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
There was a vassal named Mirachamad who resided in a city called
Marsüany; it was on the border of Karaman’s country. When Mirachamad
heard that King Weyasit had conquered Karaman’s country, he sent to
him to ask him to drive away also the king of Sebast, who was called
Wurthanadin, who had seized upon his territory because he could not
himself expel him, and he should give him the territory in exchange
for one in his own country. Weyasit sent to his assistance his son
Machamet with thirty thousand men, and they forcibly expelled the king
called Wurthanadin out of the country.[1] Then Mirachamad bestowed
upon Machamet[2] the capital and all the territory, because his first
engagement had been in its behalf. Then Weyasit took Mirachamad with
him to his own country, and gave him another territory for his own.
[1] 1394.
[2] Mouhammed, a younger son of Bajazet.
6.—What sixty of us Christians had agreed upon.
And when Weyasit came to his capital, there were sixty of us Christians
agreed that we should escape, and made a bond between ourselves and
swore to each other that we should die or succeed together; and each
of us took time to get ready, and at the time we met together, and
chose two leaders from amongst ourselves by lot, and whatever they
ordered we were to obey. Then we rose after midnight and rode to a
mountain and came to it by daybreak. And when we came to the mountain
we dismounted, and let our horses rest until sunrise, when we remounted
and rode the same day and night. And when Weyasit heard that we had
taken to flight, he sent five hundred horse with orders that we were
to be found, that we were to be caught, and brought to him. They
overtook us near a defile, and called to us to give ourselves up.
This we would not do, and we dismounted from our horses and defended
ourselves against them as well as we could. When their commander saw
that we defended ourselves, he came forward and asked for peace for
one hour. We consented. He came to us and asked us to give ourselves
up as prisoners; he would answer for the safety of our lives. We said
we would consult, and did consult, and gave him this answer: We knew
that so soon as we were made prisoners, we should die so soon as we
came before the king, and it would be better that we should die here,
with arms in our hands, for the Christian faith. When the commander saw
that we were determined, he again asked that we should give ourselves
as prisoners, and promised on his oath that he would ensure our lives,
and if the king was so angry as to want to kill us, he would let them
kill him first. He promised this on his oath, and therefore we gave
ourselves up as prisoners. He took us before the king, who ordered that
we should be killed immediately; the commander went and knelt before
the king, and said that he had trusted in his mercy and had promised us
our lives, and asked him also that he should spare us because he had
even sworn that such would be the case.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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