
-to feel the want of provisions, and Maán Oghlí, perceiving the determined
-vigour with which the Osmánlí general carried on his operations, to save
-his own life became a French proselyte, or at least ingratiated himself into
-the favour of the French, promising he would assist a French army in
-acquiring a conquest in the environs of Jerusalem. He accordingly set
-sail in a French vessel from the nearest port and arrived in Europe, whence
-he wrote to his followers an account of the esteem and favour he had met
-in Europe. Amongst other falsehoods, he told them, in order to encourage
-them to continue their resistance and keep possession of their strong-holds,
-that he was on the point of returning to them with a victorious army in
-French ships provided by European princes: he also promised his segbáns
-their wages.</p>
-
-<p>Vezír Háfiz Páshá, in the meantime, continued to press the strong-holds
-of Maán Oghlí; and having been strengthened by an augmentation of new
-<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_424" id="Page_424">424</a></span>forces, he was enabled to lay siege to them. He was, moreover, supplied
-with artillery from Constantinople, which he applied so effectually against
-the strong-holds of the enemy, that he succeeded in reducing some of them,
-whilst others submitted of their own accord. He sent an encouraging
-message to Maán Oghlí’s segbáns, and two thousand of them joined the
-Osmánlí army. The castles which were in the most elevated and inaccessible
-situations stood out for a while, but they also offered to capitulate
-on terms which they deemed necessary for their own safety. At this moment,
-however, five light ships, conveying a number of troops and cannon
-for Maán Oghlí’s garrisons, arrived. The infamous wretch, Maán Oghlí’s
-deputy, came out to receive these cannon, and was in the act of having
-them conveyed into his strong-hold, when Háfiz Páshá, who had received a
-hint of what was going on, sent a pretty strong party with the view of
-seizing the cannon. The mountaineers no sooner saw the Osmánlís advancing
-upon them than they fled back into their fastnesses, and the French
-or Europeans ran to their ships, leaving every thing behind them a prey to
-the royalists, who were commanded by Hasan Páshá. These mountaineers
-still trusted, however, that Maán Oghlí himself would, some time during
-the winter, arrive to their aid with his auxiliary army from Europe. This
-story gained ground. The Durzís, to the amount of ten thousand, fortified
-the strong places in the mountains, and secured, moreover, some narrow
-passes belonging to Shuf (in Syria). The Moslems, however, never ceased
-to carry on their operations. These Durzís went in a body to a place called
-Aien-rahela; and whilst Háfiz Páshá was engaged in laying siege to some
-of their strong-holds, Hasan Páshá joined him with his body of troops. A
-most tremendous battle now ensued between a body of these Durzís and
-the Moslem or royal army, in which two hundred of the former lost their
-heads; the rest fled to the mountains, and their dwellings were all burned
-to the ground. Again, on the same day, those of the same race who had
-assembled in the neighbourhood of Kufra-nahm (Capernaum) were scattered,
-and at Ebn Maherin three hundred more of them were deprived of their
-heads: one of their chiefs, called Izz-ud-dín, was among the slain. A division
-of the Moslem troops was also sent to Dair al kamar, where about three<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_425" id="Page_425">425</a></span>
-hundred more of these Durzís perished. Násir-ud-dín, chief of this fortress,
-came to the pavilion of the commanding-general, and implored him
-to spare his life, which he granted him.</p>
-
-<p>At the taking of Dair al kamar, the Osmánlís experienced great difficulties,
-before they gained the victory which crowned their arduous efforts; and which
-was chiefly owing to their having changed their mode of assault for that of
-the springing of mines. One thousand five hundred of the Segbáns that
-had joined the Moslems were sent to meet Hasan Páshá son of Seif, governor
-of Tripoli, in Syria, who was marching to reduce a place called
-Múrj Pásin, the chief of which, a relative of Maán Oghlí, called Násir-ud-dín,
-with more than a thousand of his followers advanced to meet the
-son of Seif, when a most desperate encounter ensued; in which the rebel-chief
-was not only made a prisoner, but several hundred of the Durzís lost
-their lives. Múrj Pásin itself escaped at this time, but it was afterwards
-visited when all the Durzís in it were scattered, and their chiefs obliged to
-flee. Four thousand of these mercenaries, under the command of one,
-Sheríf-ud-dín, were afterwards defeated in one of the defiles in the mountains
-called Rúm, where they lost five hundred men. In a short time, seven
-hundred more of these Durzís were numbered among their slain. In the
-above-mentioned defile, called Rúm, Sheríf-ud-dín himself, and above one
-thousand Durzís perished in a battle which was fought there. The Osmánlís
-were every where victorious against these detestable heretics, and burned
-their dwellings. Some short time afterwards they learned that Emír
-Yúnus, the brother of Maán Oghlí, had posted himself with four thousand
-armed men below the fortress of Banias. They were, however, soon dispersed,
-and the Osmánlí army now found time to carry on, with more leisure,
-the sieges of the various other strong-holds which had hitherto stood out.
-Fekhr-ud-dín Maán Oghlí’s first appearance of insubordination and rebellion
-took place in 1021, and he continued to manifest it more or less for a
-considerable time: sometimes he broke out in acts of hostile rebellion;
-sometimes again he sued for peace: and thus he continued till the reign
-of Sultán Ahmed Khán, when he was overcome by Kúchuk Ahmed Páshá,
-and was afterwards conducted to the At Maidán, in Constantinople, where
-he met with the punishment due to his crimes, as we shall afterwards see.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_426" id="Page_426">426</a></span></p>
-
-<h3><i>The grand vezír, Nesúh Páshá, murdered.—The seals are conferred on
-Mohammed Páshá.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Nesúh Páshá was by birth a plebeian, and of one of the villages of Gomlajena.
-On his being brought into the imperial palace, he was attached to
-the hatchet-bearers in the old palace, and served under Mahmúd Aghá, the
-emperor’s favourite. He left this situation with the rank of chávush, and
-acted for some time as the voivoda of Zula. In 1007 he was advanced to
-the rank of ketkhodá of the household troops; was afterwards made under-master
-of the horse, and after enjoying this situation for some time, he was
-raised to the rank and dignity of governor of Aleppo, where he continued
-till Jeghala Zádeh gave the government of that city to Jánbúlát Oghlí.
-Once or twice he was employed against the rebels, but was defeated.
-Having been created válí of Baghdád, he waged war against the militia of
-that district. He was for a considerable time válí of Diárbeker, and formed
-a permanent friendship with the Kurds, by marrying the daughter of the
-mírsheríf of Kúrdistán. During the time he held these situations, particularly
-those of Aleppo and Diárbeker, he accumulated immense wealth.
-When the celebrated Murád Páshá fell sick at Diárbeker, Nesúh became
-his deputy, and after Murád’s death succeeded him in the premiership, as
-well as in the chief command of the army of the east. After negotiations
-had been entered into with the sháh of Persia, and when that prince had
-agreed to the articles proposed by the Ottoman government, Nesúh Páshá
-returned to Constantinople in 1021, and became son-in-law to the emperor;
-but the princess was only three years old when the marriage contract was
-made.</p>
-
-<p>Although Nesúh was a man of unequalled strength and bravery, yet in
-battle he was seldom successful. After the death of Murád Páshá it was
-expected (especially when the splendid apparatus his predecessor had provided
-against the Persians was considered) that he would have employed
-his resources against that people and utterly ruin them; but instead of this,
-he heedlessly agreed to make peace with them. By his power of address,
-and the servility of manner which he was capable of showing, he acquired
-such an ascendency over the emperor that he acted with despotic sway.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_427" id="Page_427">427</a></span>
-His pride and haughtiness knew no bounds; nor would he allow any one,
-if he could prevent it, to share his master’s favours. By his influence
-vezírs were turned out of their vezírships, and others of them were exposed
-to the greatest insults. Some of the most faithful servants around his
-majesty’s person he supplanted by creatures of his own stamp. His being
-at enmity with the reverend mufti, Mohammed Effendí, led him to manifest
-contempt for the whole body of the ulemá, and caused him to make himself
-friends of worthless and ignorant men. In every assembly he and his vile
-associates showed the most marked disrespect for that august and venerable
-dignitary of the mosque; and every person, whoever he was, if he only
-suspected him of having any share in the emperor’s favour, was sure to
-meet with reproach and persecution. His conduct at last, however, was
-seen through by his majesty, and produced in the monarch’s mind a complete
-change towards his vezír.</p>
-
-<p>Sím Zádeh, a native of Bosnia, states that Nesúh united great magnanimity
-of mind with a competent share of knowledge and science, and
-possessed many other excellent qualities; but that he wanted rectitude
-and was thoughtless. He says, moreover, that Nesúh Páshá maintained no
-intercourse with persons who were of a wrathful and furious disposition.
-His enmity against the reverend mufti wholly arose from his pride, ambition,
-and haughtiness. One day when the mufti was sitting in the Yalí gardens
-along with some of his friends, the conversation happened to turn upon the
-evil conduct and bad administration of the grand vezír. Suddenly, at this
-time, a six-oared boat approached the Yalí gardens, when it was announced
-that the grand vezír had arrived. The mufti hastened to meet him as he
-disembarked. The vezír had on his head a small turban, appeared very
-much perplexed, and his features became changed. On his meeting the
-reverend prelate, he saluted him, and hardly giving him time to return the
-salutation, he stepped into his boat again and sailed away. The reverend
-mufti, and those about him, were very much surprised at the strange conduct
-and appearance of the premier; but they did not know the mystery
-of the case. They took an opportunity, however, to ask him whether he
-had been at the emperor’s council, but he answered that he had not gone,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_428" id="Page_428">428</a></span>
-though he had been invited to attend; and added some other things which
-seemed to intimate that matters were not right with him.</p>
-
-<p>It would be endless to recount the evils which Nesúh was guilty of, both
-before and after he was made grand vezír. His cruelty and shedding of
-innocent blood, his avarice, his tyranny and oppression, were enormous.
-The emperor not unfrequently remonstrated with him, both in the language
-of kindness and of threatening, but it had no good effect upon him. Khezer
-Effendí, who had been raised to the chancellorship for having told him the
-truth, he contrived to have sent to Anatolia on business; and afterwards
-despatched a man after him to murder him, which deed he perpetrated.
-When speaking to his friends of the fate of the unfortunate Effendí, he used
-to say, he had helped him out of this vain world to a crown of martyrdom
-in the next. He was destitute of religion; and his exalted station was his
-ruin. Even his own domestics united at last against him, and deemed
-him worthy of death. It seemed as if every thing conspired to render it
-imperative that a judicial sentence should go forth against him. The mufti,
-Mohammed Effendí, the ághá of the palace, Mustafa Aghá, and those about
-the emperor’s person, apprehensive of their own safety from the snares and
-stratagems of the grand vezír, were incessant in preferring complaints
-against him for his villany and shocking perversities, which at last had the
-effect of rousing the emperor’s displeasure to such a degree, that he determined
-on cutting him off. Nesúh saw the storm that was now rising, and
-therefore fled from the emperor’s presence. This explains the mystery of
-his going to the Yalí garden, as before observed. His death was determined
-on: justice had lifted up her hand against him.</p>
-
-<p>It was announced to the grandees of the state, that his majesty intended
-to be present, on Friday the 13th of Ramazán, at the public assembly in the
-mosque. The astrologers informed the grand vezír that his horoscope had
-run its course; that his felicity was at an end; that his stars had prognosticated
-evil and not good concerning him; and that if he would escape the
-impending danger, he must avoid seeing the face of the emperor. The grand
-vezír, fearing the danger to which he was exposed, feigned himself sick,
-and determined on throwing himself on the emperor’s compassion when he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_429" id="Page_429">429</a></span>
-came forth to attend at the mosque. The emperor, however, did not come
-forth on the day he had announced; for he too was afraid of the grand vezír:
-but he issued orders to take away his life. This was communicated to the
-ághá of the janissaries, who was desired to proceed and do the work. This
-ághá and his janissaries soon surrounded the palace of the grand vezír, when
-the bostánjí báshí, Hasan Aghá, with a hundred bostánjís, rushed into the
-premier’s inner chamber, where he was sitting, and instantly strangled him.
-The seals of office they carried away with them, and delivered them to the
-emperor.</p>
-
-<p>The end of Nesúh Páshá was no less humbling than his previous fortune
-had been auspicious. The whole object of his life was to amass wealth.
-From his first appearance in public he advanced through all the various
-gradations of military office, but never gained any victory worthy of notice.
