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905 [905]

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

Baiazetes had in all vi. sonnes, whereof iij. dyed before him & thre yet were left alyue, to witte, Acomates, Corchutus and Zelymus. Baiazetes him selfe had most minde to Acomates, but the chiefest of his nobles did fauour rather Zelymus: who throughe their traiterous incitation prouoked him to stirre warre agaynst his father: and notwithstandyng that he was ouercome in warre, yet throughe intercession he was reconciled agayne to his father, MarginaliaZelymus made Emperour agaynst his fathers will.and afterward proclaymed agayne Emperour agaynst his fathers will, through the helpe and fauour of the souldiours, entryng the first begynnyng of his kyngdome, with the murtheryng of his own father. The storye whereof some authors is thus declared.  

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The following narrative, which takes up the remainder of Foxe'saccount of the reign of Bayezid II, comes from the Italian historian Giovann BattistoRamusio's history, as excerpted in Laonicus Chalkokondylas, De origine et rebusgestis Turcorum (Basel, 1556), pp. 195-6. Foxe went to the trouble of includingthis account because it underscored what he perceived as the lack of family loyaltyamong the Ottomans (see C177/93).

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After that the Ianizarites MarginaliaWhat these Ianizarites were, read pag. 879.had persuaded with Baiazetes for that hee him selfe was vnweldy, therfore hee should doo well to constitute some successour, & that he had assigned Acomates to succede hym, the Ianizarites beyng offended with the sayde Acomates because hee woulde not enlarge theyr stipendes and brybe them, compassyng aboute the kynges pallace with their priuie swordes whiche they had vnder their garmentes, with a mighty crye, required Zelymus to bee appoynted for their Emperour. Vnto whom when Baiazetes had aunswered that he had assigned Acomates, they refused him because he was fatte, grosse, and vnhable therunto: but nedes would haue Zelymus, whiche was stoute & warlike, to be made Emperour, and withall drew out their swordes cryeng Zelymus Zelymus. Then Baiazetes geuing place to their fury, shewed him selfe contēt to geue them Zelymus: whom the Ianizarites receiuing, brought him into the pallace: MarginaliaThe counsaile of Baiazetes to his sonne Zelymus.vnto whom Baiazetes his father geuyng place, willed him not to be so hasty and furious in his doynges, but to be modest & take hede what he dyd, and not to folow his fury, but to geue place vnto tyme, which reueileth all thinges, and thinke him selfe to be a mā subiect to daungers and ieoperdies as other mē are: and thus speakyng he resigned his Imperiall throne & seate vnto him & went away all heauye, entryng into a certeine order of their religiō. Wherupō folowed great acclamatiōs of the people salutyng Zelymus as Emperour. Who then takyng the rule vpon him, began with great cruelty to gouerne, destoyeng many of hys nobles, such as had stand agaynst him, some with poyson, some by other cruell meanes, and auauncyng his owne side, with great honours and promotions.  
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Bayezid II wished for his eldest son Ahmed to succeed him. ButBayezid and Ahmed were badly compromised by the success of Shah Kulu (Ahmedwas blamed for not pursuing the fleeing rebels effectively). Korkud, Bayezid's otherson, was also damaged by the rebellion which took place in his province. A third son Selim, seized the opportunity to rebel againstBayezid in 1512 and force him to abdicate. Bayezid died two months later. Selimproceeded to purge those involved in Shah Kulu's rebellion.

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Not long after  

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The story which follows is completely fictitious and taken fromGiovann Battisto Ramusio.

that Zelymus was thus setled in hys kyngdome, Baiazetes his father entēdyng to see & proue howe hee behaued him selfe in his gouernement, first entred into the treasure house, where he founde all hys riches to be scattered and gone. Afterward he came into his Armorie, where all the spoyles gotten by warre were likewise wasted: then entring into þe Iewell house, where all his plate and giftes sent from kyngs and princes were kept, which likewise were dispersed and geuē awaye. MarginaliaThe displeasure of Baiazetes agaynst his sonne Zelymus.At length hee came into the stable, where also he seyng his principall horses to bee lackyng, sighed with him selfe and cryeng vengeaunce vpon him, he prepared him selfe with the residue of the treasure whiche was remaynyng, to sayle ouer into Natolia vnto hys eldest sonne, and passyng by an Orchard nere to the sea side, where hee had appoynted to take shippe, in the meane tyme, whylest the shyppes were in furnis-shyng, he sat downe vnder a tree, and began to curse his sonne and to axe vengeaunce vpon hym, for that he had so despised hys father and was become so impious a wretch. Zelymus vnderstandyng of hys fathers departure, came into the Orchard where his father was, semyng to be very heauie, & much lamentyng that his father would so priuely depart and go away, seing that he desired not the gouernement of the Empire, but was contented onely with þe title therof. MarginaliaThe dissemblyng wordes of Zelymus to his father.O father (said he) do not thus priuely departe away: doo not procure this shame to your sonne, who so tēderly loueth you. Let mehaue but the name onely: & be you þe Emperour in dede. The ende of your naturall life most patiently I shall expect, whiche I pray God may long continue. MarginaliaZelymus the sonne poysoneth his father.And thus vsing many fayre and flatteryng wordes to his father, he commaūded a banket with many deintye iunkettes, to be brought vnto him, but tempered and infected with poison. Whiche, as soone as Baiazetes had begon to tast of, and felt the strength of the poyson workyng in his body, he toke his last farewell of his sonne, and goyng out of the Citie accompanied with a great retinue of men yellyng and cryeng out in the streetes, in the midle of his iourney fell downe and miserably dyed: in the yeare of our Lord. 1512. Here mayst thou see, good reader, a cursed broode  
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This final comment, emphasizing the lack of family loyalty amongthe Ottomans, is Foxe's insertion.

