Chap. XXIII
The Turk sends Ambassadors to the Soldan, who had fled, advising him to submit; but, these men being killed by the Circassians, he sends Mustafà with an army to revenge them. The Soldan is defeated; and, being pursued by Mustafà, is taken prisoner, and brought to the Grand Turk, who causes him to be impaled by one of the gates of Cairo.
We remained at Cairo alert to all the movements of the Soldan, who had crossed the Nile and taken flight into the country of the Saettò.521 As he wished to be informed of what the Turks were doing, he sent secret emissaries to Cairo to stir up the citizens to molest our troops. While things were in this train, Omar,522 a lord of the Moors, came secretly to kiss the hand of the Sultan, told him all, and was rewarded by a good Sangiacato in the regions of the Saettò. Sentinels were posted everywhere, and artillery to command the river, so that not even a bird could have crossed. They then determined to send two chiefs with the Cadis of Cairo to the Soldan to advise him to submit himself to the Grand Turk, who promised to give him the government of Cairo. But the Circassians, when they got the ambassadors into their power, put them to death. The monarch, hearing of this cruelty, caused bridges to be erected over the river, and commanded Mustafà to cross with the entire army, which was reported to the Soldan, who, with five thousand Circassians and ten thousand Arabs, advanced to meet them by forced marches in one day and one night. At this juncture part of the Greek troops had crossed and others were crossing, not having any intelligence of this; but God so willed it that those who were seeking a good spot to pitch the Sultan’s tent, saw the dust raised by the approaching squadrons, and, being utterly amazed, rode off to tell the news. The monarch ordered Mustafà to mount and set the army in array. The Circassians charged and drove back our troops as far as the standard, but, being reinforced, we repulsed them; the Circassians, seeing this, again closed and drove us back with such slaughter that the blood ran in rivers. The Moors fought only to give the Circassians time to rest, so that our men were at a great disadvantage, fighting on bravely still, but with immense loss. The Bassa, who was in attendance on the Sultan, seeing this, and that the day was in a way to be lost, seized his scimitar and bosdocan furiously, and rushed towards the Soldan, intending to cut the life out of his body before dying himself. The Greeks, seeing this act of valour, struggled on to assist their chief. And it is certain that if their courage had failed them then, they would have lost their lives, as they would all have been cut to pieces. But their bravery showed the Soldan that they would gain the victory, and, seeing that from a great and rich monarch he would become a poor and solitary outcast, looking up to heaven he bewailed his sad lot with such bitter words as to make all who heard him pity him. After many words, accompanied with tears, he took to flight, riding night and day till he reached a bridge, where he rested a short time. Mustafà523 and the Greeks pursued him, but he managed to keep in advance of them. The Turk set out from Cairo, and halted half a day’s journey distant from Mustafà, who had pursued the Soldan for four days and as many nights, till he forced him from fatigue to take refuge in a Casal of the Moors. Our men, also being very much fatigued, could not get possession of him; so they determined to write to the people of the Casal ordering them under pain of fire and sword to prevent the Soldan proceeding any further. Thence the chief of the fortress, named Sheikh Assaim, told all his men, and Tomombei and the Circassians were surrounded by the Moors, so that they could not escape till the arrival of our men, who soon got them into their power. The Circassians threw themselves into a neighbouring lake, while our soldiers cut some of them to pieces and made prisoners of the others. Tomombei was taken standing up to his knees in water, and conducted to the Bassà, who despatched a troop to the monarch with intelligence of all that had occurred. The messenger on his arrival was received with great rejoicings, and all the Sangiacchi and the lords kissed the Grand Turk’s hand. The Soldan was not brought to his presence, but kept in good custody in a tent near his. After this there was another battle with the Moors in another fortress near the Nile; the inhabitants and some Mamelukes were continually killing and robbing our men. Mustafà set out and destroyed the fortress, and, after remaining four days, returned to the Turk, who was holding a court, and had commanded that Tomombei Soldan524 should be led through the country of Cairo on a mule, with a chain round his neck, and that at a gate of the city called Bebzomele he should be impaled, which was immediately done. This was the termination of the kingdom of the Mamelukes and the commencement of the greater power of Selim Sultan. The history of this last expedition of Selim against the Soldan and the Mamelukes was carefully written by a Cadi Lascher,525 who was with the army, to a Cadi in Constantinople, and translated from the Turkish into Tuscan on the 22nd October, 1517.