-The desire of accumulating wealth and property was this man’s foible.</p>
-
-<p>In the account of Nesúh Páshá which we have perused there are some
-other things recorded which we must here insert. After the death of the
-celebrated Murád Páshá, and when Nesúh was made premier in his stead,
-he seized on Murád’s lieutenant, and threw him, and one Hasan Aghá, who
-had offended him, into prison. The former he caused to be executed on the
-battlements of the prison, and rooted out every individual of his family:
-the latter met with the same fate shortly afterwards.</p>
-
-<p>When Alí Páshá, the válí of Baghdád, and son-in-law of the lamented
-Murád Páshá, was on the eve of retiring to his government, his father-in-law
-strongly advised him against meeting Nesúh. Alí Páshá neglected
-this advice, had an interview with him, and received several tokens of
-apparent kindness from Nesúh. He not only conferred a variety of presents
-upon him, but even sent some of his own domestics along with him under
-the pretence of rendering him service, whilst, in fact, Nesúh meant them
-only as spies. When the latter returned to Constantinople he removed Alí
-Páshá from office, and three times sent him word not to show his face in
-the metropolis. Alí Páshá, as might have been expected, was very much
-astonished at this treatment, and wondered what the crime might be for
-which he was thus treated. Leaving, therefore, his heavy baggage at
-Eskí-sheher, he secretly returned to Constantinople. The grand vezír made<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_430" id="Page_430">430</a></span>
-three several attempts to get the emperor to agree to deprive Alí of his life,
-but without success. On a fourth attempt of the same kind, the emperor,
-instead of listening to the advice and importunity of his minister, created
-Alí Páshá a vezír, and secured him against the machinations of the vindictive
-premier. After the assassination of the latter Alí Páshá was raised to the
-government of Buda.</p>
-
-<p>The writer, whose sentiments we have introduced into the preceding
-paragraph, says, moreover, that when Nesúh Páshá accompanied the emperor
-to Adrianople, he wrote to Mohammed Gheráí, who, along with Sháhín
-Gheráí, had been the cause of a tumult among the Tátárs, desiring him to
-come to Adrianople, where he would introduce him to the emperor, and get
-him made khán. Mohammed Gheráí took the hint, and immediately set
-out for Adrianople. The emperor having gone out one day to follow the
-chase, chanced to spy a troop of armed Circassian horsemen, and Mohammed
-Gheráí at their head. The emperor, who did not seem to know the
-reason of their appearance in such circumstances, enquired why they had
-come. The result was, even though the vezír fully explained to the
-emperor the reason of Mohammed Gheráí’s arrival, that he was instantly
-seized and carried off to the Seven Towers, and there incarcerated. Persons
-were also sent to Kili to seize Sháhín Gheráí, but he made his escape before
-they arrived there.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Chief reasons for accomplishing the death of Nesúh Páshá.</i></h3>
-
-<p>At the time Nesúh Páshá accompanied the emperor to the city of Adrianople,
-one of his friends, called Jebráil Aghá, happened to lodge at the
-house of a Seyed, where he made some attempt on the virtue of the wife
-of his landlord. The enraged Seyed appeared on Friday in the mosque,
-where the emperor and all the Muselmans were assembled for worship, and
-stepping into the middle of the court, took off his turban, and thus addressed
-his majesty: “Please your majesty, you are emperor of the Osmánlís.
-Who then is this wicked wretch (meaning Nesúh), who, with his Kurds,
-Turks, and similar tyrants, dares to offer violence in this city? They affix
-to their own names those of angels, who live near to God, and yet are
-not ashamed to commit crime and be guilty of corruption. By the great<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_431" id="Page_431">431</a></span>
-God,” said he, flinging away the muslin cloth that was round his turban,
-in a rage, “I do not know of whom I should first complain.” The emperor
-was very much grieved at hearing this story.</p>
-
-<p>On the emperor’s return to Constantinople, the grand vezír formed the
-design of assassinating the reverend mufti, Mohammed Effendí, and the
-ághá of the palace, but was afraid of the emperor. He employed, however,
-one Behrám Khetkhodá to go as far as the country of Albania, and secure
-for himself, at every stage, a certain number of horses to be in readiness.
-His object in this was, that as soon as Behrám had assassinated the two
-reverend prelates above-mentioned, he might make his escape. Behrám,
-however, was a man of prudence and good sense, and would not agree to
-perform the task which the grand vezír had imposed upon him. Information
-of this, and of other things which this wicked premier had been guilty
-of, coming to the emperor’s ears, he determined on cutting him off, and
-made arrangements for that purpose. The grand vezír having at last come
-to perceive that the emperor was for some reason or other displeased with
-him, came one day into his presence, in order to sound him. “How is
-it,” said the vezír, “that you pay no attention to any thing I say? If
-I am not worthy of holding the office of first minister, and you give the
-seals to another of your servants, I shall certainly destroy myself by taking
-poison.” The emperor, at hearing this mode of address from his minister,
-was roused into indignation, and said, “You treacherous villain, the report
-of your having caused poison to be administered to my faithful servant,
-Murád Páshá, is but too true.” Nesúh was forthwith despatched; and the
-offer of the premiership was made to the second vezír, Mohammed Páshá,
-and son-in-law to the emperor.</p>
-
-<p>After the world was rid of Nesúh Páshá, things began to wear a new and
-more favourable aspect. The evils of which he had been guilty were incalculable,
-and most injurious; and never did any man depart more from
-the spirit of his office than did this man. His sons after him, though they
-had acquired some grandeur and dignity in the state, were, like himself,
-unfortunate. Two of them met with a fate similar to that of their father,
-and another of them was allowed to pine away in solitude and neglect.</p>
-
-<p>After the death of Nesúh, several persons who had been deposed during<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_432" id="Page_432">432</a></span>
-his administration were restored to their offices or to others still more important.
-Among these was Alí Páshá formerly mentioned, whose services
-in the late war with Austria, and his wise administration at Baghdád, had
-become known to the emperor. Mahmúd Páshá, the son of Jeghala Zádeh,
-was another who was confirmed in his dignity of vezír. On the 21st
-of Ramazán, Hasan Páshá, who had been at one time beglerbeg of Diárbeker,
-was again appointed to that government; and, at the same time,
-protector of the frontiers. Some other appointments took place on this
-occasion.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Concerning Betlan Gabor.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Betlan, or Bethlem, Gabor was a descendant of the Baturi line of Transylvanian
-princes. Baturi Gabor, better known by the appellation of Delí
-Karal (the foolish king), was a madman and a tyrant. He seized on the
-property of the other chiefs and nobles of Transylvania, and slew such of
-them as had the courage to oppose his tyranny and oppression: some were
-proscribed by him, and others, to escape his fury, fled the country. Betlan
-Gabor was one of the latter, and came to Belgrade at the time when
-Yemishjí Hasan Páshá was commander-in-chief, who allowed Betlan
-Gabor a salary of one hundred and twenty pieces of money. Betlan remained
-the whole of that winter at Semendria, and afterwards returned to
-Transylvania: but in 1021, he was again, for fear of Baturi Gabor, obliged
-to take refuge in Turkey. Having been successively deputy to Iskander
-Páshá and to Hasan Páshá, and being well acquainted with both the Arabic
-and Persian languages, he accompanied Nikrúm, the Austrian ambassador,
-to the court of Constantinople. Nesúh Páshá, the grand vezír, conferred
-on Betlan Gabor the government of Kaniza. By the intervention of
-Iskander Páshá it was that he was first introduced to the premier, who
-made himself acquainted with the circumstances of his case. Betlan informed
-him of the conduct of his relative, Delí Karal; and this led to the
-measures which the government afterwards adopted for crushing Baturi
-Gabor.</p>
-
-<p>Under the pretence of repairing the fortress of Buda, it was considered
-necessary to augment the troops in that quarter; but these, in fact, were<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_433" id="Page_433">433</a></span>
-to be employed against Baturi Gabor, Delí Karal. Orders for augmenting
-the troops were accordingly issued. Iskander Páshá assembled his troops
-in the plains of Serim, marched to Temisvar, passed through Timúr kapú,
-and entered Transylvania. Nesúh Páshá appointed Kelánjí Omar Páshá
-to take the command of the army, and ordered Sháhín Gheráí and the begs
-of Valachia and Moldavia to join the main body.</p>
-
-<p>When Delí Karal heard of the formidable array which was gathering
-against him, he shut himself up in Waradin and fortified the place. In the
-meantime Iskander Páshá proceeded to Belgrade, in Transylvania, and
-there installed Betlan Gabor as king of that country. It was not to be
-imagined, however, that so long as the mad king was allowed to continue
-in existence, Betlan Gabor would find it an easy matter to reign undisturbed
-in the possession of Transylvania. By the advice of Betlan, Iskander
-Páshá showed various acts of kindness to such of the voivodas as could be
-depended upon, and thus secured their good-will and that of their subjects
-in behalf of the new-made king. Iskander Páshá, after having settled all
-these matters, thought proper to evacuate the country; but he had scarcely
-done so when Delí Karal ventured out of his strong-hold, and, with the
-view of attacking Betlan, began to muster what forces he could. One of
-the voivodas, however, placed himself in a certain pass through which the
-old king was to pass, and actually shot him on his first appearance. Betlan
-Gabor was no sooner rid of his antagonist than he began to reign without
-fear, and, of course, without a rival; sent a letter to his friend, Iskander
-Páshá, who was still at Timúr kapú, informing him of his good fortune,
-and thanking him for the services he had rendered to him. When Iskander
-Páshá received this letter he began to make arrangements with regard to
-the cities and provinces of Transylvania, and settled things on the same
-footing as they had been in former times.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The treaty of Transylvania.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Betlan Gabor having given the strongest assurances and the most faithful
-pledges of his attachment and subserviency to the Ottoman government,
-the latter entered into a perpetual league with him, both offensive and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_434" id="Page_434">434</a></span>
-defensive, constructed in conformity to the league entered into in the days
-of Soleimán, which was signed on the 23d of Jemadi I. of this current
-year. The league or treaty was as follows:—</p>
-
-<p>“In consequence of the demise of the ruler of Transylvania, and the
-entirely new state of things in that country, the Ottoman government, in
-compliance with the wish of the princes and three estates of the nobles of
-Transylvania, has appointed from amongst them a descendant of the kings
-of Transylvania, and one brought up amongst them, to be ruler of that
-country. It therefore decrees, that none of the nobles or plebeians shall,
-without their own consent, be obliged to leave the country; nor shall any
-who has been obliged to submit to the new order of things, suffer any molestation
-whatever. 2. So long as the ruler, nobles, and commons of
-Transylvania remain firm in their submission to the Sublime Porte, no
-neighbouring power shall be permitted to invade that country. 3. None
-of the captives which the Transylvanians may have taken shall be employed
-against the common enemy. 4. All the cities and villages in the confines
-of Solnak, Gullah, Lipah, and Temisvar shall continue to pay such taxes
-and imposts as they were accustomed to pay to the Ottoman government
-before the rebellion occasioned by Baturi Zigmund; the government of
-Transylvania shall not hinder or forbid the payment of these taxes and
-imposts on any account whatever. 5. The Transylvanian government
-shall on no pretence whatever molest the districts of Salmish, or those
-places belonging to Turkey in the districts of Shemadeyma and Yarfatnah.
-6. Such of the Turkish peasantry as may have removed to Transylvania,
-and are still there, shall be sent back to the places whence they came.
-7. The Transylvanian government shall in like manner, and in conformity
-to former agreement, from time to time send its accustomed tribute to the
-Ottoman government. 8. The Transylvanian government shall form a
-friendly union with the voivodas of Valachia and Moldavia, and shall render
-to them friendly aid when necessary. 9. In like manner, it shall afford
-to Turkey, on due notice being given, its aid and assistance with that
-fidelity which its relation to that country demands. 10. The boundaries
-of the country of Transylvania are to remain as they were fixed at the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_435" id="Page_435">435</a></span>
-making of the treaty of Vienna, and are not to be altered. 11. None of
-the Transylvanian princes who may have attached themselves to the ruling
-prince shall be molested.”</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Another treaty.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The princes of Upper-Hungary, during the reign of Soleimán, were all
-subject to the Ottoman government, but were afterwards obliged to submit
-to the emperor of Germany. Within these few years, however, king
-Botchkai and the princes of Upper-Hungary broke their allegiance to that
-power, and became again subjects of the Ottoman government. It was on
-this account that the Ottoman government conferred on Botchkai, by treaty,
-the sovereignty and other emblems of royal authority over those cities which
-had either revolted from the dominion of Austria, or had been rescued from
-it: these however, after the death of Botchkai, again fell under the dominion
-of Austria. The Germans, forgetting integrity and honour with the Transylvanian
-princes, sought to wrest from their hands every place of strength
-which had still remained to them; and, moreover, employed violent measures
-in endeavouring to bring the inhabitants to embrace their system of
-faith. In consequence of these outrages on the part of the Germans, the
-inhabitants began again to manifest their old hostility against their oppressors;
-and wishing to secure the favour and protection of the Turkish government,
-sent one of their most experienced leaders, Belzai Zigmund
-Betlan Gabor, the present ruler of Transylvania, to request from that government
-a renewal of former treaties. The following were therefore agreed
-to. 1. That so long as the Hungarian princes, kapúdáns, and other chiefs
-of that nation should maintain a faithful subjection to the Turkish government,
-the latter power agreed to enter into a treaty, both offensive and
-defensive; promising, also, to maintain a friendly compact with Betlan
-Gabor, and to assist him in the event of any hostile invasion. 2. As a
-proof of their sincerity and integrity, they were this year, according to
-their ability, to transmit to the court of Constantinople certain presents.
