Janissaries, requiring him to repair to the diván, whilst the
Janissaries were ordered to surround the forum. The immense multitude
of ruffians who had rushed into the court continued their tumultuous
noise and uproar till the afternoon; but at last the ághá of the
household troops succeeded in awing this unwelcome concourse, and
inspired them with such a degree of terror as caused them to give way.
The members of the diván, and other servants of the court, perceiving
the Spáhís were awed, seized what weapons they could find. One took
hold of a cudgel, another of a culinary implement, and a third of a
garden rake, and turned with fury on the Spáhís, who, through fear
of the Janissaries, had turned their backs, and sought to make their
escape as fast as they were able. Such, indeed, was the crush and
pressure in trying to get out of the court, that three hundred and
fifty persons were trampled to death, and the rest hardly escaped with
their lives. Thus did God, in his wise providence, defeat the wicked
purposes of this lawless multitude, and peace and good order was again
restored. The ághá of the Janissaries dispersed the crowd of spectators
which had assembled on this occasion, and thus cleared the way for the
members of the diván, who all returned to their respective homes. The
dead bodies of the insurgents were thrown into the sea.
The emperor was so very much pleased when he learned the fate of the
insurgent Spáhís, and the conduct of the grand vezír, Síávúsh Páshá,
that he presented him with a robe of honour. The money which had been
furnished for paying the Spáhís was distributed as on former occasions;
but the lord high treasurer was deposed, and Hájí Ibrahím Páshá was
appointed in his stead. Borhán Effendí was made treasurer of Anatolia.
_The Grand Vezír, Síávúsh Páshá, deposed._
After the insurgent Spáhís were chastised and punished, and the grand
vezír was graced with the robe of honour, as a token of his majesty’s
approbation, he (_i. e._ the grand vezír), next day rode round the city
and laid a heavy tariff on commodities in the market-place, and then
returned, with great pomp and show, to his palace. On the 25th day of
Rabia II., however, the emperor’s chamberlain waited on him, demanded,
in the name of his master, the seals of office, and sent them to the
formerly exiled, but now renowned Khoja Sinán Páshá. Síávúsh Páshá, who
but yesterday was clothed in a robe of honour, and admired, is to-day,
to the astonishment of the vulgar multitude, debased!
Sinán Páshá, the new grand vezír, entered upon the duties of his office
on the first day of Jemadi I. This is the third time he became premier.
The following able councillors held their situations in the diván at
this time, and were accordingly arranged as follows: Ferhád Páshá,
who had been deposed from the office of grand vezír, held the second;
Ibrahím Páshá, the third; Jeghaleh Zádeh Sinán Páshá, the fourth; Jeráh
Mohammed Páshá, the fifth; Boyálí Mohammed Páshá, the sixth; and Khusur
Páshá, the seventh.
On the 15th of Shabán the ceremony of circumcision was performed on the
young prince, Mirzá Haider, and a splendid feast was given to the great
men of the state in the palace of Mohammed Páshá.
_A rupture between the Ottomans and the Austrians._
The rupture just now announced took place when Hasan Páshá, formerly
mentioned, commanded on the frontiers of Bosnia. Before alluding
directly to the result of this rupture, it is necessary to observe,
first, that Mustafa Páshá, son of Ahmed Páshá, who had been formerly
governor of Semendria, had his father’s palace in the At-maidán pulled
down, on the ruins of which Sultán Ahmed’s mosque was built. This
Mustafa Páshá, when he was commander in the Sanjak of Kilis, was in
the habit of committing depredations on the frontiers of the infidels’
dominions; and this also provoked the Germans and Croatians to cross
their respective boundaries, and to commit atrocities against the
Osmánlís. The Beglerbeg of Bosnia, Hasan Páshá, entered the country of
the Croatians, as we have already observed, and erected two fortresses
there, which he named Novograde. On one or two occasions he succeeded
in defeating the infidels, and thus acquired some considerable degree
of glory. When he communicated this intelligence to the Ottoman court,
he stated at the same time, that if the enemy should assemble in
greater numbers in future, the Bosnian troops alone would not be able
to cope with them, and therefore requested that the troops of Romeili
might be sent to his aid. The former grand vezír, Síávúsh Páshá,
conferred on a relative of his own, Kirli Hasan Páshá, the government
of Romeili, and appointed him to afford the aid which Hasan Páshá
deemed necessary. When Kirli Hasan Páshá, with his Romeilian troops,
reached the Sanjak of Serim, he learned that Sinán Páshá had been
created grand vezír. It is necessary to observe here, however, that
when Sinán Páshá was formerly grand vezír, the válí of Bosnia, Hasan
Páshá, gave him his house in Constantinople, but the Páshá refused to
give it back when he was deposed. The circumstance of Hasan’s seeking
back his house offended Sinán Páshá and put him into a complete rage.
