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to 832.

J.C. 1424, liberty of Andronicus, the Greek emperor's Heg. 827, brother, who commanded in the place, and had fince fent deputies to Venice, to offer to become fubjects of that republic, if they would undertake its defence. Calcondilus and Phranzes affure us, that the violence offered to Andronicus was a feint, and that the Theffalonians had recourse to the republic of Venice, only in concert The Vene- with the Greeks. Be that as it may, as the dertake its Venetians wifhed ardently for a town so advantageously fituated for commerce, they accepted

tians un

defence.

Amurath

to befiege

it.

is obliged the proposal without hesitation. They immediately fent a governor thither, who gave Andronicus the liberty of retiring to Conftantinople; and for fear left the natives, who had not thought themfelves fufficiently ftrong to defend their homes, fhould talk of fubmitting to the Turks, they transported a great many families, fome to the islands of Euboe and Candia, and others to Venice, under pretence, that there were not provifions enough in the place, and that it would be difficult to introduce any. In the place of these useless ftomachs, they fubftituted difciplined and determined foldiers. Amurath was at Seres in Macedonia, when he learned, that the Venetians had undertaken the defence of a place, which the Greeks had ceded to him. Surprised to find himself opposed by an enemy which he had not thought of, he fent an embaffy to Venice, to represent to the republic,

to 1429.

to 832.

republic, that as he was not at war with them, J.C. 1424, they ought not to fhut against him the gates of a Heg. 827, town, which had never belonged to them. The fultan not having received any satisfactory answer from the Venetians, it became neceffary for him to prepare for befieging a strong place defended by determined foldiers. The emperor wrote to Amza his vizier to bring, by the gulf of Theffalonica, all the troops that he could take from Afia, affuring him that he would foon join him.

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Amza appeared the firft, at the head of an Siege of army fo numerous, that the befiegers were more nica. than a hundred to one. Notwithstanding this Amurath large number, the Venetians defended them- all the felves with incredible courage, making frequent booty to and bloody fallies, contenting themselves with diers. a very frugal nourishment, and threatening inftant death to all thofe that should talk of furrendering. The fortifications of this town were fuch, that few war machines could affect them. Though the use of cannon was already known in almost every part of Europe, the Turks did not yet know how to employ them. They endeavoured to corrupt fome of the befieged. In effect, fome of them not being able to fupport the extremities to which they were reduced, undertook the continuation of a fubterraneous paffage, known only to a few people, in order to open a communication with the outfide of the walls, and, by that mean, to introduce the enemy.

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to 1429.

to 832.

J.C. 1424, This being difcovered, the authors of it were fo Heg. 827, cruelly punished, that feveral, before they were convicted, precipitated themselves from the top of the ramparts into the Turkish camp, to avoid the torments which their accomplices were put to. These examples kept in order the feebleft. The war engines and battering rams made very little effect, and the fiege began to lengthen. The vizier wrote to the emperor, that his prefence became neceffary, not to augment the number of the befiegers, already too large, but to add new vigour to the troops, who began to defpair. Amurath tore himself from the arms of his fultaneffes. As foon he arrived at the camp, he caufed to be published by found of trumpet, that he gave the foldiers every thing that fhould be found in Theffalonica, men, women, children, gold, filver, furniture, and wares, and that he reserved to himself, only the place and buildings. This declaration renewed the ardour J.C. 1429 of the foldiers. The affault was given with fuch vigour, that they reached at length, though in á fmall number, the top of the walls; thofe, who were able to get up, cut their way through the middle of fome difcouraged foldiers and an enervated populace. They found means to open a gate to the Turks, who rushed inftantly into the city. There was lefs flaughter in Theffalonica than is generally feen in towns taken by affault. Amurath's abandoning all the flaves

Heg. 832.

to

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to 1436. to 840.

to the foldiers, was the cause of there being J.C. 1429, but little bloodshed. The Turks killed only Heg. 832, those that made refiftance, and they put in chains all that fubmitted to them. The town was rich; the gold, the filver, the rich furniture, and every thing of value, was a prey to the troops, as the fultan had promised them. Each foldier fold as many flaves as he could take. The town, become a defert, was repeopled by fome families from the country. Amurath introduced likewife, fome of its old inhabitants, who had been ranfomed. He converted all the churches into mofques, except one, which he left the Chriftians. The Greek emperor had the boldness to complain of the fack of Theffalonica. Amurath complained in his turn against John Paleologus's neglect of the treaty. He faw, or was willing to fee, a connivance with the Latin Chriftians in the defence which they had made of this town, and he defigned to punish the Greeks for it, by continuing the war with them, though they had paid the tribute.

fome towns

and con

He took feveral towns without refiftance in He takes Achaia and Etolią, which the Greeks yet poffef- in Etolia, fed. They opened their gates to him as foon as cludes a they could perceive the horse-tails.* The Vene- the Vene tians, interested in the prefervation of a free in

tercourfe

*This is a mark of dignity carried before the viziers. An officer who has a right to have three horse-tails carried before him, is stiled a vizier of three tails; and when the emperor is going to declare war, he caufes the borfe-tails to be hung out. Tranflator.

peace with

tians.

J.C. 1429, tercourfe with all nations by fea, were eager to

to 1436.

Heg. 832. fend an embaffy to the Turkish emperor to con

to 840.

Amurath

goes to war with feve

at the in

his wives.

clude a peace.
We do not find that this prince
made them purchase it; he contented himself
with undermining the Greeks, and weakening by
degrees, under the moft frivolous pretences, the
princes his tributaries and neighbours.

For twelve whole years Amurath made war with. his vaffals in Europe and Afia. He difpoffeffed ral defpots them in order to give their poffeffions to fome of tigation of his creatures, or he reduced them to heavy tributes. Some female intrigues, which are always fo dark at the Ottoman court, but which are often more powerful there, than any where else, were the occafion of almost all these events. Befides a great number of concubines fhut up in the haram, Amurath had three legitimate) wives there, all daughters or fifters of his vaffals, who had been given him by them, in order to procure his protection, or purchase peace: Helen, daughter of Lazarus Ogli, prince of Servia in Europe; Fatma, daughter of Isfendar Beg, prince of Sinope in Afia; and Mary, fifter of George, become defpot of Servia after the death of Lazarus Ogli. These princeffes, giving themfelves up to their jealoufies, endeavoured to have the war carried into the dominions of their rivals. Mary, princefs of Servia, the laft of the fultaneffes, had at firft effaced the two others from the heart of the inconftant Amurath. But her beauty and fuc

cefs

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