1 to 809. is taken, & killed. J.C. 1406, J.C. 1403, thofe of his retinue, carried him, in less than an to 1406. Heg. 805, hour, to a village fifteen miles from Adrianople, where, thinking himself in safety, he would, whilst Solyman, he waited for his retinue, drink fome wine, which pursued by hisbrother, he could not long do without. The inhabitants discovered him by the magnificence of his dress, Heg. 809. and, ftill more, by this infraction of the law of Mahomet, of which they believed him alone capable. Five of them, as much through indignation as the hopes of meriting a recompenfe from the vanquisher, determined to stop him: Solyman defended himself fo bravely, that he killed two of his affailants, and obliged the three others to kill him, in order to take his perfon. They carried his body to Mufa, who, feeming to deteft this action, which he well knew how to make his advantage of, had the three murderers burnt, and rendered Solyman all the funeral honors due to an emperor; he had him interred in the fepulchre of his grand-father Amurath, Solyman reigned four years and ten months. The Turks neither count him, nor his brother Mufa, in the number of their emperors, as neither of them reigned over all the empire loft by Bajazet, which was reunited only in the hands of Mahomet, the youngest of his fons, whom they look on as their fifth emperor. INTERREIGN. INTER REIGN, UNDER MUS A. SOLYMAN J.C. 1406, to 1413. Heg. 809, to 816. folates the Servia, and ropean YMAN was no fooner dead, than Mufa determined on recovering what that prince had ceded to the emperor of Conftantinople, flattering himself that this enemy would be easily vanquished. He chofe rather to attack Mufa dethe Greeks than his brother Mahomet, to whom Morea, he offered the partition of the Ottoman crown: feveral Euhe left him mafter of all the Afiatic poffeffions, ftates. provided the latter claimed nothing in Europe. Mahomet, who had undertaken to purge Afia of all the brigands that Tamerlane had left there, appeared contented with the propofal. On this, Mufa, with the affiftance of his grand vizier, Kircan Mouliak, meditated conquefts. He entered the Morea, where he took Peraverd and Matruma, and then poffeffed himself of Servia. Sigifmund, king of Hungary, was unable to defend it, though at the head of a numerous army; Mufa vanquished this prince in a pitched battle near Semendriah; but he ftained his victory by his exceffive cruelty. Kircan Mouliak, his grand vizier, had difpofed the order of battle, and alone gained it. The fanguinary fultan, who reaped the advantage of it, only ordered an useless flaughter. 1 to 1413. to $16. J.C. 1406, flaughter. Every thing on his way was put to Heg. 809, fire and fword. The hiftorians fpeak even of a feaft, which Mufa gave his officers, over the dead bodies of the Chriftians. The following year, Mufa, tired of the fatigues of war, fent his generals to befiege Theffalonica, which they foon made themselves mafters of.. Mufa is betrayed by and van his brother. Whilst Mufa was refigning himself to effehis officers, minacy in his palace at Adrianople, and ordering. quifhed by murders and ravages from the bofom of floth, his brother Mahomet was commanding in perfon against gangs of affaffins, re-establishing order, and giving repofe to Afia. This contraft made Mufa's generals wish to change masters. Kircan Mouliak, his grand vizier, and Ornusbeg, one of his generals, wrote to Mahomet, that he alone was worthy of commanding the Muffulmen; that it was abfolutely neceffary to reunite under the fame fceptre all the poffeffions which his father had loft; that if he would enter Europe, as the Greek emperor preffed him to, they would be anfwerable to him for the paffage and ftraits of Gallipoli. Thefe affurances, and Manuel's importunities, determined Mahomet to recover the dominions which his father had governed. In order to render his caufe more favorable, he publifhed, that he was going to avenge the death of Solyman. This prince, being born of the same mother as himfelf, feemed nearer to Mahomet than Mufa. Mahomet rifked his paffage to Europe, to 1413. to 816. Europe, feebly escorted. The vizier and the J.C.1406, other general went towards thefe ftraits, appa- Heg. 809, rently to guard the borders, but in reality to favor Mahomet's landing, and to fettle with him the operations of the enfuing campaign; for the season was too far advanced to act immediately, and Mahomet had only defigned to try, what degree of confidence he might put in these traitors. As foon as this prince had fettled his plan of acting, and returned into Afia, the grand vizier and his accomplice went back to Mufa. Mahomet exerted his utmost efforts to raise a numerous army. Being come to Scutari in the beginning of the fpring, the Greek emperor fent him galleys to tranfport his troops across the Bofphorus, under promise, that in cafe his arms were fortunate, he would reftore Manuel what Mufa had wrefted from him. Meanwhile, Mufa learned that his brother, in concert with the Greek emperor, had passed the straits, and was marching towards Adrianople. The traitorous grand vizier drew on his master, almost against his will, to engage the enemy: the two armies were scarcely in fight of each other, when that of Mufa, already inferior in number, became much more fo, by the defection of the vizier and Ornusbeg, who deferted full speed to Mahomet's camp, at the head of the best foldiers, whom they had feduced from their mafter.. Mahomet attacked vigorously the remains of his unfortunate brother's K J.C. 1413. brother's army. This combat was nothing but a Heg. 816. rout. Mufa, obliged to flee, as he had almost always done, plunged into a morafs, where being pursued by fome fpahis, he defended himself valiantly, 'till one of them chopped off his arm with his sword. The prince, not being affifted in time, died from the loss of blood.* His body was carried to Mahomet, who fent it to Burfa to be interred with his ancestors, after which he marched to Adrianople as a conqueror, where he received the homage of the army, and of all the bafhaws. J.C. 1413, to 1416. Heg. 816, to 819. the throne without contradic МАНОМЕТ І. FIFTH REIGN. Mahomet MAHOMET's acceffion to the throne gave fucceeds to univerfal joy throughout the empire. The foldiers faw with pleasure this fovereign, whom tion, and they had learned to respect. The Greek emperor fent him ambaffadors, to remind him of his the tribu- word, and to reclaim the price of his fervices. ces, except Mahomet's policy was, to be faithful to his engagements; he loaded Manuel's ambaffadors receives homage from all tary prin Caraman Ogli. with The Turkish hiftorians fay, that he was put to death by order of his brother Mahomet. We have followed the hiftorian Ducas, who was on the fpot at the time of the event, and whofe account too is more conformable to the character of Mahomet. |