About the end of the Ramazán of this year Kirli Hasan Páshá was
translated to the vezírship of Temisvar, and his son, Mohammed Páshá,
was made governor of Romeili in his father’s stead.
Hasan Páshá, proud of the succours he had reason to anticipate, and, in
addition to his eruptions for the last two years, in violation of the
existing treaty of peace, went and besieged a fortress called Siska,
in the enemy’s country. The infernal infidels, in consequence of this
infringement of the peace by Hasan Páshá, collected an immense army,
the command of which was given to the accursed wretch, Zerín Oghlí,
ruler of Katpaz. With this mighty army, furnished with all sorts of
apparatus of war, he marched to the frontiers of Bosnia.
Hasan Páshá, in the mean time, becoming hopeless as to the aid which
had been promised him, and not suspecting that the enemy was on his
march to attack him, threw two bridges over the Kupa, near Yení Hisár,
and marched over into Croatia. Hearing of the movements of the enemy,
he hastened to prepare to give them battle, although he had only
about ten thousand Bosnians under his command. Being a very brave and
fearless man, he acquired very great glory by his skill in military
tactics on this occasion.
The enemy having asked assistance from Maximilian, brother of the
Emperor of Austria, received a large augmentation of forces, raised by
the great princes of Germany, and thus became much more formidable.
This vast multitude, many of whom were covered with steel, resembled
the raging waves of the sea. The brave and veteran Páshá resolved on
encountering the enemy, and commanded Ghází Khoja Mimí Beg, father
of Serkhúsh Ibrahím Páshá, celebrated in war, to cross the river and
reconnoitre the enemy. He did so; and when he returned, he assured
Hasan Páshá that it would be altogether ruinous to give battle to so
superior a force as the enemy possessed. When Ibrahím delivered this
disheartening report Hasan happened to be playing at chess, and, after
hearing him patiently to the end of his tale, said, with a stern voice,
“Curse you, you despicable wretch! to be afraid of numbers: out of my
sight!” and immediately mounted his horse, passed his troops across the
bridges he had before erected, and prepared for the conflict, which was
not long in commencing. The infidels gained, at the very commencement,
an evident advantage; which Zerín Oghlí no sooner perceived than he
gave orders for a general assault, which proved fatal to the Osmánlís.
The Páshá of Kilis, Sultán Zádeh Mustafa Páshá, mentioned above,
perished. The troops of Izvernick were routed: those of Usk fell into
confusion and were repulsed; but the veteran troops of Novo, well
skilled in the use of muskets, maintained their ground for a while,
slew a great number of the opposing káfirs; but the son of Zerín, by
an artful manœuvre, succeeded in driving them back, and cut them
to pieces. The Moslems were now obliged to retreat to their bridges,
when a most terrible conflict ensued, in which Khoja Ghází Mimí Beg
perished. The brave Hasan Páshá himself also met with his fate, having
fallen into the river with one of the bridges, which had been cut to
prevent the pursuit of the enemy. Such was the result of this terrible
day. Though Hasan had acted throughout with the utmost skill, and had
fought with unequalled bravery; though his military prudence had never
once forsaken him, yet such was the immense superiority of the enemy’s
forces, augmented besides by forty thousand Germans, that it does
not appear surprising that the Moslems were defeated. Eight thousand
Moslems fell or were drowned. The nephew of Rustem Páshá, Mohammed Beg,
and three other Sanjak princes, perished along with Hasan Páshá in the
river at the falling of the bridge. The victorious infidels retired
from the field of battle in triumph.
When intelligence of this unfortunate day reached the court of
Constantinople, the ocean-like zeal of the emperor was stirred up
within him, and at once led him to determine to prosecute the war with
vigour and without delay.
