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904 [904]

K. Henry. 7. The historye and tyrannye of the Turkes.

the other brother being in Lycaonia more nere, although he made no lesse spede in his commyng, yet was preuented of Baiazetes, and excluded out of Constantinople. Wherfore he beyng put backe from all hope of his kingdome, incited by some of his frendes, moued warre agaynst hys brother. MarginaliaBaiazetes slayeth hys brothers mother & his twoo nephewes.Who being ouercome in three battailes by Acomates Baiazetes captaine, who had got Hydruntum before, did flye to the great Maister of the Rhodes leauyng in a place called Carræ, his mother and two yong children, whom Baiazetes slue.

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This Demes beyng with the maister of the Rhodes, was desired firste of Pope Innocent the iiij. then of Ludouicus the second, French kyng, but especially of Mathias Coruinus, king of Hungary, entendyng by him to obteyne great victory against Baiazetes. But in conclusion the knyghtes of the Rhodes sent hym to the Byshop of Rome, where he beyng kept & afterwardes sent to Charles the 8. French kyng, for an hostage, of Pope Alexāder the vi. was poysoned by the way at Terracina, by þe sayd pope Alexāder, as is before declared. MarginaliaRead before pag. 870.After whose death Baiazetes, to requite the foresaid Acomates for his good seruice, put him to þe halter, partly misdouting his power, partly for lucre sake to haue hys treasure: MarginaliaFalse treasō woothely recōpensedWhose death redounded to the great profite of the Christians, for so much as he was euer an vtter enemye to the religion and name of Christ.

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MarginaliaLithostomus, Moncastrum, Christian fortes subdued of the Turke.Baiazetes thus beyng confirmed in his tyrāny, made his first expedition agaynst VValachia, where he subdued two great fortes, one called Lithostomus, the other called Moncastrum. Frō thence he remoued his power, takyng his viage into Asia, thinkyng to be reuenged of the Sultane of Egypte, whiche had succoured and enterteyned before hys brother Demes agynst hym, where he lost two great battailes, the one fought at Adena, the other at Tarsus: MarginaliaThe Turke ouerthrowen at Tarsus.but speciallye at the field of Tarsus the armie of the Turke tooke such a wounde, that of. 100. thousand brought into the fielde, scarse the third part remained vnslayne. But as touchyng  

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The details of Bayezid's payment to the Master of the Knightsof St John (who at this time were based in Rhodes) is from Johannes Cuspinian,De Turcorum orgine (Antwerp, 1541), fos. 43v-44r.

the Rhodians, although they were succourers of Demes aforesayde, yet Baiazetes (whether for feare, or for subtiltie) absteyned to prouoke thē with warre, but rather entred with thē the league of peace, requiring the Maister of the Rhodes to kepe his brother safe vnder his custody, promising for his yearely salarie, to be payed vnto him euery yeare in the moneth of Auguste. 45000. duckettes.

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Thus Baiazetes beyng ouerthrowne and terrifyed with euill lucke fightyng agaynst the Sultane of Egypte, remoued from Asia, and directed his armie into Europe, MarginaliaDyrrachium takē of the Turke.where he got Dyrrachiū nere vnto Velona, & had a great victory ouer the Christian armie in þe countrey of Croatia, where the Illyrians, Pannonians and Croatians ioynyng their power together, encountred with the Turke and lost the field, about the yeare of our Lord. 1493.  

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Foxe is taking his account of this battle from Casper Peucer,Chronicon Carionis (Wittenburg, 1580), p. 659 but no such battle ever took place.

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MarginaliaThe Turke agaynst the Venetians.From thence the Turke leadyng his armie agaynst the Venetians, had with them diuers and doubtfull conflictes, where the Turke sometimes was put to þe worse, and sometymes agayne preuailyng, out of Iadra and diuers other Cities about Dalmatia, MarginaliaThe Christiās caryed away captiue.caried awaye great multitudes of Christians into captiuitie, which was about the yeare of our Lord. 1498.  

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These raids actually took place in the years 1499-1502.

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MarginaliaPeloponesus, agayne inuaded by the Turke.Two yeares after this, whiche was the yeare of our Lord. 1500. Baiazetes with. 150. thousand armed men, entred into Peloponesus, whiche althoughe Mahumete had expugned before, yet the Venetiās had defended Methone, otherwise called Modon, all this while agaynst þe Turkes.  

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Again, this chronology (taken from Peucer) is inaccurate. Thecoastal fortress of Methoni fell to the Turks in 1500. There were a series of largeTurkish raids on the Peloponnesos, but the full-scale invasion described by Peucerand Foxe never occurred.