-3. In the event of their being called upon to render aid or assistance, none
-of their castles or cities were to be invaded, but should remain undisturbed.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_436" id="Page_436">436</a></span>
-4. No greater taxes were to be demanded than what they had been accustomed
-to pay in former times. 5. In the event of the king of Poland, or
-the rulers of Valachia and Moldavia, wishing to purchase any of the fortresses
-of Transylvania, they were not to give their consent to such a transaction.
-6. Should either of the voivodas of Valachia or Moldavia become disaffected
-to the Ottoman government, and take refuge in Transylvania, he was not
-to be allowed to remain there, but be sent to Constantinople, and all his
-slaves were to be set free without ransom.</p>
-
-<p>This treaty, which was made with Betlan Gabor, who had been deputed
-by the Hungarian princes to negotiate in their behalf, concludes by assuring
-him that the Ottoman government would continue its ancient custom of
-sending to every new ruling prince its accustomed gifts of standards,
-ensigns, ermines, and robes of honour. Copies of this contract were
-secretly sent to the parties concerned.</p>
-
-<p>This year Tahmuras Khán withdrew from Sháh Abbás, and entered into
-a special relation with the Turkish government.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The grand vezír and commander-in-chief marches against Persia.</i></h3>
-
-<p>In the treaty entered into by Kází Ján, the Persian ambassador who had
-accompanied Nesúh Páshá to Constantinople, as the reader may remember,
-it was stipulated on the part of the Persian sháh, to furnish the head of the
-Ottoman government with one hundred loads of silk and one hundred loads
-of precious wares. For the last two years, however, this tribute had been
-withheld, and the sháh, thus endeavouring to rid himself of his engagements,
-violated the treaty. The emperors patience forsook him; his
-rage kindled into a flame. He sent a royal letter to the grand vezír,
-Mohammed Páshá, to assemble the whole of the household troops, those of
-Romeili and Anatolia, and march immediately against Persia. The grand
-vezír appointed Gúrjí Mohammed Páshá to be his deputy in Constantinople;
-Lunka Zádeh was made treasurer; and the government of Bosnia was conferred
-on Sulfi Bákí Páshá.</p>
-
-<p>On the 23d of Rabia II. the grand vezír passed over with his splendid
-army to Scutari, remained there about three weeks, and reached Aleppo in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_437" id="Page_437">437</a></span>
-the month of Shabán. Dervísh Tálib Effendí, the ordinary of the ancient
-mosque of Selím, and chief of the astrologers, accompanied Mohammed
-Páshá in the capacity of astrologer, and was never absent from him.</p>
-
-<p>In consequence of the lateness of the season, however, the commander-in-chief
-was obliged to distribute his troops into winter-quarters, intending
-to commence hostilities as soon as the proper time arrived. He himself
-took up his quarters in the palace of Aleppo, the válí of which, Etmekjí
-Zádeh, having been recalled to court, he appointed his deputy in room of
-Gúrjí Mohammed Páshá, and sent him off.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>A messenger arrives from the sháh.</i></h3>
-
-<p>After the departure of the great army mentioned in the preceding section,
-information reached the court of Constantinople from one Enjelí, who had
-been deputed to the court of Persia, that Kásim Beg, ambassador from the
-sháh of Persia, had arrived on the confines of Reván with the stipulated silk;
-but such was the displeasure which his majesty felt at the conduct of the
-sháh that he absolutely refused to recall his army; and when the ambassador
-actually arrived at Constantinople, which happened to be at the very
-time that the Osmánlí army entered Aleppo, he was refused the honour
-and respect usually shown to one of his character, though he was supplied
-with whatever he required. A whole year passed away, however, before
-his majesty deigned to read the sháh’s communication, or even to look at
-the presents sent to him.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The peace with Austria renewed.—New articles added.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The peace with Austria having been renewed this year, twelve new
-articles were added. The commissioners on both sides met at Vienna.
-The Ottoman commissioners were Ahmed Aghá, of the horse-guards, the
-deputy of Alí Páshá, the governor of Buda, and Gashir Ghurajeiyan.
-Those of the emperor Mathias were his first and second ministers, the treasurer
-or chancellor of the kingdom of Hungary, besides some other persons
-of note. The treaty of peace between Austria and Turkey was entered
-into, as will be remembered, at Sidova, with Murád Páshá, and was to be
-maintained for the space of twenty years. The revised or renewed treaty<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_438" id="Page_438">438</a></span>
-was dated, according to the Christian era, in the year 1615; but according
-to the Moslem era, the 1st of Jemadi II. 1024.</p>
-
-<p>The <i>First</i> of the twelve new articles annexed to the treaty of Sidova, bound
-both parties to maintain the peace for the period stipulated upon in that treaty.
-<i>Second.</i> The various articles mentioned in the treaty of Sidova were to
-remain in full force. <i>Third.</i> The frontier lines, as well as the grounds of
-complaint between the villages situate on these frontiers, were to be
-examined and settled. Further: The discontent manifested by one hundred
-and fifty villages attached to Osterghún were also, according to this article,
-to be examined. It was agreed to by both sides, that sixty villages in the
-district of Osterghún should be subjected to the Ottoman government, and
-four months were allowed for the settling of this point. <i>Fourth.</i> The
-prisoners taken by either party during the negotiations which were carried
-on at Sidova were to be set at liberty. A list of all the fortresses which
-Ahmed Ketkhodá had erected since the commencement of the peace was
-ordered to be given in; and all the palankas erected by both parties, contrary
-to the articles of the peace, were to be examined within the first four
-months, and erased. <i>Sixth.</i> Neither of the contracting parties was to
-harbour or encourage false or hypocritical persons, but to inform against
-them. <i>Seventh.</i> The churches belonging to the Christians within the
-Turkish dominions were to be repaired; and the gospels were to be read
-according to custom. <i>Eighth.</i> The uninhabited portions of land on the
-frontiers were declared to be free for the use of the peasantry of the province
-to which such portions belonged, and by this article they were
-allowed to settle on them without hindrance. <i>Ninth.</i> Traders belonging
-to either country were to be allowed to pass and repass from the one to the
-other, provided such traders were furnished with proper passports from their
-respective authorities. Into whatever district or province they should enter
-or pass through, they were, by this article, obliged to show their passes;
-and the commander of that place or district, and the head of the excise,
-were either to affix their seals to them, or endorse them, but without any
-fee or reward. It was further provided by this article, that if the roads by
-which such traders travelled were unsafe, they were to be furnished with a
-proper escort; but they were to pay all dues and imposts punctually.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_439" id="Page_439">439</a></span>
-<i>Tenth.</i> Merchant-vessels coming to Turkey from any of the dominions of
-the Roman emperor (<i>i. e.</i> the emperor of Austria) or from Austria with
-merchandize, were not to be allowed to do so unless they came under the
-imperial flag, and were furnished with sufficient documents besides. If, in
-opposition to the spirit of this article, any should venture to do so, the
-agents and consuls of its respective governments were to be authorized to
-seize him. Traders coming in ships to Turkey from any of the above-mentioned
-dominions, or from Spain, or from any other nation carrying the
-imperial flag, were in like manner to be allowed to do so on paying the Ottoman
-government three per cent., and two per cent. to their respective consuls,
-on all such wares and merchandize as they might buy or sell. The
-consuls or agents were not only to settle all matters for such traders, but
-were also to be at full liberty to arrest any one of them who might have
-neglected paying into the government treasury his lawful dues. If any
-dispute should happen to arise between merchants about money, it was
-provided by this article, that the cazí of the place or city where such dispute
-had taken place should have power to decide the question; but with this
-proviso, that the sum about which the dispute arose was not more than four
-thousand pieces of money: if above this sum, the litigants were to be
-obliged to refer the matter in dispute to the military judge of Constantinople.
-<i>Eleventh.</i> After this treaty was again settled and signed, all letters,
-messengers, or other persons coming or going from or to either country
-belonging to the contracting powers, were to be respected by the authorities
-on the frontiers; and if the roads were unsafe or dangerous, a sufficient
-escort was to be provided. <i>Twelfth.</i> It was decreed by this article, that
-from this time no voivodas or servants of governors were to enter any of the
-frontier villages; but the inhabitants themselves were, nevertheless, to
-pay or deliver, according to law, whatever amount of dues they might
-owe.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Death of the reverend Muftí.—His brother, Isaád Effendí, succeeds him.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The venerable and amiable Muftí Effendí, who was tutor to Sultán
-Murád Khán, was born on the 28th of Shabán 975, when his father was
-rector of the academy of Yelderím Khán, in Brúsa; and who, along with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_440" id="Page_440">440</a></span>
-a private tutor, exercised the greatest assiduity in training and enriching
-the young mind of his son, who by their instructions acquired the
-most perfect education. In 994, he was honoured with the rectorship
-of the academy of Esmíkhán. In three years afterwards he was introduced
-at court, and in two years more he made a transition from the
-Selímiya to the Soleimáníyeh. In 1000, he was dignified with the cazíship
-of Mecca. Not being satisfied with this situation he returned to Constantinople,
-and was made cazí of that city in 1004. In the same year he was
-transferred to the jurisdiction of Anatolia. He was present at the taking
-of Agria, but was afterwards suspended from office for the space of two
-years. In 1007 he was raised to the jurisdiction of Romeili. In 1010 he
-succeeded to the muftiship in room of Siná Effendí. In the following year
-he was deposed, but in 1017 he again succeeded Siná Effendí in the same
-high office which he had held four times. Seven years afterwards he received
-a gratuity of six thousand pieces of silver, and was incorporated
-with the Historiographers. On the 5th of Jemadi II. of this year, he departed
-into the world of spirits, having died of the plague. He was
-buried in the tomb of his fathers. His brother, Isaád Effendí, succeeded
-him in the high priesthood.</p>
-
-
-
-<hr />
-<h2><span class="smcap">EVENTS of the Year 1024, H.</span></h2>
-
-
-<h3><i>The grand vezír and commander-in-chief march to Reván</i></h3>
-
-<p>We lately left the grand vezír and commander-in-chief, Mohammed Páshá,
-at Aleppo; we now return to record his operations against the Persians.
-On the arrival of spring the various troops began to move from their respective
-cantonments, and in the beginning of Rabia II. the general’s pavilion
-was erected in the Kokmaidan. On the 7th of the month such of the army
-as could be collected in so short a time marched off for Reván. After
-crossing the meadows of Koksú and arriving at the plains of Aksheher,
-the commanding-general was joined by Dávud Páshá beglerbeg of Romeili,
-with his provincial troops, having also been entrusted with funds for the
-grand army. About the beginning of Jemadi II. the army reached Erzerúm;
-from the fortress of which the commanding-general took seven pieces of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_441" id="Page_441">441</a></span>
-ordnance. After distributing provisions, &amp;c. among the household troops,
-the royal camp was joined by the troops of Anatolia, Caramania, and Sivás.
-Firmáns were also sent to the beglerbeg of Diárbeker, Diláver Páshá, and
-Tekelí Mohammed Páshá, beglerbeg of Wán, to march with their respective
-troops towards Reván. The válí of Baghdád, Mustafa Páshá, also collected
-a number of Mosul and Seyed Khán troops, and sent forward two divisions
-of these foreigners under the command of proper officers. Towards the end
-of the month the grand army reached Kars, which had formerly been destroyed
-by the Persians, but was now rebuilt, and was furnished with a
-garrison and cannon. About the middle of Jemadi II. the grand army
-reached the plains of Reván. During the season preparations for opening
-trenches were attended to, and thus the siege of Reván was commenced.
-Amir Gunah Khán had taken good care to have the fortress not only
-strongly fortified, but also well filled with troops and ammunition. The sháh
-himself, with the army under his own command, was at Nakhcheván. The
-Moslem army in the meantime surrounded Reván with field-pieces, and
-for the space of twenty days continued battering its walls; but without
-visible advantage. Finding their efforts in this way to be vain, they began
-to collect earth, which during the night-season they formed into mounds
-for their artillery, in order to employ this apparatus more effectively. After
-accomplishing this vast labour, they succeeded in effecting some breaches,
-and then commenced a general assault; but were repulsed with immense
-loss. The ághá of the janissaries, Mesli Aghá, perished; and Turkijeh
-Bilmaz was wounded: the troops who had been engaged in the assault
-were withdrawn. It is said, however, that one night, when Tekelí Mohammed
-Páshá, governor of Wán, was on guard, some thousands of red-heads,
-under the guidance of four kháns, issued forth and entered into a
-narrow pass, with the view of lying in ambush. Tekelí, however, observed
-them, immediately marched against them, and defeated them most completely.