_The Grand Vezír, Sinán Páshá, determines on carrying the war into
Hungary._
The grand vezír, Sinán Páshá, ambitious of acquiring fame similar to
that which Ferhád Páshá, the conqueror of kingdoms, had acquired,
found now a sufficient stimulus to awaken his zeal. The Austrians
having, for the last twelvemonth, neglected sending their accustomed
tribute; the defeat and discomfiture of the veteran Hasan Páshá by the
most consummate general of the enemy, and in which defeat he himself,
Mustafa Páshá, and several other princes, besides many thousand
Moslems, had fallen martyrs, roused the indignation of the vezír, and
at once led him to determine on carrying the war into the Hungarian
dominions. Winter arrived, however, before the vezír had accomplished
the whole of the preparations for the intended expedition, which he had
resolved on conducting in person, and therefore was advised to postpone
his departure till the spring. But the vezír was not to be moved from
the resolution he had formed: none of the considerations which had
been advanced to cause him to put off had the least effect in turning
him from his purpose, and in fifteen days afterwards the whole of his
apparatus was in movement, _i. e._ on the 12th of Shevál, 1001 of the
Hijrah.
Although Sinán Páshá had succeeded, in so short a time, in making the
necessary preparations for the war, yet it was not customary, unless
the emperor himself went forth to war, that the lord high treasurer and
ághá of the Janissaries should go forth; and therefore twelve thousand
Janissaries, destined for the war, were put under the command of a
deputy. Six regiments of paid troops remained behind. The salary of the
troops who were on the eve of marching was paid to them at the vezír’s
palace, and on the 18th of Shevál the grand vezír commenced his march,
leaving behind him Ferhád Páshá as governor of Constantinople.
The grand vezír reached Adrianople about the beginning of the eleventh
month of the year, where, after a few days rest, he recruited five
hundred men, experienced in the use of arms, and sent them off with
his other troops, and under proper leaders, for Belgrade. When he came
to Wazansha, at the request of the inhabitants, he appointed proper
persons to commence building a couple of inns, a mosque, two baths,
and a magazine for merchants; for which splendid and beneficial
purpose he advanced thirty thousand dollars from his own private purse
towards defraying the expenses. The place was formerly a miserable
wretched hole, but by transplanting the inhabitants of two villages
to it, it acquired in time respectability. After passing through
Philippopolis and Sophia, he caused a palanka and an inn to be erected
at a place called Batchina, in the district of Yaghodina, a dangerous
and difficult pass, and exposed to banditti. On the 7th of Dhu’lhijja
he reached Belgrade, and after having ordered a distribution of
provisions, &c. to the various troops, he sent off his military stores
by water to Buda. On the 17th he reached the plains of Sirim, and on
the last day of the month he arrived at Usk, where without loss of time
he made preparations for attacking Besperim and Palaha. In the month
of Moharrem, 1002, he crossed the bridge of Usk, and after four days’
rest he received information from Bodin (Buda), that the Emperor of
Germany, and other infidel princes, were posted with an army of twenty
thousand men below Yanuk. This information accelerated the Páshá’s
movements; and after holding a council of war, it was determined that,
without loss of time, they should march against Besperim and Palaha.
The Beglerbeg of Romeili, Mohammed Páshá, was ordered to proceed to
Buda and transport thence six large cannon, two field-pieces, and
other stores, to Alba Julia (Weissenburg, in Siebenbürgen); and the
commandant of Buda, Hasan Páshá, was also ordered, at the same time, to
accompany him with the troops under his command.
The troops under the grand vezír halted two days in the plains of
Mehaj, for the purpose of receiving their rations of provisions, and
immediately after the distribution, the troops of Anatolia advanced
first, and the others followed. The cannon and troops from Buda joined
the main army when passing through Dallderese, and on reaching Alba
Julia, the Beglerbeg of Bosnia, with the Anatolian troops, marched
against Besperim, and encamped before it on the 20th of Moharrem. The
commandant of Buda, Hasan Páshá, with the veteran borderers under his
command, commenced the assault, and after three days’ hard fighting
the infidels became disheartened and proposed to capitulate, which
was acceded to by the Moslem conquerors. The Kapúdán of Besperim, his
troops, and the whole of the inhabitants, evacuated the city, when
it was immediately taken possession of by the Moslem troops: but the
peasants in the surrounding country remained in their villages. On
Friday of the first week, after taking possession of it, prayers were
offered up, a Sanjak Beg was appointed, and Besperim was attached
to the jurisdiction of Buda. After a rest of four days, the troops
advanced to besiege Palaha which, though of no great strength, was
surrounded with extensive suburbs. Around the whole was a kind of
marsh, and on one side was a mountain or hill covered with wood. The
Moslem troops, in their heroic ardour after conquest, lost no time in
preparing for commencing their operations, and after two days’ struggle
the place fell into their hands, on the 1st of the month of Sefer, and
was afterwards attached to Besperim.
