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Heg. 921.

the course of time, neceffity had united them, J.C 1515. and they had elected a king for all thefe mountains, the pastures of which nourished a great number of wild animals, particularly horfes well formed to bear fatigue.

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Selim took the field in the beginning of the fpring. Aliadoulet affembled the few foldiers that he could oppose to this numerous army, and who were apparently fufficient to guard defilés with. Fifteen thousand horfe, and about the fame num- Selim ber of infantry, compofed all the Armenian himself forces. Their military talents were confined to the domi climbing mountains with agility, in order to get Aliadouout of the reach of the enemy, or attacking troops both him inferior in number. The fultan foon repented children of having brought two hundred thousand men to put to a war, where he could not employ fifty thousand: in this fituation he refolved to remain encamped on the confines of Armenia, and fend his best troops against thefe mountaineers, whom it was requifite to pursue rather than to fight. He detached Sinan bafhaw with forty thoufand men, twenty thousand of which were spahis, and twenty thousand janiffaries. These laft attacked the defilés, and foon fucceeded in routing men who neither kept their ranks nor fought together. The remainder of the campaign became a continual chase. The caverns and tops of mountains were the only places of defence that these fugitive people had. They burnt their cottages

J.C. 1515 and defolated the country, in order to render it Heg. 921. impracticable for an army; but the perfeverance and bravery of the Turkish foldiers overcame the agility of the Armenians. In less than fix weeks, which the fatigue and famine rendered very diftreffing, they destroyed all Aliadoulet's army. This prince himself was surprised in a cavern with all his children; they were conducted before Selim, who, after having reproached him with his perfidy, caused all this unfortunate family to be put to death.

The

emperor reduced all the conquered country to the subjection of Alibeg, a Perfian lord who had put himself under the protection of the Porte; but he made him king only of a defert. He diftributed a number of timars in this defolated country, of which the pafture and horfes had hitherto made the principal riches. In the project which Selim had always had of conquering Perfia, it was highly requifite for him to render Armenia fertile, as much to affift the Turkish armies, who would have to traverse arid deferts, as to repeople by degrees this vast country, where nature feemed to be more miserable than elsewhere. But the warlike Ottomans count lefs the number of men, than the extent of the country that they reduce, and the timars which they distribute in their conquefts continue in the fame devastation as the army leaves them; these

precarious

Heg. 921.

precarious poffeffions are an obftacle to the fer- J.C.1515. tility of the country.

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The destruction of Armenia had coft the fultan He tries in but few foldiers and little time. His troops were carry his quite fresh: and being master of the country rear, he thought he could enter Perfia at a greater advantage than the preceding year. as foon as the janiffaries knew his defign, all exclaimed, that they would not return to of this dif these arid fands, where they had only to war with famine and the elements. The spahis refused to mount their horses, unless it were to return to Europe; at length the most abfolute of monarchs faw himself constrained to obey his army. The news of the death of Solyman, the fon of Achmet, who, as we have feen, had found an afylum in Perfia, and had raised up that nation against the murderer of his father, did not confole Selim for the difobedience of his army. This prince was greatly exafperated, because, during the cries of rebellion, he had heard the name of his fon Solyman mentioned. The example which he himself had given the heir to the throne, threw him into the greatest perplexity. After the difperfion of the army, the greatest part of which he left in Afia, the emperor returned to his feraglio at Conftantinople, which he fortified every way by feveral batteries; the janiffaries that were to enter the city he brought across the fea, and then

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Heg. 921.

J.C.1515. left them outside the gates, declaring, that he no longer regarded them but as rebels. This conduct had more effect on these troops, than if Selim had undertaken to punish them. They faw themselves outfide the walls, without pay, and without veffels to repafs the ftraits. The eyes of the divan were open on their proceedings: they had not Solyman to place at their head; the fire of the rebellion was extinguished. They prefented themselves in great number at the gates of Conftantinople with white rods in their hands, the only arms that they bore, and which they ftill carry during peace, crying mercy, and asking forgiveness. This was precifely what Selim had expected. The janiffaries foon offered to deliver to the emperor those who had encouraged them to revolt. On the hopes that Sinan bashaw gave them that the fultan might be prevailed on to pardon their mutiny, they brought the fame day feveral of their chiefs, loaded with chains, who were beheaded before the gates of the city. After fome executions of this kind, Selim permitted the janiffaries to return to their odas, and caufed their usual pay to be diftributed to them. Prince Solyman, who had been for fome time believed the foul of this faction, though he was not with the army, went and juftified himself to the emperor, who only wished to be affured of his innocence.

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Selim, without going out of his feraglio, wreft- J.C. 1516. Heg, 922. ed a province from the Perfians. The people of Mefopotamia, now called Diarbekar, were bekarians in fubjection to the king of Perfia. They had the Perfian received the ancient Alcoran under the govern- attach ment of the Abbafian caliphs, and Ishmael was to the Ottormenting them with the new opinions of the toman emfect of Ali. These people, become miferable, the fceptre thought they could shake off a yoke impofed taryprince. on them by a foreign garrison; they plotted in filence, after which they wrote to the Turkish emperor, that, if his highness would receive the Diarbekarians under his protection, and permit them to choose a prince who should pay him tribute and acknowledge him for high fovereign, they only asked his approbation, to drive out the Perfians. This propofition appeared fo favorable to Selim, that for fome time he had a fufpicion of its concealing a fnare; but he foon learned, that the people of the Diarbekar, in attending his anfwer, had executed their project. Thofe, who were at the head of this confpiracy, had counterfeited the feal of the king of Perfia, and conveyed to the fatrap, who commanded the troops, a falfe order to retire with all his garrifon to the confines of another province, for operations which the fophi would explain to him himself. The fatrap obeyed, leaving in the capital and the other places a very small number of foldiers. As foon as the Diarbekarians knew that

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