The Bondage and Travels of Johann Schiltberger, a Native of Bavaria, in Europe, Asia, and Africa, 1396-1427Schiltberger, Johannes
History
The Bondage and Travels of Johann Schiltberger, a Native of Bavaria, in Europe, Asia, and Africa, 1396-1427
Schiltberger, Johannes
Timur, 1336-1405 -- Early works to 1800; Turkey -- History -- Bayezid I, 1389-1403; Voyages and travels -- Early works to 1800
Neumann is certainly not justified in supposing that Schiltberger
would have alluded upon two occasions to the campaign in which he took
part—first, in chap. 5, casually; again in chap. 9, wherein we have all
the details as they are related by an eye-witness; for, in reference
to this, the second campaign, we are informed that it was conducted by
the eldest son of Bajazet, and that this son was not Mouhammed; indeed,
we are previously told by Schiltberger, that Mouhammed was appointed
by the sultan to command the forces sent to “Marsüany”, it being the
first expedition of that prince, who was aged 14 in 1392, for he died
in 1421, in his 43rd year.—BRUUN.
CHAPTER X.
(1.) “Malathea.”—Malatia, the ancient Melitene, on the Euphrates,
was the station of the xiith Legion. Marcus Aurelius surnamed it
“Fulminatrix”, in consequence of a miracle that was there operated
(Ritter, _Die Erdkunde_, etc., x, 860). Hammer (_Hist. de l’E. O._,
345), and Zinkeisen (_Gesch. d. O. R._, 356), assert, on the authority
of Saad uddin, that the Ottomans took this and other cities subject to
the sultans of Egypt, between the years 798 and 800 of the Mahommedan
era. Weil (_Gesch. d. Chalifen_, 70–73), however, does not think that
this occupation could have taken place earlier than 801, founding his
opinion on the authority of Arabian writers, who have recorded Turkish
aggression as having occurred after the advent to the throne, of
Faradj, who succeeded his father in 801 = 1399 (June 20). In support
of this argument, Weil quotes the testimony of one of those writers
who had himself seen the letter, in which was announced to Itmish,
the atabek of the new sultan, the capture of Malatia; but it is also
possible that the great dignitary had received this same letter in the
time of Barkok, by whom he must have been highly esteemed, for, when
on his death-bed, the sultan nominated him his executor. This view of
the case agrees with Schiltberger’s recital, whilst his observations,
towards the end of this chapter, on the taking of Adalia, will serve
to explain the strange passage that occurs in the Italian translation
of the book of Saad uddin. “Et havendo spedito al Conquisto di
Chianchria” (Kiankary the ancient Gangra) “Timurtas-Bassa” (Bajazet’s
general) “però tutto quel Paese insieme con la Città d’Atena (la qual’
è patria de’ Filosofi) col suo Distretto pervenne in poter del Rè;
il quale prese anco dalle mani de’ Turcomani la Città di Bechsenia”
(Behesna) “e di Mallatie”, etc. “There is clearly a mistake in the
text or in the translation”, says Weil (70), after showing that Hammer
and Zinkeisen are greatly in error in supposing, upon the authority
of this defective passage, that the city of Socrates could have been
taken by the Turks in the course of the same campaign as that in which
Malatia fell into their hands; but there would have been nothing
extraordinary in the fact of their attacking Angora after the fall of
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