nued, so long as any mans strength and diligence could do any good. A great cause of the losse of this Citie and Iland, is imputed to the cowardly timiditie of the Venetians nauie: who beyng there present, and hauyng a prosperous wynd, yet durst not, or would not aduēture vpon the Turkes bridge. Whiche if they had done, the Iland of Euboia and Chalcis, had not so soone bene ouermatched of the Turkes.
[Back to Top]Thus all the East partes of Grecia beyng subdued to þe Turkish Tyraunt, withall Achaia, Attica, Acarnania, & Euboia, MarginaliaPeloponesus, Achaia, Messenia, Laconia, Argolica, Archadia, Christian Prouinces in Grecia, subdued of the Turke.shortlye after folowed also Peloponesus, brought in lyke subiection to the Turke. Within this Peloponesus were these prouinces conteyned, Achia, Messenia, Laconia, Argolica, & Arcadia, &c. The Venetians in this Peloponesus had great possessions, and had made vp the walle agayne toward the sea side, nere to the streites of Corinthe before mencioned, where for the more spede of the worke, they had. 30. thousand workemen to the buildyng therof. Whiche when it came to the knowledge of the Turke, he brast into the coūtrey of Peloponesus with an armye of. 80. thousand, and first wastyng the regions of the Coroneans, and Methoneans, and makyng a great slaughter of the Venetians, in shorte tyme hee brought the whole dominion of Peloponesus vnder hys yoke and tribute.
[Back to Top]Long it is and more lamentable to recite all the victories of this Mahumete gotten agaynst the Christians both by lande and sea: who after hee had ouercome the Ile Lesbos aboue mencioned, and had cruellye slaine Nicolaus Catalusius the prince thereof, MarginaliaCapha taken of the Turke.turnyng hys armie toward the sea of Pontus Euxinus, got the countrey of Capha from the Genuans. Before
This sentence is from Giovann Battisto Ramusio as excepted in Laonicus Chalkokondylas, De orgine rebus gestis Turcorum (Basel, 1556), p. 194.
Neyther yet was the vnsatiable gredines of thys Turkyshe helhounde with all this satisfied, but still he cõceiued greater thinges in his minde, thinking to conquere the whole world, & so passing forward towardes Europe, subdued all Illyria, slaying Stephanus the king of Bosna, about the yeare of our Lorde. 1463. MarginaliaMathias the sonne of Huniades.But afterward Mathias Coruinus þe sonne of Huniades afore mencioned, recouered agayne the sayd kyngdome of Bosna with many other Cities nere vnto Croacia and Dalma-tia, and moreouer repulsed Mahumete the Turke in hys second siege of Iaiza, takyng his tentes and munitions left behinde him.
[Back to Top]Moreouer the sayd Mahumete passyng vnto VValachia, set vppon Dracula the prince therof, by which Dracula although he had no greate power of souldiours, yet he so enclosed and enuironed the Turke, that he had almost lost hys whole armye, of whom a great parte notwithstandyng was destroyed and manye of hys ensignes taken. MarginaliaStiria, Carinthia, takē of the Turkes.Into Dalmatia was sente two captaynes of the Turke, who fightyng agaynste the prouinces of the Venetians, made greate spoyle and waste aboute the regions of Stiria and Carinthia: where also the Venetian power was discomfited, and Hieronimus Nouel their captaine slayne. At length truce was taken betwen the Turke and the Venetians, vpon this condition that Scodra, Tenarus and Lemnus should be yelded vnto hym, and that they should paye to hym yearely 8. thousande duckettes for the free passage of their marchauntes.
[Back to Top]MarginaliaRhodes besieged.After this peace concluded with the Venetians, Mahumete him selfe sayleth ouer into Asia, sending two of his great captaines abroad to sundry places: of whom Mesithes was sent agaynst the Rhodes, with a mighty nauie. The other called Acomates Bassa, was sent into Italie to take Rome & all the West Empire. Concernyng the viage of which two captaines, this was the euente: that Mesithes after his great trauaile & bloudy siege against the Rhodians, was fayne to retire at length with great shame & losse. The other captaine Acomates (as is sayd) was sent into Italie, with a nauie of a hundreth shyppes and 15. thousand men. MarginaliaLeucadia, Chephalania, Zacinthus Fauelona, takē of the Turke.Who by the waye in his saylyng gotte Leucadia (which now they call S. Maure) Cephalenia, and Zacynthus, and sayling by Fauelona, arriued in Apulia and so passing a long by the sea side, spoyled and wasted diuers partes by þe coast, MarginaliaHydrantis taken.till at lēgth he came to Hidruntum, a Citie of Calabria in Italie, whiche after longe siege he ouercame and subdued, and brought such a terrour into all Italy, MarginaliaThe Pope flieth for feare of the Turke.that the Pope forgettyng all other things, yet mindefull of him selfe, withall hast fled out of Rome. After the Citie of Hydruntum was taken and the Turkes placed in the same, whiche was þe yeare of our Lord. 1481. Mathias Coruinus Huniades sonne was sent for by the Italians to set vpõ the sayd Citie: vnto the rescue whereof, when Acomates was about to make his returne with. 25. thousãd Turkes, in þe meane time newes came that Mahumete the great Turke was dead: by reason wherof the siege brake vp, and the Citie was redeliuered to the Italians againe, and so was Italy deliuered at that time, out of that present perill and daūger. This
These last sentences are from Giovann Battisto Ramusio as excepted in Laonicus Chalkokondylas, De origine rebus gestis Turcorum (Basel, 1556), p.194.
This account of Bayezid II's reign is largely taken from Casper Peucer, Chronicon Carionis (Wittenburg, 1580), pp. 657-63 although the narrative of Selim's accession to the throne is taken from Giovann Battisto Ramosio's history, as excerpted in Laonicus Chalkokondylas, De origine et rebus gestis Turcorum. One detail (of Bayezid's payment to the Master of the Knights of St John) came from Johannes Cuspinian, De Turcorum origine.
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