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Heg. 874

fpired her. She loaded him with the most bloody J.C. 1469. reproaches, and, ftrongly refifting his criminal attempts, chofe rather to die under his hands, than yield to his defires.*.

The island was filled with carnage and horror. The Turkish foldiers, after the example and under the eyes of their emperor, refigned themfelves to all the transports of avidity and debauchery to the Latin Chriftians especially they gave no quarter. Mahomet, who had seen the galleys of the Order of St. John in the Venetian fleet, fwore he would kill the grand master with his own hand, and exterminate all the knights who should fall into his power; but the time was not yet arrived for it: a diverfion obliged the fultan to convey all his forces to Asia.

Heg. 875.

clares war

Mahomet,

marches a

Another conqueror was fprung up in Perfia, JC.1470 and had subjugated the grandsons of Tamerlane, Ufzum inheritors of his throne, but not of his talents Affan defor war. Ufzum Affan or the Long, fo called against on account of his height, was become fovereign who of all Perfia, after having vanquished four mo- gainft him narchs who had divided it: he conceived a jea- him near loufy of Mahomet's having made himself master of Caramania almost without striking a blow, Ufzum Affan was a Muffulman of the fect of Ali, a fufficient pretext to cover his enterprises

against

This fact, which the continuator of Calcondilus reports from the notes of that hiftorian, has given place perhaps to the story of Irene, which no an, cient hiftorian has ever spoken of.

and beats

Caifar

1

J.C. 1470. against the Muffulmen of the fect of Omar, Heg. 875. whom we call Sunnites. He fent ambaffadors to the knights of Rhodes, and the republic of Venice, to ask fuccours against their common enemy, and particularly fire arms and workmen to caft cannon in Perfia; for the Perfians, as yet, knew the use of this murdering machine, only by the mischief that it had done them.

The Chriftians eagerly received thefe new allies, who might be useful to them. They fhewed them European forces; they loaded feveral fhips with fire arms, and fent to Perfia all the workmen that they could fpare. Ufzum Affan had marched troops towards Caramania. The young prince Muftapha, fon of Mahomet, who commanded in that province, attacked the Perfians to advantage, and put them to flight. On the news of this victory, Mahomet left Zizim, his youngest fon, at Conftantinople, with a council to govern the ftate, and to continue fome edifices which he had begun there; and, marching with his fecond fon Bajazet, he went and joined his eldeft in Caramania. This campaign was toilfome for the Turks, like all those which they have made against the Perfians: prince Muftapha acquired glory under the eyes of his father, who, after having gained two very bloody battles, through the talents and valour of his fon, brought back one part of his army to Conftantinople, leaving the other under the com

mand

mand of Jiefik Achmet or Acomat, who, during C. 1470. the rest of the campaign, reduced the province of Varfak to the Ottoman empire.

on his re

Conftanti

his fon

ftrangled.

Prince Muftapha would fain have had his Mahomet, father leave him the government of Caramania. turn to The glory with which he had juft arrayed him- nople, has felf, feemed to demand a continuance of that Mustapha authority, which had been (confided) to him before he was the vanquisher of the Perfians; but Mahomet, as jealous as cruel, had taken umbrage at the fuccefs of his fon, and the acclamations with which the camp had rẻfounded after his victories. He obliged the young prince to return with him to Conftantinople, and foon punifhed him for the affection which the people and foldiers fhewed him. Whilft Jeifik Achmet ftill commanded the army against the Perfians; his wives, according to the custom of the country, were guarded in his haram with great care. They went out only to the mosques and public baths; for private baths, at that time, were not so common in the houses of the grandees, as they have been fince: A long veil hid them to fuch a degree, that they could hardly fee the light. Such was and fuch is ftill the cuftom of all the Turkish women. One of Jiefik Achmet's wives having met prince Mustapha, as she was entering a bath, let fall her veil, either through inadvertency or design, and difcovered to the young fultan an enchanting perfon, which,

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J.C. 1470 which, by the laws of Mahomet, the women are Heg. 875. forbidden to fhew to any other man than their father or husband. Mustapha, inflamed with a fuden paffion, followed this beauty, forced the baths, the entrance of which is interdicted to all men without diftinction, and laid hold of her who had made fuch an impreffion on his heart. The vizier returned foon after from the army; the news which he learned on his arrival drove him to despair. He ran to the feet of the emperor, to complain of the rape committed on his wife, and of the injury that he had received from prince Muftapha. Thou and thy wife, are you not my flaves, replied Mahomet, with a barbarous fiercenefs, are you not too happy to contribute to the fatisfaction of my children! The unfortunate vizier retired broken hearted. But the fultan, who had intended to humble his minifter, was not lefs fevere for it towards his fon. He immediately fent for Mustapha, whom he sharply reprimanded and terribly menaced. Having learned afterwards, that the prince had made great complaints of this treatment, the implacable Mahomet declared him a rebel, and had him ftrangled three days after the interview. '

J.C.1473
Heg. 878.

The fultan, after this cruel execution, paffed feveral years in his capital, which he ornamented with new edifices. He had already caufed a for the galleys. He conftructed

port to be digged

Heg. 878.

takes Caf

blishes the

Tartars on

and con

peace with

ftructed a feraglio more fpacious and magnificent J.C. 1473than the first. Whilft the emperor was taken up with these peaceable works, his vizier enlarged Mahomet the borders of the empire. He took from the fa, eftaTartars of Crimea, Caffa, the ftrongest place khan of the of that fovereignty; he protected Nungiligiari, his throne, one of the two princes who difputed that throne, cludes and established him folidly thereon. His pofte- Venice. rity still reign throughout the Crimea,* fubject to a tribute and to the high fovereignty of the Ottoman empire. The fovereign of this country ftiles himself of the Ottoman race. He is called khan of Crimea, or khan of the Tartars. The emperor of the Turks depofes him at his pleafure, but he always chooses his fucceffor from the fame race; and it is the opinion of all the Turks, that the family of the khan of the Tartars would fucceed to the throne of Conftantinople, if the Ottoman race fhould fail in males.

After the expedition to Crimea, Mahomet J.C.1478. Heg. 883. entered Albania at the head of a hundred and fifty thousand men; his army put the whole country to fire and fword. The fiege of Scutari was pushed with the greatest vigour., The Venetians, who defended it as guardians of the son of Scanderbeg, furrendered it only at the conclufion of peace. The ifle of Lemnos, and the sum of a hundred thousand ducats, which they agreed to

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*The Crimea was ceded to Ruffia in 1784, by the Turks. T.

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