Whiche Methone the Turke besieged with. iij. armyes, hauyng about the walles. 500. great brasen Canōs, wherof. 22. were most violent & hurtfull, wherewith he battered the Citie both day & night, but the Citizens, which were within the Citie, cōmittyng thē selues to God, defended their citie as wel as they could, rather chusing to dye then to yeld vnto þe Turkes Tyrānie. Butthe Turke preuailyng, & they not hable to withstand the siege, the Christians conuented together into a certeine house prepared for the purpose, both mē, women, & childrē, where they setting the house on fire, gaue them selues rather to be burned, then to come into þe Tyrauntes handes. MarginaliaMethone takē of the Turkes and miserably destroyed.Certeine women also wt their childrē, cast them selues headlōg into the sea, by that meanes to auoyde þe Turkishe captiuitie. Some writers there be whiche affirme þt the Methonians, seing fiue great shippes of the Venetians commyng with mē & vittales toward thē, issued downe frō the walles to the sea side to receaue thē, which were all takē captiues beyng aboue the nūber of a thousand: which all beyng tyed with long ropes, were brought before þe Tyraunt and in his sight were cruelly slayne, except certeine nobles whō Cherseogles sonne in law to Baiazetes, got to be pardoned, amōgest whom was Andreas Gritto. MarginaliaCoron, Pilus, Crisseum, yelded to the Turkes.The Citie of Coron, and also Pilus Cities in Grece beyng terrifyed with the example of the Methonians, yelded thē selues to the power of þe Turkes. Crisseum otherwise called caput Sancti Galli, was expugned by Cherseogles, by force of gunnes.

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These thynges thus achieued, although Baiazetes went away victor vnto Constantinople, MarginaliaChephalenis, Leucas, Nericus, Ilandes recouered of the Turkes by the Venetians.yet notwithstandyng the Venetians, through the helpe of the kynges of Fraunce and Spayne, had wōne from the Turke Chephalenia an Ilande very commodious for their traficke: Also had gotten other ij. Ilandes Leucas and Nericus, otherwise called Sancta Maura, slayeng all the garrison of the Turkes. But afterward peace beyng taken betwen the Venetians and the Turke, by the Counsaile of Andreas Gritto aforesayd, the Turkes so agreed, that Leucas and Nericus the Ilandes abouesayd should bee rendred vnto the Turke, and the Venetians should kepe still the possession of Chaphalenia.

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MarginaliaTruce betwene the Venetians and the Turke.Vnto this league the Turke dyd the rather condescende, for that hee had to mainteyne warre agaynst Ismael Sophus in Asia, kyng of Persia MarginaliaWarre betwen Sophus and Baiazetes.Which Sophus was stirred vp by Gods prouidēce to warre wt this Baiazetes, whereby the Christian Churches in Europe might haue some breathyng tyme, and fredome from the Turkes cruell tyranny and bloudshed. This Sophus was a valiaunt Turke,  

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Shah Ismail I, of the Safavid dynasty, ruler of Persia, was not aTurk.

who with great power and victories had ouer runne a great compasse of the East partes of Asia: then passing frō Assiria into Media, & returning againe into Armenia, he made warre agaynst þe Albanians, Hiberians, and Scythians, and from thence commyng vnto Asia minor, encoūtred with Corcuthus Baiazetes sonne, and afterward commyng to Bithynia, fought with Caragius Bassa, Baiazetes captaine, whom he ouercame and put to flight,MarginaliaCaragius the Turkes captaine take prisoner & slayne of Sophus.& afterward toke him aliue & his wife prisoners. Afterward he was encountered by Halibassa an other captaine of the Turkes, whom Techelles one of þe said Sophus captaines metyng in þe plaine of Galatia did withstand, and so by the way slue Caragius the captaine & hanged him vpō a pole in the sight of Halibassa, MarginaliaHalibaßa the Turkes Captaine slayne.which Halibassa shortly after was slayne in warre and his armie scattered and put to flight.  
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This account came from Casper Peucer, Chronicon Carionis (Wittenburg, 1580), pp. 600-602. It confuses Shah Ismail I with Shah Kulu, the leader of a rebellion against Ottoman rule, which broke out in 1511 in a region ruled by Bayezid's son Korkud. During the course of the rebellion, Shah Kulu defeated and killed Karagöz Pasha, the Ottoman governor of Anatolia. Shah Kulu then defeatedand killed Hadim Ali Pasha, the Ottomam grand vizier. However, Shah Kulu was also killed in this battle and his death ended the rebellion.

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MarginaliaRest geuen to the Christians, by the discord of the Turkes.The through the admirable example of Gods Iustice & prouidence, were these Turkes kept occupyed, & so came it to passe, that these barbarians beyng blasphemous agaynst the sonne of God  
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This passage is from Caspar Peucer, Chronicon Carionis (Wittenburg, 1580), p. 1233 although Foxe would have wholeheartedly endorsed the sentiment.

should thus horribly runne one to the destructiō of an other, being worthely punished with mutuall slaughter and bloudshed for their impietie and blasphemie agaynst Christ and his Religion, whereby in the meane tyme some rest was geuen to the Christians.

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Baiazetes partly by these victories discouraged, partlye disseased and languishing of the goute, and partly also broken with age, findyng him selfe vnweldie to the regiment of that tumultuous kingdome, began to haue talke with his nobles about the chusyng of one to succede him. The occasion whereof ministered much matter of inward warres amongest the Turkes. This

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Baia-
HH.iiij.