In 1524, in the month of August, news came that the celebrated Sophi monarch was dead, and that his younger son had seized the power, but was opposed by the elder with a great number of soldiers. Ismael had left four sons, the eldest named Schiacthecmes,526 the second Alcas el Mirza,527 the third Päerham528 el Mirza, the fourth Sam el Mirza; Mirza being a title meaning prince. The eldest was then fourteen years old, and his father had left him as a governor a man, named Chiocha Sultan, to govern the kingdom till the boy came of age to rule. This regent was wise, and of a great influence. But it came to pass that some of the other nobles, from envy of the regent, began to make war on one another, and having taken the field, came as far as the tent of Schiacthecmes,529 wishing to slay the regent; but the matter was compromised.
Footnotes
340 Hulakoo Khan, son and successor of the great Zingis, and the conqueror of Bagdad.
341 Ajemi.
342 Hassan Beg.
343 This action was fought near Malatia, at a point previous to the Euphrates entering the Gerger Gorge (Elegia). The islands do not now exist, and they were probably (considering the time of year) only sandbanks left by the fall of the river.
344 Calo Johannes. See Zeno, p. 9.
345 Despina Khatoon; i.e., “Lady” or “Queen” Despina.
346 Hassan Beg.
347 Sheikh Hyder. See Zeno, p. 48.
348 Present Kharput. See Travels of a Merchant, cap. 3; and Zeno, p. 42.
349 Diarbekr.
350 Amid (Diarbekr). The Church of San Giorgio, or Mar Jurjees, was an old Jacobite church, but is now in ruins. See Zeno, p. 42.
351 It was David Comnenus who was the last Emperor of Trebizond, Calo Johannes, his elder brother, having died before the Turkish invasion.
352 Trebizond was taken by Mahomet II in 1461.
353 Ibrahim.
354 Peer Ahmed. See Zeno, p. 15.
355 Shebban Kara Hissar. See Zeno, p. 23.
356 Niksar?
357 The city of Konieh; but the text denotes a river rather, probably the Iris.
358 Tchelebee or the noble, a common title among the Ottoman princes.
359 Yusuf Khan.
360 Tocat.
361 Achmet Pasha.
362 Afioom Kara Hissar. Zeno, p. 19.
363 Cutayeh.
364 Daoud.
365 Achmet Pasha.
366 Amasia. See Zeno, p. 37.
367 Bajazet Tchelebee.
368 Quzbvassi. The Goose’s Plain.
369 Djim or Zizim. See Zeno, p. 22.
370 Amurath.
371 Ikindjis.
372 The Ikindjis, irregular troops.
373 Amasia, birthplace of Strabo and Mithridates.
374 Sivas. See Zeno, p. 23.
375 The Iris or Kizzil Irmak.
376 Niksar.
377 Koili Hissar. See Zeno, p. 23.
378 Shebban Kara Hissar. The alum mines are still worked, but yield little revenue. See Zeno, p. 23.
379 Probably Egin. See Zeno, p. 23.
380 Erzingan.
381 Malatia.
382 Khalul.
383 Called Unghermaumet in Zeno.
384 Amurath Palæologus.
385 Knolles, in his History of the Turks, says that a great Pasha Mahomet was assassinated by the janissaries on the accession of Bajazet II to the throne, but makes no mention of this incident.
386 Baiboort. See Zeno, p. 26.
387 Tabeada.
388 How this happened it is not easy to understand, as Zeno says the Persian king pursued the Turks with only a flying column.
389 Zeno says fourteen thousand.
390 Shiraz; it has still a great manufacture of sword-blades and armour.
391 See p. 89. Eustraf?
392 Baiboort.
393 Erzeroum or Erzingan.
394 Shebban Kara Hissar.
395 Called Darap by Zeno.
396 Sanjak.
397 Koili, or Koyumlu Hissar.
398 Niksar.
399 Shiraz, a far more important town then than it is now.
400 Kerman.
401 Syria.
402 Khaleel and Yakoob.
403 Angiolello had evidently by this time left the Turkish camp and joined the Persians.
404 Gori.
405 Tiflis, the present capital of Russian Trans-Caucasia, on the river Kur, was founded in 1063. It has a population of fifty thousand, and, under the Russian sway, has become almost like a European town.
406 Padishah.
407 Khaleel is generally called the eldest of Uzun Hassan’s sons.
408 Amida, present Diarbekr.
409 Orfa. See Travels of a Merchant, cap. 2.
410 Birjik, or Bir, ancient Apamea. See Travels of a Merchant, cap. 2.
411 Baisongor.
412 Ahmed.
413 Eluan-Alwung, or Alumut, son of Sultan Yakoob.
414 Sheikh Hyder.
415 There were sons of Shah Yakoob living, namely, Aluan Beg and Morad Khan, who were more direct descendants of Uzun Hassan.