-One thousand heads and five hundred living infidels were conveyed
-to the Moslem camp, as trophies of Tekelí’s victory. The fame of his
-bravery was spread abroad.</p>
-
-<p>The sháh, in order to make a display of his own might, was in the habit
-of causing fires to be kindled on the tops of the surrounding hills, but the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_442" id="Page_442">442</a></span>
-Moslems continued to carry on the siege with all the vigour they were able,
-but were opposed, inch by inch, by the red-heads, who frequently rushed
-out even as far as the trenches, and fought most furiously. At length, however,
-the Moslems succeeded in beating down a considerable portion of their
-walls and battlements. This so alarmed the besieged, that they, in order
-to prevent another general assault, which they saw would be fatal to them,
-proposed an armistice for four days. “We will consult our sháh,” said
-they, “and afterwards deliver up the place to you.” Their request was
-agreed to, and for four days not a gun was fired on either side. But the
-execrable race completely deceived the commanding-general.</p>
-
-<p>Hasan Beg Zádeh says in his history that the chief-cannoneer had
-directed the mouth of a cannon against the palace of Amir Gunah Khán,
-but instead of hitting it, it struck the house of the avaricious sháh’s ignorant
-chancellor, and shattered it to pieces. He tried a second time, but failed.</p>
-
-<p>It is certain that after the Moslems had succeeded in beating down the
-wall they ought to have pursued their advantages, and have pushed into
-the city; but it would appear they altogether neglected this. During the
-armistice they repaired the breaches which had been made, and again commenced
-hostilities. Forty days were spent in the siege of Reván, and
-nothing more was effected than what we have related. The Moslems, indeed,
-tried the springing of mines, but to no purpose; and at last the whole of
-their ammunition was expended: winter was drawing on; and, in short,
-they were obliged to withdraw their artillery from Reván. The loss sustained
-by the Moslems on this occasion obliged them to make a disadvantageous
-peace, in which it was agreed to take one-half of the silk and
-presents which had been stipulated in the treaty that was made when Nesúh
-Páshá was grand vezír. The whole of the provisions, &amp;c. which had been
-sent forward for the use of the troops at Reván would have proved insufficient,
-and at any rate have been lost.</p>
-
-<p>After the last treaty above alluded to was settled and signed, the Kizilbáshes
-came into the camp of the Moslems, when a mutual exchange of
-articles took place. The Moslem army, having first sent their artillery
-away to Kars, retired from Reván in the month of Ramazán. Whilst passing
-through the plains of Loghan, immense numbers of them perished from the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_443" id="Page_443">443</a></span>
-cold. Having supplied Kars with military stores, the army advanced to
-Erzerúm, where the household troops were paid off and sent away into
-Romeili for the winter. The commander-in-chief and his suite remained
-at Erzerúm.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The grand vezír and commanding-general, Mohammed Páshá, is deposed.—Khalíl
-Páshá is advanced to the premiership.</i></h3>
-
-<p>All the efforts employed this year against the Persians, as we have seen,
-ended in disappointment, disgrace, and loss. The failure of the vast army
-conducted by Mohammed Páshá against a place of such little importance
-as Reván, being only a fortress of clay, and the great expense which this
-expedition had occasioned, created a tremendous stir at Constantinople.
-The emperor was no sooner informed of the disasters which his army had
-experienced, and of the utter failure of the expedition, which were wholly
-to be attributed to the want of proper skill in the commander-in-chief, his own
-son-in-law, Mohammed Páshá, than his mind was much hurt, and he immediately
-determined on deposing him. With this view, and in this state of
-mind, he assembled the mufti and all his ministers in the imperial gardens,
-in order to consult them on the state of public affairs. Etmekjí Zádeh,
-who, it will be remembered, had succeeded Gúrjí Mohammed Páshá in
-the deputyship of Constantinople, became exalted in his own imagination
-at the chance, as he thought, of his succeeding Mohammed Páshá in all his
-offices. In the pride and vanity of his heart he proceeded to the place of
-deliberation. Before he reached it, however, the reverend mufti had an
-interview with his majesty, who informed him of the purpose he had formed
-of conferring the high and important offices of grand vezír and commander-in-chief
-of the army on one of his vezírs, and asked him to tell him who he
-thought was worthy of being raised to these high dignities. The mufti
-replied, “That as Etmekjí Zádeh filled the office of deputy of Constantinople,
-the honour might, perhaps, belong to him.” “That may be true,”
-said his majesty in return; “but he has been sometimes guilty of falsehood,
-and such a person is not fit to hold the premiership.” The reverend
-prelate approved of the sentiments expressed by his majesty, and then
-added, “that Etmekjí Zádeh was not only a liar, but also a wicked<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_444" id="Page_444">444</a></span>
-tyrant.” “Mention, then,” said his majesty, “some other one.” The
-reverend prelate without any hesitation recommended Khalíl Páshá,
-“an officer,” he said, “who, as he knew, had gained to himself, by
-his bravery and skill in the navy, signal honours, and was every way
-worthy as well as competent for holding the high offices now vacant.”
-“That,” said his majesty, “is the very man I have been thinking of.”
-The reverend prelate now took his leave of his royal master, and had
-scarcely gone out when Etmekjí Zádeh came in, to whom the emperor put
-the same question he had put to the mufti. “Please your majesty,” replied
-Etmekjí, “I am at your service, and am willing to sacrifice my life
-in the service of the crown.” The emperor was silent, and the other
-thinking this silence on the part of the emperor betokened his majesty’s
-selection of himself, he went out. Khalíl Páshá now entered, when his
-majesty saluted him by informing him that he was appointed grand vezír
-and commander-in-chief: “The seals shall be sent after you,” added the
-emperor. Khalíl kissed his majesty’s hand for the honours he had conferred
-on him, and returned to his own mansion: so did also the other
-vezírs, but none of them knew any thing of the appointment of Khalíl
-Páshá.</p>
-
-<p>Etmekjí Zádeh, full of the idea of being raised to the premiership, as he
-vainly thought, got his table spread out and covered with all sorts of viands
-for his friends, and impatiently waited for the arrival of the seals, which
-he believed would be sent him. But he waited in vain: they were sent to
-Khalíl Páshá. This fact was soon announced to Etmekjí, even at the very
-time he was regaling himself with his friends, as before hinted, and which
-had such a paralyzing effect on the constitution of Etmekjí, that his hands
-refused to touch the food which stood before him. His friends were all
-struck with surprise: they wondered at the sudden change which had appeared
-in their host: they were silent and retired. This unexpected piece
-of information was first communicated by a messenger who came to call the
-Reïs effendí, one of Etmekjí Zádeh’s guests, desiring him to wait on the new
-minister.</p>
-
-<p>Hasan Aghá, son-in-law to Mesli Aghá, ághá of the janissaries, who fell
-before Reván, was, though only a kúl ketkhodá, appointed to succeed his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_445" id="Page_445">445</a></span>
-father-in-law; but this appointment not meeting with his majesty’s approbation,
-Hasan Aghá, bostánjí báshí, was appointed to the command of the
-janissaries, and was sent off to Erzerúm, where the janissaries then were.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The Persian ambassador is imprisoned.</i></h3>
-
-<p>As soon as the sháh of Persia had learned that a mighty army was
-marching against his dominions, he sent off an ambassador, as before related,
-not with two years’ tribute of silk and presents, which he owed, but with
-one year’s only. On the arrival of the ambassador in the city of felicity
-(Constantinople), accommodations were afforded him, but the usual honours
-were denied. In fact, the monarch was so much enraged, that he afterwards
-sent him to the Seven Towers.</p>
-
-<p>In the meantime the new grand vezír was busily employed in making
-preparations for renewing the war against Persia, and an imperial letter,
-with money for the journey, was sent to the khán of the Crimea, Ján Beg,
-calling upon him to join the royal camp with a Tátár army.</p>
-
-<p>The disappointed Etmekjí Zádeh entered into wicked and treacherous
-designs against the new grand vezír. One of his creatures was brought
-before the diván for having murdered a servant who had belonged to the
-prime minister, for which he was instantly dispatched by order of the
-emperor. Etmekjí himself was notorious for his acts of corruption, and
-was therefore banished the seat of government.</p>
-
-<p>The preparations for renewing the war being fully completed, the grand
-vezír and commander-in-chief, with his newly organized army, passed over
-to Scutari. Etmekjí Zádeh’s ambition was again awakened; he thought
-he should now be made káímakám of Constantinople, which office he lately
-held; but he was again disappointed, for the emperor had conferred that
-responsible situation on Súfí Mohammed Páshá, governor of Buda, who
-was instantly recalled and installed. Etmekjí Zádeh could bear his disappointments
-no longer, and overcome with grief he was taken ill. But
-we must, for a little, advert to some other events which claim our attention.</p>
-
-<p>The governor of Kaniza, Ahmed Páshá, Ghraj-ban Gasper, who had been
-raised to the principality of the island of Naxia, and the hákim of Prague
-arrived in Constantinople with credentials from the emperor Mathias, re<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_446" id="Page_446">446</a></span>questing
-a conference with respect to the late treaty of peace. It would
-appear that before the treaty was finally settled the commandant of Buda,
-Alí Páshá, was removed from the frontiers, and Hasan Páshá was appointed
-in his stead; the latter, not knowing the advance which had been made
-towards laying a foundation for a solid peace, disturbed the tranquillity of
-the country in several instances, and committed some serious evils besides.
-However, he died, and Alí Páshá, at the establishment of the peace, being
-again re-appointed to the government of Buda, not only restored peace and
-good order, but also settled the boundaries of the villages belonging to both
-countries, and the payment of all dues, as they had been in the days of
-Soleimán. It was in reference to these and similar matters that the personages
-before-mentioned came to Constantinople, in order that they, along
-with Charizghal, the Austrian ambassador at the court of Constantinople,
-might be able to arrange matters in conformity to the articles of the peace.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Iskander Páshá marches against the Cossacks.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The emperor having determined on rooting out the troublesome and
-factious Cossacks on the Black Sea, ordered his fleet to be in readiness,
-and commanded Iskander Páshá, governor of Bosnia, to conduct the Romeilian
-troops by land against them; but both the expeditions against the
-Cossacks did not proceed till after the new year. About this time the
-Transylvanian ambassador arrived, and informed the government of Turkey,
-that certain German princes who had committed violence and robbery on
-the borders of Transylvania, but who had been severely chastised, and
-obliged to retire in disgrace, were again threatening to invade that country
-with their collective force. The Osmánlí government, in order to maintain
-its guardianship over that country, and to awe the invaders, sent a number
-of troops towards its frontiers, and wrote for an explanation to the Austrian
-ambassador at the court of Constantinople. The ambassador replied, that
-his master was wholly ignorant of the fact. The Ottoman emperor was
-unwilling to enter into any hostile attitude, but found it requisite to support
-his allies; especially as one of the engagements entered into with the
-emperor of Austria was in favour of Transylvania. The emperor, therefore,
-in accordance with his own peculiar engagements with Transylvania, wrote<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_447" id="Page_447">447</a></span>
-to Iskander Páshá, who had been appointed to conduct the land expedition
-against the Cossacks, to take fifteen thousand of the troops, foot and horse,
-under his own command, conduct them in person, or give the command to
-some other fit officer, and oppose the threatened invasion of Transylvania.
-“You are by all means,” said the emperor in his letter, “to deliver out
-of their hands the fortress of Yanovah.”</p>
-
-<p>In Petcheví’s narrative it is said that Dúmnah, the widow of Eremia
-(Jeremiah), the former voivoda of Moldavia, had great possessions in Poland,
-and that an infidel of the name of Korsákí, of the race of Russian and
-Polish nobles, was her son-in-law. This Korsákí, wishing to recover Moldavia
-for her youngest son, raised an army of twenty thousand native
-Russian vagabonds, and another of as many Poles, entered Moldavia, took
-possession of that province, and thrust out Stephan, whom the Osmánlí
-government had fixed there as voivoda of the country. To reinstate the
-ex-voivoda, Serkosh Ibrahím Páshá, governor of Silistria, the begs of
-Bender and Akkerman, and a Tátár army were instantly dispatched; but
-were completely defeated and routed in the very first engagement. At this
-time, Iskander Páshá, who had been removed from Agria, was employed in
-some service in Constantinople. The káímakám, Gúrjí Mohammed Páshá,
-appointed him governor of Bosnia; and afterwards sent him into Moldavia
-with the Bosnian, Serm, Semendrian, Alájahisár and Walehet troops.
