The Destruction of the Greek Empire and the Story of the Capture of Constantinople by the TurksPears, Edwin
History
The Destruction of the Greek Empire and the Story of the Capture of Constantinople by the Turks
Pears, Edwin
Byzantine Empire -- History -- 1081-1453; Istanbul (Turkey) -- History -- Siege, 1453
While successful on land Mousa was defeated at sea, and the inhabitants
of the capital, in 1411, saw the destruction of his fleet off the
island of Plataea in the Marmora. In revenge for this defeat he laid
siege to the city. Manuel and his subjects stoutly defended its
landward walls, and before Mousa could capture it news came of the
revolt of his younger brother, Mahomet, who appeared as the avenger
of Suliman. The siege of Constantinople had to be raised. Mahomet
had taken the lordship of the Turks in Caramania shortly after the
defeat of his father at Angora, and had been unattacked by Timour. The
emperor proposed an alliance with him, which was gladly accepted and
the conditions agreed to were honourably kept by both parties. Mahomet
came to Scutari where he had an interview with the emperor. An army
formed of Turks and Greeks was led by Mahomet to attack his brother.
But Mousa defeated him in two engagements. Then Manuel, after a short
time, having been joined by a Serbian army, attempted battle against
him, and with success. The Janissaries deserted Mousa and went over to
Mahomet and Manuel, and his army was defeated. He was himself captured
and by order of Mahomet was bowstrung.[126]
[Sidenote: Sultan Mahomet the First, 1413–1420.]
Mahomet was now the only survivor of the six sons of Bajazed, with the
exception of Isa, the youngest, who was still living with Manuel as a
hostage. Three of his brothers had been the victims of fratricide. In
1413, Mahomet proclaimed himself Grand Sultan of the Ottomans.
He had been loyally aided by Manuel and the Serbians, and in return
loyally respected the agreements he had made with both. He gave up,
as we have seen, Salonica and the fortified towns on the Euxine, the
Marmora and in Thessaly which had been taken from the Greeks.
In 1415, the Turks, who had remained nearly undisturbed on the
western side of the Balkans, entered Bosnia. The inhabitants were
mostly Bogomils, who had been constantly persecuted by their Catholic
neighbours in order to force them to Union with the Church of Rome,
were menaced, on account of their refusal, by the king of Hungary, and
in reply threatened that they would coalesce with the Turks. Upon such
an intimation, the Turks entered the country.[127]
The two rulers, Manuel and Mahomet, continued on friendly terms. It was
probably due to the emperor’s influence that the sultan consented, in
1415, to allow the Knights of Rhodes to build a strong fortification on
the boundaries of Caria and Lycia as a place of refuge for Christians
who should escape from the hands of the Moslems. Ducas gives an
account of the interview which took place between the grand master
and Manuel and adds that the emperor went so far towards conciliating
the Christians that he contented the rulers of Chios, Mitylene, and
Phocaea. In returning from the Morea in 1416, Manuel met Mahomet at
Gallipoli, the sultan going on board Manuel’s galley and eating with
him.
[Sidenote: Death of Mahomet.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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