416 Ardebil.
417 The other authors give a different account; they expressly state that Sheikh Hyder was not up in arms against the king, whatever his ulterior object may have been, but was engaged in an expedition into Circassia.
418 Khoi.
419 Zeno says the battle took place near Derbend—far enough, certainly, from Van.
420 Ak Tammar, the Van Lake, so called by the Armenians. The island is, to this day, the seat of the Catholicos, and is fully described by Layard.
421 See above, where it is stated that their mother was married a second time; and page 105, where it is said Ismail put her to death. It is more probable that another of their father’s wives is denoted in these other cases.
422 Kara Bagh.
423 Schamachi.
424 Vide Travels of a Merchant, cap. 13.
425 Kur, or Cyrus.
426 Schamachi.
427 Zeno, p. 51, says he had only sixteen thousand men under him after being joined by the Georgians.
428 Diarbekr, the hereditary city of the Ak Koinloos.
429 Stepmother, according to Zeno, which is certainly more probable.
430 Morad Khan, brother of Aluan Beg.
431 Irak-el Ajim.
432 Ispahan, Yezd, and Shiraz.
433 Khorassan.
434 The other authors agree in stating that he escaped to Alla-ed Douleh’s country; at any rate, he was no further trouble to Ismail Sofi.
435 Morad Khan.
436 Bagdad is situated on the Tigris, not the Euphrates, but the modern city of Hillah is supposed to represent the site of the ancient Babylon.
437 Jezireh ebn Omar on the Tigris. See Travels of a Merchant, cap. 4.
438 Orfa and Mardin. See Travels of a Merchant, caps. 2 and 4.
439 Hesn Keyf, Ciphas of Procopius. Baldwin de Bourg and Jocelyn de Courtenay were confined here after their capture by Sookman, the Ortokide lord of the place, and Dejekermish, lord of Mosul. See Travels of a Merchant, cap. 4.
440 Alla-ed Douleh.
441 Kharput. Jocelyn was again captured, together with his kinsman, by Balak, the Ortokide, and confined in this place. See Travels of a Merchant, cap. 3.
442 Alla-ed Douleh, written “Abnadulat” above.
443 Erzingan.
444 Ko-li Beg.
445 Zekkaria Beg.
446 Kaisarieh.
447 El Bostan, or Albistan. See Zeno, p. 54.
448 The Jihoon.
449 Marash. See Zeno, p. 54.
450 Kara Dagh.
451 Malatia.
452 Amir Beg.
453 Diarbekr.
454 Kharput.
455 Named Becarbec.
456 Khoi.
457 Sheibani Khan. See Zeno, p. 55.
458 Khorassan and Astrabad.
459 Ispahan.
460 Called Astibisti in the Travels of a Merchant, cap. 8.
461 Kara Bagh.
462 Shirvan and Schamachi.
463 Bairambec, the conqueror of Van and Ismael’s brother-in-law. See Travels of a Merchant, cap. 6.
464 Baku.
465 Astrabad.
466 Derbend. See Zeno, p. 44.
467 Demir Kapoo, or the Iron Gate.
468 Astrakhan.
469 “Sheikh, Sheikh.” In this sense it means simply a holy man, not God.
470 Rather the twelve Imaums.
471 Syria.
472 Sheibani Khan, the Usbeg. See Zeno, p. 55.
473 Irak Ajemi.
474 Ispahan.
475 Kashan.
476 Astrabad.
477 Jarood.
478 Most probably Bairambec, the king’s brother-in-law, mentioned before.
479 Custagialu, another brother-in-law of the king.
480 Astrabad, Khorassan, Herat.
481 Kashan.
482 The battle of Merv Shah Jehan, in which Sheibani Khan was killed, took place in 1514.
483 Jarood.
484 Bitlis. See Zeno, p. 8.
485 Iris.
486 At Gumish Khaneh.
487 Kharput.
488 The Van lake, at its nearest point, is scarcely twenty English miles from Bitlis.
489 Khoi is nearly a hundred miles from the Van lake.
490 This is the shortest and most direct route from Tocat to Persia and quite different from the one just mentioned.
491 Zeno, p. 60.
492 Casveen.
493 Khafour el Ghouri, called Campson Gauri later on.
494 We have an instance of this sort in our own annals, viz., the presents sent by the Dauphin to Henry V.
495 Baiburt.
496 These were the latest conquests made by Selim from Persia.
497 Euxaghly, near Malatia, called Ciamassum by Knolles, who says it was situated near the confluence of the Melas (Kara Su) with the Euphrates.