-Ibrahím Páshá, with the Silistrian troops, was ordered to join Iskander’s
-camp. Iskander Páshá, having penetrated into Moldavia with his mighty
-force, met with the army of Dúmnah, headed by Korsákí, her son-in-law,
-near a village called Istaphanish, where a most sanguinary battle took
-place, but in which the Moslems were triumphant. The two sons of
-Dúmnah, and her son-in-law Korsákí, were made prisoners; and all the
-three, along with five hundred Cossacks who carried muskets, were sent
-bound in chains to Constantinople. So many living prisoners had not, in
-modern times, been presented before the royal diván.</p>
-
-<p>Iskander Páshá, the conquering Iskander, was every where hailed as the
-deliverer of the country: he again placed the ex-voivoda Istaphan in his
-former government, and succeeded in restoring peace and good order. It is
-worthy of remark, before closing the events of this year, that the daughter<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_448" id="Page_448">448</a></span>
-of Dúmnah, the wife of Korsákí, a woman of extraordinary excellence, fell
-into the hands of a Tátár, and could no where be found. She was, however,
-afterwards ransomed for thirty thousand dollars, and was found pregnant
-by the Tátár, to whom she had borne two daughters; a circumstance
-which, for a time, was much talked of both in Poland and amongst the
-Moslems.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The grand vezír and commander-in-chief goes to Diárbeker, where he winters.—Ján
-Beg Gheráí, the khán of Crimea, joins the royal camp.</i></h3>
-
-<p>On the 8th of Jemadi II. the grand vezír and commander-in-chief passed
-over with a splendid army to Scutari; but because of the great distance of
-the Persian frontiers he was ordered to winter at Diárbeker. On arriving
-in this city he was informed that his highness the khán of the Crimea, Ján
-Beg Gheráí, had left Kaffa with an army forty thousand strong, and that he
-was on his march to join the grand army. The commanding general, however,
-sent him word, that before joining the royal camp at Diárbeker he
-should ravage the frontier territories of Persia, <i>viz.</i> Gunjah, Nakhcheván,
-and Jelha; which he did, carrying off about a thousand captives, and as
-many cattle. On approaching the royal camp, the grand vezír and commander-in-chief
-went out to meet his highness the khán of the Crimea, and
-conducted him to his tent. After the table was removed, the grand vezír presented
-his highness the khán, in the name of the emperor, with a splendidly
-ornamented sword, a steed richly caparisoned, and five thousand pieces of
-gold, for the purpose of covering his expences in the war. His mirzás
-were also presented with robes of honour: the Osmánlí beglerbegs bowed
-and did obeisance in his presence, and then conducted him to his own
-camp. After a day or two the island of Ebn Omar, in the jurisdiction
-of Mír Sheríf Páshá, was assigned to him and his Tátár army for winter-quarters.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>A division is sent to protect Gúrjistán (Georgia) from the grasp of the
-heretics.</i></h3>
-
-<p>In the meantime the governor of Gúrili sent letters to the commanding
-general, informing him of the intention of the kizilbáshes of subduing the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_449" id="Page_449">449</a></span>
-province of Gúrjistán (Georgia). The general, in order to afford protection
-to Gúrjistán, sent the beglerbeg of Batum, Omar Páshá, and his provincial
-troops; also Murteza Beg, beg of Childer, Sefer Páshá, and other chiefs of
-that nation; and the emírs of Gúrilí, of Dadyou, and of Askukbásh, with
-their respective provincial troops, to the aid of the Georgians. Moreover,
-the whole of the janissaries in Erzerúm and in Trebizond, with their
-respective officers, and the governors of Dághistán, were ordered to join the
-camp of Omar Páshá, to whom the chief command was committed.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Iskander Páshá concludes a peace with the Cossacks.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Iskander Páshá, who had been appointed to chastise the Cossacks on the
-borders of the Black Sea, but who had been called away to support the
-Transylvanian kingdom against the aggressions of some German princes,
-now, accompanied by Betlan Gabor, and the voivadas of Valachia and Moldavia,
-with their respective armies, besides a division which he himself conducted
-from Buda, advanced so far as a palanka, called Búdila, on the banks
-of the Túrla (Tyras), which runs through Moldavia. The hettman of the
-Poles, and Istanislar Zulghosh, commander-in-chief and minister of Sigismund,
-king of Poland, with a Polish army, were posted at a place called
-Bazuja. As both armies were on the eve of commencing the work of death,
-ambassadors from both sides entered opportunely into a reciprocal conference
-with regard to the conduct of the Cossacks, and the result was:
-1st, That the hettman became security for the Cossacks, that they should
-no more enter the Black Sea by the river Ouzi, and vex or molest the
-Moslem population residing on its shores. 2d, That they should never again
-invade the kingdoms of Transylvania, Moldavia, and Valachia. 3d, That
-they should never permit Hootaba Oghlí Shirnán, nor any other to pass
-through their territories with the view of disturbing the peace and tranquillity
-of any or all of these kingdoms or countries. He agreed, moreover,
-in the fourth place, that the gifts and presents usually sent to the khán
-should be punctually remitted as in former times. All these stipulations,
-which the hettman agreed to guarantee, were signed by himself and other
-responsible persons in his camp; were also written out in the Turkish and
-Polish languages, and a copy of them sent with his ambassador to the court<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_450" id="Page_450">450</a></span>
-of Constantinople. It was agreed by Iskander Páshá, on the part of the
-Tátárs, that they should not invade or molest the territories of Poland.
-These stipulations, on both sides, were ratified and signed on the 6th of
-Ramazán of this present year, when commercial intercourse was again
-opened between the countries included in this treaty.</p>
-
-<p>This year the emperor of Austria sent his most favoured minister, the
-governor or kapúdán of the city of Prague, to Constantinople with his
-tribute of gifts and presents to the emperor of the Ottomans. The Austrian
-ambassador having been required to remain at Constantinople till the commissioners
-formerly mentioned had come to an amicable conclusion with
-respect to the affairs which had called them together, did so, until he was
-required by letters to repair to the borders, as affairs were on the eve of
-being settled. He accordingly set out for Buda, where the commissioners
-then were, and, after every thing was finally settled, he was permitted to
-return to his own country.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Concerning the naval affairs of this year.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The lord high-admiral, Alí Páshá, with the view of distressing the infidel
-coasts, sailed for the Mediterranean with the Turkish fleet. He foolishly
-neglected, before going to sea, to condemn such of his ships as were
-not sea-worthy; and, as if he had been educated for the naval service, he
-set sail of his own accord. On the evening of the 20th of Shabán, as he
-reached the wide and extended ocean, a tremendous hurricane arose which
-soon forced the vessels of the fleet to separate from each other. On the
-following morning, the hurricane still continuing, he perceived this to have
-been the case: four ships, containing ammunition and arms, two galleys
-having janissaries on board, besides five other vessels, were wrecked, and
-every soul on board of them perished. Two large vessels and one galley
-were driven by the winds to the coasts of Tripoli West, but were not injured.
-The galley which had a company of troops on board, for seven days and as
-many nights was driven at the mercy of the tempest. Soídán Oghlí,
-who at this time was beg of Tripoli, supplied these vessels with every
-thing that they required, and sent them back. After a period of twenty-days
-the remaining part of the scattered fleet collected round the kapúdán,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_451" id="Page_451">451</a></span>
-at Corone, when it was discovered that eleven vessels had perished. The
-time for sailing being now over, the fleet returned to the port of Constantinople
-in the month of Dhu’l Kaddah.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Death of Sultán Ahmed Khán.—Sultán Mustafa Khán is inaugurated.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The disease of the stomach, by which his majesty had been afflicted,
-became, during the first ten days of the month of Dhu’l Kaddah, so much
-increased as entirely to resist the skill of the physicians; and on Thursday
-night (<i>i.e.</i> the night preceding Thursday), the 23d of Dhu’l Kaddah (November
-17th, 1617), he passed into the eternal world.</p>
-
-<p>In consequence of the tender age of the heir-apparent, his uncle, Sultán
-Mustafa, in conformity to his deceased brother’s own choice and agreement,
-succeeded to the throne of the Ottoman empire. Before the hour of morning
-prayers, therefore, the káímakám or deputy of Constantinople, Mohammed
-Páshá, the reverend mufti, Isaád Effendí, and the other nobles
-and grandees of the state, assembling together in the royal diván, prepared
-a chair of state; and on Thursday the 12th of Teshrín Sání (November),
-Sultán Mustafa ascended the throne of the khalifat, and was solemnly
-inaugurated by the assembled nobles and grandees; heralds being sent to
-proclaim the same in the royal mosques. On the same day, the remains
-of Sultán Ahmed Khán were carried out into the court of the palace,
-whence, after the metropolitan priest had performed the funeral obsequies,
-they were borne to the place of interment, accompanied by all the vezírs
-and grandees, walking on foot and dressed in mourning.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Character of Sultán Ahmed Khán.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The pious royal defunct was a prince who, discarding envy, was the protector
-and encourager of the learned and the lovers of concord. He was
-the friend and support of the neglected, infirm, and poor, who were obedient
-to the laws, and of those who rooted out wickedness and heresy. He
-ascended the throne of his illustrious progenitors when he was only fourteen,
-and reigned fourteen years. His gracious but powerful firmáns were
-some of the benefits he conferred, and his reign is embalmed in the pages<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_452" id="Page_452">452</a></span>
-of poetry as the most prosperous. He was a zealous and active emperor,
-who incessantly manifested his good disposition.</p>
-
-<p>It is related by Shábán Deddán, who had performed the office of washing
-the emperor, that he had perceived in the emperor’s beard two white
-hairs, which he (the emperor) during his life time would not allow to be
-extracted. “When with astonishment, and desirous of information, I
-showed them to his nearest relatives,” says Deddán, “they informed me,
-that these two hairs began to appear after the commander-in-chief had been
-sent against the Persians.” He was a prince who was kind to persons of
-every class, whose conduct deserved to be esteemed. In short, religion
-prospered during his reign. The benefits he conferred on Medina and
-Mecca exceeded those of all his predecessors. He purchased the two
-palaces in the At Meidán, belonging to Ahmed Páshá and Mohammed
-Páshá, on the area of which he caused a splendid temple to be built,
-which has not its equal on the face of the earth. In the galleries, on the
-tops of its six minarets, are shown the number of the Osmánlí Sultáns who
-have reigned; and from which also the Moslem muezzíns (public criers)
-proclaim the joys of paradise. Its lamps are all suspended: some of them
-are covered over with gold, and others are ornamented with gems. Both
-within and without, the utmost skill of the artist has been expended. This
-unequalled temple is very lofty. Some of the beautiful buildings which
-surround it are also memorials of the royal founder.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Concerning Sultán Ahmed Khán’s sons.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Sultán Mustafa Khán, the paternal uncle of the heir-apparent, Sultán
-Osmán Khán, who afterwards fell a martyr in a tumult of the people,
-mounted the Ottoman throne. The mother of Osmán was a noble and
-august lady, and the principal concubine of his father. The royal offspring,
-Sultán Mohammed, when preparing for the northern wars, was, through
-the perfidy of Osmán, murdered. Sultán Murád Khán, the conqueror of
-Baghdád, another of the royal princes, became sáhibkirán (emperor). His
-august mother, called the Moon-faced, was a favourite of Ahmed his father.
-Sultán Báyazíd was born three months later than Murád, and died a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_453" id="Page_453">453</a></span>
-martyr. Sultán Soleimán shared the same fate with Báyazíd, and in the
-same year. Sultán Kásim was as successful in arms as Murád had been.
-His mother was also a favourite of the deceased emperor. Ibrahím became
-emperor, as we shall afterwards see. His mother, like those already
-mentioned, was a favourite of Ahmed.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Vezírs who were contemporary with Sultán Ahmed Khán.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Kásim Páshá was káímakám when Sultán Ahmed Khán ascended the
-throne, but was afterwards murdered, as has been already observed. Alí
-Páshá Yávuz died at Belgrade at the time he was commander-in-chief.
-Ghází Lálá Mohammed Páshá, the conqueror of Osterghún, died of the
-palsy. Dervísh Páshá, who was raised from among the bostánjí báshís to
-the premiership, was deposed by the people, and deservedly murdered for
-his wickedness. The next in order was the celebrated Murád Páshá, who
-was succeeded by the infamous Nesúh, son-in-law to the grand sultán;
-but who, on account of his maladministration and bad conduct, fell under
-his father-in-law’s displeasure, and was executed as an example to others.