of this Turkish generation, where the father dyeth in cursing the sonne, and the sonne reigneth by poysonyng his father.

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¶ Zelymus the 11. after Ottomannus.

MarginaliaZelymus the xi. after Ottomannus.AFter that this  

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The account of the reign of Selim I is taken largely from CasparPeucer, Chronicon Carionis (Wittenburg, 1580), pp. 663-68. But Foxe also introduces two stories; one from the French courtier and diplomat, Christophe Richer and one from Sebastian Münster which gave variant accounts of the death of Ahmed. Ahmed rose in rebellion against Selim and was defeated and killed in battle in 1513.

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wretched Zelymus had exercised his barbarous crueltie vppon his father, with lyke impietie he seketh the destruction of his brethren & theyr children, MarginaliaThe crueltie of Zelymus agaīst his father and his brethren.first begynnyng his murther with the fiue children his nephewes, whiche were the sonnes of his three brethren before departed. Whiche done, then remained his other ij. brethren yet aliue, Acomates and Corchutus with their children likewise to be destroyed. Of whom þe one had. iij. sonnes, whom the father sent to Zelymus his brother and their vncle, with fayre and gentle wordes to entreate him to bee good vnto their father, offeryng to him their dutie and seruice in all thynges, honoryng him also as Emperour. MarginaliaThe crueltie of Zelymus agaīst his cousins.But cruell Zelymus commaunded forthwith hys sayd nephewes to be strangled. The father hearyng of the cruell murther of his sonnes, leauing house and home, went and hydde him selfe in moūtaines, where he lyued for a space with herbes and wild honye, but beyng bewrayed by one of hys men was brought to Zelymus and so was strangled.

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Christophorus Richerius, writyng  

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This story comes from the French diplomat and historianChristophe Richer's De rebus Turcorum as excerpted in Theodore Bibliander,Machumetis Saracenorum principis…Alcoran (Basel, 1550), III, pp. 210-11.

of these matters, semeth some thyng to differ from other stories, MarginaliaEx Christ. Richerio.& sayth that Zelymus, after the death of his brother Corchutus, came to Bursia, where he, vnder the colour of makyng a great triumphe, ordeined a feast for his frendes & kynsfolke, whereunto were called especially his nephewes: who then at the ende of the feast callyng his nephewes a syde (as vnder þe pretence of conferryng with them secretly about his necessary affaires) committed them to his seruauntes to be strangled and put to death. All this while Acomates his other brother, throughe the helpe & instruction of his mother, was kept out of the tyrantes handes, till at length, after great labour and searche made how to get hym, certeine forged letters were cast abroad wherein was conteyned that Acomates, to reuenge the great impietie and subdue the tyranny of Zelymus his brother, should shew him self abroad. Which if he would do, he should finde frendes enoughe to take his parte. Acomates circumuented with these subtill traynes, partly for hope of reuengement, partly for desire of the Empire, shewed him selfe abroad with such power and strength as he had: MarginaliaZelimus the Turke warreth agaynst hys brother.who beyng set vpon incōtinent by Zelymus his brother, was ouercome in battaile, and fallyng from his horse, beyng a man corpulent and grosse, and his horse fallyng vppon him, was so ouerpressed and slayne.

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Touchyng the death  

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This account of Ahmed's death comes from Sebastian Münster,Cosmographiae universalis (Basel, 1559), p. 967.

of this Acomates, Munsterus somewhat differyng from this narration, addeth moreouer and sayth, that hee was not kylled with the fall from his horse, but sittyng all dismayed vpon a stone and seyng no other remedie but death, desired the captaine, takyng his rynges from his fingers, to deliuer the same to hys brother, desiryng hym that hee might not bee put to any extreme cruelty of death, but that hee gently woulde suffer hym to bee let bloud in the bath and so to dye. But Zelymus beyng not ignoraunt

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of