498 Kaisarieh.
499 Knolles says that Aladeules was betrayed by his nephew, Alis Beg, who became the Turkish governor of the country.
500 Kazi Asker.
501 This was contrary to the advice of Algazeli, who advised Campson to protract the war and not to risk all on one battle.
502 Sanjak.
503 Knolles says the 7th.
504 Sybeius Baluan.
505 Knolles says that the Mamelukes lost the battle through the treachery of Caierbec, who had a secret understanding with Selim. The Turks were almost put to rout by Sibes and Algazeli, when the desertion of the Governor of Aleppo and the opportune arrival of Sinan Pasha turned the fortune of the fight. Sibes and Campson Gauri were both killed in the battle, which took place, according to Knolles, on the 7th of August, 1516, the same day that the battle of Schalderan took place two years before.
506 Kafoor el Ghouri, the last Soldan of Egypt but one, died 1516, and was succeeded by Tomant Bey.
507 Jonnses Pasha put to death soon afterwards by Selim.
508 Gaza.
509 Devetdar.
510 Tomant Bey, last Soldan of Egypt.
511 Sinan Pasha, Selim’s best general—his valour and generalship had saved him upon more than one occasion; for instance, at the battle of Schalderan, and again in the conflict with the Mamelukes.
512 Knolles says, in his History of the Turks, p. 535:—“The Bassà had placed his harquebusiers in the wings of his battell, which were raunged of a great length in their rankes, thereby to use their peeces at more liberty and with more ease to enclose the enemie: in the middle were placed the horsemen to receive the first charge of the Mamalukes. Gazelles approaching the enemy, sent before the troupes of the Arabian light horsemen to trouble the wings of the enemies battell, and with a square battell of his Mamalukes charged the middle battell of the Turks. The battell was a great while most terrible, and the victorie doubtfull; for, although the Turkes in number farre exceeded, yet were they not able to endure the armed and courageous Mamalukes, but were glad to give ground; and, quite disordered by the breaking-in of the Mamalukes, as men discouraged, began to look about them which way they might flie; when, by the commaundement of Sinan, the harquebusiers, who, with the first volley of their shot, had repulsed the Arabians, wheeling about enclosed all the enemies battell. By which means both men and horse were a farre off slaine, with the multitude of the deadly shot, where true valour helped not them, so on every side enclosed. For where any troupe of the Mamalukes pressed forward upon the Turkes, they quickly retired, and in all places of the battell, as much as they could, shunned to encounter their enemies with their horsemen, labouring onely to gaule them with shot. Gazelles seeing his horses spent with extreame wearinesse, and that he was not to expect any further helpe, his Arabians now beginning to fall from him; and also, considering that many of his most valiant souldiours were either slaine or wounded, and having also himselfe received a great wound in his necke, he, with the rest of his armie, made way through the middest of his enemies, and having lost divers of his ensignes, fled back againe to Caire, through the same sandie deserts whereby he came. In this battell was lost the Governor of Alexandria and Orchamus, Governor of Caire (both men of great account among the Mamalukes), and beside them a great number of Arabians, with a thousand or more of the Mamaluke horseman. Neither got Sinan a joyfull or unbloudie victorie, having lost above two thousand of his best horsemen, and amongst them certaine commaunders, men of great marke.”
513 Petra?
514 Tomant Bey.
515 At Maharra, six miles from Cairo.
516 Allem, called Heylims the Devetdar, by Knolles.
517 By a Mamaluke captain named Bidon, frequently mentioned by Knolles.
518 The well of Zemzem.
519 Knolles says, Tomant Bey, after showing great personal courage, was forced to order a retreat, which soon became a flight. The battle was fought on the 24th January, 1517.
520 The Mamelukes were repulsed, and were then attacked in Cairo by Selim.
521 Delta?
522 Called Albuchomar by Knolles.
523 Mustafà, Algazeli, and Caierbec were sent in pursuit.
524 He was first tortured to make him reveal where he was supposed to have hidden the great treasures of Campson Gauri.
525 Cazi Asker.
526 Shah Tamasp.
527 Elias Mirza, King of Shirvan. Vide Alessandri.
528 Bahram Mirza.
529 Shah Tamasp.
OF A
MERCHANT IN PERSIA.