The Sieges of Vienna by the TurksSchimmer, Karl August
History
The Sieges of Vienna by the Turks
Schimmer, Karl August
Turkey -- History -- 1453-1683; Vienna (Austria) -- History
The ranks of the conspirators could furnish no man worthy, from talent
and influence, to replace the loss so unexpectedly incurred at this
critical juncture; and the enterprise, falling into inferior hands,
was commenced without plan and prosecuted without energy. The young
Prince Rakoczy, and Peter Zriny, brother to the deceased, were the
inefficient substitutes elected for its guidance. The latter had gained
over to the cause his brother-in-law Francis Frangipani, a young and
ardent man, incited by motives of revenge for an injury received from
a German officer. The governor also of Styria, Count Tettenbach, a
man related by marriage with the Hungarian leaders of the conspiracy,
joined its ranks. He undertook to arm his peasants and foresters to
the number of some thousands, to impart all official intelligence
which should reach him, as governor, to the party, and to put them
in possession of the town and citadel of Gratz. Frangipani undertook
to provide a naval force in the Adriatic, and to gain over the Uskok
and Greek population of Croatia. The chief meetings of the parties
took place at the castle of Pottendorf, on the Hungarian frontier, a
residence of the Count Nadasky, in a summer-house, the roof of which
was adorned with a rose in stucco, from which the common expression
“sub rosâ” derives its origin. The moment of execution for the designs
of the conspirators was near at hand, when the danger, of incalculable
magnitude to the Austrian government, was averted by an accidental
disclosure. Tettenbach, too confident of success, had thrown into
prison for some petty theft a servant initiated into the plot. This
man, in the accidental absence of the Count, was submitted, in the
usual course of law, to the torture, and to save his life confessed
all he knew. The officers who administered the province in the absence
of Tettenbach lost no time in forwarding the weighty intelligence to
Vienna. Tettenbach on his return to Gratz was arrested. His papers
contained ample evidence of his designs, which was confirmed by the
discovery of arms for 6000 men in the cellars of his residence. The
imperial minister, Prince Lobkowitz, offered a generous forgiveness
to Zriny, but sent a force to occupy his residence of Czakathurn.
Zriny betrayed a fatal vacillation of purpose, observing in the first
instance and afterwards violating the conditions of his pardon. He
was finally, together with Frangipani, arrested, and confined at
Czakathurn. Effecting their escape, they conceived the project of
presenting themselves and offering their submission at Vienna. Their
project was betrayed to the Emperor by a friend named Keri, with whom
they had taken refuge. He was instructed to encourage them to persevere
in their design, but should they depart from it, and proceed to join
Rakoczy, to arrest them. Keri preferred, for the purpose of magnifying
his own services, to act at once on the latter part of the instruction.
He arrested and conveyed them to Neustadt.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account