In the meantime information reached the Moslems that the enemy’s
troops, which were posted below Yanuk, intended to march on Alba Julia;
and that another body of the enemy’s troops was encamped in the plains
of Tata. It was considered in a council of war, that as the Kasímgún
(Michaelmas) was fast approaching, it would be more advisable to
postpone any further attack upon the enemy till it was once over.
About this time Haram Aghá, ághá of the Spáhís, it is said, went with
a party of his men to the mountain called Yakúah, about two leagues
distant from the enemy’s camp. Next morning, however, at the hour of
prayer, he was suddenly attacked by the enemy, who poured in upon him
in great numbers, slew him on the very carpet on which he was offering
up his devotions, seized his banners, and killed a considerable number
of his men. The Aghá of the Salihdárs was appointed chief of the Spáhís
in his room.
The Janissaries and Spáhís who were present at the late victories
obtained over the enemy received an augmentation of salary for their
valour, and were ordered to return to Buda; the plains of which
they reached on the middle of Sefer, the day of Kásím, and where
distribution of provisions was made to the various troops. After this
was once over, the Ketkhodá of the Janissaries (_i. e._ the officer who
commanded the Janissaries in room of their Aghá, who was not present
in this war), placed two legions of Janissaries in the fortress of
Buda, ordered his arsenal, waggons, and other heavy baggage to be
moved forward to Pest, sent his remaining Janissaries to Segdin to
remain there during the winter, whilst all the other Aghás and writers
or secretaries remained with him at Buda. Ten days after Kásím day,
the Serdár, or commander-in-chief, gave orders to strike his tents,
and marched for Belgrade, where he went into winter-quarters, which,
however, he did not reach till the 17th of Rabia II. Rezván Aghá was
sent off to Constantinople to announce the victories which the Moslem
arms had obtained over the infidels: the young Spáhís were sent to
Nikboli (Nicopolis in Bulgaria), and the Salihdár of Widin was ordered
to take up his winter-quarters to the left of Belgrade.
_The Enemy advances to Belgrade._
The commander-in-chief, Sinán Páshá, had scarcely reached Belgrade,
when the Austrians appeared before it and fought an obstinate battle,
but were at last defeated. Many thousands of them perished, and their
cannon fell into the hands of the victorious Moslems. After they were
repulsed, Hasan Páshá collected all the troops scattered in Buda and
Pest, and in the country round about, and advanced to meet the enemy,
who had put themselves in order of battle. The enemy’s troops were
covered with steel, and had a very singular appearance. Their horsemen
had breast-plates of iron to shield them, and even their horses seemed
to be bound together by chains of the same metal.
When the enemy perceived the efforts which had been made by the
Moslems, and how they were preparing to meet them, they, thinking the
moment had arrived when they might easily and without resistance seize
on Buda, immediately after the first assault fled towards that city.
The brave Hasan, however, pursued them; and falling on them in the rear
hewed down a great many of them. The enemy, on perceiving the havoc
which Hasan and his heroic associates committed amongst them, marked
him out as the chief object of their hatred and vengeance, and their
swords were directed against him; but being covered with a coat of
mail, he for a while received no injury. Being excessively forward, and
impatient in carrying destruction among the enemy, he received at last
several wounds and fell from his horse. The commandant of the fortress,
Ahmed Aghá, a man of great heroism, handed him another, and though
wounded in several places he maintained his ground; and it was only
after long and continued acts of the greatest bravery that those around
him succeeded in getting him to retire from the scene of action. Those
of his followers, and who fought on foot, maintained the struggle till
night, and not one of them escaped alive from the field of battle. The
rest of his troops fled towards Buda and Pest, and Hasan himself was
carried in his wounded condition to Buda, whence he sent a report to
the Serdár at Belgrade of what had happened, and requested immediate
assistance.
_Felk falls into the hands of the Enemy._
After the defeat of the army of Buda the enemy retreated, and
after making a circuitous route, marched against Felk and besieged
it. Sinán Páshá, son of Mohammed Páshá, who had been sent by the
commander-in-chief, and a few strangers, five in all, moved slowly
forward to Felk and perceived the extremity to which the besieged were
reduced, and who in the end were necessitated to evacuate the fortress.
