Page images
PDF
EPUB
[ocr errors]

to 1436.

to 840.

cefs made her fo haughty, that fhe prefently irri- J.C.1429, tated her spouse, who would have none but Heg. 832, flaves. Mary had been the feal of peace between Amurath and her brother. The princefs of Sinope, who had at first been facrificed to her, more flexible and cunning than this haughty Greek, knew how to recover the heart of a mafter, as defpotic in his pleasures as in the adminiftration of his empire. It was then people faw for the first time at the Porte the black eunuchs, the guardians and confidants of the women, furround the monarch, treat with the foreign minifters, and prepare war or peace. The army was fent into Servia; the defpot, brother to the difgraced fultanefs, was attacked in Semendriah, his capital, under pretext of his entertaining intelligence with Hungary. This town was taken by affault. The defpot fled to the court of Ladislaus, king of Poland and Hungary; and he haftened to put Belgrade, his most important place, under the protection of the Hungarians.

[ocr errors]

After a

long war

with La

diflaus

Hungary,

cludes a

Ladislaus, king of Poland and Hungary, had intrufted the defence of Belgrade to the celebrated Hunniade, waywode of Tranfylvania, one king of of the greatest generals of his time. It was at he conthis fiege that the Turks experienced, for the truce of first time, the effect of cannon, which much furprised and frighted them. After fix months, J.c. 1436. they shamefully abandoned this place, which Heg. $40.

[ocr errors][merged small]

ten years.

J.C. 1436, they had been unable to reduce. Hunniade,

to 1444.

Heg. 840, having paffed the Danube, pursued Amurath's

to 848.

Caraman
Ogli raises

army, greatly reduced both by fire and disease.
The Hungarians ravaged and burnt the whole
country which had been taken by the Turkish
emperor: nevertheless we don't find that there
was any confiderable engagement.
The pro-
tection of the Hungarians procured the prince
of Servia the reftitution of his dominions, for
Amurath justly feared Hunniade's great repu-
tation. The Hungarian and Turkish monarchs
concluded a truce of ten years. Each ratified is
by oath on the mysteries of his religion. The
ftipulated conditions were, that, in confequence
of the reftitution of Servia, neither the Turks
nor Hungarians fhould pass the Danube.

Amurath's sister, the wife of Caraman Ogli, up a con- had feveral times exerted her credit with the federacy

of Euro- fultan, to procure this refractory vaffal, more

pean prin

place La

their head

ces, who refractory than all the rest, a pardon for his fredifaus at quent infringement of treaties. Though Caraman was a good Muffulman, he wrote continually to the king of Hungary, the waywode of Bulgaria, the waywode of Walachia, in short, to all the Chriftian princes, neighbours of the Turks, to irritate them against his brother-in-law, who had twice fpared his poffeffions. They all offered to join the king of Hungary, provided Caraman would make a diverfion on the other fide of the fea. Ladislaus was a lover of glory,

and

[ocr errors]

to 1444

to 848.

and could not refuse the means of acquiring it. J.C.1436, The ftate of Venice offered him veffels; the Heg. 840, duke of Burgundy fent him money; he was befides certain of having confiderable fuccours from his Polish dominions; but the folemn oath which he had taken, to obferve a truce of ten years with the Turks, ftopped his proceeding. Pope Eugene IV. fent cardinal Julian Cæfarini, the Hungarian legate, to appease the fcruples of the king, and convince him, that however facred an oath might be, it was no way binding with Infidels, and that it was a work agreeable to God, to perjure one's felf in order to exterminate those who offended him. At length, a brief of abfolution from Eugene, the legate's fophifms, the love of vain glory, fuperftition, and falfe zeal, ftifled, in the heart of Ladislaus, the cries of conscience and the fentiments of equity.

gene IV.

the king of

to break

ties. The

a fleet,

The Pope and the Venetians armed a fleet at Pope Eutheir joint expence, the object of which was authorifes to prevent the Turks from paffing the straits. Hungary All the veffels bore the colours of the Holy See, his treaor of the duke of Burgundy: for the republic cont did not dare openly go to war with the Otto- rates arm mans. The Greeks were no way engaged in which is this confederacy. A little before, at the council prevent of Florence, it had been vainly endeavoured to reunite them to the catholic church. The Greek into Eu prelates, called to this council, had in fact consented to the union; but they foon returned to

[blocks in formation]

unable to

Amurath

from

pe.

netrating

rope.

J.C.1436, the fchifm with the people, who had never been

to 1444.

to 848.

Heg. 840, converted; and by this mean there was as much hatred between the Latins and Greeks, as between the Mahometans and Chriftians. John Paleologus pleased himself in fecret with the efforts that his enemies were making for their own deftruction. The confederate fleet had taken poffeffion of the entrance of the Bofphorus, called the facred entrance; they flattered themfelves with blocking up the Muffulmen; but Amurath, perfectly informed of all the motions. of his enemies, had embarked at a more diftant place, and taken another way. He found means to land a hundred thousand men in Europe, without being oppofed by a Christian veffel. Amurath entered with his fleet the port of Gallipoli, and marched to Adrianople, where Ali bafhaw, beglerbeg of Europe, came to join him with another body of troops equally confiderable and difciplined and in fpite of the tumultuous efforts of a numerous confederacy, this junction was formed without any obftacle.

Battle of
Varna.

The confederate army was already near Varna, on the borders of the Pont Euxine, where they Heg. 848. were foon joined by the Turks; the king of

J.C.1444.

Hungary had vainly flattered himself that the

combined fleet would hinder the paffage of the Ottomans. He had for lieutenants, the celebrated Hunniade, Julian Cæfarini the pope's legate, the bishops of Strigonia and Waradin,

[ocr errors]

and

A

to 1448.

to 851.

and fome Hungarian and Polifh lords. The J.C. 1444 army of the crufade appeared only a confufed Heg. 848, heap of men of all nations, without experience or difcipline. Their cavalry alone had fome confiftency; it was compofed of gentlemen and warriors by profeffion, who opposed, to the enemies' weapons, arms offenfive and defenfive, well trained horfes, courage, and the love of glory. The infantry were for the most part idlers armed through drunkennefs or debauchery, enthusiasm or mifery, and who rather fancied themselves going to a pillage than a war.

Such foldiers were not formidable to these brave janiffaries, who knew equally to obey and to fight, and whom the hope of a rich booty, or a merited fortune, or the paradife of Mahomet, invariably animated. Notwithstanding this difference, the advantage of ground and the talents of Hunniade would have perhaps carried, or at least balanced, the victory, if he had been permitted to dispose the order of battle to his mind. But every general who commands under a king has the flatterers and envious to fight againft, who undoubtedly are much more dangerous than open enemies. Hunniade had chofen his field of battle before the arrival of the Turks; the Chriftian army had in its rear a chain of steep hills, and its right was defended by a large river. The general had fastened a number of waggons together, in order to guard the left,

and

« ՆախորդըՇարունակել »