-Mohammed Páshá, called Oghuz, another son-in-law of the emperor, was
-deposed, and died at Aleppo. Khalíl Páshá, the last grand vezír, was at the
-time of Ahmed’s death engaged in an expedition against the Persians. Háfiz
-Ahmed Páshá, the eunuch, has been already mentioned, and his virtues and
-good deeds have been recorded. Súfí Sinán Páshá was twice káímakám,
-and as often deposed. Sárukjí Mustafa Páshá fell into disgrace when he
-was káímakám, and was killed. Khezer Páshá, governor of Cairo, was
-afterwards made káímakám. Gúrjí Mohammed Páshá, the eunuch, was
-celebrated for his prudence, and his modesty commanded respect. Ahmed
-Páshá, usually called Etmekjí Zádeh, the celebrated lord high treasurer,
-became obnoxious to every successive vezír; and each, in his turn, persecuted
-and sought to kill him. Through his fawning disposition, and
-the distribution of gifts, he contrived, as we shall afterwards see, to die a
-natural death. Kúrd Páshá was a vezír at the time that Ahmed ascended
-the throne, but was afterwards degraded. Gúzelcheh Mahmúd Páshá was
-made a vezír, but was degraded. Jeghala Zádeh Sinán Páshá died of grief
-because of the defeats he had sustained when fighting against the kizilbáshes.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_454" id="Page_454">454</a></span>
-Mohammed Páshá Ebn Khoaja Sinán Páshá was a very celebrated vezír,
-but was barbarously murdered. Súfí Mohammed Páshá was káímakám at
-the time of Sultán Ahmed Khán’s death.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Some of the events which took place during the reign of Mustafa Khán.</i></h3>
-
-<p>When it pleased God to remove by death Sultán Ahmed Khán, his
-brother, Sultán Mustafa Khán, was, on the 23d of Dhu’l Kadah, 1026 of
-the Hijrah, raised to the vacant throne. Mustafa discovered, however,
-a deficiency of judgment; but it was attributed to his long confinement,
-and it was hoped he would by experience acquire a right knowledge of the
-duties which belonged to his exalted station. In the meantime, matters
-were conducted by the metropolitan priest, Isaád Effendí.</p>
-
-<p>The new emperor, according to custom, went to the tomb of his predecessor,
-at which he girded himself with a sword, when all the nobles and
-grandees instantly made their obeisance before him. After having visited
-the tombs of his other noble ancestors, he caused alms and donations to be
-distributed. He was then placed on a chair of state, and heralds, by
-supreme authority, were sent every where announcing Mustafa’s exaltation.</p>
-
-<p>Mustafa Aghá Salihdár Sheheriárí was raised to the government of
-Cairo. The royal foster-mother was given to him in marriage. The
-government of Syria was conferred on Tchokadár Aghá: that of Caramania
-was given to the ághá of the falconers. Some other friends of the emperor
-met with tokens of the royal favour about the same time.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Sultán Mustafa Khán is deposed.</i></h3>
-
-<p>According to Hasan Beg Zádeh, the ághá of the royal house, Mustafa
-Aghá, who during the preceding reign had exercised absolute authority,
-began again, under the new emperor, to manifest a desire to exercise the
-same unlimited power. He wished to have all the nobles and grandees of
-the state obedient to his nod. The emperor, who was himself without any
-restraint, did not interfere; and, in short, seemed to give himself no
-concern about it whatever. This conduct excited much discussion. The
-ághá’s incapacity to govern became quite notorious, and therefore the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_455" id="Page_455">455</a></span>
-necessity for deposing him became equally clear. It began to be openly
-spoken, that if he remained much longer at the head of the administration,
-he would, without doubt, waste and destroy the whole of the imperial
-treasures. Some of the great doctors and learned men who had been well
-acquainted with the affairs of the state, wrote to the queen-mother, pointing
-out to her the necessity there was for removing the above-mentioned ághá
-from the royal house. Overcome by the tears of the ághá, and the sweetness
-of his tongue, she, however, paid no regard to the communication sent
-her. In short, fraud and mismanagement arrived at such a pitch of notoriety,
-that the people began not only to look on the emperor with aversion, but
-to assemble for the purpose of actually deposing him. The aforesaid ághá
-wrote to the reverend mufti, to the rest of the learned men, and to the
-nobles, that all the princes of the blood were on the very eve of being
-murdered; and called on them to come forward and prevent the extinction
-of the Ottoman race. On their receiving this intelligence, they were
-roused to fury, and immediately agreed to the deposition of the emperor.
-In the beginning of Rabia I., under the pretence of distributing to the
-household troops their wages, they succeeded in getting them properly
-equipped, and arranged into proper order to answer their own purposes.
-They then barricaded the emperor’s apartment; and, by a postern door,
-brought forth the young Osmán, and placed him on the throne of Mustafa
-his uncle. The emperor’s friends about him no sooner perceived the soldiers
-than they immediately anticipated the deposition of their master, and began
-to regret, when too late, that the advice which had been given to the queen-mother
-had not been followed.</p>
-
-<p>Hájí Khalífeh says, in his Fezlikeh, that this infamous emperor was, for
-some time, deprived of the use of his reason, and became quite remarkable
-for his strange gestures before people. He used to wander among the tombs,
-throw money into the sea to the fish, and scatter it on the roads; proofs
-sufficient of the derangement of his mind. This ághá too, he states further,
-in order to preserve the civil and religious institutions of the country
-free from confusion and outrage, wrote to the mufti, Isaád Effendí, and to
-the káímakám, Súfí Mohammed Páshá, with regard to the state of the
-emperor’s mind, assuring them that there remained no possible chance of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_456" id="Page_456">456</a></span>
-ever bringing him again to his right senses. If prompt measures were not
-instantly taken, he maintained, the funds of the state would soon be totally
-annihilated. Accordingly, the household troops, under the pretence of
-paying them their wages, were collected and arranged in the manner before
-described; when Sultán Mustafa Khán, on the first of Rabia I., was deposed,
-as before observed, after a reign of only three months and ten days,
-and he retired into his former privacy.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Sultán Osmán Khán inaugurated.</i></h3>
-
-<p>On the first of Rabia I., after all the vezírs and other magnates of the
-state had assembled in royal diván, and after the household troops had been
-properly arranged, the ághá of the palace, Mustafa Aghá himself, shut the
-door of the emperor Mustafa’s apartment, and brought forth Sultán Osmán
-Khán, when he was instantly placed on the chair of state, and was solemnly
-inaugurated by the vezírs and nobles assembled. After this ceremony was
-once over, and the fact announced to the assembled multitude, they were
-allowed to retire.</p>
-
-<p>The new emperor, in conformity to ancient custom, proceeded with great
-pomp to the Abí-eyúb, where he girded on his sword, visited the tombs of
-his ancestors, distributed alms among the poor and indigent, gave donations
-to his friends, such as royal bounty confers on such occasions, but which,
-in this instance, was rather too much for the imperial coffers to afford; for
-every inauguration cost, generally, three thousand yúks of money (3,000,000
-dollars). Besides, on this as well as on the late former inauguration, the
-usual presents made to the army were sent to it. The son-in-law of the
-reverend mufti, Mohammed Effendí, <i>viz.</i> the kapújí báshí, Mustafa Aghá,
-was, on this occasion, the bearer of the royal gifts to the army, which
-he conveyed to the commander-in-chief. On his arriving at Diárbeker, the
-head-quarters of the grand army, he was honoured with the ágháship of
-the janissaries, and was afterwards raised to the government of Diárbeker
-itself.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Concerning Mohammed Gheráí.</i></h3>
-
-<p>On the very day of Osmán’s inauguration Mohammed Gheráí Khán, who<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_457" id="Page_457">457</a></span>
-had been incarcerated in the Seven Towers, found means of escaping from
-his place of confinement, and with a small party of Tátárs absconded.
-When this fact was noised abroad the káímakám, Mohammed Páshá, dispatched
-Hájí Súbáshí by water and Iskander Páshá by land in search of
-the fugitive. Hájí Súbáshí steered his course towards Varna, and happened
-to reach it before Iskander Páshá, who had directed his steps to the
-same place. Hájí apprized the inhabitants of the purport of his visit to
-Varna, and put them all on the alert. On the afternoon of the same
-day Mohammed Gheráí also reached it, and halted underneath a large
-tree in the fields. This was no sooner discovered than the inhabitants
-made an attempt at surrounding him and his party. Mohammed Gheráí,
-however, was determined not to allow himself to fall into their hands
-without making a struggle in his own defence, and therefore prepared to
-offer resistance. With an arrow from his bow he shot one of the janissaries,
-but afterwards yielded the contest and entered the City; when Iskander
-Páshá, who by this time had arrived at Varna, took him under his own
-charge, and conducted him back to Constantinople; and he was again
-confined within the Seven Towers, from which he had so lately made his
-escape. Iskander Páshá, it is to be observed, showed him nevertheless the
-respect due to his birth and rank.</p>
-
-<p>Hasan Beg Zádeh relates this account somewhat differently, but the
-difference is not so great as to render it necessary to give his version of the
-story. It has been also said, that Mohammed Gheráí’s brother, Sháhín
-Gheráí, had fled to the court of Persia, but that when the sháh had told
-him of Osmán’s inauguration, he resolved on returning home. When
-Sháhín Gheráí was on the eve of setting out on his return to his own country,
-the sháh, it has been said, did him the honour of holding his stirrup and
-bridle till he mounted his horse. After taking his leave of the sháh, the
-latter called him back, and asked him if, in the event of the Osmánlí commanding
-general employing him against him, he would obey. “By all
-means,” was the reply. “Will you draw your sword and fight against my
-troops?” asked the sháh again. “Without doubt I will,” returned the
-undaunted Tátár prince. On hearing this heroic reply, the sháh shook his
-head at him. But the whole of this story seems to have been a sort of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_458" id="Page_458">458</a></span>
-pleasant raillery. We must now return to the affairs of Khahíl Páshá’s
-expedition.</p>
-
-<p>When the spring season arrived Khalíl Páshá removed from Diárbeker,
-where he had wintered; and, after collecting his forces in the plains of
-Choluk, directed his march towards Tabríz, by the roads of Bedlís and
-Wán. The sháh was stationed at Ardabíl. The khán and his Tátár army,
-leaving their winter-quarters, joined the grand army at Wán, where, after
-holding a council of war, it was agreed to march without delay upon
-Ardabíl. It is necessary to observe here, however, that sometime before
-this Karchúgheráí Khán had driven the whole of the people in the country
-towards Ardabíl, with the view of saving them from the advancing Osmánlí
-army.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Ján Beg, khán of the Tátárs, defeated.</i></h3>
-
-<p>After the Osmánlí grand army had appeared before Tabríz, a reciprocal
-intercourse was entered into by the two belligerent powers, with the view of
-effecting a cessation of hostilities and promoting a peace. The commissioner
-employed on the part of the Osmánlís was the defterdár, Hákim
-Aghá, who, when proceeding to Ardabíl, had perceived the governor of
-Tabríz, Karchúgheráí Khán, with a Persian army, employed in guarding an
-immense host of the country inhabitants and others, small and great, near
-Ardabíl; and therefore, on his return to the Osmánlí camp, recommended
-that a strong detachment of the Tátár army, and a division of the other cavalry,
-should instantly advance upon them and seize upon their property; they
-might easily, he said, vanquish any force which the enemy could oppose to
-them, and thus acquire immense spoil. The Tátárs and some of the other
-troops were elated by the prospect of booty. A council was held, in which
-the defterdár, Bákí Páshá, and some other intelligent officers, expressed
-their entire disapprobation of the proposed movement. They alleged, and
-wisely too, that an army which must first accomplish seven or eight stages,
-could not be in a very fit condition, all at once, either to give a battle or
-sustain an attack. They asked, moreover, what proof there was that the
-enemy was not sufficiently vigilant and strong? But his highness, the Tátár
-Khán, the grand vezír’s deputy, and Abáza Páshá, had been completely<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_459" id="Page_459">459</a></span>
-gained over to the other side of the question by Hákim Osmán’s representation;
-and a thirst for acquiring booty having infected the troops, every
-obstacle which could be mentioned was treated with contempt. The moment
-for enriching themselves had arrived; and why, they triumphantly
-asked, put off longer time? It was highly improper, and every way impossible,
-they maintained, that so much spoil as that which now offered
-itself, could be overlooked: nor would they fail in obtaining it, if they
-would but be true to themselves. Such were the arguments which the
-advocates for Hákim’s proposals advanced; and the commanding general
-himself was, at last, completely swayed over to their side. It was, therefore,
-agreed that a strong detachment should instantly advance. Accordingly
-his highness the Tátár Khán, and the whole of his troops; the governor
-of Diárbeker, Mustafa Páshá, Alája Páshá, governor of Wán; Osmán
-Páshá, governor of Sivás: Arslán Páshá, governor of Romeili, with ten sanjáks
-and their officers; and Abáza Mohammed Páshá, governor of Aleppo,
-set out. The command of this mighty detachment was intrusted to the
-beglerbeg of Diárbeker, Hasan Páshá. The turnají báshí, and a certain
-number of janissaries, were also attached to it, and all set forward in the
-utmost haste and precipitation. The rest of the janissaries caught the infatuation.