This took place on the first of Rabia II. The execrated infidels robbed
them of all the money and valuables they were possessed of before
leaving the place; and what is very remarkable, notwithstanding this
treatment, two or three hundred of them actually became apostates,
and were content to remain in Felk. But it must be observed, however,
that the majority of the people of Felk had a predilection for heresy,
and therefore the conduct of the apostates now mentioned need not be
much wondered at; though it must be confessed the innocent were also
infected by them.
It is also very remarkable that the spring of that year commenced
sooner than usual by two months, but it was short. The fruit trees were
soon covered over with blossoms, and in a short time afforded abundance
of fruit. By this fortuitous circumstance the hateful infidels were
enabled to subsist and pursue their hostile purposes, and they were but
too successful. Several castles and places of strength and importance
fell into their hands.
Such of the inhabitants of Felk as chose to leave it went to Sitchan,
but the commander and troops of that fortress were thrown into such
a panic at hearing of the infidels that they all fled, carrying with
them what they could conveniently take away. The enemy found it of
course forsaken, and immediately placed a garrison of five hundred
men in it. The troops in Sunta, in the country of Moravia, also fled
for fear of the enemy, and went into the surrounding mountains; but
their commander, and about ten men, had the courage to remain where
they were. When the enemy appeared before Sunta, the commander and
his ten men commenced firing their cannon, in order to lead them to
suppose that the fortress was well supplied with men; and in fact this
stratagem succeeded so far as to awe them; and a report happening to
circulate that some thousands of Tátárs were on their march to aid the
fortress, caused the enemy to retreat altogether, when the fugitive
troops returned to their duty.
Those other faithless runaways and heartless Martlooses (a sort of
Christians), who had fled when the above-mentioned and other places
fell into the enemy’s hands, joined together and formed themselves
into a band of robbers about Wáj, and commenced committing excess
and villany against the peasants in the country. The Páshá’s deputy,
however, soon dispersed them, and hanged five of their ringleaders as
an example of terror to others. Such of those vagrant fugitives as
actually joined the enemy met with no better fate. The enemy considered
them as being neither useful to them nor to the Turks, and therefore
caused their heads to be cut off.
In the meantime the enemy concentrated in the vicinity of Wáj, and
after very much fighting reduced the fortress of Novograde. About the
same time, also, some of the chiefs of Wáj failed in their courage
and fled, when a troop of infidels came and set fire to the suburbs,
and carried off what plunder they were able. On the 19th of Jemadi
II., when the sound of the cannon ceased to be any more heard from
Novograde, the Wajian chiefs, excited by curiosity, ran towards evening
to Novograde, to see how matters stood there, and were sufficiently
confounded when they saw the enemy rushing from all directions into
the place, distressing the inhabitants, thrusting them forth naked
and disgraced, and committing every sort of violence on these poor
creatures. When these naked wretches, thus thrust out of Novograde,
met the Wajian chiefs, they warned them of their danger. “Watch your
villages and city,” said they, “the infidels will soon be at your
heels. What do you want here? What are you gazing at? Have you not
sufficient example in our fate?” The Wajian chiefs took the hint, and
fled to Buda. Nevertheless, the governor of Wáj and four or five of
his men had the courage to remain behind. The fortress of Sunta was
afterwards burned to the ground by order of Hasan Páshá. Several of
the Novogradians came to seek a retreat in the city of Wáj before its
suburbs were burned by the enemy, but they were robbed and spoiled,
even of their geese and hens, on that occasion of rapine and plunder.
A party of horsemen came and surrounded Wáj, but the desperate
inhabitants of the inner fortress were so excited at the conduct and
rage of the infidels, that they exerted every nerve in self-defence,
and by their heroic bravery dispersed their antagonists from their
gates, many of whom went away wounded. The whole party afterwards
returned to Novograde.
_The Faithless are chastised._
Mohammed Páshá, son of the grand vezír and commander-in-chief, and
Hasan Páshá, agreed together to send a report of the disasters which
had happened; and also an account of those Begs and Aghás who had
either fled from or had given up the cities and fortresses under
their command to the enemy. The Aghás of Sunta, for not saving the
cannon of Novograde before it fell into the hands of the enemy, were
imprisoned and tortured. The Beg of Semendria, Wadanali Ramazán Zádeh,
the commandant of Novograde, was degraded and imprisoned. The Beg
of Novograde, Karah Kurahli Mohammed Beg, was secretly strangled by
the Janissaries. But these severe measures were very grievous and
distressing to the champions of the borders. The above-mentioned
Mohammed Beg was one of the ancient heroes and most virtuous of that
class.