-The idea of acquiring wealth had filled their minds, and they
-were determined to have a share of the general spoil. They took their
-empty bags, in the hope of getting them filled, and off they set on their
-beasts of burden in the track of their brethren who had gone before them.
-So great, in fact, was the eagerness with which the royal army advanced in
-pursuit of the treasures they had promised themselves, that they accomplished
-the eight days’ journey in even less than two; having never once
-halted, except to feed. Those in front and those in the rear moved
-forward, alike without order and without subordination, towards Ardabíl,
-till they arrived in the plains of Sarav, where they first had a glimpse
-of the kizilbáshes, with whom they must contend for the prey. Karchúgheráí
-Khán, aware of the advance of the Osmánlís, had placed the greater
-part of his troops in ambuscade; whilst, at the same time, in order to
-deceive the Osmánlís, he showed, at some little distance, two small bodies,
-which at once attracted the attention of these ardent heroes. Next morn<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_460" id="Page_460">460</a></span>ing
-the Osmánlís, in their eagerness for conquest, and in their thirst
-for spoil, without order or government, and without taking any kind
-of precaution, commenced an attack. Those who had been placed in
-ambuscade now rushed forth upon the fatigued Moslems, when a most
-desperate battle, which lasted two hours, was fought; but the Osmánlís
-were at length obliged to give way. The commander, Hasan Páshá, Arslán
-Páshá, governor of Romeili, and Mustafa Páshá, governor of Diárbeker, fell in
-the bloody contest. Almají Mohammed Páshá and Rushvánlí Mustafa Páshá
-were made prisoners. The greater part of those whose horses were fatigued
-furnished food to the sword of the foe: many of the noble and heroic Tátárs met
-with the same fate; but the common horde of Tátárs fled. The khán himself
-continued firm, and fought with great bravery, till he was nearly surrounded
-by the enemy, when he too gave way. The janissaries were very active in
-supporting him, pouring in shots of musketry among those who had been
-endeavouring to seize him, and levelled many of them with the dust. It
-was owing entirely to their vigorous assistance that he escaped falling into
-the hands of the kizilbáshes, and got to a place of safety. The defeat of
-the Osmánlís was complete. The brave troops of Shám were unable to
-maintain their ground; five hundred of them had been made prisoners by
-Karchúgheráí Khán, and were murdered; their officers were sent to the
-sháh. In this sanguinary combat very many of the foe also perished.
-The ungracious sháh, during the whole of the bloody conflict, shut himself
-up within the city of Ardabíl, giving himself up to humble supplications;
-and would hardly believe the intelligence which announced the defeat of
-the Osmánlí army.</p>
-
-<p>Hasan Beg Zádeh says, in his version of this story, that when Khalíl
-Páshá was marching against Ardabíl, Sháhín Gheráí deserted to the enemy,
-and betrayed the cause of the Osmánlís. In consequence of the information
-which he imparted to the kizilbáshes, they sent one or two emissaries
-into the Tátár camp, who circulated among the Tátárs that the Persians
-were in a state of entire defencelessness. This, of course, roused the
-Tátárs, and hurried them heedlessly onward. The words of Hákim Osmán
-had the same effect on, or they imparted impetuosity to the Osmánlís
-themselves, and the result was as we have related it, <i>i. e.</i> both the Osmánlís<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_461" id="Page_461">461</a></span>
-and Tátárs were defeated and routed. Among those who fell on this memorable
-occasion were the khán’s military judge and an Osmánlí sheikh of
-the name of Islám.</p>
-
-<p>The news of this terrible disaster reached the royal camp during the
-night season: the troops in the camp were called to arms, and a council of
-war was held. Bákí Páshá, with his wise associates, advised to advance,
-without a moment’s delay, upon Ardabíl; “for,” said they, “if we retreat,
-the enemy will be encouraged and emboldened to pursue us, and will most
-certainly attack us, when every one will try to escape the best way he can.
-Our fate will resemble that which befell Jeghala Zádeh of former days.”
-This mode of address had the effect of animating the troops in the camp,
-when it was resolved to march forward by break of day, which they did.</p>
-
-<p>The advance of the main army, under the commander-in-chief, towards
-Ardabíl, did not hinder the sháh, though the Osmánlís had manifested no
-want of firmness, from making some invidious remarks to those around him.
-He tauntingly asked, if the Romeilian strangers were not yet defeated?
-whilst, at the same time, he sent messenger after messenger with this message:
-“Come, let us make peace: you are coming with hostile intentions:
-your late defeat has been owing to your vain and premature haste.” With
-such words of bitter reproach as these did he fill his letters to the commanding
-general; and yet, at bottom, he was most anxious to conclude a
-peace. Last of all, on a day which blew a hurricane, one Búrún Kásim, a
-messenger from the sháh, entered the Osmánlí camp, and immediately presented
-himself before the commander-in-chief, who was at the time sitting
-in council with the other grandees of the army. “Why,” said the commander-in-chief
-to the ambassador of the kizilbáshes, “the red-heads,
-proud of the victory they have gained, have taunted us with disgraceful
-reproaches under the appearance of asking a peace: and if we retreat you
-are ready to fall upon us. Your professed desire of peace is hollow: which
-of your words can I believe?” Búrún Kásim, the sháh’s ambassador,
-stormed. “What,” said the intrepid vezír, but with a view of giving a
-facetious turn to the conversation, “is it customary, Kásim Beg, for the
-storm to blow so furiously in this country?” Kásim Beg was prevented
-from making a reply by Bákí Páshá, a man of knowledge and experience,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_462" id="Page_462">462</a></span>
-as before hinted, who at this moment addressed the commander-in-chief
-thus: “No, my lord; this violent storm is only the effect of the wind of
-Búrún Kásim Beg’s nose.”<a name="FNanchor_27_27" id="FNanchor_27_27"></a><a href="#Footnote_27_27" class="fnanchor">27</a> This jocular answer of Bákí Páshá was not
-without its effect on the mind of Kásim Beg, who now changed his tone,
-and said he wished God might not visit Bákí Páshá with just vengeance.
-“Will you never,” said he, “leave off your devilish wit: your wish is, to
-leave us recorded in the history of romance.” The grand vezír and those
-about him could not refrain from laughing most heartily at hearing Kásim
-Beg, and looked astonished. Kásim was again filled with rage, but it
-evaporated into air. When Sháh Abbás heard of this ludicrous story he
-praised Bákí Páshá for his malicious wit, and sent him no fewer than three
-loads of handsome presents on account of his facetious craftiness. But
-to return. The Osmánlí main army on approaching Sarav, having had
-abundance of provisions, proposed presenting themselves before Ardabíl,
-now only one stage distant, the following day. One messenger after
-another, however, assured them that the city was abandoned, that the
-lamps near the tomb of Sheikh Súfí and all manner of valuables had been
-removed; in a word, that the whole of the sepulchres of all the former
-sháhs were deserted. Under these circumstances, it appeared to the Moslems
-to answer no good purpose to advance any farther; and after having
-considered the matter in every point of view, the commander-in-chief renewed
-the treaty which had been entered into at the time Nesúh Páshá was
-grand vezír. It was, therefore, settled and signed that the sháh of Persia
-was, in future, to send annually to the court of Constantinople a tribute of
-two hundred loads of silk, and one hundred loads of other rarities. The
-crafty sháh, as if he meant to show how pleased he was with this renewal
-of the treaty, sent eight hundred camel-loads of provision of various kinds
-to the Moslem camp, which were accordingly distributed among the
-troops. To the grand vezír alone he sent nine camel-loads of sweetmeats,
-of preserved fruits of various sorts, of lemons and oranges, of fine flour,
-of rice, and of sugar, each loaf of which weighed from five to ten wakiyet.
-To the ághá of the janissaries, to the grand vezír’s deputy, and to the other
-páshás and grandees of the army he sent two, three, or five similar loads of
-<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_463" id="Page_463">463</a></span>presents, each as he thought proper. All these loads of presents were sent
-as tokens of the sháh’s friendship, and were conveyed to their respective
-owners by Mirzá Mohammed Hasan, his ambassador to the Moslem camp.
-On the part of the grand vezír several royal presents were sent to the sháh
-in return, and the treaty, after receiving the commander-in-chief’s signature,
-was sent him, along with Mohammed Aghá, the jibbají báshí. The
-Persian sháh set at liberty the whole of the Osmánlí prisoners that had
-been seized, and that yet remained alive, who returned to the Osmánlí
-camp, which, on some of the first days of Dhu’l kadah, was removed from
-Serav, and the army marched towards Erzerúm. In the month of Dhu’l
-hijja the troops were all permitted to return to their respective homes, and
-the grand vezír went to Tocat, where he expected to winter; but he was
-deposed. In the following year, however, he was made lord high admiral
-of the Turkish fleet.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The arrival of the king of Poland’s ambassador.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Some time before the last events which we have recorded took place,
-Gurgrofshá, a relative of the king of Poland, and one of his privy counsellors,
-arrived in Constantinople as ambassador from the court of Poland,
-complaining of several inroads having been made upon the dominions of
-Poland by the Tátárs, even since the time of the last treaty, and praying
-that that part of the treaty which referred to the Tátárs maintaining the
-peace might be enforced. The grand vezír immediately wrote to Ján Beg,
-khán of the Crimea, to maintain the peace inviolate.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>An ambassador arrives from Fez.</i></h3>
-
-<p>The ambassador of the Pádisháh of Fez arrived at Constantinople with
-letters and some valuable presents for the Ottoman emperor. He also
-complained of some depredations which had been committed by some of
-the wild and wandering Arabs in the districts near Bussorah, and praying
-that a stop might be put to their ravages. A messenger was instantly
-despatched with respect to this matter to the proper quarter.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_464" id="Page_464">464</a></span></p>
-
-<h3><i>A phenomenon.</i></h3>
-
-<p>There appeared one evening in the heavens a bright pillar or column
-which shone like a comet; the appearance of which occasioned among the
-people a variety of conjectures.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Death of Etmekjí Zádeh Ahmed Páshá.</i></h3>
-
-<p>We lately left this man chagrined and sick, because of the repeated
-disappointments which he had met with. On his first appearance in public
-life he was employed as a collector of taxes at Adrianople, and by degrees
-rose to one of the most important offices in the state, that of lord high
-treasurer: which office he held for several years, till he was created káímakám
-of Constantinople. When Oghuz Mohammed Páshá, the emperor’s
-son-in-law, was deposed, and Khalíl Páshá, lord high admiral of the fleet,
-succeeded him in the premiership, Etmekjí Zádeh felt as if he had been
-neglected because that office had not been conferred on himself. When
-this same minister went afterwards on the expedition against the Persians,
-Etmekjí thought and expected he would again be made deputy of the
-Sublime Porte; but the appointment of Súfí Mohammed Páshá to this
-office showed him his expectations had been vain. The consequence was,
-that he became sorrowful and dangerously ill. His illness increased with
-his grief, and after giving a hundred <i>yúks</i> of money for the purpose of
-repairing the fortress of Uzí, and for erecting a fortification at Kilbúrún
-on the opposite side, and nominating the reverend mufti his executor for
-paying such sums of money as he had appropriated for pious purposes, he
-died about the beginning of the following year. A thousand <i>yúks</i> of money
-which had not been disposed of before his death were appropriated to the
-imperial coffers. He was interred in the tomb of the honourable Mahmúd
-Effendí of Scutari, who had performed the funeral service in Báyazíd’s
-mosque. A school in Constantinople, an inn in Adrianople, an unfinished
-edifice, besides several other buildings for benevolent purposes, are monuments
-of his generosity. He was one of the most celebrated men of his
-day.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_465" id="Page_465">465</a></span></p>
-
-<h3><i>On the state of the coin.</i></h3>
-
-<p>About the commencement of the month of Moharrem of this year a firmán
-was issued to coin new silver coin and the piece of ten aspres, and Beker
-Effendí, the second defterdár, was made inspector of the mint. By means
-of a sum of ten purses of gold he established other mints in other parts of
-the empire. After a certain time had elapsed, the new coin was ordered to
-be put in circulation, and the old condemned. The new coin having been
-discovered to be deficient, however, the old, which possessed full weight,
-was again allowed to come into use.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The seals of the premiership are again conferred on Mohammed Páshá, the
-emperor’s son-in-law.</i></h3>
-
-<p>Súfí Mohammed Páshá was, at the time of Sultán Osmán Khán’s inauguration,
-deputy of the Sublime Porte; but for some mismanagement of
-which he had been guilty at the ceremonies which took place on that
-occasion, and for the vast treasures he, for want of judgment, had expended
-at that time, was disgraced and turned out of office, and Mohammed
-Páshá, the emperor’s son-in-law, was made káímakám in his stead. The
-reverend mufti, who had been implicated in the affair of the late deputy,
-Súfí Mohammed Páshá, was removed by the emperor from being head of
-religion and science, whilst that distinguished honour was conferred on his
-own chaplain, Omar Khoaja: the reverend mufti, Isaád Effendí, retaining
-only the prerogative of issuing <i>fetvás</i>. About the beginning of the month
-of Sefer this year, Khalíl Páshá, in consequence of the want of skill
-and good generalship which he had manifested in the late war with the
-Persians, was formally deposed, and the káímakám or deputy of the
-Sublime Porte, Mohammed Páshá, the emperor’s son-in-law, was created
-grand vezír in his stead. When Khalíl Páshá reached Scutari on his way
-back, he was presented with the government of Syria, which, however, he
-declined: he preferred retiring with two domestics into a cell in Mohammed
-Effendí’s convent, alleging that he was an old man of the poor
-and indigent ancient sheíkhs, and wished for no new preferment. By<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_466" id="Page_466">466</a></span>
-Mohammed Effendí’s intercession in his behalf, however, his fault was
-overlooked.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>The arrival of a Persian ambassador.</i></h3>
-
-<p>In the month of Jemadi I., the Persian ambassador, Búrún Kásim, sometimes
-called Kásim Beg, but in his credentials, Alí Sultán Khalífeh, arrived
-at Scutari with one hundred loads of silk, four elephants, and one rhinoceros,
-with other gifts for the emperor of the Ottomans. From Scutari he
-passed over to the imperial city, and was lodged in the palace of Pertev
-Páshá. His letter to the emperor specified, in all its various ramifications,
-the treaty signed by Khalíl Páshá.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>A remarkable phenomenon.</i></h3>
-
-<p>In a communication from Mohammed Páshá, commandant of Buda, it
-was stated, that one afternoon, about the middle of the month of Shabán
-there appeared, in the German peleponesus on the north of Hungary, a
-black circular cloud, from which blood dropped like rain. This atmospheric
-appearance was accompanied by a most tremendous burst of thunder, and
-in the cloud there was seen the appearance of fiery crosses. After this
-cloud had condensed itself, a great quantity of smoke began to issue from
-it in all directions; and shortly afterwards another tremendous burst of
-thunder was heard. Those who heard it were stupified and confounded:
-the cattle in the field fell upon their knees, turned their heads towards the
-heavens, and then fled wild in all directions, many of which were never
-afterwards found. Some short time after the last burst of thunder, three
-successive sounds were heard issuing from the heavens, which, from their
-hideousness, might have awakened the dead. From this cloud, also,
-descended black round hail or balls, about the size of a cubit, which rolled
-along the ground. Some of these hail-stones which were taken up weighed
-three kintals.</p>
-
-
-<h3><i>Betlan Gabor.</i></h3>
-
-<p>After Betlan Gabor had been fully established in the government of
-Transylvania, he accompanied Iskander Páshá in his expedition against<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_467" id="Page_467">467</a></span>
-the Poles, on which occasion he led ten thousand foot and twelve thousand
-horse into the country of Moldavia, near the fortress of Sordukna;
-but, in consequence of the peace which on that occasion was entered
-into with the ambassador of the king of Poland, he returned home with his
-troops.</p>
-
-<hr />
-
-<h2>FOOTNOTES:</h2>
-
-<div class="footnote">
-
-<p><a name="Footnote_1_1" id="Footnote_1_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_1"><span class="label">1</span></a> See preface to a translation of the Maritime Wars of the Turks, by James Mitchell.</p></div>
-
-<div class="footnote">
-
-<p><a name="Footnote_2_2" id="Footnote_2_2"></a><a href="#FNanchor_2_2"><span class="label">2</span></a> Author of the Maritime Wars of the Turks, and other celebrated works in Turkish.</p></div>
-
-<div class="footnote">
-
-<p><a name="Footnote_3_3" id="Footnote_3_3"></a><a href="#FNanchor_3_3"><span class="label">3</span></a><span lang="ar" xml:lang="ar">بيمارم اي اجل بوكيجه بكله يانم آل</span></p></div>
-
-<div class="footnote">
-
-<p><a name="Footnote_4_4" id="Footnote_4_4"></a><a href="#FNanchor_4_4"><span class="label">4</span></a><span lang="ar" xml:lang="ar">ناصيمده كاتب قدرة نه يازدي بلمدم<br />آه كيم بوكلشن عالمده هركز كو لدم</span></p></div>
-
-<div class="footnote">
-
-<p><a name="Footnote_5_5" id="Footnote_5_5"></a><a href="#FNanchor_5_5"><span class="label">5</span></a> Ancient heroes of Persian fable.</p></div>
-
-<div class="footnote">
-
-<p><a name="Footnote_6_6" id="Footnote_6_6"></a><a href="#FNanchor_6_6"><span class="label">6</span></a> Why Agria is thus termed cannot be discovered; but it is probable the writer meant to
-convey the idea, that the success which attended the Moslem arms at that place, only led the
-Osmánlís into all the misfortunes which afterwards befell them.</p></div>
-
-<div class="footnote">
-
-<p><a name="Footnote_7_7" id="Footnote_7_7"></a><a href="#FNanchor_7_7"><span class="label">7</span></a> A wakáyat is about 2–1/4 lb.</p></div>
-
-<div class="footnote">
-
-<p><a name="Footnote_8_8" id="Footnote_8_8"></a><a href="#FNanchor_8_8"><span class="label">8</span></a> A kantar is about 120 lb. weight.</p></div>
-
-<div class="footnote">
-
-<p><a name="Footnote_9_9" id="Footnote_9_9"></a><a href="#FNanchor_9_9"><span class="label">9</span></a><span lang="ar" xml:lang="ar">سحر سامري</span>, or the magic of Samri, who, according to Mohammed, induced the children
-of Israel to worship the golden calf in the absence of Moses.</p></div>
-
-<div class="footnote">
-
-<p><a name="Footnote_10_10" id="Footnote_10_10"></a><a href="#FNanchor_10_10"><span class="label">10</span></a> The translator feels at a loss to discover who this valas pádisháh was, but thinks the writer
-meant to convey some sentiment under the form of a metaphor. The words of the text are:
-<span lang="ar" xml:lang="ar">ولاس پادشاهي ابراهيم خان بوسالده شاه عباس بنچه سنه كرفتار اولمشدر</span></p></div>
-
-<div class="footnote">
-
-<p><a name="Footnote_11_11" id="Footnote_11_11"></a><a href="#FNanchor_11_11"><span class="label">11</span></a> This was Yemishjí Hasan Páshá, the grand vezír, when on his way to Constantinople. It
-will be remembered under what circumstances he gave up the chief command to Mohammed
-Páshá at Buda; and also that Pest was at that time in the hands of the enemy. It is to the
-subsequent history of the contest between the Musselmans and the Austrians that the writer
-seeks now to draw the attention of his reader.</p></div>
-
-<div class="footnote">
-
-<p><a name="Footnote_12_12" id="Footnote_12_12"></a><a href="#FNanchor_12_12"><span class="label">12</span></a> The vezírs of the kubba or cupola are those immediately under the grand vezír.</p></div>
-
-<div class="footnote">
-
-<p><a name="Footnote_13_13" id="Footnote_13_13"></a><a href="#FNanchor_13_13"><span class="label">13</span></a> A work on Mohammedan jurisprudence.</p></div>
-
-<div class="footnote">
-
-<p><a name="Footnote_14_14" id="Footnote_14_14"></a><a href="#FNanchor_14_14"><span class="label">14</span></a> Thus did his majesty verify his threatening to Sárukjí Páshá, when, after appointing him to
-the deputyship, he pointed to the dead carcass of Kásim Páshá.</p></div>
-
-<div class="footnote">
-
-<p><a name="Footnote_15_15" id="Footnote_15_15"></a><a href="#FNanchor_15_15"><span class="label">15</span></a> A Mohamedan writer, usually called by the first of these appellations, and frequently
-quoted by Naima in this history.</p></div>
-
-<div class="footnote">
-
-<p><a name="Footnote_16_16" id="Footnote_16_16"></a><a href="#FNanchor_16_16"><span class="label">16</span></a> There is something irrelevant in this. Botchkai is represented as having been raised to
-the sovereignty of Hungary, and not of Transylvania. The first of these is written <span lang="ar" xml:lang="ar">مجار</span>
-Majar, which is Hungary; and the second <span lang="ar" xml:lang="ar">اردل</span> Ardil, which is Transylvania, and which is
-said in the text to have been supplied with a new sovereign in room of Botchkai, who was
-created king of Majar or Hungary by the Ottoman emperor. But it seems not unlikely that
-by Majar, lower Hungary is meant, and of which Ardil or Transylvania was considered a
-portion. We find the word <span lang="ar" xml:lang="ar">هونغاريا</span> <i>Hungaria</i> employed, a few sentences afterwards, to mean
-the country of which the emperor of Austria’s brother was duke.</p></div>
-
-<div class="footnote">
-
-<p><a name="Footnote_17_17" id="Footnote_17_17"></a><a href="#FNanchor_17_17"><span class="label">17</span></a> Probably Paul V., who was certainly capable of doing what Naima here asserts. He has
-been charged by others of having fostered civil war in Bohemia, Hungary, England, France, and
-Germany.</p></div>
-
-<div class="footnote">
-
-<p><a name="Footnote_18_18" id="Footnote_18_18"></a><a href="#FNanchor_18_18"><span class="label">18</span></a> Rodolph II.; but his name is not mentioned in the text.</p></div>
-
-<div class="footnote">
-
-<p><a name="Footnote_19_19" id="Footnote_19_19"></a><a href="#FNanchor_19_19"><span class="label">19</span></a><span lang="ar" xml:lang="ar">اژدر هاي دم بريده</span></p></div>
-
-<div class="footnote">
-
-<p><a name="Footnote_20_20" id="Footnote_20_20"></a><a href="#FNanchor_20_20"><span class="label">20</span></a> A sort of military farmers, who rented the revenues of Egypt.</p></div>
-
-<div class="footnote">
-
-<p><a name="Footnote_21_21" id="Footnote_21_21"></a><a href="#FNanchor_21_21"><span class="label">21</span></a> A yúk is about 1,000 dollars.</p></div>
-
-<div class="footnote">
-
-<p><a name="Footnote_22_22" id="Footnote_22_22"></a><a href="#FNanchor_22_22"><span class="label">22</span></a> A gold coin, a drachm and a half weight.</p></div>
-
-<div class="footnote">
-
-<p><a name="Footnote_23_23" id="Footnote_23_23"></a><a href="#FNanchor_23_23"><span class="label">23</span></a> The night of power, the 27th of Ramazán, when the koran began to descend from
-heaven.</p></div>
-
-<div class="footnote">
-
-<p><a name="Footnote_24_24" id="Footnote_24_24"></a><a href="#FNanchor_24_24"><span class="label">24</span></a> Russian pilgrims either going to or coming from Jerusalem.</p></div>
-
-<div class="footnote">
-
-<p><a name="Footnote_25_25" id="Footnote_25_25"></a><a href="#FNanchor_25_25"><span class="label">25</span></a> The letters which had been sent from the fleet stated that the descent had been altogether
-sudden and unexpected at first. The fleet, these letters said, on arriving before or opposite a
-monastery on the island not far from the city, the admiral forbade Mímí Beg to leave his ship;
-but he landed his janissaries and other troops, who as soon as they individually reached the
-shore, such was their eagerness, cried out <i>Allah! Allah!</i> as they proceeded; which so alarmed
-the inhabitants that they all fled into the city with their servants. The Moslems, on reaching
-the monastery, were obliged, by reason of the cannon which played upon them from the fortress,
-to give up; and because they found it impracticable to keep the footing they had gained, they
-were constrained to return to their vessels. Forty or fifty were left on the island, but they
-effected no good whatever. The fleet, we are told on the same authority, seized, between
-Messina and Malta, on its return, a vessel, the crew of which informed the admiral that the
-twenty-seven ships he had been in quest of had entered Messina, where there were several other
-vessels belonging to the enemy.</p></div>
-
-<div class="footnote">
-
-<p><a name="Footnote_26_26" id="Footnote_26_26"></a><a href="#FNanchor_26_26"><span class="label">26</span></a> A rude race living in the mountains of Lebanon and in Kúrdistán.</p></div>
-
-<div class="footnote">
-
-<p><a name="Footnote_27_27" id="Footnote_27_27"></a><a href="#FNanchor_27_27"><span class="label">27</span></a> Búrún signifies nose.</p></div>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p class="center">END<br /><br />
-
-LONDON<br />
-
-<small>Printed by J. L. COX &amp; SON, Great Queen Street,<br />
-
-Lincoln’s-Inn Fields.</small></p>
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-<pre>
-
-
-
-
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